Kangaroo Elaine

So long!

2010-06-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

I deleted my YouTube account.

Hunting and Hunters

2010-05-27T16:14:00.000-07:00

I can't support hunting, but it simply doesn't bother me as much as factory farming.

In 2008, over 9 billion chickens, 116 million pigs, and 35 million cows were killed for food. Most came from factory farms. See the graphic:
http://www.animalvisuals.org/data/sla...

Factory farming investigations:
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/dairy/
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/pigs/
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/ohdairy/
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/hatchery/
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/hor/
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/maine-...

"In the United States, an estimated 95% of egg-laying hens are intensively confined in battery cages."
http://www.animalvisuals.org/empathy/...

Why vegan?
http://veganvideo.org/
http://www.meat.org/
http://www.earthlings.com/earthlings/...

"We shouldn't kid ourselves about the number of ethical eating options available to most of us. There isn't enough nonfactory chicken produced in America to feed the population of Staten Island and not enough nonfactory pork to serve New York City, let alone the country. Ethical meat is a promissory note, not a reality. Any ethical-meat advocate who is serious is going to be eating a lot of vegetarian fare." (Eating Animals, page 256)

If you are SERIOUS about protecting animals, protecting the planet, and protecting public health, eat vegan MORE OFTEN.

It's not ALL or NOTHING

2010-05-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

Veganism is the moral baseline. However, there's a lot of gray area in between carnivore and vegan. Every time you make a vegan choice, you're doing a good thing. The more vegan choices, the better.

http://www.pbjcampaign.org/how
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4541605/

Misconceptions About Veganism

2010-04-19T16:04:00.000-07:00

This is part 2 of "Vegan Questions" 2010.

Myth: People need to eat meat to get protein.
Fact: People can get protein in a vegan diet.

Learn about protein: http://veganhealth.org/articles/protein/
Learn about Soy: http://veganhealth.org/articles/soy

Myth: It's too expensive to be vegan.
Fact: You can eat a vegan diet on any budget.

Learn how to eat cheaply: http://www.vegansoapbox.com/how-to-ke...

Myth: It's too difficult to be vegan.
Fact: It's easier than you think. Just try!

Get a vegan coach to help you: http://www.kindgreenplanet.org/progra...

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THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!

Vegan Questions: Part 1

2010-04-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

What is your favorite vegan recipe/food and why?

Well, I love beans. I grew up on beans and I will always love beans.
Beans, beans, the magical fruit...
In particular, I like black beans and lentils.

You can find vegan recipes at:
http://chooseveg.com
http://tryveg.com
http://goveg.com
http://vegasveg.com

What advice can you give others seeking a vegan or vegetarian lifestyle?

First, educate yourself. Whatever aspect of veganism interests you or
whatever questions you have about the food industry, research it.
Learn as much as you can.

Here are some places to learn more about veganism...
NUTRITION:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vs...
http://veganhealth.org/
http://www.eatright.org/Public/conten...
http://www.tcolincampbell.org/plant-b...
http://www.mypyramid.gov/tips_resourc...

ANIMALS:
http://humanemyth.org/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/
http://www.adaptt.org/veganism.html

Second, choose attainable goals and work towards them. You can change
your life quickly or slowly and become a kinder, healthier person
however you want, just start working on it today!

TAKE THE VEG PLEDGE
http://www.vegpledgenow.com/

More of my videos are here:
http://kangarooelaine.blogspot.com/

More of my writing here:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!

PS - Are you vegan? Please make videos!
Make them however you want - low key or confrontational, graphic images or not, high res or low, cooking demos or outdoor protests... whatever, JUST DO IT!

How To Eat With Your Heart

2010-04-13T07:54:00.001-07:00

You can find vegan recipes at: * http://chooseveg.com * http://tryveg.com * http://goveg.com

For more information on why to choose veganism, please visit: http://veganvideo.org

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!

My Animal Advocacy

2010-03-14T15:34:00.001-07:00

Please also watch:
http://veganvideo.org/
http://www.earthlings.com/e...

Vegan Soapbox: http://www.vegansoapbox.com/
This is my vegan website.

Vegas Veg*: http://www.vegasveg.com/
This is my local grassroots organization.

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING

Are you vegan? Please make your own videos expressing your voice.

"Eat Bacon & Enjoy Life"

2010-02-11T19:14:00.000-08:00

A commenter wrote:
"Hey factory farming is bad yes, and eventually people are going to wake up and demand that we produce food some other way. Untill then, Im going to eat my bacon (covered in chocolate and the blood of kittens) and enjoy my life. I guess Im just not the activist type."

My response:
1. Factory farming is terrible, we agree. The way to change it is to stop consuming products from factory farms. That means eat less meat, dairy and eggs or go vegan.
2. Life without bacon can be enjoyable. I promise!!! You can find other pleasures to replace the lost bacon. Life is full of fun things to do and eat, just please don't destroy animals or the environment with your diet.
3. Activism: I'm not "the activist type" either. I just speak honestly about my values. I advocate for animals, but only when it's convenient and only when I want to. It's not hard but it makes a big difference in the world.

Videos you should watch:
http://veganvideo.org/
http://www.earthlings.com/earthlings/...

Info about factory farming:
http://farmsanctuary.org/issues/facto...
http://www.idausa.org/facts/factoryfa...
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/food...

Meat alternatives (eat vegan bacon):
http://meatalternatives.org/

Vegan info:
http://www.chooseveg.com/
http://veganhealth.org/

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!

Sushi is VEGAN!

2010-02-05T19:27:00.000-08:00

Please read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi
and
http://www.snopes.com/food/ingredient...

Sushi = vinegared rice
Sushi is NOT dead fish.

How to order vegan sushi:
Step 1: go to a sushi place
Step 2: ask if they have a vegan menu or vegan items
Step 3: if yes, order the vegan items
if no, ask the sushi chef to make you something special with just vegetables or fruit
Step 4: enjoy your vegan sushi, perhaps with a beer ;)

Whenever something goes in or out of your mouth, try to make sure your ideas about it correspond with reality.

Sorry I'm being a smart-a$$ but come on now, let's get real.

Here is a dose of reality...
Watch:
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/dairy/
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/pigs/
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/maine-...
- Food Inc
- Death on a Factory Farm
- Meet Your Meat
- Earthlings

Read:
- Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
- Slaughterhouse: The Shocking Story of Greed, Neglect, and Inhumane Treatment Inside the U.S. Meat Industry by Gail A. Eisnitz
- Diet For A New America - How Your Food Choices Affect Your Health, Happiness, and the Future of Life on Earth by John Robbins

websites:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/
http://chooseveg.com/
http://www.compassionatecooks.com/
http://theppk.com/

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!

Vegan Fortified Foods

2010-02-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

J asks:

“I heard that a good way to make sure you get all your vitamins is to eat fortified foods, but I also heard that a lot of fortified foods are fortified with animal products! I was wondering if there were any tips on how to eat vegan-friendly fortified foods.”

Yes, as a vegan it can be a good idea to eat fortified foods, though it’s not always necessary. Many vegans do not supplement their diets other than with vitamin B12, and that’s because B12 can be difficult to obtain in a purely plant-based diet.

However, picky eaters, children, pregnant or nursing women, athletes, and new vegans might be well served by including some fortified foods in their diets.

Before you begin to worry about the naturalness of a diet that requires fortification, remember that many nonvegan foods are fortified also. For example, cow’s milk is often fortified with vitamin D. So don’t assume that a nonvegan diet is more “natural” than a vegan diet.

And as a side note, most meat is produced by feeding animals fortified foods. Think about it: animals in factory farms who don’t have access to sunlight need to obtain vitamin D somehow. For more on that topic, please read A Brief History of Factory Farming and Factory Farming Facts. The latter source states:

The Evolution of Factory Farms
Factory farming began in the 1920s soon after the discovery of vitamins A and D; when these vitamins are added to feed, animals no longer require exercise and sunlight for growth. This allowed large numbers of animals to be raised indoors year-round. The greatest problem that was faced in raising these animals indoors was the spread of disease, which was combated in the 1940s with the development of antibiotics. Farmers found they could increase productivity and reduce the operating costs by using mechanization and assembly-line techniques.

But back to J’s question. J is right that “a lot of fortified foods are fortified with animal products.” For example vitamin D can be obtained through exposure to the sun, use of a sun light, from a vitamin pill, or in a fortified food. But in fortified foods you may want to look carefully: vitamin D3 is not vegan, vitamin D2 is vegan.

Here are some tips for meeting your nutritional needs through 100% vegan foods:

Only buy fortified foods that bear the “vegan” label
Use Animal Ingredients A to Z
Shop online at vegan like Vegan Essentials, Food Fight, and Cosmo’s Vegan Shoppe (or if the cost of shipping will undo you, look for those same items elsewhere)
Learn which brand names are always vegan and stick to those brands, or
Eat only unprocessed foods (shop mostly in the produce section) and fortify your diet with some vegan supplements

Here are some tips for meeting your nutritional needs if you are OK with being an imperfect vegan:

Use the “essentially vegan” rule wherein you assume something that appears to be vegan is vegan unless or until you’re informed otherwise
Watch other vegans and do what they do
Don’t worry about trace ingredients at all and don’t care if the label says D3 or D2

It’s up to you if you want to be 99% vegan or 100% vegan.
Either way, you’ll be doing something terrific for animals, the planet, and your health!

For more information about vegan health, I recommend reading and bookmarking:

Go Vegan... But Don't Stop There!

2010-01-30T18:40:00.000-08:00

Not vegan? Watch these videos instead:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33luqy...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iACDNN...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjanh...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC9OgM...

Vegan?
OK, so you're vegan. You're doing something amazing for animals, the planet, and your health. And that's great!

But why keep it to yourself? Why not make a difference instead of just being different?

Get active for animals!
Follow your heart, your passion, your interests.
Use your skills, your creativity, your education.
Choose activism that's sustainable and won't burn you out.

Set yourself up for success by choosing a form of activism that fits your personality, skills, and lifestyle.

Here are some resources:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/action...
http://www.peta.org/actioncenter/act.asp
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/sections/...

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!

PS - one kind of activism is to make vegan videos! If you're vegan (or vegetarian) PLEASE make videos and help other people go veg!

Here is the video that inspired me:

Margin of Certainty: from Veganism to Activism from Let Live Foundation on Vimeo.

Vegan Alternatives to Leather

2010-01-19T17:56:00.000-08:00

Wear your own skin and let the animals wear theirs.

Here's how to find the vegan purses, briefcases, shoes, belts, wallets, gloves, jackets, and other non-leather goods...

Look for items that are "man-made materials" or "synthetic" or that are made from recycled rubber, recycled plastic, cotton, hemp, or other plant fibers.

You can save yourself some label-reading hassle by shopping at vegan stores. Here are some vegan online stores:
Vegan Essentials: http://www.veganessentials.com/
Moo Shoes: http://www.mooshoes.com/
Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe: http://www.cosmosveganshoppe.com/
Food Fight: http://store.foodfightgrocery.com/
DownBound: http://downbound.com/

Vegan Ballet Shoes: http://www.cynthiakingdance.com/vegan...
Fair Trade Sports: http://fairtradesports.com/

Also, check out:
http://www.alternativeoutfitters.com/
http://www.mattandnat.com/

Even just try doing a search for "vegan" at regular retailers.
For example, Zappos: http://www.zappos.com/vegan

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

Responding to Vegan Smackdown

2010-01-16T15:16:00.000-08:00

This video is in response to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-uhHV...

Why vegan?
http://www.earthlings.com/earthlings/...
http://www.nonviolenceunited.org/vega...

Vegan recipes:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/recipes/
http://www.chooseveg.com/
http://vegancooking.com/
http://www.goveg.com/
http://www.tryveg.com/
http://theppk.com
http://vegrecipes.org
http://www.vegan-food.net
http://veganculinaryexperience.com/

Nutrition resources:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/vegan-nut...

Are you vegan? Please make videos!

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!

there are only two ways to go vegan

2010-01-09T10:21:00.000-08:00

there are only two ways to go vegan:
slowly or quickly

Here is help:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/sections/vegan-resources/

New Years Resolution: Go Vegan!

2009-12-27T10:50:00.000-08:00

Resources to help you achieve your goals...

Veg Kit: http://www.vegkit.org/
Health and nutrition info: http://www.veganhealth.org/
Find vegan food at restaurants: http://www.happycow.net/ and http://www.vegguide.org/

More resources:
Get email tips: http://www.kindgreenplanet.org/progra...
Recipes and forums: http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/
Inspirational video: http://www.veganvideo.org/
Vegan recipe search: http://www.vegansoapbox.com/recipes/

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

Where is the line drawn?

2009-12-26T10:51:00.000-08:00

I am as vegan as I am currently capable of being.

We all draw our lines somewhere. I draw my line as a practical matter. My line is currently at easily avoidable animal product uses like food, clothing, cosmetics. When my society or health place a tremendous burden on animal product avoidance, I become an imperfect vegan.

I don't eat or wear animals.
But when it comes to medicines, I generally go along with the rest of society. I do that for a number of reasons, not all of which I can explain easily here.

That said, I am frustrated by Americans' current medical choices. I want more alternatives and I want more knowledgeable doctors who reach for the prescription pad less often.

We all draw lines. For most meat-eaters, their line is between pets and farm animals (horses vs cows; dogs vs. pigs). Or, their line is between human animals and all other animals. Or their line is between "intelligent" animals and "stupid" animals.

Here come the links...
Why vegan? Go here: http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/

Vegan recipes: http://www.vegansoapbox.com/recipes/

"Where do you draw the line?" article at Vegan Soapbox: http://www.vegansoapbox.com/where-do-...

Why honey is not vegan:
http://www.vegetus.org/honey/honey.htm

An article about vaccines and veganism:
http://www.vegfamily.com/vaccines/are...

Vaccine Nation documentary: http://www.sprword.com/videos/vaccine...
Another vaccination documentary: http://www.sprword.com/videos/vaccina...

Even though I am not anti-vaccine, I support the effort to remove heavy metals from vaccines. More info about that at Green Our Vaccines: http://www.generationrescue.org/green...

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2009-12-02T08:43:00.002-08:00

I spent Thanksgiving 2009 at a vegan potluck. It was great!

