Livin’ Veg

Neuaura Shoes October 31, 2008

For a long time Neuaura Shoes had a “coming soon” sign on their website and I eventually stopped checking back. Well, today I stumbled back upon them and found some adorable well priced shoes.

These purple pumps (also come in black) are perfect for work or that date you’ve been looking forward to all week. Well, I hope someone has a date. That way I can live vicariously through you for the weekend…

It’s a little too late to pick up the shoes for tonight, but at $79, you can pick them up at Nimli for next weekend.

Hayden Panettiere’s Message About Whaling October 30, 2008

Heroes star Hayden Panettiere, has put together a video on youtube telling you what you can do to help end the slaughter of whales. Check it out below.

Also, if you’re a fan and want to contribute plus get cool clothes, visit Panettiere’s Closet. You’ll find clothing Hayden has worn. She’s selling it to you and the proceeds are going to help marine life.

Animal Ag Industry Reveals 5 Biggest Foes October 29, 2008

The cattle network posted its top 5 enemies yesterday. Who do you think is at the top of the list? One guess…..Okay, give yourself a vegan cookie if you said Wayne Pacelle, CEO of HSUS. We all know Prop 2 will be voted on next Tuesday (Vote Yes!). And this proposition along with it’s predecessors in Florida and Arizona make Mr. Pacelle a dangerous man to the animal ag world. The best part is, never before have I read such a flattering description of a number one enemy. I bolded my favorite part…

Pacelle (Puh-selly) has headed up this organization for a scant 4 years. In that short time, this self-confessed vegetarian has taken the organization from a group of little old ladies who saw themselves as kindly protectors of cat and dogs to something he likens to the National Rifle Association for the animal rights movement. He’s also the founding father of California’s Proposition 2, the biggest single threat to the current state of American animal agriculture.

He’s gone after pigs, poultry, eggs, veal calves, and your cattle and he’s done it with great skill and an innate knowledge of how to manipulate public opinion.

Want to know who the other four enemies are? Click here and find out…

And if you’d like to learn more about Mr. Pacelle and the work being done at HSUS, click here to read his blog.

Dog Risks Life For Kittens in House Fire October 28, 2008

A few days ago in Australia a dog refused to leave the side of four kittens while the house around them was burning down. Fire fighters found the dog and the kittens, and everyone was brought out safely. The terrier had inhaled so much smoke, he had to be revived with oxygen and a heart massage. As soon as he woke up, he was back to licking his kitten friends. Little Leo could have abandoned the kittens and saved his own life, but wouldn’t leave their side. That’s a hero.

Check out the full story here…

eBay Bans Trade in Ivory October 27, 2008

HSUS just alerted me that eBay has made the ethical decision to stop the trade of ivory on their auction website. This will take effect on January 1, 2009. eBay used to allow ivory, because not all ivory is illegal. Antiques more than 100 years old and mammoth ivory are legal. But, how did ebay tell the difference between legal and poached? They couldn’t. Hence the ban.

Wayne Pacelle, the CEO of HSUS writes in his blog:

eBay’s decision will deny ivory traffickers an important marketplace to sell their goods and it will save some elephants from poachers by drying up a major sales pathway. As many as 23,000 African elephants are poached annually. China is the leading destination for most of this ivory—about one-third of the ivory for sale in the United States was recently carved and illegally imported from China. And a lot of that ivory is offered on eBay.

So comment on eBay’s announcement and say thanks if you’ve got a spare moment. Big companies making ethical decisions for animals are rare. And we like to applaud good behavior.

Do We Care More About Animals Than People? October 24, 2008

CNN’s Michael Holmes lends his thoughts on this question: “Do We Care More About Animals Than People?”

Mr. Holmes has been all over the world reporting on human issues - most of them heart wrenching and terrible. But the emails don’t flood in over human suffering. Animal suffering is the image that really brings out a person’s empathy.

Mr. Holmes gives us this example:

In Iraq, where I have reported from regularly in the past few years, there are entire pet markets where you’ll find everything from exotic birds, snakes and monkeys to domestic dogs trained as guard dogs. I even saw a wolf in a market one day.

Sadly, that market was later the scene of several attacks — mortars, and suicide bombings. Lots of people died, but I remember getting far more emails enquiring about innocent animals than innocent civilians.

I know that when people see the way animals are treated first hand, they get upset. That is why undercover investigations and videos are so important to the movement.

The confusing question is, if people have this gut reaction of empathy when confronted with animal suffering, why do we have so much of it in this country? Well, the answer is pretty easy. Because people aren’t confronted with the realities enough. Ask 10 people on the street what a puppy mill is, and they won’t have a clue. Even women in fur coats love their dogs. Educating the public with the facts (especially through video) is the biggest tool we have to make change.

