Written by Vegetarian Star on April 23rd, 2010 in Animal Issues, Authors, Journalists.
Comments Off on David Kirby “Time Magazine” Interview On Factory Farm Problems
Animal Factory by David Kirby
Journalist David Kirby recalls the night he slept near a pig farm during his investigations of factory farms.
Kirby wasn’t able to fall asleep that night, as all he heard were pigs fighting, screaming and squealing at each other, a sound he described as “kids being tourtured.”
Those three years of experiences that led to his book, Animal Factory, are just a few that he shared in a recent Time magazine interview, “The Problem With Factory Farms.”
What Exactly is a Factory Farm?
We collectively refer to these facilities as factory farms, but that’s not an official name. The government designation is CAFO, which stands for Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation. Basically it’s any farm that has 1,000 “animal units” or more. A beef cow is an animal unit. These animals are kept in pens their entire lives. They’re never outside. They never breathe fresh air. They never see the sun.
What happens to the wastes from factory farms?
The manure is liquefied. It gets flushed out into an open lagoon, where it is stored until farmers can use it on what few crops they do grow. There’s just so much of it, though. I’ve seen it sprayed into waterways and creeks. These “lagoons” filled with waste have been known to seep, leak, rupture, and overtop. This stuff is untreated, by the way. We would never allow big open cesspools of untreated human waste to just sit out on the ground near people’s homes and schools. And yet because it’s agriculture, the rules are different.
Read the entire interview with Kirby at Time.
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Written by Vegetarian Star on April 23rd, 2010 in Actors, Birthdays.
Comments Off on Slice Of Vegan Celebrity Birthday Cake To (Drum Roll)
A big slice of vegan birthday cake goes out to the following vegetarian or vegan celebrities.
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Written by Vegetarian Star on April 22nd, 2010 in Actresses, Food & Drink.
Comments Off on Cloris Leachman Chooses Good Things
Cloris Leachman entertained Dancing With the Stars fans two years ago and has just finished filming a psychological thriller movie, a pilot for a sitcom and is in talks for a reality TV show about her living with her 21 year old granddaughter.
She’ll also be turning 84 this month.
Who invented the idea of mandatory retirement at 70 anyway?
Leachman, who recently attended the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine’s “Art of Compassion Gala,” attributes her energy to her vegetarian diet.
About the plan she’s been adhering to since 35, Leachman said, “I’m not rigid at all … but (I) choose things that are good.”
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Written by Vegetarian Star on April 22nd, 2010 in Business, Fashion.
Doc Martens. Credit: Tarquin on Wikimedia Commons
Doc Martens celebrates its 50th year in manufacturing the famous 14 and 18 holed shoes this month.
The company started out very eco-friendly, as Dr Klaus Märtens and Dr Herbert Funck constructed the first pair from recycled discarded rubber from former Luftwaffe airfields.
Years later the company began making vegan versions of Docs, but the production of those shoes were halted when it relocated factories to Asia.
Relax.
There are other vegan shoes in the sea.
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Written by Vegetarian Star on April 22nd, 2010 in Actresses, Cosmetics And Beauty Products.
Comments Off on Rachelle Carson Begley Raves About Bella Ve Natural Products
Rachelle Carson Begley is talking about a new line of earth friendly skincare products.
Bella Vé Natural Skin Care products contain ingredients found in nature like aloe vera and are described as “chemical and cruelty-free” on its website.
Cruelty-free can have different meanings, from the finished product not being tested on animals to containing no animal ingredients at all, and it’s not clear from the site what definition Bella Vé uses.
A few of the ingredients listed in the cleansers, toners and moisturizers (which can be checked against an animal ingredient database) can be obtain from animals or available in synthetic, such as urea, allantoin and glycerin.
Depending on your level of ethics, more investigation may be needed.
“I was excited to finally find a skin care line that nourishes, hydrates and fights aging, all while fitting into my active and ‘green’ lifestyle. When I first started using Bella Vé products, I immediately noticed a difference in the texture, fine lines, and firmness of my skin. Bella Vé products have truly made a difference in my skin, while also saving me time in my daily routine. I highly recommend them to everyone.”
Bella Vé bottles and jars are also recyclable.
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Written by Vegetarian Star on April 22nd, 2010 in Animal Issues, Events.
Comments Off on Meet Paul Watson At “NYC Evening For The Oceans”
A NYC Evening For The Oceans
Here’s your chance to meet Captain Paul Watson and benefit the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
NYC Evening for the Oceans will be held on April 30 between 7:30 PM and 11:30 PM at Collective Hardware at 169 Bowery between Broome and Kenmare in Manhattan, New York City.
The cost for the evening is $100 and tickets must be purchased in advance. The event poster says, “No ticket sales at door,” so you won’t even be able to offer them tins of nutritional yeast to sweet talk your way in that night.
Besides meeting Watson and the crew, attendees will enjoy food from vegan restaurant Candle Cafe.
Items will be auctioned and donations will be accepted.
For more information and to order tickets, visit the event’s website.
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Written by Vegetarian Star on April 22nd, 2010 in Film & TV, Food & Drink.
Comments Off on “10 Things I Hate About You” Meatless Mondays Episode
Lindsey Shaw‘s character Kat Stratford in the ABC Family’s 10 Things I Hate About You played some dirty meatless politics on this week’s episode.
In an effort to get the school to adopt Meatless Mondays, Kat teams up with her rival William Blankenship, to convince the student council to give the vegetarian day a go ahead.
Turns out, William was using Kat as well for his own very unveggie political agenda.
Patrick, the quite loner with an interest in Kat, never liked her getting cozy with William.
Kat would have made more progress hooking up with Patrick, who’s already eating soy dogs.
Everyone in school fears him, and they would have been scared away from the chicken finger line.
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Written by Vegetarian Star on April 22nd, 2010 in Authors, Children, Food & Drink, Politicians.
Comments Off on Ann Coulter Pokes Fun At Schools Teaching Vegetarian, Animal Rights
Conservative Ann Coulter used the recent announcement from Justice John Paul Stevens to retire from the Supreme Court to poke fun of progressive schools that include vegetarianism and/or animal rights in the curriculum.
Hey, some do, such as the one Emily Deschanel attended.
Using an instance where Stevens disagreed with giving vouchers to parents to send their children to private schools, Ann wrote:
“He said, because the program did not forbid parents from using the tuition payments at religious schools, the state was using “public funds to pay for the indoctrination of thousands of grammar school children in particular religious faiths.” That money should have been used to indoctrinate children in subjects such as animal rights, Gaia theory, anti-Americanism and fisting etiquette!”
Don’t know how many parents would appreciate the opportunity to transfer their children to another school, private or parochial, but we’re sure they’re are plenty of parents who want more money into the school lunch system so their children aren’t resigned to eat the pre-formed patty of several animals parts and greased up fries.
BTW, have you contacted your local representative to let them know you support H.R. 4870, which could potentially bring regular vegetarian meals in school districts nationwide?
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