Mentioned in the video:
Tofurkey - http://www.tofurky.com/
Celebration Roast (by Field Roast) - http://www.fieldroast.com/
Seitan - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seitan

Find a vegan potluck near you:
http://vegan.meetup.com/

Turkey info: http://eatinganimals.com/site/turkey/

Want vegan holiday recipes? Here are some links:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/thanksgiv...
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/four-veg-...

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!

PS - Are you vegan or vegetarian? Please make videos. Talk about what you like to eat, where you go out to eat, why you don't eat animals, how to cook, etc.

Health Benefits of Veganism

2009-12-02T08:43:00.001-08:00

the best part is at the end

Here come the links...
ADA statement about veganism: http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/...
Vegan Food Pyramid: http://www.veganfoodpyramid.com/
Plant Based Nutrition: http://www.plantbasednutrition.org/pl...
Vegan Health: http://www.veganhealth.org/

How Vegan?
http://www.tryveg.com/ guide and recipes
http://www.vegkit.org/ how-to guide
http://www.goveg.com/ veg starter kit and more
http://www.chooseveg.com/ recipes and information

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

Taste Preferences - why bacon tastes "good"

2009-11-17T17:22:00.000-08:00

If you think bacon tastes good, that probably says more about you than about the taste of dead pigs.

Biases in taste (orange juice and sausages): http://www.livescience.com/health/080...

Pork production: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDiSR0...

Boar taint: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boar_taint
Animal agriculture research on "boar taint": http://aasp.org/shap/issues/v5n4/v5n4...

Slaves to the taste of bacon (would we tolerate cruelty for any other kind of preference? why do we tolerate it in the name of taste?):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/ma...
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/larry-kin...

Oppression (sexism & speciesism): http://www.vegansoapbox.com/if-it-loo...

Ready to go vegan? Get recipes here:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/recipes/

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING!

Eating Animals

2009-11-16T13:01:00.000-08:00

Vegan Soapbox: http://vegansoapbox.com/

Eating Animals: http://eatinganimals.com/ and http://www.youtube.com/user/eatingani...

The demand for "humane meat" already exceeds the supply.

Thus, even from an animal welfarist's perspective or environmentalist's perspective, there is no need for a larger demand for so-called "humane" products. Right now, what we can all agree on is that there is a need for less demand for ALL animal products. That is the ONLY way we'll get close to preventing climate change, reducing human health threats, and improving animal welfare.

STOP EATING ANIMALS!

A quote from Bruce Friedrich's essay as it appears in the book, Eating Animals, on page 214:

The decision to eat any meat at all (even if the meat is from producers that are less abusive) will cause others you know to eat factory-farmed meat where they might otherwise not have. What does it say that the leaders of the ethical meat charge, like my friends Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan and even the Niman Ranch farmers, regularly pull money out of their pockets and send it off to the factory farms? To me, it say s that the ethical carnivore is a failed idea; even the most prominent advocates don't do it full-time. I have met countless people who were moved by Eric's and Michael's arguments, but none of them now eat exclusively Niman-type meat. They are either vegetarians or they continue to eat at least some factory-farmed animals.

Jonathan Safran Foer's own words on page 256-257:

We shouldn't kid ourselves about the number of ethical eating options available to most of us. There isn't enough nonfactory chicken produced in America to feed the population of Staten Island and not enough nonfactory pork to serve New York City, let alone the country. Ethical meat is a promissory note, not a reality. Any ethical-meat advocate who is serious is going to be eating a lot of vegetarian fare.
A good number of people seem to be tempted to continue supporting factory farms while also buying meat outside that system when it is available. That's nice. But if it is as far as our moral imaginations can stretch, then its hard to be optimistic about the future. Any plan that involves funneling money to the factory farm wont end factory farming.

My words: Regardless of where you stand on animal rights or animal welfare, the reality of the current systems of animal agriculture DEMAND veganism. Do it for the animals, do it for the planet, do it for human health, or do it for any reason whatsoever just go vegan!

More inspiration:
http://veganvideo.org/
http://meat.org/

Thank you for watching.

Beef. Dairy. Veal.

2009-11-14T13:54:00.000-08:00

Beef. Dairy. Veal.
A recipe for cruelty.

Go vegan: http://veganvideo.org/

Inspired by Bea's blog post:
http://beaelliott.blogspot.com/2009/1...

Resources for info about beef, dairy, and veal production:
http://farmsanctuary.org/issues/facto...
http://www.idausa.org/facts/factoryfa...
http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/c...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Factory_...

Resources for health information:
http://www.saveantibiotics.org/
http://www.veganhealth.org/
http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/

Books I recommend:
Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer
Diet for a New America by John Robbins
The China Study by Campbell T. Colin

My vlog website:
http://kangarooelaine.blogspot.com/

My other vegan website:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/

Are you vegan? Please make videos. Make any kind of video that represents your idea of veganism. Speak up and make a difference!

THANKS FOR WATCHING!!!

First, do no harm.

2009-11-04T06:28:00.001-08:00

Primum non nocere...
First, do no harm.

The ethical argument against animal testing:
a) it's wrong to be unnecessarily cruel, animal testing is unnecessarily cruel
b) animals have rights, animal testing violates those rights

The scientific argument against animal experimentation:
a) animals and humans are different,
b) animal experimentation artificially sickens or injures healthy animals, which can influence the experiment,
c) better alternatives exist, such as tests on human cells,
d) science and medicine must first do no harm.

Resources:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/aug/07/animal-testing-medical-research
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_Pn0l6ddMw
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/topics/vivisection/
http://www.vivisectioninfo.org/
http://www.navs.org/
http://www.aavs.org/
http://www.neavs.org/
http://www.all-creatures.org/saen/res-fr.html
http://www.nocompromise.org/issues/15viv_suppliers_guide.html
http://www.primatelabs.com/labs.php
http://www.stopanimalpatents.org/
http://www.ohsukillsprimates.com/CAATHOME.htm

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

How I Went Vegan - first draft

2009-10-28T15:27:00.000-07:00

http://www.worldveganday.info/

This is my first draft of my vegan story video. I will post another one on Nov. 1st, 2009.

Basically, my story timeline is this:
age 6: went vegetarian/ pescetarian
age 8: went vegetarian for real
age 13: went vegan
age 14: went back to lacto-ovo vegetarian
age 30/31: went vegan
age 33 (now): went vlogging!

THANKS FOR WATCHING

3 Vegan Activism Resources

2009-10-25T10:33:00.001-07:00

Three Methods... do one or all three!

1. World Vegan Day
Speak up for animals by telling your vegan story on Nov 1, 2009.
Details: http://www.worldveganday.info/

2. VegFund
This nonprofit reimburses you for vegan outreach.
http://www.vegfund.org/

3. The Vegas Billboard Project
Please donate to help us get compassionate billboards in Vegas.
Learn more here: http://www.vegasveg.com/billboard-pro...
Please, please, please donate today!

Other stuff...
Vegas Veg: http://www.vegasveg.com/
Mercy For Animals: http://www.mercyforanimals.org/
Choose Veg: http://www.chooseveg.com/
VegNews Magazine: http://vegnews.com/

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING

Ten Tips for Vegetarians (and Vegans)

2009-10-20T13:13:00.000-07:00

http://www.mypyramid.gov/downloads/TenTips/VegetarianTipsheet.pdf

This is a video about the USDA's tip sheet for vegetarians, found at the link above.

Specific tips include:
1. Protein - "your protein needs can easily be met by eating a variety of plant-based foods." Sources: beans, nuts, peas, and soy
2. Calcium sources: fortified foods & dar leafy vegetables
3. Make simple changes like bean burritos instead of beef, vegetable lasagna instead of meaty lasagna...
4. BBQ - veggie burgers, veggie hot dogs, and veggie kabobs
5. Beans and Peas - everyone should eat them, not just vegetarians
6. Try the veggie sausages, patties, burgers, etc. They're usually lower in saturated fat and they don't have cholesterol.
7. restaurants - ask for substitutions
8. nuts for snacks and salads - "add walnuts or pecans to a green salad instead of cheese or meat."
9. Vitamin E sources: sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts
10. choose fats wisely - walnuts and flax seeds for omega 3s

Meat-Free BBQ Pulled Shreds

2009-10-14T07:59:00.000-07:00

The brand is Gardein: http://www.gardein.com/
The product is BBQ pulled shreds: http://www.gardein.com/products.php?p=8

I also have tried and like these products of theirs:
Santa Fe Good Stuff: http://www.gardein.com/products.php?p=7
BBQ Skewers: http://www.gardein.com/products.php?p=9
and
Chick'n Strips: http://www.gardein.com/products.php?p=13
(But the strips I like in salads with dressing because they're a tad bland by themselves.)

OMG... I ate that whole plate... I have to take a nap now.

50 to 100 Years

2009-09-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

Sources for my claims/ Resources for you:

1. “Livestock’s Long Shadow”:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.htm
An in-depth report about the environmental impacts of animal agribusiness. The report was published in 2006 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

2. “Putting Meat on The Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America”:
http://www.ncifap.org/
A comprehensive, fact-based and balanced examination of key aspects of the farm animal industry published in 2008 by the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production.

3. “Environmental Hazards & Health Effects: Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)”:
http://www.cdc.gov/cafos/about.htm
A brief overview of factory farming’s environmental and health threats from the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

4. “How Do CAFOs Impact the Environment?”:
http://www.epa.gov/region07/water/cafo/cafo_impact_environment.htm
Short article about factory farms that says things like “Failures to properly manage manure and wastewater at CAFOs can negatively impact the environment and public health.” From the US Environmental Protection Agency.

5. “Meat: the slavery of our time”:
http://experts.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/06/03/meat_the_slavery_of_our_time
Short article that makes the case that humans will go vegetarian out of necessity, not compassion or choice published in Foreign Policy magazine.

6. “Aren‘t ‘humane’ animal products more sustainable?”
http://www.humanemyth.org/faq/1127.htm
Short piece about how meat-eaters must choose between being kind to animals or to the environment, but they can’t have both.
From the Humane Myth website FAQ.

7. “Vegetarian is the New Prius”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/vegetarian-is-the-new-pri_b_39014.html
Short article drawing conclusions from the UN report.
From the Huffington Post.

8. “The Low-Carbon Diet”
http://www.audubonmagazine.org/features0901/viewpoint.html
Article about meat-reduction and vegetarianism for the environment from the Audubon Magazine.

9. “Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html
Compares meat-eating with driving gas-guzzlers. From the New York Times.

10. “As More Eat Meat, a Bid to Cut Emissions”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/04/science/earth/04meat.html
A world-wide perspective on meat consumption and environmental destruction published in the New York Times.

11. “UN says eat less meat to curb global warming”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/07/food.foodanddrink
A plea to reduce meat consumption by going meatless one day a week, and it’s reactions. From The Guardian.

12. American Dietetic Association (ADA) “Vegetarian Diets” http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/LiveSlauSu/LiveSlauSu-03-06-2009.pdf retrieved September 12, 2009

13. Campbell, Thomas et.al. The China Study. Dallas: Benbella Books, 2005. http://www.thechinastudy.com/

14. Barnard, Neal. Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes. New York: Rodale Books, 2008. http://www.nealbarnard.org/diabetes_book.htm

15. Esselstyn, Jr., Caldwell. Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. New York: Avery, 2007. http://www.heartattackproof.com/

16. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Leading Causes of Death” 2006. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/FASTATS/lcod.htm retrieved September 12, 2009

17. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) “Livestock Slaughter 2008 Summary” http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu/usda/current/LiveSlauSu/LiveSlauSu-03-06-2009.pdf retrieved September 12, 2009

18. Books regarding animal rights and ethics:
* The Case for Animal Rights by Tom Regan
* Animal Liberation by Peter Singer
* Animals Matter by Marc Bekoff
* In Defense of Animals
* Introduction to Animal Rights by Gary L. Francione
* Diet for a New America by John Robbins
* Making A Killing: The Political Economy of Animal Rights by Bob Torres
* The Longest Struggle by Norm Phelps
* The Face on Your Plate: The Truth About Food by Jeffrey Masson
* Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals by Karen Dawn
* Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy. by Matthew Scully
* Animal Philosophy: Essential Readings in Continental Thought
* Speciesism by Joan Dunayer
* Meat Market: Animals, Ethics, and Money by Erik Marcus

19. Vegan starter kits to help you go veg:
a) VO’s “Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating”:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/guide/gce.pdf
“Recipes and Cooking Tips, How to Stay Healthy, Resources, Q&A, and more!”
b) PETA’s “Vegetarian Starter Kit”:
http://www.petaliterature.com/VEG297.pdf
“Everything you need to eat right for your health, for animals, and for the Earth”
c) MFA’s “Vegetarian Starter Kit”:
http://www.mercyforanimals.org/VegKit08Web.pdf
“everything you need to know to adopt a healthy and compassionate diet.”
d) PCRM's Veg Starter Kit that focuses on health and nutrition:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/index.html

20. Videos:
* Vegan Video: http://veganvideo.org/
* Earthlings: http://www.earthlings.com/earthlings/video-full.php
* Fowl Play: http://fowlplaymovie.com/
* Chew on This & Meet Your Meat: http://meat.org/

The Drawbacks of Being Vegan

2009-08-18T14:43:00.000-07:00

1) Wasted health & life insurance premiums.
Vegans have much lower incidences of cancer, heart disease, diabetes,
and obesity.
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/veganism-is-healthy/

2) The burden of moral superiority.
Gets tiring looking down at people. And lonely too.

3) Consistency.
Since I'm doing so much good for the environment by being vegan, now I
have to stay consistent and do everything that might be good for the
environment, too.
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/our-god-given-right-to-bathe-in-bacon/

4) Non-vegans' ignorance and apathy.
http://www.earthlings.com/earthlings/video-full.php

THANKS FOR WATCHING :)

Now, please watch this: http://veganvideo.org/

Swine Flu Round 2

2009-08-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

Eating pork is dangerous.

Here's why:

1) Eating pork increases your risk of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Vegetarians and vegans have lower rates of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity than non-veg*ns.

2) Eating pork increases your risk of getting food poisoning. Most food borne illness stems from animal products. Examples: e coli, salmonella, and campylobacter.

3) It is possible that Swine Flu can be spread the same way as e coli, salmonella, and campylocater: from improper food handling. All announcements about the "safety of pork" have included the requirement of "proper food handling," indicating that transmission of Swine Flu is possible through eating contaminated pork products.

