Quantcast Vegetarian StarAnimal Issues (137)

Archive for the 'Animal Issues' Category

Pamela Anderson was recently on Larry King Live when Larry King asked Pamela what she thought about the SeaWorld tragedy several weeks ago where a trainer was killed by an animal.

King: Do you think there should be SeaWorlds?

Anderson: I don’t think there should be SeaWorlds. Of course not. They should not be in captivity at all.

A viewer from Facebook told King to ask Pamela what she eats to stay looking so great and Pamela got into her discussion on what a vegetarian and vegan is.

She also talked about her new celebrity signature vegan milkshake at Millions of Milkshakes in Santa Monica, California.

The SeaWorld conversation begins around minute 2:20.

Possibly Related Posts:


Kate Winslet Narrates Anti Foie Gras Video

Written by Vegetarian Star on Thursday, April 15th, 2010 in Actresses, Animal Issues, Food & Drink.

82nd Annual Academy Awards - Arrivals

Kate Winslet has lent her voice to narrate a new video on the cruelty of foie gras.

“Foie gras is sold as an expensive delicacy in some restaurants and shops, but no one pays a higher price for foie gras than the ducks and geese who are abused and killed to make it,” Winslet says in a video for PETA.

“Please join us in helping ducks and geese by pledging never to eat foie gras.”

Foie gras is a delicacy produced by force feeding geese to a point where their livers swell tremendously, up to ten times their normal size.

As a result, the animals become sick and unable to move naturally.

The birds’ throats often bleed from the tubes placed in them for feeding and according to The Daily Latest News, the bodies of the birds who have died show heavy internal bleeding, fungal and bacterial infections and hepatic encephalopathy – a brain ailment caused by liver failure.

Winslet joins several other British celebrities who’ve spoken against the industry, including Sir Roger Moore.

Possibly Related Posts:


Tiffani Thiessen “Eat Humane” WSPA Campaign (Video)

Written by Vegetarian Star on Thursday, April 15th, 2010 in Actresses, Animal Issues, Food & Drink, Videos.

Tiffani Thiessen has partnered with the World Society for the Protection of Animals to spread the word about the organization’s Eat Humane Campaign.

The campaign is meant to educate the public to read food labels to determine if meat, poultry, and dairy was produced humanely.

“Look for cage-free eggs, free-range poultry or grass fed meat,” Thiessen says in the PSA above.

The White Collar actress feels that by doing so, everyone can make a difference in the lives of animals, whether they eat meat or not.

“Eating doesn’t have to be black and white – eat meat or be a vegetarian,” she said in a press release. “The more important thing is that you should make educated choices when buying your food, which can be confusing and misleading with the food labeling system. It is hard to know what you are really purchasing and that is why I filmed this PSA – I wanted to help WSPA inform people about what the labels really mean.”

For more information on the Eat Humane campaign, visit Eathumane.org.

Possibly Related Posts:


Michael Pollan On Animal Rights, Oprah And Meat Eating

Written by Vegetarian Star on Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 in Animal Issues, Authors, Flexitarian, Food & Drink.

Quintessentially Host A Special Screening Of Magnolia Pictures' "FOOD INC"

Author Michael Pollan hasn’t always expressed warm feelings for the vegetarian and vegan community, but in a recent interview with Time magazine, he said he has “enormous respect for vegetarians,” and eats a lot less meat than in the past.

In an exclusive interview with the Huffington Post, Pollan gave his thoughts on animal rights, criticizer of factory farming and author Jonathan Safran Foer and even Oprah.

That’s quite a combination, and here are a few highlights.

On Foer and “Eating Animals”
In terms of the argument that I don’t grapple with meat, I would refer Jonathan and anyone else to Chapter…hold on, I can dig it out… (flips through book)…it’s a very long…Chapter 17 of Omnivore’s Dilemma, “The Ethics of Eating Animals.” And that is where I try to grapple with the best arguments against meat eating, which in my view are Peter Singer’s arguments, and defend a very limited kind of meat eating, which is the kind I do.

On Animal Rights:
I think one of the changes you’ve seen in the animals right’s community in the last five or ten years is a lot more interest in mitigating the worst abuses of animal agriculture …which I think is a more realistic goal than abolition.

On Oprah Winfrey:
She had a very bad run-in with the cattle industry, and she doesn’t want to spend any more time in court, so it was much to her credit and it took a certain courage for her to air the issues and show clips from Food Inc., especially, and to have me on, and the fact that she was willing to re-engage on these issues of factory farming was all to her credit.

