Gary Yourofsky's Speech

I finally got around to watching this video. Well, let me be clear. I finally brought myself to watch this video. Lisa's Days was kind enough to leave me an inspirational comment in a previous post, and she said this video turned her from veggie to vegan. I was scared to watch it. I didn't know what to expect. Horrific slaughterhouse scenes? Screaming animals? I've seen so many videos like that, but finally I clicked the link.

It's about an hour long, and i watched the entire thing in one sitting as soon as I clicked it. It's basically a college lecture by an animal rights activist. And I stress the term "activist" because he's actually done things like breaking into labs and freeing animals. But, his rationale on being a vegan, our collective lack of compassion towards animals, and the nutritional realities of veganism are very compelling. It's impossible to argue with his points.

Towards the end of the video, he shows the students some graphic slaughterhouse and factory farm footage, about 3 minutes worth. Since seeing that, I think I've eaten meat or dairy twice. Every time I crave it or think about ordering it those images appear in my mind and I can't go through with it. He reminded me of my own compassion which I lost recently, apparently.

So, I highly recommend watching this if you're on the fence, or are looking for good talking points when discussing veganism with others. Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es6U00LMmC4

Steve-O is a Vegan

I'm a big fan of laughing. And I've been a fan of laughing at guys doing stupid and crazy crap before the Jackass guys got together. I used to watch old skate videos like Jump Off A Building and CKY2K where similar dangerous stupid things were going down. Here's some footage from CKY2K in case you don't know what I'm talking about.



Interestingly, one of the crazier performers from Jackass and the new Jackass 3-D, Steve-O, is a vegan. He's done ads for PETA in the past, has been a vegetarian or pescetarian most of his life, but has recently gone full vegan. He's brought it up in numerous interviews and on the Howard Stern show on SiriusXM Radio. Howard's co-host, Robin Quivers, is also a vegan and so they chatted about it for a bit.

Steve-O was recently interviewed, along with the whole Jackass crew, by Vanity Fair magazine and he makes some interesting points. Here's an excerpt:

I remember when the movie started, I said, “I don’t want to work with animals. That’s not what I’m about.” But then I did the ram scene anyway, and I justified it in my head, like, “O.K., this is for work. I’ve got to put my own personal beliefs aside.” So I got into the pen and my instincts took over. The ram charged towards my nuts, and I put my hand down to block it. That happened a bunch of times, and as a result the tendons in my right hand are totally messed up. This was back in February, and we’re now in October and it’s still not healed. I feel like it’s a permanent reminder that I compromised my beliefs.

I can totally relate to what he's saying there. I've noticed that trying to be vegan often creates situations where I have to weight my beliefs vs. practicality.

But, it's awesome that he's bringing awareness to veganism. It would fair us well to have as many celebrities as possible speak out. And everyone isn't so aware of people like Alicia Silverstone and other high profile vegans. way to go Steve-O! I'm a big fan of your, er, work, and glad to know you're spreading the word! (And Jackass 3-D was hilarious)

I stand corrected

I thought for sure it was the last we would have heard of Bill Clinton's diet. But, after hearing his claims, CNN did a follow-up segment with actual experts! "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer on CNN followed up on Bill Clinton's plant-based diet. Amazing clip!

BP Protest in L.A.—on bikes!

This happened over a week ago, but I'm a bit back logged on my blog. And this isn't really a vegan story. Rather, something I was happy to see as someone who is concerned about the environment. That's a major reason I became vegan.

I was driving to the West side of L.A. on a Friday (maybe Saturday) night, and right as I was approaching Olympic and Robertson I saw a huge group of bicyclists in the intersection. This sometimes happens since there are riding groups in L.A. But, they didn't go anywhere. They just kept coming and coming, blocking the intersection, and chanting "F*ck BP"! Cars were honking, passersby were looking, cars were turning around—it was awesome. I was happy to be inconvenienced in this traffic. Apparently they went all around Hollywood and West Hollywood. Here's a video of a similar scene from that night:

 

This corner is also the location of BP's ARCO station that's "greener" than other stations. It actually looks really awesome. BP is going to have to do a lot more than build one awesome gas station to be a green company now.