For more details on this and other issues of veganism, please visit:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/

Resources for Vegans: iPhone App VegOut

2009-08-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

It gets easier to be vegan everyday. More and more resources become available that make being vegan more convenient.

First, please take this quiz: https://secure.einterview.org/lifestyle/

OK, back to the topic at hand: Convenience.
VegOut ( http://vegoutapp.com/ ) is an iphone app that uses Happy Cow ( http://www.happycow.net/ ) to list vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants near you.
There are lots of other apps available that make being vegan easier, too: http://www.vegansoapbox.com/iphone-ap...

More links for the veg-curious:
http://www.veganvideo.org/
http://www.veganhealth.org/
http://www.compassionatecooks.com/pod...
http://www.vegkit.org/

Are you vegan?
PLEASE make videos. It doesn't matter what you say or how you say it, just come out in the open and show people real, live vegans! We need more on YouTube, where more people will see them!

THANK YOU FOR WATCHING.

How To Find Vegan Foods

2009-07-26T15:51:00.000-07:00

How To Find Vegan Foods? Just look for the vegan label!

Label guide and types of vegan labels:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/vegan-lab...

Foods shown in the video:

Private Selection (Smith's generic brand) Organic Kidney Beans
Trader Joe's Soy Milk Creamer (organic) ( http://www.traderjoes.com/Attachments... )
Lightlife Smart Dogs ( http://www.lightlife.com/product_deta... )
So Delicious Coconut Milk Cultured Yogurt ( http://www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com/p... )
Road's End Organics 123'z & Chreese ( http://www.veganessentials.com/catalo... )
The Wizard's Vegan Worcestershire Sauce ( http://www.edwardandsons.com/sauces_s... )
Miso Mayo ( http://www.misomayo.com/ )

If you want that stuff and your grocery store doesn't stock it, ASK THEM TO CARRY IT!

Why vegan?
For animals, the planet, and people.
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/

Like my videos? Please copy me and make your own!
Don't like my videos? Please make your own, better videos!

THANKS FOR WATCHING :)

AR Direct Action Is Justified

2009-07-23T11:04:00.000-07:00

Whale Wars: http://animal.discovery.com/tv/whale-wars/
Sea Shepherd: http://www.seashepherd.org/

Invisible Voices: http://invisiblevoices.wordpress.com/
The paraphrased quote from Peter Hammarstedt: http://invisiblevoices.wordpress.com/2009/07/21/ar2009-part-1/

Also related:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/becoming-a-witness/
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/what-is-direct-action/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banality_of_Evil

PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights - a review

2009-06-25T13:06:00.000-07:00

Here's the official link for the book: http://www.peta.org/FeaturePracticalG...

The book has some vegan recipes, Q&A about all kinds of animal rights topics, practical tips for helping animals, a long resource guide in the back with places to find vegan wares, and more...

Vegan Ice Cream (For When You Are Depressed)

2009-06-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

an option... not a super-healthy option... but it's an option... and it's better than the dairy option...

Purely Decadent - http://www.turtlemountain.com/product...
Rice Dream - http://www.tastethedream.com/
So Delicious - http://www.turtlemountain.com/product...
Tofutti - http://www.tofutti.com/
Wheeler's - http://www.icecreamproject.com/
Temptation - http://www.gotemptation.com/

Or... make your own:
http://veganicecream.blogspot.com/

Vegan ice cream cookbooks:
Vice Dream
The Vegan Scoop
The Ice Dream Cookbook
Lick It

For better options.. watch my other video about dealing with depression:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb3vbD...

Take care :)

PS - hate this video? Make your OWN!!!

Dealing With Rude Non-Vegan Co-Workers

2009-06-19T16:48:00.000-07:00

How should you deal with rude jokes about your veganism?

MrHollick said:
"At work they know I am a vegan now and it seems like I am a target of ridicule now, oh yea :(
"Anyway what should I say when they come back from lunch and find it amusing to taunt me saying things like 'Hey Sean i just ate a cow at lunch hahah'"

My response:
The more socially savvy you are, the better you can deal with these things. But if you're a bit shy or socially awkward, like me, you might have a bit of trouble.

Here's what I do most: ignore, ignore, ignore.

When people say things that are rude, hostile, mean, or otherwise objectionable, I tend to ignore them. I do this because it's a better solution than reacting out of anger, defense, or other negative emotion.

But if I feel comfortable with the people and I trust them, I'll be more honest and tell them I don't think that joke was funny. You could go into detail about it saying why it's not funny (it's insulting to vegans and cows and hurts my feelings) or you could leave the details out. It's up to you. Truthfully, I'm always amazed at how much respect people will give you if you're just honest about it with them and say, "That hurts my feelings."

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN PEOPLE INSULT YOU AT WORK? How do you deal with it? What do you say?

Now... the links...

Why vegan:
http://whyvegan.com/
http://humanefacts.com/
http://humanemyth.org/
http://www.veganvideo.org/
http://meat.org/

Vegan Starter Kits:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/starterp...
http://pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/in...
http://www.petaliterature.com/VEG297.pdf
http://www.tryveg.com/img/vsg0501.pdf
http://www.afa-online.org/starterpack...
http://www.vegkit.org/

Vegan Cooking:
http://www.everydaydish.tv/
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

Vegan Nutrition:
http://www.veganhealth.org/
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food...
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

Vegan Fast Food

2009-06-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

Why vegan?
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/topics/wh...

Sometimes it can be a little tough finding vegan food when you're traveling or when you're tight on cash. Never fear, even fast food has vegan options!

Some fast food vegan options (as of June 2009):
- Taco Bell bean burrito fresco style or 7-layer minus cheese and sour cream
- Subway veggie delight on Italian bread w/o cheese or mayo
- Carl's Jr. plain baked potato (add salsa or salt) or salad bar
- Wendy's plain baked potato
- Evo's offers LOTS of options
- Pizza Fusion vegan pizza
- Starbucks oatmeal
- most fast food: french fries

Websites that list places to eat out as a vegan:
http://www.veganeatingout.com/
http://www.happycow.net/
http://www.vegguide.org/
http://www.vegcooking.com/diningOut.asp
http://www.vegdining.com/

Even though vegan fast food is a far better choice than meaty fast food, fast food still isn't good for you. For your health's sake, please don't eat too much fast food. It's usually high in fat and high in sodium, which aren't good for you. If money is tight, try eating more beans, rice, potatoes, and inexpensive fruits.

Here are some resources for being vegan without breaking your budget:
http://veganonthecheap.com/
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/going-veg...
http://veganguineapig.blogspot.com/20...

And here are some resources for being vegan and keeping it convenient, quick, and easy:
http://veganconvenient.blogspot.com/
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/vegan-mof...

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

Should A Vegan Eat A Non-Vegan Sandwich?

2009-06-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

Why vegan?
http://veganvideo.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iACDNN...

EcoLogicality wants our opinions on this:
"In social circumstances where food is given to you that is not vegan but is still bearable to eat and will go to waste if not eaten."

The short answer is that vegans should reject non-vegan foods in most or all situations.

The long answer:
a) It's wrong to assume the food will go to waste because there are almost always other options: another person will eat it, an animal will eat it, or it can be composted, etc.

b) If you'd reject food based on trivial things like taste preferences, then ethics and health should be enough to reject foods, too.

c) You draw your own line. If you want to eat it and feel it doesn't significantly violate your vegan values, then eat it.

d) Remember it's better to be 99.9% vegan than zero percent vegan.

Discussed in this video:
*Subway's vegan options... go here for more info:
http://www.subway.com/subwayroot/menu...
*The China Study... go here to learn more:
http://www.thechinastudy.com/

Biscuits and Crisps or Cookies and Chips

2009-06-05T12:02:00.000-07:00

davidn87 asked:
"It was really easy for me to give up meat, milk, eggs & cheese,
but i'm having a hard time giving up stuff that has the above things in them, like biscuits & crisps. Any advice?"

My advice:

a) Find vegan versions! You can find vegan cookies or chips all over the place, just read the ingredients. For example, many pure corn chips are vegan. And plain potato chips are often vegan.

FYI, here are some vegan cookies that I enjoy!
* Uncle Eddies: http://www.uncleeddiesvegancookies.com/
* Alternative Baking Company: http://www.alternativebaking.com/
* My husband's yummy coconut chocolate chip cookies: http://www.vegansoapbox.com/vegan-mof...

Vegan stores:
* Food Fight: http://www.foodfightgrocery.com/
* Vegan Essentials: http://www.veganessentials.com/
* Cosmos Vegan Shoppe: http://www.cosmosveganshoppe.com/
* Vegan Store: http://www.veganstore.com/
* Taste Better Store: http://tastebetter.com/shop/
* The Vegan Flower: http://veganflower.blogspot.com/
* Vegan Soles: http://vegansoles.com/
* Alternative Outfitters: http://www.alternativeoutfitters.com/
* DownBound: http://downbound.com/

b) Make your own. Find vegan recipes here:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/recipes/

c) Cookies and chips are not health foods. You might want to consider avoiding them entirely, particularly if you can't find vegan versions.

d) Cut yourself some slack. If you fall off the wagon, just get back on.
The longer you're vegan, the easier it gets!

"Building Muscle Fast" on a Vegan Diet

2009-06-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

Vegan Fitness/ Body Building Information:
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/
http://www.veganfitness.net/
http://www.veganathlete.com/

Vegan Nutrition
http://www.veganhealth.org/
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food...
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/

Why Vegan?
http://whyvegan.com/
http://humanefacts.com/
http://humanemyth.org/

Vegan Restaurants
http://www.happycow.net/
http://www.vegguide.org/
http://www.veganvideo.org/
http://meat.org/

About this video:
When someone says they can't be vegan because the have to "build muscle fast and need a lot of protein" they are telling you:
a) They don't know that you CAN build muscle on a vegan diet; there are plenty of vegan protein sources, and
b) They care more about how they look than about animals, the environment, or their health. They are the kind of people who are wiling to sacrifice their own long-term health for short-term superficial gains.

So, if you want to compel them to go vegan, you have to tailor your discussion to their interests: you have to give them selfish reasons for going veg. Some ideas:
- it's hip, cool, in style to be veg ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_RQRG... )
- only assholes eat animals ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iACDNN... )
- some of the best athletes ever were veg (like Olympic medal winner Carl Lewis: http://www.earthsave.org/lifestyle/ca... )

Books mentioned in the video:
http://www.skinnybitch.net/
http://www.thechinastudy.com/

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

PS - are you vegan or vegetarian? PLEASE make videos. Your videos will inspire others to go or stay veg. You WILL make a difference :)

Vegan Protein

2009-05-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

Some of my favorite vegan protein sources that aren't soy-based:
- black beans,
- quinoa,
- nuts and seeds,
- seitan,
- hemp based protein powder,
- lentils,
- vegetarian refried beans,
- red beans and rice.

Others: peanut butter, chickpeas, pinto beans, white beans, almond milk... the list goes on and on.

Soy protein sources (for the fearless!):
tofu, tempeh, edamame, TVP

Info on vegan protein:
http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/p...
http://www.ivu.org/faq/protein.html
http://www.vegan.org/FAQs/index.html
http://www.happycow.net/vegetarian_pr...
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/nu...
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/protein.htm

Where do you get your protein (how to answer):
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/where-do-...

Prepared, store-bought meat alternatives can also provide protein:
http://www.meatalternatives.org/

The Protein Myth:
http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vs...

History of Protein article recommended by Baratgab:
http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdoug...

Excerpt from The China Study, which recommends against animal-based foods because animal protein is correlated with cancer:
http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdoug...

Elimination diet to identify food sensitivities:
http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdoug...

Why vegan?
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/
http://veganvideo.org/

THANKS FOR WATCHING :)

Questions And Answers

2009-05-25T17:07:00.000-07:00

These videos go together, so here:

Vegan Pancakes, Waffles, Breakfast, & Brunch Vlog

2009-05-24T16:30:00.001-07:00

This is not a cooking demonstration. This is a vlog about cooking.

Cookbooks discussed here are:
1. Candle Cafe Cookbook by Joy Pierson and Bart Potenza
2. Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Looking for more vegan cookbooks? Check these out the store here:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/store/

Why didn't I just add the dry and wet ingredients together and bring the batter to the party?
Because that would activate the baking powder and prevent my pancakes from cooking up light and fluffy.

Why Vegan? Well, lots of reasons. Here are some:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan...
http://www.idausa.org/facts/factoryfa...
http://www.hfa.org/factory/index.html
http://www.hsus.org/farm/

The Voice of the Voiceless?

2009-05-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

Here's the Mercy for Animals video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNn7ZX...

Here's the video with the pigs screaming:
http://tvnz.co.nz/sunday-news/sunday-...

We are NOT the voice of the voiceless
because
animals have voices.

We just have to listen to them.

PLEASE use your voice
to help others
use theirs.

Thank you for watching!
Special thanks to artvegan: http://www.youtube.com/user/aartvegan

Evolution Has Programmed Us To Care

2009-05-18T20:05:00.000-07:00

Humans are naturally inclined towards sympathy/empathy for animals. Because, in most instances it makes good sense to acknowledge and appreciate that emotion, we ought to. And we ought to foster the development of those emotions in others by providing safe spaces for each other to express our compassionate natures.

This video can be understood better as part of a series. Others to watch include:
1) Are Humans Naturally Omnivores? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFbyM4...
2) What KIND of Person Are YOU?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iACDNN...

Books mentioned in the video:
1) How We Decide by Jonah Lehrer
http://www.jonahlehrer.com/books
2) When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson
http://www.jeffreymasson.com/animal-b...

Ready to go vegan? Here's a link with more links:
http://www.animalvisuals.org/vegan/

Are you vegetarian or vegan? PLEASE make videos. You WILL make a difference. Talk about why you went veg or how to make veg food or share funny stories about veg-related times or talk about philosophy or whatever... just make videos! The more of us who stand up and speak out, the fewer animals die. It's just that simple.

UPDATE: new codified evidence of animal morality now available...

"Prof Marc Bekoff, an ecologist at University of Colorado, Boulder, believes that morals are "hard-wired" into the brains of all mammals and provide the 'social glue' that allow often aggressive and competitive animals to live together in groups."
"He has compiled evidence from around the world that shows how different species of animals appear to have an innate sense of fairness, display empathy and help other animals that are in distress."

source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/5373379/Animals-can-tell-right-from-wrong.html

Three Things

2009-05-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

The obligatory starter link: http://www.animalvisuals.org/vegan/

That's for the people who don't click "more" and read the rest of the video description.