Possibly Related Posts:


Ellen DeGeneres Receives Award From PCRM’s Neal Barnard (Video)

Written by Vegetarian Star on Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 in Animal Issues, TV Hosts, Videos.

Ellen DeGeneres was honored by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine recently by receiving the Voice of Compassion reward.

President and founder of the PCRM, an organization of physicians and others that promotes healthy living through a vegetarian diet and ethics in animal research, Dr. Neal Barnard, arrived at the show to personally present it to her.

Dr. Barnard said Ellen was chosen for the award for working to “expand the circle of compassion” for animals in everything she’s done, which includes donating to the Humane Society, supporting other animal rights campaigns and featuring vegetarian/vegan recipes on the show.

Possibly Related Posts:


Temple Grandin Suggests Live Camera Feeds In Slaughterhouses

Written by Vegetarian Star on Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 in Animal Issues, Food & Drink.

2010 Winter TCA Tour - Day 6

Temple Grandin, renowned scientist who’s been honored by animal rights activists for her design of a system that puts less stress on an animal before slaughter, is inviting all slaughterhouses to do what Paul McCartney suggests–have glass walls.

Technically, Grandin wants these facilities to have live camera feeds so the public can see what goes on in them.

During a recent visit to Fresno State University, Grandin said the meat industry needs “to do a better job of communicating with the public about their animal handling practices.”

Not a vegetarian herself, Grandin even suggests it would behoove the companies to do so, as this could provide transparency to the public.

Would this mean no more covert visits to the factory by animal rights groups to expose unethical and possibly illegal practices?

Big Money had this to say about the matter:

“Of course, the kinds of companies that have been exposed by undercover cell-phone videos of suffering, abused cows aren’t the kinds that are interested in transparency. And the feeds don’t exactly sound like something to munch popcorn to. Still, employing live feeds seems like it might be a good way for responsible companies to differentiate themselves.”

No, live feeds aren’t the kind of video you eat popcorn to or “popcorn chicken” from KFC either.

But they would sure make a viral set of clips on YouTube.

And these would make an excellent medium for activists in teaching people how their food is brought to their plate–whether they want to be educated or not.

Possibly Related Posts:


Kelly Osbourne Turned Off Meat By “Food Inc.”

Written by Vegetarian Star on Wednesday, April 14th, 2010 in Animal Issues, Food & Drink.

18th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation's Oscar Viewing Party - Arrivals

Kelly Osbourne isn’t currently a vegetarian, but she has considered the source of where her meat comes from and is trying to eat less of it.

In her weekly Closer column, Kelly says watching the film Food Inc. has made her disgusted by the way most meat is obtained.

“I’ve become increasingly aware of how disgusting the American meat industry can be – and it’s seriously put me off eating meat … I’ve heard that cows are fed through a hole in their stomach to make them get fatter quicker and I can’t believe some chicken producers inject them with water first so they’re heavier!”

Kelly’s got a good point. While many suppliers in places like Europe are sourcing meat more humanely, such as slaughtering with Controlled Atmosphere Killing, major American restaurants like McDonald’s have failed to make this switch.

“I don’t have a problem with people eating meat, but I am careful to only buy organic now,” Kelly added.

Kelly attended the launch of Sir Paul McCartney‘s Meat Free Monday campaign, so she is at least supportive of less meat in everyone’s, American or not, diet.

Possibly Related Posts:


Tour Sea Shepherd Steve Irwin Ship In New York–Donations Needed

Written by Vegetarian Star on Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 in Animal Issues.

Sea Shepherd Tour poster

Sea Shepherd Tour poster

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s star flagship, the Steve Irwin, will be docking in New York city from April 23-May 3 to rest between its Antarctic Whale Defense Campaign and prepare for its upcoming bluefin tuna one.

Tours of the boat will be given daily from approximately 10AM to 3PM and the crew will also be taking donations for their upcoming trip to fight blue fin tuna extinction.

From looking at the items in demand list, this crew knows how to eat vegan in style!

All donated items must be vegan, and the crew is especially in need of things like tofu, coconut cream, tahini, vegan cream cheese and vegan mayonnaise and nutritional yeast.

You can view all of both their priority and staples donation lists at Supervegan.

As expected, volunteers are needed for the tours.

If interested and for more information, email nyc [at] seashepherd [dot] org.

Possibly Related Posts: