Eating Babies

EATING BABIES
By M. Butterflies Katz

A shocking selfishness surrounds everywhere
as brainwashed people show that they do not care
that an infant satisfies their appetite.
They eat someone’s baby with utter delight.

When a waitress asks, ‘Would you like lamb or veal?’
It is someone’s child that you choose for your meal.
It’s not even disguised, so what’s the excuse
for partaking in this cruel form of abuse?

The disturbing fact of what the masses eat
is covered up by words that make it discreet.
No masked name has been given to ‘lamb’, like ‘pork’,
People eat babies with a knife and a fork.

If an alien came and visited Earth,
craving to eat the child to which you gave birth,
You’d see it otherwise; the way animals see.
You would abhor the slaughtering industry.

Culture and tradition are, in part, to blame,
but we’re humans, not robots, who CAN feel shame.
Take the first step to awaken your senses,
and boycott this practice of false pretenses.

This barbaric custom simply makes no sense,
and certainly has no ethical defense.
Eating a baby without even a thought;
A lie well told and sold that humanity bought.

Why?

http://www.evolvecampaigns.org.uk/

Bizarro

http://bizarrocomic.blogspot.com/

Crazy Catless

http://bizarrocomic.blogspot.com/2009/08/crazy-catless.html

True story: In Chicago, a single middle-aged woman who adopted something like 20 cats from the ASPCA — thereby qualifying for the title of ‘Crazy Cat Lady’ from her neighbors — was threatened by the city for having so many cats in her house. They claimed it was an ‘unhealthy and unsanitary environment,’ even though she kept excellent care of her pets. To stave off more visits from the local — ahem — fuzz, she simply filed the papers to become a non-profit no-kill animal shelter. Today she has many more cats and, sadly, not many adoptors, but at least she’s not being pestered by the law, and even her neighbors don’t think she’s so crazy anymore.

Kids Today

http://bizarrocomic.blogspot.com/2009/08/kids-today.html

~*~*~*~

Woodstock Sanctuary

The Clover Files

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

Fern the Kid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzUp_g1dmiQ&feature=channel

Petition for the Legal Ban of Meat

Please click here and sign the petition:

http://fleischverbot.info/petition/

First batch of Fruit Enzymes

It’s been a long time since I made fruit enzymes…. hope I remembered correctly.

I used raw sugar as I couldn’t find those Chinese brown candy sugar blocks so it looks a bit dark. Pineapple and unripe papaya are layered with sugar.

Here is more info on fruit enzymes:

http://www.my-island-penang.com/Fruit-Enzyme.html

Supposed to let it ferment for 3 weeks

Prayer for Liberation

Prayer for Liberation

for Our Brother & sister Animals

May all sentient beings in the animal realm
subject to unbearable pain in labs throughout the world
be free from suffering.
May alternatives to animal experimentation and testing
be used immediately.
May Bodhicitta fill the hearts of those who imprison them.

May all sentient beings in the animal realm
subject to unbearable pain in labs throughout the world
be free from suffering.
May alternatives to animal experimentation and testing
be used immediately.
May Bodhicitta fill the hearts of those who imprison them.

May no animal be afraid or depressed.
May their bodies be free of injuries, disease and illness.
May those who need homes, or who have been driven from them
find shelter, plentiful food & water.
May there be liberation for those
tortured for fur, entertainment or who are hunted.

May those who believe they are superior to our brother & sister animals
develop perfect equanimity.
And may they realise in their hearts
that all sentient beings possess Buddha nature
And they are not ours to kill or exploit.

May the many billions of land and sea dwelling sentient beings
who are abused, exploited and killed due to greed, hatred and ignorance
be free of suffering
May they experience complete and perfect enlightenment,
through the virtue of my efforts and prayers.

May I be a voice for the voiceless.
In short, may all human and non-human sentient beings
live together in harmony, peace and equanimity
and achieve perfect Enlightenment quickly.

http://www.lobsa.org

Do we really need more reasons to go vegetarian?

Each one of us can help prevent animals from suffering in factory farms simply by choosing vegetarian options. It’s never been easier to replace animal products with readily available vegetarian alternatives.

Go vegetarian –

for the earth, for the animals and for humans!

Swine Flu and Factory Farms: Fast Track to Disaster

http://www.hsus.org/farm/news/ournews/swine_flu_virus_origin_1998_042909.html

Vesak Day

Liberate animals

by

caring for our strays

and

keeping animals off our dining table

Mettacats will be participating at Vesak celebration at Poh Ern Shih Temple and Singapore Buddhist Mission

Mettacats is a volunteer group that aims to provide care for sick and abused animals. The word “Metta” means loving kindness and the name embodies the special bond that is shared between humans and animals

http://www.mettacats.blogspot.com/

Vegan Buddhist nuns have same bone density as non-vegetarians

Vegan Buddhist nuns have same bone density as non-vegetarians�

A study comparing the bone health of 105 post-menopausal vegan
Buddhist nuns and 105 non-vegetarian women, matched in every other
physical respect, has produced a surprising result. Their bone density
was identical.

The study was led by Professor Tuan Nguyen from Sydney’s Garvan
Institute of Medical Research. He collaborated with Dr Ho-Pham Thuc
Lan from the Pham Ngoc Thach Medical University in Ho Chi Minh City,
Vietnam. Their findings are now published online in Osteoporosis
International.

“For the 5% of people in Western countries who choose to be
vegetarians, this is very good news,� said Professor Nguyen. “Even
vegans, who eat only plant-based foods, appear to have bones as
healthy as everyone else.�

“Bone health in vegetarians, particularly vegans, has been a concern
for some time, because as a group they tend to have a lower protein
and calcium intake than the population at large.�

“In this work we showed that although the vegans studied do indeed have

lower protein and calcium intakes, their bone density is virtually identical to

that of people who eat a wide variety of foods, including animal protein.�

Full story here :

http://insciences.org/article.php?article_id=4342

Animal Crusaders

Two women MPs in the Netherlands are giving animals a voice in Parliament.

http://singaporecommunitycats.blogspot.com/2009/04/animal-crusaders.html

German Government encourages less meat consumption

German Government encourages less meat consumption to reduce global warming

A January article has reported that Government Agencies in Germany are asking their citizens to cut down meat consumption to cut down green house gases 🙂

http://www.guardian .co.uk/world/ 2009/jan/ 23/german- diet-meat- environment

Extracts of the report is as such:

Germany’s federal environment agency has issued a strong advisory for people to return to prewar norms of eating meat only on special occasions and otherwise to model their diet on that of Mediterranean countries.

Germans are among the highest meat consumers in Europe, obtaining around 39% of their total calorie intake from meat and meat products, compared with 25% in Italy.

“We must rethink our high meat consumption,” said Andreas Troge, president of the UBA, the government’s advisory body on environmental issues.

“I recommend people return to the Sunday roast and to an orientation of their eating habits around those of Mediterranean countries.”

Speaking on the sidelines of Berlin’s Grüne Woche (Green Week), one of the world’s largest agricultural exhibitions, he said agriculture was responsible for around 15% of Germany’s greenhouse gas emissions and meat production was the most energy-intensive form of farming. With that in mind, he suggested that reducing meat consumption was a logical step forward.

Troge cautioned that not only is meat production energy intensive, the methane gas emitted by cattle and the nitrous oxide produced by their dung, which farmers often leave in the fields from where it enters the atmosphere, also harms the environment.

Findings by the World Wildlife Fund also supports the claim that meat production is environmentally damaging. In its recent Living Planet report it said that a single kilogramme of beef requires 16,000 litres of water, taking into account a three-ye
ar lifespan for a cow, the grain it eats in its lifetime, and the water it drinks. “

Be Veg, Go Green, Save the Planet

What do vegans eat?

I chew grass!….wheat grass 🙂

…and the cats also like it. They go crazy when I bring out the wheat grass, gathering around me eagerly waiting to be fed…blade by blade…

Of course, I eat lots of other stuff, too.

Here are some good ideas for aspiring vegans:

You don’t even have to eat grass 😉

“Plant Based Nutrition�

Now Available Online At No Cost

http://www.vegansociety.com/images/PBN.pdf

Go Vegan for Peace

http://www.lobsa.org/LOBSA.htm

glut and brutality

from Animal Family’s blog:

http://animalfamily.multiply.com/journal/item/351/glut_and_brutality

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2008-12/16/content_7310357.htm

my heart sinks when i see my feline brothers and sisters caged like this to be bought, sold, weighed and finally eaten. then i remember our friends in poultry, cattle and other farms who suffer the same fate and i am not sure i have the right to complain.

but i say this for all of us who are lesser than the mighty men. i can understand if a starving person had to catch us to fill his family’s stomach. i can even understand if someone had no other livelihood but to farm us. because they are careful with what they have and they are grateful for what they are given.

for the rest of you, why are you so hungry? so hungry you have exchanged your natural abhorrence to glut and brutality that is shark’s fin soup, foie gras, veal, fur coats and on and on, and for what? for that bloated esteem of living what is a good life. that is what it is. i hope you are happy.

TOP TEN REASONS NOT TO DRINK MILK

IN WAKE OF MELAMINE-TAINTED MILK SCANDAL, PETA RELEASES TOP 10 REASONS
NOT TO DRINK MILK

Melamine Isn’t the Only Thing That Milk-Drinkers Need to Worry About, Group Warns

In light of the melamine-tainted milk scandal, which has killed at least four babies and sickened 53,000 others, PETA is reminding milk-drinkers that cow’s milk is also loaded with cholesterol, fat, and other contaminants—including cow’s blood and pus, pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics—which, over time, can be just as dangerous as ingesting melamine.

PETA points out that eating fat- and cholesterol-laden dairy products can lead to serious health problems—including heart disease, obesity, and diabetes—which can send milk-drinkers to an early grave. And since more than 75 percent of the world’s population is lactose-intolerant, putting on a milk mustache can mean suffering painful abdominal cramps, bloating, and diarrhea.

The following are PETA’s top 10 reasons not to drink milk:

1) Cows are not milk machines. After years of living in filthy conditions, being kept constantly pregnant, and being forced to produce 10 times more milk than they naturally would, dairy cows are slaughtered.

2) “Moo” is not your first language. Human babies don’t say “goo goo moo moo”, so why treat them like calves? Humans are the only animals who drink breast milk after infancy and the only animals who drink milk from a different species. It makes as much sense for people to drink cow’s milk as it would for dogs to drink giraffe’s milk!

3) Cookies and cramps don’t mix. Studies show that over 75 percent of the world’s population is lactose-intolerant. Can you say abdominal cramps, bloating, and diarrhea?

4) Dairy is pus-itively scary. There’s more to that glass of milk than you think. Dairy products are commonly contaminated with blood, pus, pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics.

5) There’s veal in your cereal. Milk fuels the cruel veal industry. Considered byproducts of the dairy industry, male calves are dragged away to veal crates when they are just hours old.

6) Milk is bad to the bone. Contrary to a popular milky myth, studies strongly implicate dairy in causing, rather than preventing, osteoporosis, because its high protein content leeches calcium from the body.

7) Milk does the planet bad. Bad for mother cows, milk production is also bad for Mother Earth; it’s a disastrous source of water pollution. Just one dairy cow produces 120 pounds of waste every day—as much as two dozen people could produce—but with no toilets, sewers, or treatment plants.

8) The white stuff isn’t the right stuff. Milk is formulated to meet the nutritional needs of calves—who have four stomachs and gain an average of 115 kg in their first six months. It’s mad for humans to chug moo-juice!

9) No grain means lots of pain. Every glass of milk takes a meal away from the hungry. Crops that could be used to feed the hungry are instead used to feed dairy cows. It takes a huge amount of grain cycled through cows to produce a very small amount of milk.

10) A milk mustache is a real heartbreaker. Devoid of fiber and complex carbohydrates but loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol, dairy products have been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.

All cow’s milk—whether it’s poisoned with melamine or not—is an unhealthy mix of contaminants, cholesterol, and fat. The best bet for people who care about their health is to switch to healthy and humane soy, rice, or almond milk and give dairy products the boot.

For more information, please visit PETAAsiaPacific.com <http://www.petaasiapacific.com/> .

A simple vegan lunch

How often have I walked away form a vegetarian stall because lost my appetite when I saw only the same one or two choices of soggy overcooked vegetables…and the meal would cost $3 plus.

May as well buy some organic veggies to cook my own meals and still spend less! Even a simple dish as the above, when there is nothing much in the fridge, still tastes good and is a healthy balanced meal with the tempeh and stir-fried chillies.

Vegan

For the People. For the Planet. For the Animals

http://www.nonviolenceunited.org/veganvideo.html

We are all interconnected

(AU) RSPCA reformers push vegan diets

A RADICAL push has been staged within the RSPCA to endorse vegan diets
as the best way to prevent cruelty to farmed animals.
One of the supporters of the push has been elected to the board of the
RSPCA SA branch and will stand for the presidency.

A motion to the taxpayer-assisted body’s annual general meeting on
Wednesday called for it to adopt a range of controversial policies,
including:

RECOGNISING egg, milk and chicken, pig and rabbit meat production
“inflicts high levels of physical and psychological suffering on tens
of millions of animals each year”.

ACKNOWLEDGING a vegetarian or vegan diet was “the most effective way
to significantly reduce cruelty to animals farmed for meat, eggs and
milk”.

ASKING RSPCA members to consider changing to a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Vegan diets exclude any animal product, including dairy food.

The motion was put by a “reformer” – one of a group within the RSCPA
that aims to make the organisation more proactive on animal rights.

—
full story:
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,24412988-5006301,00.html

Lunch at Pasir Panjang

Nice vegetarian meehoon from a non-vegetarian stall

Yummy vegetarian food

Brown rice, lufa and soft tofu

Meet Your Eggs

Wegmans Cruelty

Wegmans Cruelty is a documentary produced by a small investigative team from the organization Compassionate Consumers. Organization members contacted Wegmans Food Markets to try to hold some meaningful dialogue about the conditions at Wegmans Egg Farm, and were then misled and dismissed by Wegmans representatives. The team set out to capture actual footage inside the farm and create a film based on their experience. The film features statements from Wegmans representatives, interviews with the investigators, and footage of what life and death is like inside of an “Animal Care Certified” battery cage facility.

http://service.gmx.net/de/cgi/derefer?TYPE=3&DEST=http%3A%2F%2Fveg-tv.info%2FWegmans_Cruelty

Vegan Poet

There is even more cruelty in milk and eggs than in meat. The cows and hens suffer more and longer in the factory farms before they too, are being slaughtered.

http://www.veganpoet.com/

Because I’m Female

Because I’m female, my body and breast
feel for a cow and her life of unrest.
Because I’m female, I’m filled with disdain
at using sisters for financial gain.

Because I’m female, I’m upset at how
insemination is forced on a cow.
Because I’m female, it’s awful to see
cows impregnated artificially.

Because I’m female, I see why they mourn
when somebody steals their cherished new born.
Because I’m female, I’m saddened to think
that veal is part of the dairy we drink.

Because I’m female, I naturally know
cow’s milk is meant for a young calf to grow.
Because I’m female, my belief is strong:
Dairy consumption is sexist and wrong.

~~ M. Butterflies Katz ~~

Prayer for the Animals

May all the Buddhas and

Bodhisattvas bless the billions

of sentient beings in factory farms

who will never feel the

sun on their backs

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

Animal cruelty laws lack punch

… and not only in Australia.

(highlights are mine)

http://business.theage.com.au/animal-cruelty-laws-lack-punch/20080125-1o85.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap2

Australians like to think of themselves as compassionate people who
look after the welfare of animals. We hailed Steve Irwin as a national
hero, expressed outrage when thousands of exported sheep died from
dehydration and heat exhaustion aboard the Cormo Express, and reacted
with horror at news of underground animal fight clubs in Victoria.

But few Australians realise that legally sanctioned acts of cruelty to
animals happen every day. Annually, 420 million meat chickens are kept
confined in sheds before slaughter — at 23 chickens per square metre.
Many chickens endure unnaturally rapid growth, bone deformities,
fractures, hip dislocations and diseases due to selective breeding and
high-growth feed.

Every year, 11 million egg-laying hens are kept in wire cages, where
they are unable to spread their wings or perform natural behaviours.
Chicks have most of their beaks cut off to stop them pecking each
other.

And 350,000 mother pigs are kept in individual sow stalls and
farrowing crates, where they cannot turn around or take more than one
step forward or back. As a result, they suffer lameness, foot
injuries, lesions and weakened bones, as well as considerable mental
distress.

The situation described above is permitted by section 6(1) of the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 Victoria, and its state and
territory equivalents, which exclude “production” animals (the vast
majority of animals in Australia) from the legislation’s protection.
…
I would argue that those who enjoy meat have no right to be shielded
from the distressing reality of its production.

Even if one does not have an emotional response to animal suffering,
the arguments are persuasive for rejecting the current intensive
farming system by turning vegan or vegetarian, buying free-range meat,
cutting down on meat consumption, or, at the very least, pressuring
our governments to enact proper animal welfare laws.

One does not have to love animals to oppose cruelty to them, just as one does not have to love mistreated ethnic groups to oppose racism.

Few scientists today still argue that animals are automatons or
mindless machines. Animals, like humans, are consciously aware of
themselves and their surroundings; and experience hunger, cold, pain
and distress.
…
It would make far more sense, environmentally and economically, to
grow food directly for people rather than animals that will later be
eaten by people. A well-planned vegan or vegetarian diet is perfectly
healthy and tasty. Despite the efforts of industry to convince us
otherwise, a meat-free diet can contain plenty of iron, calcium and
protein.

The American Dietetic Association’s position paper, among many others,
has found that vegetarians on average have less chance of developing
many common diseases and health conditions, including obesity,
hypertension, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, heart disease,
prostate cancer and colon cancer. A vegan-vegetarian diet also tends
to be a lot cheaper for the consumer and society than one that is
animal-based.

Even if Australians are not persuaded by the arguments for
veganism-vegetarianism, however, I think most would agree that if we
are going to eat, wear, hunt, race and experiment on animals, this
should happen with as little pain and suffering to them as is humanly
possible.
…
As Leonardo da Vinci once said:

“The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of
men.”

Australia has come far, but we still have a long way to go.

Caitlin Evans is the co-founder of Lawyers for Animals (a group of
Melbourne lawyers who volunteer their expertise on behalf of animals).

Festive cruelty gets the chop

full story:
http://www.news.com.au/mercury/story/0,22884,22931755-5007221,00.html

LITTLE Miss Celeste stole the limelight yesterday at a special
barbecue in Hobart’s Franklin Square.

The nine-week-old piglet was saved from becoming Christmas dinner when
she was bought at Bridgewater Saleyards two weeks ago.

“We rescue a pig every year,” said Against Animal Cruelty Tasmania
volunteer Emma Haswell.

Cruelty-free sausages and burgers were cooked up at the group’s
barbecue to encourage people to think about what they eat at Christmas time.

Group spokeswoman Kathleen McLaren said Christmas was a time of
kindness, caring and compassion.

“Yet the traditional Christmas dinner features the meat of pigs, chickens and turkeys,” she said.

“Most of these animals have suffered cruelty and extreme confinement in factory farms.

“By buying these products, people are contributing to an industry
which routinely cages, crowds, deprives, mutilates and manhandles
hundreds of thousands of animals.”

POEM BY THE ANIMALS

Fruits….meant to be eaten!

From Dreamy’s Blog:

http://living-vegan.blogspot.com/2007/11/poem-by-animals.html

I will never see the sun rise

I will never see it set
I will never feel a kind touch

I will never be a pet
I will never feel love

For I will not be loved
As I’m led to my murder

Being prodded, poked and shoved

As they cut my tender skin

I wondered who would care

If anybody out there

Would consider my despair

For you did not see me die

And you did not see me bleed
You did not hear me cry

For the meat that you don’t need

You did not watch them kill me

You could not feel my pain
You will try not to think of me

As you blindly eat again

I was the cow you ate on Monday

The pig you had midweek,
I was the turkey for your Christmas,

I was the calf you liked to eat

I was the chicken in your sandwich

The duck you had for tea
I felt pain beyond belief

But you never thought of me

Because thinking can be painful

And you refuse to see
That for every time you eat meat

Those animals must bleed

The cow was killed for Monday

The pig was scalded too
The turkey lived for 16 weeks

And the calf had died for you

The chicken lived inside a cage

The duck could hardly move
And all of this suffering

Occurred for so called food

I fail to see a reason

As there is no need
When humans eat my meat

It is purely for their greed

You may think you’re above me

That you have advantage
But a kind, innocent creature

Is better than a savage

So next time you’re out shopping

Try to feel some guilt
For those animals have died

For your eggs, your meat and milk

My heroes are those people

Who will not bite into me
So I ask a simple favour

And please stop eating meat

I’m asking for the cows

The pigs and all the sheep
I’m asking for the birds

Who are more than just some meat

They can’t speak themselves

So please lets be their voice
Every one born into this

For them there was no choice

For you did not see me die

And you did not see me bleed
You did not hear me cry

For the me
at that you don’t need

Qilin (Kirin)

From Dreamy’s Blog:

http://living-vegan.blogspot.com/2007/10/qilin-kirin.html

Do you know this Chinese mythical creature is a vegetarian? Despite its fearsome look, it doesn’t eat meat and walks on grass without stepping on it out of great care not to trample any small living beings. This is a creature of good omen, bringing prosperity and serenity.