Now, here's the stuff in the video for people who aren't native English speakers and people who want more information:

I'm wearing sunglasses because my eyes are sensitive. They're sensitive because I'm a green-eyed mutant. Proof:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/scienceand...

Hey, do you think my genetic mutation means I'm supposed to wear sunglasses or do you think it means I'm supposed to avoid the sun or do you think it means I'm supposed to mate someone with brown eyes or do you think it means anything at all...? For more on that way of thinking, please read:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/stupid-th...

The three things:
1) American Vegan
Photo of me and my husband from the NYC Veggie Pride Parade on page 5:
http://www.americanvegan.org/AV0801.pdf
Veggie Pride Parade link:
http://www.veggiepride.org/en.html

2) 'How We Decide' by Jonah Lehrer
Here are videos of the author talking about his book:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF65mJ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2nPDM...

Maybe, just maybe, it's time to trust your moral intuition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iACDNN...
And don't go telling me that video is just an "appeal to emotion" because emotional appeals are only fallacious if the emotion CLOUDS your judgment. If it INFORMS your judgment, it's not a fallacy.
Emotions are a part of us, our brains, our identities. Emotion is not the enemy. Emotion helps us determine VALUE. When you have a strong emotional reaction to something, that's a clue that you're tapping into your values.

Making food decisions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkmOkk...
Get your priorities straight. If you care about animals. the planet, and/or your health, STOP EATING ANIMALS.

3) My green, tree-hugger, commie hat has been damaged by my dog's sharp canine teeth. See her teeth here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRYTqK...

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

Meat: A Waste of Resources

2009-05-12T07:58:00.000-07:00

Non-vegans: please take this quiz about lifestyle and diet:
https://secure.einterview.org/lifestyle/

Vegans and vegetarians: I need your help. Please.

People don't seem to understand that meat production is inherently inefficient and thus is a waste of resources. They don't 'get' that a meat-centered diet can't possibly feed our growing population. They don't 'get' that a meat-centered diet is bad for the environment. Why don't they 'get it'? Help me explain it to them.

Related links:
Trophic levels: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trophic_...
First law of thermodynamics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_la...
Meat production's environmental effects: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environm...

Specific quotes from above sources:

"Every time there is an exchange of energy between one trophic level and another, there is quite a significant loss due to the fundamental laws of thermodynamics. This means so many units of grass can only support a much smaller number of units of rabbits, who can only support a smaller group of bobcats, who can only support a smaller group of mountain lions. This is why trophic levels are usually portrayed as a pyramid, one that places grass on the bottom and mountain lions on top—the top is always much smaller than the bottom. Each level implies a loss of energy and efficiency and less life that can be supported by the sun."

"According to the USDA, growing crops for farm animals requires nearly half of the U.S. water supply and 80% of its agricultural land. Animals raised for food in the U.S. consume 90% of the soy crop, 80% of the corn crop, and 70% of its grain"

---
PS - I should be clear, when I said "genetically modified," I meant bred. These animals, such as the broiler chicken whose legs can barely hold its own weight, have been bred into existence, manipulated by humans, but not necessarily animals that were created in a laboratory, though those are likely on their way to your dinner table as we speak, too.

"Artificial insemination of farm animals is very common in today's agriculture industry in the developed world, especially for breeding dairy cattle (75% of all inseminations) and swine (up to 85% of all inseminations). It provides an economical means for a livestock breeder to improve their herds utilizing males having very desirable traits."
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artifici...

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

Evolved To Eat Meat?

2009-05-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

Go vegan: http://www.animalvisuals.org/vegan/

If you say humans evolved to eat meat, be more specific about what you think people should and shouldn't eat, because your ancestors didn't eat hamburgers from McDonald's and they didn't buy chicken strips from the grocery store.

They ate wild animals, not factory farmed genetic mutations of wild animals.

The animals that most people eat nowadays are NOT similar to the animals that our ancestors ate.

People who eat meat in 2009 are participating in an experiment.

People who eat meat nowadays eat breeds of animals that never existed prior to factory farming and breeds that could never survive in the wild.

Soon you'll be eating cloned animals and that will also be labeled as "meat." Will you then also argue that it's merely evolution?!?

Please watch these videos about factory farming and the "evolution" of animal agriculture:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf4Zmf...
http://fowlplaymovie.com/display_vide...

For example, most "chicken" these days comes from broiler chickens, a breed that didn't exist 100 years ago. This breed was invented.

BROILER CHICKENS:
What do they look like?

More images here:
http://images.google.com/images?q=bro...

What are they?
"Modern commercial broilers—largely Cornish-Rocks—are specially bred for meat production and grow much faster than egg breeds." ..."a cross between a White Cornish male and a Barred Rock female. This hybrid was introduced in the 1930s and became dominant in the 1960s." ..."Broiler chickens may often get joint disorders because their legs cannot bear the heavy bodies. A Swedish study by SLU Skara (Swedish farming university) revealed that only 1/3 of studied broiler chickens that were about to be slaughtered were healthy."
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broiler_...

"Broilers are meat-type chickens. Sometimes they are called fryers or frying chicken. Commercial broilers are crossbreds, primarily involving White Cornish and White Plymouth Rock. Today's commercial broilers are marketed [aka slaughtered] at 4-10 weeks of age, depending on the body weight desired. Broilers are used for products such as Cornish Hens (2.85 lb live weight at about 4 weeks of age), chicken for fast food restaurants (4.1 lb at about 6 weeks of age), chicken for grocery stores (6.0 lb at about 7.5 weeks of age), and deboned chicken for sandwiches, nuggets, etc. (6.5 lb at about 8.5 weeks of age)."
source: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/PS035

THEY FEEL PAIN:
"The new study, published in the Veterinary Record, showed the birds actively seek pain relief. It found that when given a choice of two feeds, one containing the pain-relieving drug carprofen, and one without, more lame birds than fit birds chose to eat the drugged feed. "
source: http://www.upc-online.org/000326choos...

More on chicken sentience:
http://www.upc-online.org/thinking/se...

"Researchers used a simple method of food reward to ascertain this truth. If a hen pecked on a colored button, they received a food reward. If the hen waited a couple of seconds, they received a small amount of food. But if they waited for 22 seconds, they received a much larger amount. Over 90% of the hens held out for the big reward."
source: http://www.naturescornermagazine.com/...

Baby chicks do math:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/chicks-do...

"Chickens exist in stable social groups. They can recognize each other by their facial features. They have 24 distinct cries that communicate a wealth of information to one other, including separate alarm calls depending on whether a predator is traveling by land or sea. They are good at solving problems." ..."Perhaps most persuasive is the chicken's intriguing ability to understand that an object, when taken away and hidden, nevertheless continues to exist. This is beyond the capacity of small children."
source: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/12/wee...

Animals sentience in general...
Dr. Steven Best: http://thomaspainescorner.wordpress.c...
Prof. Gary Francione: http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/f...
Mary Martin: http://www.animalperson.net/animal_pe...
Marc Bekoff and Jane Goodall: http://books.google.com/books?id=x1bb...

Videos of chickens in factory farming:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpQUoa...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tgPpT...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epGQyK...

Are broilers being raised near you? Check out this factory farming map to see:
http://www.factoryfarmmap.org/

THANKS FOR WATCHING.

Are you vegetarian or vegan? PLEASE tell your story. PLEASE speak up.

Dating Non-Vegans?

2009-05-08T08:28:00.000-07:00

Bruce Friedrich talks about dating in a recent PETA podcast. He says something like, "there's no downside to dating meat-eaters. He says if you date only vegetarians
or vegans you're excluding a bunch of wonderful
people who might become vegetarians or vegans later.
Here's a link to the podcast, which talks about other interesting things, too, so definitely check it out
http://www.petatv.com/downloads/podca...

My thoughts:
First, yes there are downsides. He's wrong about that. Being vegan or vegetarian is not just about the animals, it's also about you. Dating meat-eaters can be very uncomfortable for some vegetarians or vegans. Dating is hard enough. Why make it harder? If you want a vegetarian or vegan companion, don't count on converting a meat-eater; start by dating vegetarians or vegans!

I say that from experience. Everyone is different, but for me - and I didn't fully realize it until it happened - I could only truly fall in love with a vegetarian.

My love advice is the same as my financial advice
as my animal advocacy advice as all my other advice...

First, get your priorities straight: what do you want?

Next: how do you get it? What's the process to achieve your goal?

Then, work on it. Take it one step at a time and try to achieve that goal.

Here are some more vegan-themed podcasts:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/podcasts/

And here are some veg dating websites:
http://www.veggiedate.org/
http://www.veggiefishing.com/
http://www.vegconnect.com/
http://www.veggieconnection.com/
http://www.ethicalsingles.com/
http://www.greenfriends.com/
http://www.greensingles.com/
http://www.vegetariandating.com/
http://www.vegetarianpassions.com/
http://www.executivevegetariandating....
http://www.veggielove.com/
http://veganmyspace.com/

Are you waiting for someone to date and convert you? Don't wait! Go vegan now! You know you want to ;)

Hypocrisy (with pens!)

2009-05-05T12:37:00.000-07:00

About veganism:
"Veganism is a diet and lifestyle that seeks to exclude the use of animals for food, clothing, or any other purpose. Vegans endeavor not to use or consume animal products of any kind."

"The word "veganism" denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practical — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals"
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan

About hypocrisy:
"It is a common fallacy to accuse someone of being a hypocrite in an attempt to invalidate their argument. This can be known as an ad hominem attack. In other words, just because someone is a hypocrite, that does not make them wrong."

"It is a common fallacy to accuse of hypocrisy people who do not practice what they preach. Such people may indeed be hypocrites, but the proof is not in their failure to practice, since such failure may be failure despite their efforts to succeed. In order to accurately label someone a hypocrite who fails to practice what they preach, one would have to find proof that the preaching itself was not genuine. Failure to make any effort at all to succeed may hint at hypocrisy, but alone it is not sufficient to prove hypocrisy."
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypocrisy

Why Vegan?
For the benefit of animals, the planet, and people.

Animals:
http://www.idausa.org/facts/factoryfa...
http://www.hsus.org/farm/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan...
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan...
http://humanefacts.org/labels.htm
http://www.humanemyth.org/faq/1122.htm

The Planet:
http://www.factoryfarm.org/?page_id=19
http://www.humanemyth.org/faq/1127.htm
http://www.factoryfarmmap.org/

People:
http://www.plantbasednutrition.org/
http://www.thechinastudy.com/PDFs/Chi...
http://www.factoryfarm.org/?page_id=24
http://www.ncifap.org/_images/AntbioR...
http://www.ncifap.org/_images/PH_FINA...
http://www.cdc.gov/cafos/about.htm
http://www.saveantibiotics.org/ourwor...

Inspirational Video: http://veganvideo.org/

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

Dealing With Cravings

2009-05-05T08:39:00.000-07:00

Why Vegan? http://veganvideo.org/

A common challenge for many new vegans (or vegetarians) is dealing with cravings. Here is a helpful reminder:
Whatever you do, the craving will go away eventually.

Here are a few options for how to deal with cravings:

1) GIVE IN TO THE CRAVING - Remember that sometimes 'doing the right thing takes practice.' Give yourself the opportunity to practice. "Falling off the wagon" doesn't mean you're a failure. You can get right back up on the wagon after you've satisfied that craving. It's OK. Don't be too hard on yourself. Just make sure you get back up on the wagon!

2) FIND AN ALTERNATIVE - If you crave a certain nonvegan food, try to find a vegan substitute. Try lots of different brands and different recipes to see if you can nail exactly what the craving is. Sometimes it's a craving for salt or fat and not truly a craving for flesh or another animal product. (If it's for cigarettes, sometimes the true craving might be for a hand-mouth activity, so try gum or lollipops.)

Options for vegan products that satisfy cravings for nonvegan foods:
Meat:
http://www.meatalternatives.org/

Cheese:
http://www.teesecheese.com/
http://www.galaxyfoods.com/ourbrands/...
http://www.followyourheart.com/vegang...

Ice cream:
http://turtlemountain.com/products/or...
http://www.gotemptation.com/

3) POWER THROUGH IT - Eventually the craving will go away. It will be a struggle, but the craving WILL end. The more healthy, vegan foods you eat, the less you will crave unhealthy nonvegan foods. The more days spent as a nonsmoker, the less you'll desire smoking. Habits are habits. You can create new, healthy habits. Affirmations can help. Remind yourself of all the good you're doing by avoiding animal products and by eating healthy plant foods: you're helping animals, you're helping the environment, and you're helping yourself by improving your health.

BUT also, make sure you eat tasty vegan foods. If you force yourself to eat the foods that you *think* are healthy but that don't taste good to you, you won't succeed. It's a recipe for failure. Try a variety of foods. Try new vegan recipes and see what you like. Try adding a little salt to your veggies. Try different spice combinations. Experiment.

- More -
Links about the addictiveness of unhealthy foods:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...
http://www.pcrm.org/news/health030529...

For nutrition information, check out:
http://www.veganhealth.org/
http://www.drmcdougall.com/medical_nu...
http://www.plantbasednutrition.org/

For more of my videos, take a look at:
http://kangarooelaine.blogspot.com/

I am one of the writers at Vegan Soapbox. Check it out at:
http://vegansoapbox.com/

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

How to "Pass" in a Vegan-Hostile World

2009-05-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

Please don't let the "green scare" keep you from behaving as a vegan even if you aren't willing to admit you're a vegan.

It's very liberating to be honest about who you are, what you want, and what you believe,
however,
not everyone feels safe and comfortable speaking up for themselves or for animals.

Try to find the confidence to speak your truth.

But, if you can't or don't want to, here are three ways to "pass" in a vegan-hostile world:

1. Say you have an allergy or that you're lactose-intolerant (if you've been vegan for a few years, you might actually be lactose intolerant anyway. And regarding allergies, well you might not go into anaphylactic shock if you eat meat, but you'll likely have some negative physical reaction.)

2. Say you're vegan for health or environmental reasons (don't confess that its also for animal rights)

3. Say vegetarian, plant-based diet, plant strong, raw vegan, starch-based diet or some other word to describe your diet instead of vegan (That's more truthful anyway since there is no singular vegan diet)

Evidence that we live in a vegan-hostile world:

a) Green in the New Red: http://greanisthenewred.com/ specifically, read this about the "green scare": http://www.greenisthenewred.com/blog/...

b) I Am An Animal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGA1O1... just watch the first scene.

c) My video where I received lots of hostility. Just read some of the comments:
http://www.youtube.com/comment_servle...

d) FBI infiltrates vegan potlucks: http://www.boingboing.net/2008/05/21/...

e) http://beaelliott.blogspot.com/2009/0...

f) Vegans are a minority. We are only about 1% of the US population. ALL minorities face some amount of hostility from the majority.

The blog post that's similar to this vlog:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/strategie...

*Please understand that I don't think being a vegan is similar to being gay, trans, or otherwise a member of a group that uses the terms "pass" "pride" "come out" etc.
I am hetero, cis-gendered, white, and otherwise privileged. The hate I've received for being vegan isn't even close to the hate I've received for being an outspoken woman, so I imagine it's very dissimilar to hate experienced by someone of color or someone who is gay or trans or some combination thereof. I'm not trying to liken animal rights to other movements; I'm merely using terminology that I find useful.

Do you feel comfortable speaking your truth, being honest about who you are, what you want, and what you believe?
PLEASE make videos! YOU will pave the way for all the others who aren't comfortable "coming out."

THANKS FOR WATCHING!!!

An Ounce Of Prevention

2009-05-01T14:54:00.000-07:00

"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"

Crowded spaces and poor hygiene spread disease.
Where do those situations exist?
The schools, hospitals, military, and... factory farms.

"Bacteria are able to develop antibiotic resistance when exposed to low doses of drugs over long periods of time. To promote growth and weight gain, entire herds or flocks of farm animals are routinely fed antibiotics at low levels in their feed or water a practice that has been identified as a major contributor to antibiotic resistance."
"In addition, the crowded and often unhygienic conditions of many industrial farms facilitate transfer of bacteria and infection, increasing the need for antibiotic use in the hopes of preventing diseases that might arise from these conditions."
source: http://www.saveantibiotics.org/ourwor...

Articles worth reading:
"Swine Flu and Factory Farms: Fast Track to Disaster": http://www.hsus.org/farm/news/ournews...
"CDC Confirms Ties to Virus First Discovered in U.S. Pig Factories": http://www.hsus.org/farm/news/ournews...

More:
"Recent studies have shown that 15% to 25% of swine farmers might have been infected with swine flu viruses, as well as about 10% of veterinarians."
"Cases of swine flu have most commonly occurred in people with direct exposure to pigs, but some cases of human-to-human transmission have been reported."
"Studies have shown that 30% to 50% of commercial U.S. swine have been infected with swine flu."
source: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/pdf/brochu...
This may be a new strain, but it's mutated from the old ones, the ones that were present in the US prior to the outbreak in Mexico.

MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) found in 49 percent of pigs in factory farms and 45 percent of the pig workers.
source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19...

Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j10SQp...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRk-NT...

Information on the public health threat of factory farming:
http://www.factoryfarm.org/?page_id=24
http://www.ncifap.org/_images/AntbioR...
http://www.ncifap.org/_images/PH_FINA...
http://www.cdc.gov/cafos/about.htm

To protect ourselves and each other,
it's time to take a stand against factory farming

Because the majority of meat, eggs, and dairy available to consumers
today comes from factory farms,
one of the simplest and most effective ways you can
stand up against factory farming is by going vegan.

Please take a moment and think about how your decisions impact the lives of others.
Please do the right thing - go vegan.

PS - The American Association of Swine Veterinarians has issued a pamphlet telling farmers how to kill pigs so that they're prepared to slow the spread of swine flu.
How to kill a pig: http://www.aasv.org/aasv/documents/Sw...
Basically, it says it's OK to bash in the heads of piglets, and they call this "euthanasia."
For more on the co-opting of the word "euthanasia" check out Death on a Factory Farm. Scenes here: http://www.youtube.com/DeathonaFactor...

THANKS FOR WATCHING!!!

My Vegan Purse: A Look Inside

2009-04-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Veg "Starter kits" here:
http://www.vegkit.org/
http://www.tryveg.com/

Matt & Nat (vegan handbags made from recycled rubber):
http://www.mattandnat.com/

Pamphlets/ literature shown in the video:
Stop Global Warming... one bite at a time by FARM
Get it here: http://www.farmusa.org/litRequest.php
Eating Sustainably by COK,
Easy Vegan Recipes by COK,
Restaurant Manager Cards by COK,
Get your COK lit here: http://www.cok.net/market/#pro-veg_li...

Websites shown in the video:
http://www.tryveg.com/
http://coolyourdiet.com/
http://vegrecipes.org/
http://cok.net/

Get the Leaping Bunny booklet ("Compassionate Shopping Guide") here:
http://www.leapingbunny.org/order.php
or just read up about various companies here:
http://www.leapingbunny.org/indexcus.php

Reusable bags available here:
http://www.reusablebags.com/

The China Study by Dr. Colin Campbell
http://www.thechinastudy.com/about.html
page 243 has the recommended food chart I show in the video, find that here:
http://books.google.com/books?id=FIRL...,M1

Food Inc. (a documentary)
preview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqQVll...
more info here: http://www.takepart.com/foodinc/

This video was inspired by
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNyG-s...

THANKS FOR WATCHING!

PS - Are you vegan or vegetarian? PLEASE make videos. Speak your truth :)

"Vegans Are Pale" - The Stereotype

2009-04-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

The stereotype is "vegans are pale." Before I get there, please watch: http://veganvideo.org/

People who say "vegans are pale." are:
a) Racist* - There are plenty of vegetarians and vegans of color who are not pale. Whenever someone says that "vegans are pale" they are ignoring and marginalizing veg*ns of color.
(BTW, check out this group blog for and about Vegans of Color: http://vegansofcolor.wordpress.com/ )

People who say "vegans are pale." are:
b) Ignorant of nutrition - There are plenty of plant sources of iron and other nutrients that effect skin color. Beans and dark green leafy vegetables are good sources of iron. According to VRG, beans and leafy greens are even better iron sources (on a per calorie basis) than animal flesh.
For more details about iron, please check out:
http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/i...
http://www.vegansociety.com/food/nutr...
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/iron.htm

More generally about vegan nutrition:
http://www.veganhealth.org/
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food...
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/

And of course, the ADA paper on vegetarianism and veganism:
http://www.eatright.org/ada/files/veg...
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/...

People who say "vegans are pale." are:
c) Annoying - The sun is a more relevant and obvious issue when it comes to tanned skin versus pale skin.

And hey, since we're talking about the sun, make sure you get enough vitamin D! You can get it by going out in the sun for an hour a day or you can eat fortified foods or you can take a supplement. You do NOT have to eat animals in order to get vitamin D.

More on that here:
http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/b...
http://www.vegansociety.com/food/nutr...

I have never had any documented nutrient deficiency. I am very healthy. My skin pigment (or lack therof) is healthy, normal, and fine.

Watch more of my videos here:
http://kangarooelaine.blogspot.com/

PS - want to donate blood? Here's one resource:
http://www.givelife.org/

*It should be noted that there are all kinds of racists in this world and the ones who say "vegans are pale" are just one of many and certainly not even close to the worst kind. It should also be noted that white people including myself are privileged and thus our conception of racism isn't as complete as that of a person of color. We should try to "unpack the invisible napsack." Here's one link to read to begin that process:
http://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mc...

But... I can hear some of you say, "vegans are privileged." Well, here's my response: Veganism can be made easier by white privilege and other privileges, but veganism is for everyone and veganism involves much more than privilege. Continued here:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/veganism-...
and
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/veganism-...

Thanks for watching :)

PS - Regarding B12:
The only reliable vegan sources of B12 are foods fortified with B12 like many cereals and soy milks and B12 supplements (vitamins). More:
http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/e...
http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2007n...
http://veganbits.com/the-b12-issue/
take care of yourself :)

pps - check out Vegan Soapbox:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/

vegan jerky?

2009-04-23T22:41:00.000-07:00

http://cactusjerky.com/

Cactus Jerky is just one of many vegan "meats" available to eat these days. More can be found at http://www.meatalternatives.org/ where products like Field Roast, Toferky, Sunshine Burger, and other veggie meats are listed.

Some of my all time favs:
http://www.hawaiitaro.com/ - Taro burgers! I LOVE these things!
http://www.fieldroast.com/ - Great Celebration Roast!

You can buy things like this at these vegan stores (and have stuff shipped to you) if you don't have anywhere nearby where you can get veggie meats:
http://www.foodfightgrocery.com/
http://www.veganessentials.com/
http://www.cosmosveganshoppe.com/

There are more stores, just use your favorite search engine to find them. Google "vegan store" or something like that :)

But... why do vegans and vegetarians make and eat "fake" meats?

The answer is simple: it's not the taste that's the problem. Certainly, some people dislike the taste (or smell) of meat, but a lot of people are vegan or vegetarian because of other reasons like animals, health, or the environment. So, for them, veggie meats are a fun, tasty alternative to animal flesh.

I eat veggie meats rarely, just for fun and flavor. I don't use them as staple foods to eat every, single day. In my opinion, it's better for your health (and the environment, too) to eat mostly unprocessed foods. So I just eat stuff like this cactus jerky every now and then when I have a craving or when I want to try something new and interesting.

OK, so, wait a sec, why vegan?
Factory farms:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan...

Slaughterhouses:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan...

Environment:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan...

Here are some good places to get started on your vegan transformation:
http://www.chooseveg.com/
http://www.hsus.org/veg
http://www.goveg.com/

more: http://www.animalvisuals.org/vegan/

Meeting Other Vegans

2009-04-22T17:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some websites where you can connect with other vegans, vegetarians, and veg-friendly people...

Veg*n events/ clubs:
http://vegan.meetup.com/

Vegan Drinks:
NYC: http://vegandrinks.org/
SF: http://sfvegandrinks.com/
DC: http://dcvegandrinks.org/
Vegas: http://vegasvegandrinks.com/
Salt Lake City: http://www.meetup.com/Salt-Lake-City-...
Philly: http://www.vegandrinksphilly.blogspot...
Twin Cities: http://www.animalrightscoalition.com/
LA: http://www.meetup.com/vegandrinks/
Boston: http://bostonvegandrinks.com/
Cleveland: http://clevelandveganz.blogspot.com/

Web forums for veg*ns:
http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/forum/...
http://www.happycow.net/forum/index.php
http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/forums/?f...

Vegan and vegetarian matchmaking/ dating websites:
http://www.veggiedate.org/
http://www.veggiefishing.com/
http://www.vegconnect.com/
http://www.veggieconnection.com/
http://www.ethicalsingles.com/
http://www.greenfriends.com/
http://www.greensingles.com/
http://www.vegetariandating.com/
http://www.vegetarianpassions.com/
http://www.executivevegetariandating....
http://www.veggielove.com/
Go vegans!

Health Benefits of Going Vegan?

2009-04-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

Vegan transformation stories you should definitely check out:
http://www.stoxpoker.com/blogentry_mo...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSuqCM...
http://www.drmcdougall.com/star.html

Some nutrition resources:
http://www.plantbasednutrition.org/pl...
http://www.cancerproject.org/

Some info about basic vegan nutrition:
http://www.veganhealth.org/
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food...
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/

My story is NOT dramatic:
When I went vegan I didn't notice any huge changes in my health except that it was much easier to maintain my weight. I had hoped for some weight-loss, but that requires more concentrated effort. But weight maintenance as a vegan is easy.

I will say this: I am very healthy. I have low cholesterol (116) and I have a healthy weight.

The MAJOR changes I've seen after I went vegan were psychological and emotional. I feel more in tune with myself, I'm living more in sinc with my values, I'm working more towards my goals. My life has more meaning and I feel more connected.

You are what you eat.

Not just when in regards to physical health, but also in regards to emotional and psychological health: your diet reflects your values.

If you value life, eat like you value life. Eat like you value your life and the lives of others. Go vegan.

I'm Not Perfect, I'm Just Vegan

2009-04-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

shout out to...
Czarny Zazul: http://www.youtube.com/user/CzarnyZazul
the Veganic Witch: http://www.youtube.com/user/TheVegani...
Happy Cabbie: http://www.youtube.com/user/HappyCabbie

More great veg YouTubers:
http://www.youtube.com/user/beaelliott
http://www.youtube.com/user/LiveVegan
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheVeganHere
http://www.youtube.com/user/VeganBreak
http://www.youtube.com/user/porolita22

Funny veg YouTubers:
http://www.youtube.com/user/HeavyMeta...
http://www.youtube.com/user/lukin82
http://www.youtube.com/user/oneandonl...

This so-called debate about veganism isn't about what you eat;

It's about WHO you eat.

Animals have brains, they feel pain, they have emotions, they form relationships, they don't want to suffer, they don't want to die.

Humans, most of them anyway, have brains, they understand that animals suffer, they understand that meat, eggs, and dairy are not necessary for health,
they feel empathy for animals.

(Feel the empathy/ empathic concern: http://meat.org )

Yet they don't act on that empathy.

They don't take that empathy to its logical conclusions.

Instead, they bury their heads in the sand and pretend that "cage-free" means the animal didn't suffer,
they pretend that "free-range" means the animal didn't suffer,
they pretend that "grass-fed" means the animal didn't suffer,
they pretend that "humane" means the animal didn't suffer.

They lie to themselves.

What the labels really mean:
http://humanefacts.org/labels.htm

I went vegetarian when I was six years old when I put 2 and 2 together and realized, probably with some adult help, that eating animals was a choice and that I could choose to eat something else.

I'm not perfect.
I ate fishes for another two years before I realized fish felt pain too.
I ate eggs and dairy products for DECADES before I realized just how easy it is to be vegan.

I even understood, COMPLETELY, the logic behind veganism: that every dairy cow is destined for slaughter, that calorie for calorie eggs are one of the most cruel foods you can eat, that male chicks and male dairy calves are killed very near the beginning of their lives, that dairy cows are forcefully impregnated, given hormones, steroids, and antibiotics, that animals NOT tools for human use... yet I didn't go vegan.

See, I tried going vegan once before, but it felt too difficult.
Once I got my priorities straight, once I felt safe to be the person I wanted to be, once I felt supported to live my values...
I went vegan.