File under "WTF?!"

So, apparently the milk industry is lobbying hard to define milk as a product that comes from a lactating animal. Never mind of course the pesky dictionary whose 3rd definition of the word milk is:

"A liquid, such as coconut milk, milkweed sap, plant latex, or various medical emulsions, that is similar to milk in appearance."

 It was the topic of discussion on a FOX NY morning show today. One anchor offered up "Soy Juice" instead of soy milk as an option. The other is whacked out of her skull. Check it out.

Food Revolution

I'm no fan of reality TV, but I saw this clip on the Huffington Post and was shocked. On Jamie Oliver's new Reality Show he attempts to educate children about their food, and making healthy choices. He doesn't advocate for veganism, but it's a huge step in the right direction. He advocates for fresh, unprocessed diets, high in fruits and vegetables.

In this clip, he thinks showing the kids the nasty process in which chicken nuggets are made will turn them off. Well, it doesn't quite work out that way. Check it out:



I saw another clip recently where the children couldn't tell him what he was holding in his hand: a tomato. Scary.

After seeing this, I realized what and uphill battle this is really going to be. The next generation of kids in this country don't have even the most basic knowledge about food. I didn't think it was possible not to recognize a tomato.

What I want to see next is a vegan reality show. Let's put a bunch of nay-saying-omnis in a house and make them go vegan for 30 days. It'd be interesting to see how many stuck with it after it was over.

Jonathan Safran Foer on The Colbert Report

This is not to be missed. Foer is still on the media trail, and he recently made it to one of my favorite shows. Enjoy.

I'm really glad Eating Animals is still getting public attention. This book has been life changing in varying degrees for everyone I know who's read it. If you haven't read it, read it. There's a link to buy it on Amazon somewhere on the right side of this blog.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Jonathan Safran Foer
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Economy

Talkin' Sh*t

I can't say I ever expected to write a post involving Oprah. But, darn you Oprah, you've sucked me in. This video of her and Alicia Silverstone talkin' about their bowel movements is great on so many levels. And at 1 minute and 6 seconds, it's the most Oprah I think I've ever watched in my life.

It gives more exposure to the vegan lifestyle via celebrity endorsement, it makes people giggle, it's honest, and it points out one of the benefits of being vegan: your sh*t don't stink. And it don't clog you up. And it's "fabulous." Wow. Check it out:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/27/alicia-silverstone-oprah_n_439218.html

OK, hold on now...

I know I just posted the other day that pointing out how gross meat is isn't helping. Well, I can't help myself with this one. I imagine most people reading my blog don't need convincing to stop eating animal products, but it always helps to have more information. I recently read an article about PETA's complaint filed to the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) regarding the California Milk Board's misleading ads for milk products. You can read it here. I plan to file a complaint as well. There's a link in the PETA article.

I noticed these ads on TV recently, as well as billboards and magazines and also found them extremely misleading and troubling. It's one thing to sell products from mistreated animals, but another to completely misrepresent their treatment and lie to the public. Here's just one of many TV ads:



So, in reading the PETA article, I linked through to milksucks.com. Specifically, the page where it explains the unhealthy, unsafe amount of pus in America's milk supply. Yes, pus. Pus. Pus! An excerpt:

Posilac is now widely used by dairy farmers to increase the amount of milk that their already overburdened cows produce. Because cows are not built to produce this much milk, they are prone to a painful udder infection called mastitis. When they are milked, pus and bacteria from the infection flow right along with the milk.

Plus, just look at how cute this little girl is. She shouldn't be living her life in this box. I know giving up dairy is the hardest part of going vegan, but it's worth it!