Steven the Vegan

A humourous video about a chef explaining his veganism…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMpHF2a-IJY

Haha…sometimes you get the most ridiculous questions.

Met with another caregiver at the hawker centre yesterday. When she asked me to share in her char-kwe-tiau, I explained that I am a strict vegetarian, who doesn’t eat meat, eggs, milk….

Hmm…but what about seafood? Do you eat fish, prawns? 🙂

Then she told me her theory that we can eat the flesh of animals that have already been slaughtered… as long as we don’t do the killing. I explained about demand and supply…

(pic. Organic Wholemeal Breads from Wholesome Living www.wholesomeliving-sg.com)

Vegan Video by Bizarro

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05zhL1YUd8Q

Interview with 110-Year-Old Vegetarian

Vegetarien Society Singapore

VSS eNewsletter, 4 Aug 2007

Interview with 110-Year-Old Vegetarian

Teresa Hsu was born in China 110 years ago. She has been a vegetarian from birth, because she wasn’t able to digest meat. She went on to become a nurse, working in the UK, Paraguay, Malaysia and elsewhere, before settling in Singapore in the 1960s. For many, many years, Sister Teresa, as she is affectionately known, has directed a charity, Heart-to-Heart Service, which aids poor people: http://www.hearttoheartservice.org She continues that work today, in addition to teaching yoga. (IVU Online News would like to thank Mr Sharana Rao for his help in facilitating this interview.)

1. You have never eaten meat from the day you were born due to the fact that your body rejects animal flesh. At what age did not eating meat become a conscious choice, and why did you make that choice?

I have been allergic to non-veg food since birth. I became a conscious vegetarian one day during the 1950s, when I was sitting by a river and saw the fish playing happily with each other. I thought to myself that we humans have no right to end their fun, put a knife in their throats, and cause them great pain for our pleasure.

2. You distribute food to poor people. Do you distribute only vegetarian food?

Yes, I distribute only vegetarian food. Some volunteers who help with the food distribution question me about why I do not give the recipients what they enjoy eating. My answer is to ask them the following: If your child was playing in the forest and wild animals who lived in the forest wanted to eat your child, would you say that it was okay because your child was born for these other animals to enjoy eating?

3. Is the world today a better place that it was 100 years ago?

In some ways, today’s world is more modern and offers certain facilities that didn’t exist 100 years ago, but these facilities are available only to those who can afford them. Basically, the world is still the same, with poor people everywhere, then and now.

4. What are your three main sources of joy?

Sun shining, birds singing, leaves dancing, in other words, the beauty of nature.

5. Do you know any vegetarian jokes?

Why did the tomato blush? Because it saw the salad dressing.

Mars starts using animal products

Actually they have always been using an animal product, namely cow’s milk, which makes these chocolates unsuitable for vegans, but now they are also unsuitable for lacto vegetarians.

Dark non-dairy chocolate tastes good and so does chocolate made with soya milk…please don’t take part in the exploitation of our fellow animals!

Masterfoods’ brands are household names
Some of the UK’s best-selling chocolate bars, such as Mars and Twix, will no longer be suitable for vegetarians.
Also affecting brands such as Snickers and Maltesers, owner Masterfoods said it had started to use animal product rennet to make its chocolate products.

Masterfoods said the change was due to it switching the sourcing of its ingredients and the admission was a “principled decision” on its part.

The Vegetarian Society (UK) said the company’s move was “incomprehensible”.

‘Extremely disappointed’

Masterfoods said it had started using rennet from 1 May and non-affected products had a “best before date” up to 1 October.

Masterfoods’ decision to use non-vegetarian whey is a backward step

Vegetarian Society

Rennet, a chemical sourced from calves’ stomachs, is used in the production of whey.

It will now also be found in Bounty, Minstrels and Milky Way products, and the ice cream versions of all Masterfoods’ bars.

“If the customer is an extremely strict vegetarian, then we are sorry the products are no longer suitable, but a less strict vegetarian should enjoy our chocolate,” said Paul Goalby, corporate affairs manager for Masterfoods.

Go vegetarian and save the environment

Thanks to Emily for sharing this:

Featured in the April 9, 2007 (not a misprint) edition of Time Magazine on 51 things we can do to make a difference.