And I stayed vegan

But no, I'm not perfect.
I'm petty and mean sometimes.
I eat too much sugar, drink too much coffee.
I used to smoke cigarettes.
I don't exercise often enough.

I don't say "sorry" often enough.
I don't say "thank you" often enough.

I'm not perfect.
I'm not superior to you.
I'm just vegan,
and i think you should be too.

Ready to go vegan?
Go here: http://www.animalvisuals.org/vegan/
and use the resources to help you make a positive choice for yourself, for animals, and for the planet!

The Smell Of Burning Flesh

2009-04-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

From Ecorazzi:
"Morrissey was performing through his first set when a meaty smell started wafting through the crowd. The ardent vegetarian [...] walked off the stage in the middle of Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others.
He returned a short time later and explained, 'The smell of burning animals is making me sick. I just couldnt bear it.'"
source:
http://www.ecorazzi.com/2009/04/19/mo...

I am not personally disgusted by the smell of burning flesh...
until/unless meat-eaters make a big deal about it. When they start talking about how much they like [fill in the blank dead animal] it makes me sick. THEY make me sick.

To the meat-eaters: Stop talking about it. STFU about how much you enjoy eating dead animal flesh. You and your barbaric eating habits make me sick.

Ready to go vegan? Here are some resources:
http://www.animalvisuals.org/vegan/

Being A Vegan Is So Expensive!

2009-04-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

Just Kidding!
You can be a cheap vegan or an extravagant vegan... it's completely up to you!
(Hey, it's sort of like how you can use those sharp "canine" teeth to tear through dead animal flesh or you can use them to tear through tempeh, seitan, tofu, or taro root.)

Here are some tips for how to save money when buying vegan foods:
1. Avoid the processed foods. They are often more expensive, not only at the register, but also because of the cost to your health.
2. Buy in season. Fruits and veggies grown in season will usually be cheaper because the supply is larger. Buy extra and freeze some of them!
3. Learn to cook. This will save you money and also save you future health hassles.
4. Don't worry about the meat substitutes. Get your protein from unprocessed foods like rice and beans, nuts, and other plants. In fact, you don't even need to worry much about protein unless you're an athlete or you have a special medical condition. Just eat enough plants and you're virtually certain to get enough protein.
5. Learn about nutrition so the labels don't fool you. A label that reads "fat free" isn't always really free of fat, but it's probably more expensive than a similar product without the special label. Learn about what to look for and how to shop. My suggestions for learning about nutrition:
http://veganheealth.com/
http://jacknorrisrd.com/
http://www.drmcdougall.com/
http://www.jeffnovick.com/
http://www.thechinastudy.com/

For more money-saving tips, check out:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/going-veg...
http://www.veganbreak.com/?p=127
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Vegeta...

WHY VEGAN? The answer is here:
http://meat.org
http://whyvegan.com
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/topics/wh...
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/the-8-mos...
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/8-disturb...

HOW VEGAN? The answer is here:
http://tryveg.com
http://goveg.com

Vegan Cookbooks & Recipes

2009-04-10T12:23:00.000-07:00

Here are the cookbooks mentioned in the video:
1) The New McDougall Cookbook by John A. McDougall, MD, and Mary McDougall
2) The Vegan Family Cookbook by Chef Brian P. McCarthy
3) Fresh from the Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Robin Robertson
4) Vegan Planet by Robin Robertson (foreword by Neal D. Barnard, MD)
5) The Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
6) Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
7) Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero

The Spicy Lentil Chili is from page 177 of The New McDougall Cookbook.

Online Vegan Recipes can be found here:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/recipes/
http://www.everydaydish.tv/
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/
http://www.veganmania.com/recipes/
http://www.vegancooking.com/
http://www.theppk.com/recipes/
http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-recipes/
http://vegweb.com/

Easy Vegan Recipes from COK:
http://www.cok.net/lit/recipes/
or...
Send me your USA address and I'll mail you a copy of the booklet!

Citation for claim that vegans are better chefs:
"Vegans are confident cooks, with 9 out of 10 vegans feeling confident about preparing a meal from scratch."
"Households containing a vegan have, on average, 12 cookbooks, compared to the UK household average of 8. UK vegans are also 10 times more likely to source recipes from the internet."
(I assume UK and US vegans are fairly similar.)
source: http://www.imaner.net/panel/results6.htm

Vegan Nutrition
http://www.veganhealth.org/
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food...
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/

Vegan Videos That Answer The Question, "Why Vegan?"
Peaceful: http://www.veganvideo.org/
Factory Farming: http://meat.org/
Graphic videos: www.vegansoapbox.com/8-disturbing-animal -videos/
Non-graphic Videos: http://www.vegansoapbox.com/the-8-mos...
Feature length films:
Earthlings: http://www.earthlings.com/
Mad Cowboy: http://www.madcowboy.com/
Death on a Factory Farm: http://www.hbo.com/docs/programs/deat...
Fowl Play: http://fowlplaymovie.com/

Are you vegetarian or vegan?
PLEASE make videos to help others join us and help save animals lives by going veg!

"Vegans Are Arbitrary"

2009-04-09T07:30:00.000-07:00

http://veganvideo.org/
http://meat.org/

the line in the sand...

It's not arbitrary to choose veganism, given the FACT that
* humans are animals
* eating a plant-based diet is generally healthy and often healthier than eating meat
* being a vegan is good for the planet

I like how Jeffery Masson puts it:
"The notion that animals are wholly other from humans, despite our common ancestry, is more irrational that the notion that they are like us."

Animals feel pain, they make relationships, they want to live, and they deserve our respect.
GO VEGAN!

Why Vegan?
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/

Vegan Videos
Inspiration: http://www.veganvideo.org/
Factory Farming: http://meat.org/
Graphic videos: http://www.vegansoapbox.com/8-disturb...

Vegan Forums
http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/forum/...
http://www.veganforum.com/
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/mb/comp...
http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/

Vegan Cooking
http://www.everydaydish.tv/
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

Vegan Nutrition
http://www.veganhealth.org/
http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food...
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/
http://www.veganoutreach.org/health/s...

Making Vegan Vlogs

2009-04-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

Three suggestions for making vegan vlogs:
1. Anyone making vegan videos is doing a good thing. It doesn't matter what style or what reasons or what you look like or anything... whoever you are, someone else will relate. You WILL make a difference.

2. Don't be afraid to rehash old stuff. It might not be a new idea, but it's probably a new idea to some body. People need to hear about new ideas a bunch of times in a bunch of different ways before they really think about that idea. So feel free to be someone's second or third exposure to the same idea. You don't have to be original to be effective.

3. Block or ignore the anti-vegans and anti-animal people. If someone says pro-meat, pro-dairy, pro-hunting, etc stuff, just block them and erase their comments. They don't deserve your time or attention. And they don't deserve a chance to influence the discussion. Their viewpoint is easily accessible EVERYWHERE else in this omnivorous world. They don't need more space to put vegans or animals down.

This is NOT censorship: There is a BIG difference between what I suggest, which is like removing their "graffiti" from your "walls," versus real censorship, which is like going to their house and stealing their pens, canvases, cameras, paint, etc. In order to respect someone's opinion, you need not hand them a soapbox and a megaphone. But if you allow them to overtake your YourTube channel with their ridiculous, petty, and mean comments you aren't helping anyone.

Ideas for vegan videos:
- vegan cooking class
- personal opinion vlogs
- how-to show
- comedy skits
- music video with statistics
- images of factory farming

Don't want to make a video? Here are some other activism ideas:
- leafleting
- virtual leafleting: leaving pro-veg and pro-animal comments on blogs
- host a vegan potluck or picnic
- write letters to the editor
- start a vegan food blog
- send copies of vegan books to friends and family members
- wear clothes that say "vegan"
- donate money to vegan campaigns
- organize a protest
- participate in open rescue
- volunteer at an animal shelter
- sponsor a farm animal
- have a vegan bake sale and donate the proceeds
- post vegan recipes on web forums

Inspiration
http://www.veganvideo.org/
http://meat.org/
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/8-disturb...

Not already vegan?
Vegan Starter Kits
http://www.veganoutreach.org/starterp...
http://pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/in...
http://www.petaliterature.com/VEG297.pdf
http://www.tryveg.com/img/vsg0501.pdf
http://www.afa-online.org/starterpack...
http://www.vegkit.org/

Stop Thinking About Yourself

2009-04-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

"vegans are self-righteous"
"vegans just want to make you feel guilty"
"vegans are hyper-judgmental"
"vegans think they're morally superior"
blah blah blah

They may as well say:
"me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me..."

How much do you have to think that the world revolves around you
to look at someone trying to do a good thing
for people, animals, and the planet
and think that it's all about you?

no - it can't possibly be that they truly care about animals,
no - it's gotta be all about you, they just want you to feel bad

How much ego do you have to have
to ignore the overwhelming scientific evidence
( http://www.ncifap.org/ , http://www.cancerproject.org/diet_can... , http://www.thechinastudy.com/PDFs/Chi... , http://www.nonviolenceunited.org/pdf/... , http://whyvegan.com/ )
that veganism is good for your health
good for the planet
and good for animals
and think that "it's just to make you feel guilty"?

no - it can't possibly be that they truly care about human health,
no - it's all about you, they just want to judge you

What kind of self-centered ass
listens to someone trying to convince you to do something
good for people, animals, and the planet
and think that they just want to feel morally superior to you

no - it can't possibly be that they actually care about the planet
and want to prevent climate change
no - it's gotta be all about you, they're just self-righteous

Get over yourself.
Stop thinking about you
and start thinking about other people, animals, and the planet.
Go vegan.

Watch my other videos here:
http://kangarooelaine.blogspot.com/

Read some of my vegan writing here:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/

How Vegan?
http://www.tryveg.com/ - guide and recipes
http://www.vegkit.org/ - how-to guide
http://www.goveg.com/ - veg starter kit and more
http://www.chooseveg.com/ - recipes and information

Vegan Nutrition:
http://www.veganhealth.org/ - in-depth articles and resources about vegan nutrition
http://www.veganfoodpyramid.com/ - general guideline for how to eat a balanced, vegan diet

Vegan Travel:
http://www.happycow.net/ - find a veg-friendly restaurant or healthfood store where ever you go
http://www.vegguide.org/ - a guide to vegan restaurants

A few of my personal favorites:
http://www.compassionatecooks.com/ - podcast, forum and more
http://theppk.com/ - forum and recipes galore
http://vegnews.com/ - vegan magazine
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/ - vegan news and more

Vegan Beauty Products

2009-03-31T09:22:00.000-07:00

This video is for superdisneyqueen: http://www.youtube.com/user/superdisn...
She asked about vegan toiletries and bodycare. So here are a few products I use in my bathroom that are vegan.

Lunch: rice and veggies with soy sauce

Vegan beauty products that I use: Kiss My Face, Lush, and Urban Decay.

Kiss My Face: http://www.kissmyface.com/
Almost everything they make is vegan.

Lush: http://www.lushusa.com/shop/
All is vegetarian but only some is vegan. Look for the "vegan" label.

Urban Decay: http://www.urbandecay.com/vegan.cfm
Look for the paw print - it indicates "vegan".

How to find other vegan products:
1) Ask - send an email to the company or ask a representative if they have vegan products.

2) Shop at vegan stores. There are more and more opening everyday. Some good ones:
http://www.veganessentials.com/
http://www.foodfightgrocery.com/
http://www.cosmosveganshoppe.com/
http://www.alternativeoutfitters.com/
http://www.downbound.com/Default

3) Use a vegan product list. Here are a few:
http://www.vegan.org/campaigns/certif...
http://www.vegancosmetics.org/product...

Are you vegan?
Please consider making some "vlogging for veganism" videos to help others learn about why and how vegan. You WILL make a difference :)

I made this video really quickly so sorry if I sound curt. I don't mean to sound unenthusiastic or anything, I'm just in a rush.

our demand for energy grows faster than forests

2009-03-23T12:18:00.001-07:00

"Because raising animals for food takes so much land, water and other resources, the Earth would be able to sustain only about 2 Billion people on a meat and dairy based diet. With a world population of nearly 7 Billion people, its easy to see that we need to find a better way."
source: http://www.nonviolenceunited.org/pdf/...

Watch the video here:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWS5SA...
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOQd61...

Why vegan?
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/

More about factory farming:
http://meat.org/
http://www.earthlings.com/
http://www.factoryfarm.org/
http://www.farmsanctuary.org/issues/f...
http://www.idausa.org/facts/factoryfa...
http://www.hfa.org/factory/index.html

More about health:
http://www.drmcdougall.com/
http://www.veganhealth.org/

Vegan fitness:
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/
http://www.veganfitness.net/

Vegan food:
http://theppk.com/

Change Your Diet - Change the World!

2009-03-22T12:18:00.000-07:00

http://www.meatout.org/

The occasion is Meatout, the world's largest and oldest annual grassroots diet education campaign. This year is the 25th annual observance! Every spring, thousands of caring Meatout supporters educate their communities and ask their friends, families, and neighbors to pledge to "kick the meat habit (at least for a day) and explore a wholesome, compassionate diet of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains."

This year's theme is "Change Your Diet - Change the World!"

---
Some anti-vegans try to argue that since we can't be 100% pure vegans, we shouldn't even try. That reasoning is faulty and, well, ANNOYING.

That's like arguing that since cancer and AIDS exist we may as well commit genocide. No! Take responsibility for your actions! Go vegan for people, animals, and the planet.

Why vegan?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRvxkm...
http://veganvideo.org
http://whyvegan.com

Why Vegan? 6 Reasons

2009-03-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

http://veganvideo.org
http://whyvegan.com
Both those websites can help you answer "why vegan?"

The short answer is...
Vegan: for people, animals, and the planet.

If you're still curious, I suggest you get down to a library and read:
The Case for Animal Rights by Tom Regan
Animal Liberation by Peter Singer
Introduction to Animal Rights by Gary L. Francione
The Longest Struggle by Norm Phelps

Or watch Earthlings:
http://www.earthlings.com/

Here are a few different vegan mindsets:

1. Many do not believe that animals and humans are equal. Rather, they believe animals should not suffer at the hands of humans.

2. Some do believe that animals and humans are equal. (But no one thinks animals deserve exactly the same rights as humans: no one is suggesting that animals deserve to attend public schools or that animals deserve equal employment opportunities.)

3. Many believe that animals interests deserve consideration. Some believe that consideration should be given equal weight to humans interests, others believe animals interests deserve similar, but not equal, consideration as humans interests.