Now, as for Mr. Holmes’ question - I don’t know the answer. But I do believe people think animals are innocent in a way that human adults are not. Like children. We have to protect them because they can’t protect themselves. However, many people are victims of their governments, other people, and experience terrible pain. I hope we’re able to stand up for everyone. You don’t have to pick and choose. I know my voice is used for a range of issues. And that includes people, animals and the environment.

Vegan Halloween Candy October 23, 2008

Thank you to Peta Kids for giving the lay of the land when it comes to vegan candy. Now you can give your neighbor’s kid cavities, and well, only feel guilty about the cavities.

Here is the list:

Airheads taffy
Atkins peanut butter bars
Blow Pops
Brach’s Cinnamon Hard Candy
Charms lollipops
Chick-o-Sticks
Cracker Jack
Cry Babies
Dem Bones
Dots
Dum-Dums
Fireballs
Goldenberg’s Peanut Chews
Hubba Bubba bubblegum
Jolly Ranchers (lollipops and hard candy)
Jujubees
Jujyfruits
Lemonheads
Mambas
Mary Janes (regular and peanut butter kisses)
Now and Later
Pez
Ring Pop lollipops
Smarties (U.S. Brand)
Sour Patch Kids
Super Bubble
Swedish Fish
Sweet Tarts
Tropical Source mini chocolate bags
Twizzlers
Zotz

Frankly, I kind of forgot Halloween is coming up. It feels like the time between now and the election is just empty time I need to fill. Fast forward button please!

Food Industry Secrets October 22, 2008

Want to know the big fat secrets and lies the food industry is keeping from us? Check out this fantastic article. It will tell you the “10 Things the Food Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know.”

Number 8 is my favorite:

8. Food industry pressure has made nutritional guidelines confusing.
As Nestle explained in Food Politics, the food industry has a history of preferring scientific jargon to straight talk. As far back as 1977, public health officials attempted to include the advice “reduce consumption of meat” in an important report called Dietary Goals for the United States. The report’s authors capitulated to intense pushback from the cattle industry and used this less-direct and more ambiguous advice: “Choose meats, poultry, and fish which will reduce saturated fat intake.” Overall, says Nestle, the government has a hard time suggesting that people eat less of anything.

Food industry expert, Marion Nestle, tells us more about it in her books. Check out her website…

Desperate Housewives and Vegetarianism? October 21, 2008

Last week Desperate Housewives brought back an old character we hadn’t seen in a while. Bree Hodge’s daughter Danielle. Now for those not in the loop, here is a mini recap: Danielle had gotten pregnant as a teen. Bree sent her away thinking she was too irresponsible to care for the child (and wanting another child of her own), and began to raise the boy as if she was his mother. Danielle got a bit older, got married and came to rip him from Bree’s arms (as she should have). In this episode, the child is 6 and Bree hasn’t seen him in three years.

So what does this have to do with being veg? Danielle and her new husband are both vegetarians and are raising their son that way. Bree is appalled and worried about things such as protein for her grandson. Now, they portray vegetarians as pretty socially responsible and even though Danielle was a brat as a teen, she’s grown up quite nicely.

What does Bree do the second she gets her grandson out of eye shot of his mother? She feeds him two hot dogs and tells him not to tell his mother. Later of course, he throws up at the dinner table and Danielle and her husband notice meat chunks in his vomit. The gig is up. Danielle and her family leave again without the faintest hint that they’d be coming back…ever.

Now, to me, feeding my kid meat (I don’t have one yet so this is a fictional kid) would be one of the worst things you could do. It shows a complete disregard for the parent’s choice of upbringing. I’m sure this kind of thing has happened in real life. Extended family members don’t always agree on a person’s choices for their own family. Especially if you’re the only veg in the blood line for as far as the eye can see. They might even do it by accident since they don’t have the meat radar the way a veg does.

What I loved in this episode was that feeding the kid meat was shown to be a great mistake and terrible move by Bree. The vegetarians are the morally triumphant and Bree is seen as an awful mother and grandmother. Moral of the story: Don’t mess with a vegetarian/vegan and their diet. You won’t win:)

If you want to check out the episode click here. The episode is called “Kids Ain’t Like Everybody Else.” Just click on “watch online now.”

Wildlife Works October 20, 2008

Wildlife Works’ mission is to harness the power of the global consumer to create innovative and sustainable solutions for wildlife conservation.

Wildlife Works sells t-shirts with beautiful designs as well as other great clothing. The goal is to donate a large portion of the profits to help protect wildlife around the globe. So if you’re looking to support a company, this might be one that you choose…

They do the following:

We’re achieving this by protecting wilderness habitats, creating jobs, building schools and providing other economic benefits for those people who share their land and resources with wildlife.