22 – Skip the steak

“Which is responsible for more global warming: your BMW or your Big Mac? Believe it or not, it’s the burger. The int’l meat industry generates roughly 18% of the world’s greenhouse-gas emission – even more than transportation – according to a report last year from the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization.

Much of that comes from the nitrous oxide in manure and the methane that is, as the New York times delicately put it, “the natural result of bovine digestion.” Methane has a warming effect that is 23 times as great as that of carbon, while nitrous oxide is 296 times as great.

There are 1.5 billion cattle and buffalo on the planet, along with 1.7 billion sheep and goats. Their populations are rising fast, especially in the developing world. Global meat production is expected to double between 2001 and 2050. Given the amount of energy consumed raising, shipping and selling livestock, a thick T-bone is like a Hummer on a plate.

If you switch to vegetarianism, you can shrink your carbon footprint by up to almost 1.4 tons of carbon dioxide a year, according to the research by the University of Chicago. Trading a standard car for a hybrid cuts only about one ton – and isn’t as tasty.”

Buddha, Gandhi and Hitler…

Went with my German friend to this vegetarian restaurant in Serangoon Road.

Nice place, good food but when we looked at the first page of the menu our jaws dropped…

There was a write-up on vegetarianism mentioning Buddha, Gandhi and Hitler as examples of great leaders who were vegetarians.

We told the staff that we were taken aback at the mention of Buddha, Gandhi and Hitler in one sentence and also that Hitler was not even a vegetarian.

Sad laughter at the absurditiy of humankind

We are supposed to have intelligence and logic thinking…yet we don’t see the absurdity of our actions…

From SingaporeCommunityCats Blog:

ttp://singaporecommunitycats.wordpress.com/2007/02/19/sad-laughter-at-the-absurdity-of-humankind/

Buddhist Animal Rights Group

…basically run by 2 people and 4 non-human animals 🙂

http://www.lobsa.org/LOBSA.htm

For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world.

-shantideva

THE PRICE OF MEAT

Bird flu: Many questions and one answer

In an interview with the BBC, Samuel Jutzi, Director of the Animal
Production and Health Division of the FAO, was asked about the
possibilities of fending off the dangerous bird flu Virus H5N1 that is
inching into Europe, frightening meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.

He answered that the availability of financial resolve to eradicate
the virus along with the animals would play an important role in
keeping Europeans secure. However, there was no plan to cull wild
birds: the flu infecting them would `taper off’ after a while and
remain without impact on humans.

Is it not then a reasonable conclusion that chickens raised for meat
are the reason for the threatening pandemic about which everyone is so
concerned?

Would the logical answer to that situation not be to avoid chicken
meat, even if this may prove difficult for those who opted for chicken
because they feared the consequences of BSE, other animal diseases
dangerous to human health and fish laden with hormones, PCBs, dioxin
and mercury?

Why does the FAO not openly admit that in a situation of increasing
transboundary animal diseases, safe meats cannot be guaranteed?

Why does no institution have the guts to admit that the safety of meat
is crumbling at dazzling speed?

Why are all measures dealing with symptoms and not with the source of
the bird flu problem?

Why does the WHO avoid the promotion of vegetarianism even though
every one of their nutritional recommendations underlines the
importance of fruit and vegetable consumption in ever-stronger
statements?

Why are no official health warnings issued regarding meat?

Why does damage restriction so far mainly consist in the culling of
millions of sentient beings and the recommendations to eat the flesh
of other animals than those affected, which happens to appear
relatively safe at the given time (until further notice)?

Why, in the light of all present and emerging problems, is meat still
heavily subsidized in the industrial world, at the expense of each and
every taxpayer?

Why do international, European and national bodies ignore the fact
that a vegetarian way of life is a healthy one, as scientifically
proven time and again?

How bad does the situation need to get before experts will finally
acknowledge the need to research the benefits of vegetarianism
seriously?

There is one conclusion to all these questions: Since the production
and consumption of meat is risky, puts enormous strain on global
ecology, adds to the problem of world hunger and endangers the
security of future generations, the price of meat has become far too
high!

Renato Pichler
President
European Vegetarian Union
http://www.european-vegetarian.org

c/o Swiss Union for Vegetarianism
Bahnhofstr. 52, CH-9315 Neukirch-Egnach
Tel. +41 (0)71 477 33 77, Fax 477 33 78
http://vegetarismus.ch svv@vegetarismus.ch

European Vegetarian-Label: http://v-label.info

World Vegan Day

Tomorrow is World Vegan Day and there was an article on Veganism in yesterday’s The New Paper “It ain’t hard to be a vegan“. The weight was more on the health benefits of being vegan, but overall good exposure and VSS cookbook was mentioned.