4. Some believe that animals are not resources for humans to exploit. In their utopia, humans leave animals alone and do not interfere in animals lives, except for rescue situations.

5. Some simply value animals lives. They determine that animals lives are more worthy of protection than human taste buds, human convenience, human curiosity, human entertainment, or other trivial human desires. They simply prioritize animals lives above most human justifications for animal exploitation, leaving a small window for animal exploitation in the cases of true human need.

6. But remember, one need not believe in any kind of animal rights principle in order to eat a plant-based diet. One could act as a vegan for purely health or environmental reasons.

http://www.vegansoapbox.com/

4 Enviro-Friendly & Animal Friendly Gift Items

2009-03-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

Here are a few Environmentally-Friendly & Animal Friendly Items that I received recently.

THE ORGANIZATIONS:

Compassion Over Killing:
http://www.cok.net/
http://www.tryveg.com/

Farm Sanctuary:
http://www.farmsanctuary.org/

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals:
http://www.peta.org/

---

THE GIFT ITEMS:

Donate in to COK in someone's honor as a memorial or gift:
https://www.givedirect.org/give/givef...

Reusable Bags:
http://www.reusablebags.com/
*Envirosax:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/env...
*ACME Bags:
http://www.reusablebags.com/store/acm...

VEGAN Sweatshirt:
*From FS:
https://secure2.vegsource.com/farmsan...
*From PETA:
https://www.petacatalog.org/prodinfo....

Cookbook:
Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry:
http://www.bryant-terry.com/site/books/

About International Women's Day, March 8th:
http://www.internationalwomensday.com/

Go vegan for people, animals, and the planet :)

(PS - yes, I received a few other gifts, but they weren't appropriate to show on a video like this.)

Canines

2009-03-13T11:08:00.000-07:00

My canine shows you what real canines look like!

Your pointy teeth won't stop you from going vegan. Go vegan!

Why vegan?
http://www.ncifap.org/
http://www.factoryfarm.org/
http://humanemyth.org/
http://humanefacts.com/
http://www.whyvegan.com/
http://www.nonviolenceunited.org/veganvideo.html

Animal Ingredients

2009-03-10T13:03:00.000-07:00

If you're not sure whether something is vegan or not vegan you can consult the book, Animal Ingredients A to Z available here:
http://www.akpress.org/2004/items/ani...

Online lists:
http://www.vegansociety.com/food/crit...
http://www.happycow.net/health-animal...
http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_disp...
http://www.caringconsumer.com/resourc...
http://www.vegfamily.com/lists/animal...

Or you can use these four principles that I use:

1. If you have to look it up, put it down.
Don't buy products that have ingredients that aren't identifiable. If you don't know what it is, whether it comes from animals or plants, don't buy it.

2. Look for the word "VEGAN."
More and more companies identify their vegan products as vegan. The label will say "vegan" "vegan certified" "vegan-friendly" or "suitable for vegans" etc. Look for the word "vegan."
http://www.vegan.org/campaigns/certif...

3. Avoid processed products.
When at the grocery store, do most of your shopping in the produce section. Eat mostly things like potatoes, broccoli, spinach, apples, oranges, squash, etc.

4. Determine the product's essence - is it essentially vegan?
If something is essentially vegan and there's a low chance of the item containing animal ingredients, it's reasonable to assume it's vegan. Examples include things like fruit juice, fruit sorbet, hummus, breakfast cereal, soda, bread, etc.

Not mentioned in the video:

* If you accidentally consume/use something that has animal ingredients, it's OK. Just learn from the mistake and move on. If you have a lot of negative energy regarding the event, find something constructive to do that helps animals: write a letter to the manufacturer who didn't identify the nutrient source, call the restaurant that served you fish, contact your political representative and ask them for stricter laws regarding product labels... Please don't wallow in guilt and pity. That doesn't help anyone.

* You draw your own lines, not a book, not a bunch of vegans, not careless or clueless manufacturers, not anti-vegans who want to call you a hypocrite... YOU decide how to live as a vegan in an omnivorous world. Remember, the vegan utopia doesn't require lists and books. The vegan utopia requires no, true effort from consumers to avoid animal products because in the vegan utopia there are no animal products for sale. Said another way, the goal of current animal advocacy is to eliminate animal exploitation; our goal has little to do with our personal choices about trace ingredients, our goal is NOT personal perfection. If that's YOUR goal, fine, but it's not the goal of the animal rights movement.

* It's a good idea to choose organic and fair trade items over the conventional items for the human animals' benefit :)

* For nutritional info regarding veganism, check out:
http://www.veganhealth.org/

Why Humane/ Vegetarian Isn't Enough

2009-03-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Factory farming has got to go. It's terrible for the environment, terrible for public health, and terrible to animals.
http://www.factoryfarm.org/

But vegetarianism or meat-reduction aren't enough. Here are four reasons why you should go vegan:

1. Your health - You already know meat isn't great for your health. Well, eggs and dairy aren't health foods either. Eggs are high in cholesterol and carry salmonella. Dairy is linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes.
sources:
http://www.nealhendrickson.com/mcdoug...
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan...

2. Sustainablity - Factory farming has to go, but animal agriculture in any form isn't sustainable. The human population is growing too rapidly to sustainably farm animals, be it for meat or dairy or whatnot.

3. Pandora's box has been opened - So long as there is a market for animal products, there will be greedy people who will factory farm. The most power you have as an individual to stop factory farming is to go vegan. ("Voting with your dollar" for humane products won't do as much good for animals as abstaining from consuming all animal products.)
More on that:
http://elainevigneault.com/humane-isn...

4. Animal exploitation - Animals are not commodities. animals are not machines, animals are not tools.

There are more reasons that I didn't mention in the video:
a) humane myths, ie "certified humane" doesn't actually represent humane treatment.
b) http://humanemyth.org/
c) http://humanefacts.com/
d) consistency - veganism is more ethically consistent than vegetarianism.
e) Vegan is the new green - it's hip and fun :)

More on this subject:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/dear-vege...
(read the comments there, too)

Go vegan!

Vegetarian vs. Vegan

2009-03-07T22:26:00.000-08:00

There are two ways to look at it:

1. Vegan is a type of vegetarian. Generally, vegetarians dont eat animal flesh, but they eat animal secretions. For example, they dont eat meat, poultry, or fish, but they do eat dairy and eggs. Vegans dont eat any animal products. For example, they dont eat meat, poultry, fish, eggs, or dairy. Vegan is spelled v-e-g-a-n because "veganism starts with vegetarianism and carries it through to its logical conclusion."

2. Vegan is a lifestyle whereas vegetarian is a dietary choice. Vegans, however, avoid all animal products including leather, fur, wool, silk and they also abstain from animal circuses, zoos, and other forms of animal exploitation. Vegetarians dont eat animal products but they might wear leather or fur, it just depends on the vegetarian.

Ultimately it depends on the individual. Some people prefer to call themselves vegetarians even when they live like vegans and others prefer to call themselves vegan. Its an identity issue. If you avoid animal products, you can choose to call yourself vegetarian, vegan, or something else entirely.

Some non-vegetarians call themselves vegetarian and likewise some non-vegans call themselves vegan. They do that for various reasons, but one reason is simplicity: its easier to say" I'm vegetarian" and have your dietary choices respected than to say I rarely eat meat because if you say I rarely eat meat, meat-eaters will often pressure you to eat meat just this once.

I used to be annoyed by people who called themselves vegetarians but ate meat every now and then, but now I don't really care too much. Call yourself whatever you want.

Some people avoid either word and say things like, "I eat a plant-based die"t or I"m a raw-foodist." Often, people who avoid the terms vegan or vegetarian eat like vegans eat but they do so for health or environmental reasons, not for animal rights, spiritual, or ethical reasons.

Often, people who embrace the word vegan do so primarily for animal rights or ethical reasons, and secondarily for health and/or environmental.

Products or menu items labeled vegan should be free of all animal products, even trace ingredients. Likewise, products or menu items labeled vegetarian should be free of animal flesh, even trace ingredients.

Its a good idea to ask or read the ingredients because in the US, there is no legal definition for the terms vegetarian or vegan yet.

Here are some links for why vegetarianism isn't enough to solve the ethical issues involved in animal agriculture:
http://humanemyth.org
http://humanefacts.com

And for more on the environmental and public health concerns, please take a look at:
http://www.ncifap.org/
http://www.factoryfarm.org/

What Do Vegans Eat?

2009-03-04T22:25:00.000-08:00

Vegan food montage - a food celebration!

These are all foods that I actually ate. They are all vegan. They are all free of animal products: no meat, no poultry, no fish, no dairy, no eggs, no honey. Some are from restaurants, some are from the store, and some are from my kitchen :)

More vegan food celebrations:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/what-do-v...
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/what-does...

Two Kinds Of People Kill Animals For A Living

2009-02-27T22:24:00.000-08:00

Two kinds of people kill animals for a living:
a) the ones who want to and
b) the ones who don't want to kill animals for a living.

Poultry workers article and video series:
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/poul...

"Hunting is on the decline across the nation as participation has fallen over the last three decades"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/08/us/...

"meatpacking and poultry workers face more than hard work in tough settings. They perform the most dangerous factory jobs in the country."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/...

"one of the most serious unintended consequences of
industrial food animal production ( ifap) is the growing public health threat
of these types of facilities. In addition to the contribution of ifap to the major
threat of antimicrobial resistance (Smith et al., 2002; Smith et al., 2007), ifap
facilities can be harmful to workers, neighbors, and even those living far from
the facilities through air and water pollution, and via the spread of disease."
http://www.ncifap.org/_images/PCIFAPS...

"for men who have to crack the heads of animals all day seem to get into the habit, and to practice on their friends, and even on their families, "
http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_ml...

"Automated lines carrying dead animals and their parts for disassembly move too fast for worker safety. Repeating thousands of cutting motions during each work shift puts enormous traumatic stress on workers' hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and backs. They often work in close quarters creating additional dangers for themselves and coworkers. They often receive little training and are not always given the safety equipment they need. They are often forced to work long overtime hours under pain of dismissal if they refuse."
http://www.hrw.org/en/node/11869/sect...

More links related to animal agriculture human exploitation:
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf...
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/arti...
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2009...
http://diggingthroughthedirt.blogspot...
http://www.goveg.com/workerRights.asp
http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2005/01...
http://www.ncifap.org/_images/PCIFAPF...

Video links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rz4hdq...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huLivq...

Books to read on this subject:
Fast Food Nation
Slaughterhouse
The Jungle

Movies on the subject:
Mad Cowboy: http://www.madcowboy.com/
Peaceable Kingdom: http://www.tribeofheart.org/pk.htm

Need inspiration to go vegan? Here are some videos to watch:
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/the-8-mos...
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/8-disturb...

Please take this quiz about lifestyle and diet:
https://secure.einterview.org/lifestyle/

"I have nothing against vegans"

2009-02-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

When someone says, "I have nothing against vegans" and then they go off on an anti-vegan diatribe, they're LIARS. They have something against vegans.

I don't start my videos "I have nothing against meat-eaters" and then start talking about how it's better to be vegan.

Myth Busted

2009-02-15T19:12:00.000-08:00

Response to a video called "five reasons not to become a vegan" and to "quantifying an animal's life." Links below...

Regarding ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE & EMOTION:
"Certain skills are considered key signs of higher mental abilities: good memory, a grasp of grammar and symbols, self-awareness, understanding others' motives, imitating others, and being creative. Bit by bit, in ingenious experiments, researchers have documented these talents in other species, gradually chipping away at what we thought made human beings distinctive while offering a glimpse of where our own abilities came from."
from Animal Minds by Virginia Morell: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/200...

Please also read When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Masson: http://www.jeffreymasson.com/animal-b...

Regarding ANIMAL CRUELTY & LAWS:
http://www.pet-abuse.com/
http://www.animallaw.com/
http://www.aldf.org/

Regarding CANCER:
"What protein consistently and
strongly promoted cancer? Casein, which makes up 87% of cows milk protein, promoted all
stages of the cancer process. What type of protein did not promote cancer, even at high levels
of intake? The safe proteins were from plants, including wheat and soy."
From The China Study by by Dr. T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II. http://www.thechinastudy.com/PDFs/Chi...

More about healthy VEG*NS:
Vegetarians live longer: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/...
"Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, and adolescence." from a position paper from the American Dietetic Association:
http://www.adajournal.org/article/PII...

Regarding eating disorders:
"recent data suggest that adopting a vegetarian diet does not lead to eating disorders, rather that vegetarian diets may be selected to camouflage an existing eating disorder" says the American Dietetic Association, cited above.

Regarding HUMAN SLAVERY:
"there are 27 million people in slavery today. This means that there are more people in slavery today than at any other time in human history. Slavery has existed for thousands of years, but changes in the worlds economy and societies over the past 50 years have enabled a resurgence of slavery." [...]
"As in the past, most slaves are forced to work in agriculture, mining, and prostitution. From these sectors, their exploited labor flows into the global economy, and into our lives."
from Free The Slaves http://www.freetheslaves.net/Page.asp...

Reducing our total consumption by being VEGAN means we reduce the economic motivation for slavery. Helping animals IS helping people. (And don't forget to buy FAIR TRADE.)

Here's more regarding the HUMAN & ANIMAL CONNECTION:
http://www.thehumanelink.com/

Regarding MORALITY:
Please just watch this: http://www.meat.org/
What humans do to animals is clearly WRONG. We need to stop. The only sure way to stop the cruelty is to go vegan.

Here's an inspirational video:
http://www.nonviolenceunited.org/vega...

Regarding HARM to animals in agriculture:
"the contrast in harms is an extremely stark one, with the actual deaths currently caused by non-vegans quantitatively greater by 116 times the number of deaths caused by vegans"
http://unpopularveganessays.blogspot....

And here are some Vegan Starter Kits
http://www.veganoutreach.org/starterp...
http://pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/in...
http://www.petaliterature.com/VEG297.pdf
http://www.tryveg.com/img/vsg0501.pdf
http://www.afa-online.org/starterpack...
http://www.vegkit.org/

Go vegan!

Vegan For Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is about love. If you love animals, please go vegan for Valentine's Day. Do it for animals, for the planet, and for yourself.

In this video I talk about a cat I had in college named Eladio who was killed by a train.

At the time I wasn't being true to myself about my emotions, my passions, my beliefs, my values.

But later in life, when I felt safe and loved, I got honest and I got vegan.

PS - Rose City Chocolates makes yummy vegan chocolates. My generous mother-in-law has sent them to us two years in a row for Valentine's Day and they're SOOOO delicious!

They Would Eat Us

2009-02-11T19:10:00.000-08:00

NO, they wouldn't eat us. The animals that humans eat are generally herbivorous.

We share this planet with others. Our survival is linked to theirs. It's not us versus them. We're all in it together.

Leafletting

2009-02-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

Once or twice a month I hand out stacks of pamphlets at local colleges with other vegans. We do it during lunchtime so the most students are on campus and we can reach the most students.

The estimated conversion rate is about 2%. That might not sound very high, but it is infinitely larger nothing. And when you do nothing to encourage people to go vegan, your conversion rate is a big, fat ZERO. So, do something!

Leafletting is very easy and in my opinion is better than protesting or writing letters to the editor. It's the kind of activism that takes very little effort and is very rewarding. People often thank me for leafletting. They crave information about veganism in a simple, non-invasive, non-judgmental, well-sourced, visual way.

Sure, some people react negatively to me when I leaflet. But they are the minority. Most people are very nice and appreciative. I'm not an outgoing person, so it takes courage to step out of my comfort zone and leaflet. That's why I only do it once or twice a month for an hour or two at a time. That's a pace I can continue for years and years without burning out. And... it gets easier over time.

Why Vegan? The information:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/

Vegan Outreach:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/

The Why Vegan Pamphlet:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan...

Order pamphlets:
http://www.veganoutreach.org/catalog/

The images shown in the video are NOT from the pamphlet. I found the images elsewhere. There are LOTS of graphic factory farming images online. Just do an "image search" to see them for yourself. Or better yet, take a tour of a slaughterhouse.

GO VEGAN!
and... GO VEGANS!

The Vegan Police

2009-02-05T19:07:00.000-08:00

Dealing with the vegan police.

Most people who patrol the vegan borders aren't even vegan. They act like it's impossible to be truly vegan and they look for any way to make vegans seem like hypocrites.

The reality is that they're often ignorant and don't even know about things like vegan shoes, vegan make-up, or other vegan alternatives to animal products. (See below for some links to vegan stores.)

The definition of vegan:
"A vegan is someone who tries to live without exploiting animals, for the benefit of animals, people and the planet. Vegans eat a plant-based diet, with nothing coming from animals - no meat, milk, eggs or honey, for example. A vegan lifestyle also avoids leather, wool, silk and other animal products for clothing or any other purpose."
source: The Vegan Society (the ones who invented the word 'vegan')
http://www.vegansociety.com/newsroom/...

See that word "TRIES"? It's not about perfection, it's not about purity, it's about doing as much as you can.

Veganism is about DOING GOOD. It's about avoiding animal products as much as possible for the benefit of animals, humans, and the environment. It's not about the vegan police.

http://www.veganoutreach.org/howvegan...
which says:
"the issue for thoughtful, compassionate people isn't, 'Is this vegan?' Rather, the important question is: 'Which choice leads to less suffering?' Our guide shouldn't be an endless list of ingredients, but rather doing our absolute best to stop cruelty to animals."

Here are some resources to find vegan goods:
http://www.veganessentials.com/
http://www.foodfightgrocery.com/
http://www.cosmosveganshoppe.com/
http://downbound.com/

And here are some shopping guides:
http://www.leapingbunny.org/
http://www.caringconsumer.com/

PS: Here's an excellent informational podcast about leather:
http://mediacloud.libsyn.com/compassi...
Here's some info about leather:
http://www.cowsarecool.com/faq.asp

Vegan IS Power

2009-01-27T12:55:00.000-08:00

Few other choices have as much impact on animals, the planet, and your health as the choice to go vegan.

Make a difference, live your values, go vegan!

Vegan Food Pyramid

2009-01-26T12:54:00.000-08:00

If Americans just ate the USDA guidelines, that would have a huge impact on improving human health, slowing climate change, and improving animal welfare. Sadly, the average American consumes almost twice the recommended amount of calories and doesn't consume enough fruits and vegetables.

If you're not yet a vegan, start getting healthy by eating more fruits and vegetables, less animal products and less fat.

Vegan Food Pyramid link:
http://www.veganfoodpyramid.com/vegan...

USDA Food Guideline recommended resource for vegetarians and vegans:
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/adapyram...
http://www.dietitians.ca/news/downloa...

USDA guidelines for vegetarians or vegans:
protein: http://mypyramid.gov/pyramid/vegetari...
calcium: http://mypyramid.gov/pyramid/milk_tip...

Standard USDA Food Pyramid (for nonvegans):
http://mypyramid.gov/

FAO Stats (where the "3770 calories" claim comes from):
http://www.fao.org/ES/ESS/yearbook/vo...

CDC Fruits and Veggies campaign website:
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/

Why Vegan?
http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/
http://www.vegan.org/about_veganism/i...
http://veganic.net/whyvegan.htm

Informed Food Choices

2009-01-20T12:51:00.000-08:00

Vegan Who Won't Shut Up

2009-01-17T12:51:00.000-08:00

But I Like Meat

2009-01-15T12:50:00.000-08:00

Why liking the taste of meat is an inadequate justification for eating meat.

But Animals Eat Animals

2009-01-07T12:48:00.000-08:00

Why it's OK for animals to eat other animals, but why we shouldn't eat animals. I have three reasons:
1) Just because there's pain in the world doesn't mean it's right to create more pain.
2) Lions are carnivores; humans are omnivores. We can survive without eating animals. Lions can't.
3) Lions don't factory farm.

A Few Tasty Vegan Things

2008-12-28T12:24:00.000-08:00

Quick video about some of the vegan things I am currently enjoying.

- Soy Feta & Soy Bleu: comes in a variety of flavors. Great to add to salads.
http://www.sunergiasoyfoods.com/html/...

- Bonavita Vegetarian Pate: comes in a few flavors. I found it at Cost Plus/ World Market.

- So Delicious Yogurts: coconut milk or soy milk, both are cultured with probiotics. They have calcium, B12, iron, etc. Yum.
soy: http://www.turtlemountain.com/product...
coconut milk: http://www.turtlemountain.com/product...

- WestSoy Cocolate Peppermint soy milk: Only available around the holidays. http://www.westsoy.biz/

- VegNews magazine: I read it for the ads as much as for the articles.
http://vegnews.com/

- Vegan candy bar links:
http://gomaxgofoods.com/
http://www.crispycatcandybars.com/

Get honest, get real, get vegan

2008-12-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

This video is a response to metal4fish's claim "I'm fully against any notion that equates animal life to human life." as a reason not to go vegan. It's BS.

Animals are not food sources. In the same way that I don't eat humans, I don't eat animals. In the same way that I don't eat rocks, nails, paint chips, or glass, I don't eat animals. In the same way that I don't eat my neighbor's fingernail clippings, puppy placentas, cat poop, or road kill, I don't eat animals.

Some things aren't food.

Get honest, get real, get vegan.

(PS - it's just a cold. Everyone gets colds every now and then. And as you can see, my stamina is just fine. Overall, I'm healthy and happy.)

Update:
What I mean by "unless you're forced to eat animals, you shouldn't" is that if you have the ability to govern your own life, you ought to refrain from harming animals as much as possible.

If however, you're a child, you're in the hospital, or you're in prison, etc. then you don't have the ability to govern your life, you don't have free choice, and you can't be held morally responsible for eating animals.

Depressed?

2008-11-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

When you first go vegetarian or vegan you might be overwhelmed by the enormous problem of animal exploitation. The reality of how our society treats animals (and farm workers and human health) is truly quite depressing and it's normal to feel sad about it. But regardless of the normalcy of your feelings, you probably want to feel better. So.. here are some tips for overcoming depression:

1) Make sure you're getting proper nutrition. Take a look at your diet and see if you might want to add new foods, a supplement, or fortified foods. Make sure you get a wide variety of vegan foods. Use a food diary to monitor your nutrition and to show any medical professionals. Treat your body/ your health like a scientist would treat it - keep detailed and accurate records. This can help you identify deficiencies or triggers. (Don't necessarily trust the average doctor, though, because many haven't had much nutrition training. Get a second opinion if your doctor says, "just eat meat" or prescribes antidepressants.)
More info on vegan nutrition:
http://www.veganhealth.org/

2) Get regular exposure to sunlight. It will get you some vitamin D (deficiency can mimic depression) and also just "getting out" helps me. It might help you, too.
Wikipedia on light therapy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_th...

3) Get regular exercise. Besides the endorphins produced from exercise, many studies have shown exercise is just as or more effective than antidepressants and exercise doesn't have the same negative side effects.
More info on exercise: http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide...

4) Reasoned optimism: Try to find the good in every situation. Consciously try to be hopeful and optimistic. You CAN change your thought patterns for the better.

5) Find support from family, friends, and/or professionals. Get online and find a vegan forum or blog. Others know what this feels like and they can help you.
Try this vegan forum:
http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/forum/

6) Avoid triggers when possible. For example, if you're upset by images of tortured animals, try to limit viewing those and try to balance that with positive images of happy animals.

This tips apply to any kind of depression, but I've specifically targeted them to the kind of depression that occurs with some vegans and vegetarians. Take care of yourself!

Vegan Halloween & Vegan Parenting

2008-10-31T09:35:00.000-07:00

Resources...
Vegan Candy: http://www.ecorazzi.com/2008/10/31/pr...

Vegan Parenting Forums:
http://www.postpunkkitchen.com/forum/...
http://www.websitetoolbox.com/mb/comp...

Vegan Cooking For Kids:
http://www.veganlunchbox.blogspot.com/
http://www.vegansoapbox.com/10-books-...

More stuff for vegan parenting:
http://www.vegfamily.com/

Eat Like A Vegan,Think Like A Vegan

2008-10-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

People tend to find ways to justify their behavior regardless of whether or not the behavior is truly justifiable.

Meat-eaters do it all the time (for example, "animals eat other animals" or "God gave us animals to eat" or "meat is healthy"). They rationalize away all the wholly unnecessary cruelty to animals involved in food production.

Vegans and vegetarians do it too. I know. As a vegetarian for virtually my entire life, I realized that my habits of non-meat-eating were stronger than my philosophy du jour.

We are our habits.

In order to change other people's habits (to get them to stop eating meat, or even to stop smoking or stop drinking or start exercising, etc.) they simply need to develop a new habit. To get people to eat a plant-based diet, feed them a plant-based diet.

The more they eat as a vegan, the more they'll think like a vegan.

Veg People Unite!

2008-10-26T09:31:00.000-07:00

Vegans and vegetarians, let's all stand up and show our faces. We're varied. We come in all shapes, sizes, colors, nationalities, ages, genders, politics and more.

Challenge To Meat-Eaters

2008-10-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

Go vegan for 30 days.

Vegan Chorizo & Fair Trade Coffee

2008-10-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

Vlogging for veganism: I talk about soyrizo and tofu breakfast burritos, coffee, and casseroles.

Soyrizo (vegan chorizo alternative):
http://www.elburrito.com/soyrizo.html
Soyrizo recipes:
http://www.elburrito.com/recipescomin...

Vegan Family Cookbook:
http://www.lanternbooks.com/detail.ht...

Fair Trade Coffee:
http://www.coopamerica.org/programs/f...
http://www.globalexchange.org/campaig...
http://www.transfairusa.org/content/W...

Who Is My Audience?

2008-10-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

My videos are for the exceptional, the extraordinary, the different, the unique, the above-average person.

The person who does have the will power and strength to go vegan.

The person who has the ability to live their values.

The person who can walk the walk.

The person who believes animals deserve better than empty excuses.

Go Vegan!

Going Vegan To Lose Weight?

2008-10-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

How to lose weight healthily & happily:
1. Eat foods that are nutrient-dense. Eat a variety of healthful, whole foods.
2. Avoid nutrient deficient foods, like many processed foods. Avoid dangerous foods: meat, dairy and eggs.
3. Exercise regularly, preferably an hour a day.

Counting calories is a tried and true method for weight loss. But in order to stay healthy, those calories should come from healthy, whole foods. And in order for your heart and lungs to stay healthy and your body to look toned, you need to exercise, too.

I know this from experience and research. I recommend reading:
- The China Study
- The Thrive Diet
- Eat More, Weigh Less
- Fit or Fat

And no, I'm not perfect. I don't exercise enough and I still eat too many processed foods. But I am a healthy weight and I haven't got heart disease, diabetes, or cancer. I am a vegan.

Mentioned in this video:
* Diet Power ( http://dietpower.com/ )
* DietMinder Personal Food & Fitness Journal
* Vega Complete Whole Food Health Optimizer
* Deva Vegan Multivitamin & Mineral Supplement

More resources for vegan weight loss:
http://www.vegansociety.com/people/he...
http://www.vegfamily.com/health/vegan...
http://www.all-creatures.org/mhvs/nl-...

Citations regarding my claim that meat and dairy are dangerous:
http://www.cancerproject.org/diet_can...
http://www.thechinastudy.com/PDFs/Chi...
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseas...
http://www.drmcdougall.com/med_choles...

Are Vegans Extreme?

2008-10-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

Think veganism is an extremist position? Think omnivorism is morally neutral?

Think again.

How To Eat Out

2008-10-17T09:11:00.000-07:00

Eating out (as) a vegan:
1. Ask for what you want. Be clear and precise.
2. Do your research. The web is your friend.
3. Try to make the best out of bad situations.

Here are the websites I talked about in the video:
http://www.happycow.net/
http://www.vegguide.org/
http://www.barnivore.com/

WTF Is A "Practicing" Vegan?

2008-10-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

There is no such thing as a nonpracticing vegan. Veganism is not a religion, it's not a cult.

It's a lifestyle. If you don't walk the walk, you're not a vegan.

---
That said, identify yourself however you want. I'm not here to put labels on you or take them away from you. If you want to identify as a vegan and still consume animal products, just realize that's not the definition of vegan. Some vegans might be annoyed or offended.

---
And by the way, if you want to abstain from animal products and NOT call yourself a vegan, you can do that too. For example, if you don't want to be associated with obnoxious people like me, or you don't like the label vegan, by all means, avoid it.

I don't care what you call yourself. I care about what you do. And I care about who you hurt. Stop eating animals.