Here is my full reply to the email interview :

My name is Helga Koh and I am 53 years old. I am doing volunteer work such as helping to promote veg*nism (vegetarianism and veganism) and being the membership secretary of Vegetarian Society (Singapore)

How long you've been vegan for?

Sad to say, I only turned vegan at the age of 50, but better late than never J.

What prompted you to become vegan?

You mean why it took me so long? Maybe I finally had the courage to listen to my inner voice instead of blindly following traditions… There is much suffering in this world, why add to it? There is absolutely no need for us to imprison, torture and slaughter our fellow animals. In fact we are doing something good for our own health by following a strict vegetarian diet. The females of the species, such as cows and hens, suffer even more abuse in today’s factory farms, and for a longer time before they are also slaughtered at a faction of what would be their natural life span. Therefore eggs and milk are products of immense suffering.

Is it hard being a vegan in Singapore? Where do you go to get your supplies and products?

I think being vegan in Singapore is not really hard. It involves little inconveniences, such as spending extra time checking food labels. Vegan food is widely available at vegetarian restaurants, food centres and hawker stalls. I get most of my supplies at supermarkets or small neighbourhood shops. I buy organic food as and when I can afford. Some vegan convenience food can be quite costly, such as vegan cheeses but other delicious food items like tempeh, tofu and lentils cost even less than you would have to pay for animal meat.

So what do you eat when you get invited to parties?

It is always a good idea to bring a dish. Frankly, I do not fully enjoy some gatherings because of the amount of animal flesh that is being consumed on such occasions and I find the festive seasons - Christmas and Chinese New Year especially – to be sad occasions with pictures of the carcases of fowls and piglets staring at you from every paper and magazine. It is an even sadder occasion for animals as more “food� animals are being consumed while more “pet� animals are being abandoned as pet owners who have lost their interest in them find it convenient to ‘dispose’ of them during the busy festive preparations. In addition to causing immeasurable sufferings to their once-loved pets, it is sad that these people do not even realise that they are breaking the law by doing so as it is a punishable offence. Of course we still try to enjoy festivities and my family is always looking forward to a delicious nut loaf at Christmas and vegan Christmas cookies. Even the meat eaters love my delicious “meat� loaf! On Chinese New year we usually have a vegan version of steamboat and yu sheng.

Relate a funny or memorable incident being vegan, like for instance you may have had a strange reaction from someone, a family member, etc etc.

Well, when people come to know that I am German, they sometimes mention how much they like German sausages and ask where to get them in Singapore. Of course I know where to get them, but I won’t tell. Bad idea asking a vegan where to buy sausages!J

Do you guys get together often and what sort of activities does the group get up to?

I enjoy being around fellow vegans and vegetarians. We understand eac
h other and share common concerns. We often meet while volunteering for the Vegetarian Society or at outings organized by VSS where all the food is usually vegan.

Do you take supplements like B12?

I do take B12 supplements, though I do get some from fortified food, such as breakfast cereal and soya milk. As you get older, the body may not be as efficient in utilising the vitamin. I also supplement my diet with some Vitamin C, E and calcium, just in case…as I am not always eating the healthiest food… there is even vegan junk food!

Some people may be hesitant to turn vegan because they are afraid they may feel more tired, or there may be side effects. Are there any possible side effects? What would you say to convince them?

Why should a healthy vegan diet, with lots of fruits and vegetables have side effects? Any sudden change of diet may cause some temporary upset. If so, make the change gradually. Of course you can also be a junk food vegan, which would not be very healthy. Veganism is more then a diet and about personal health, it is a lifestyle, trying to do as little harm as possible, respecting our fellow animals and caring for the environment.

Can someone contribute an easy, simple to make and tasty vegan recipe?

I love a simple tempeh sandwich:

Season a piece of tempeh with some soya sauce and pepper and fry in a little vegetable oil. Place it on a slice of crusty bread (some breads may contain dairy products and bread improvers and dough conditioners that may not be vegan. You may want to check the ingredient labels). Add some lettuce, onion and tomato slices, mustard (without honey) and some pickles if you like.

There is also a wonderful new vegetarian cookbook out there in the bookstores, or you can order the book directly from Vegetarian Society (Singapore). Its called “New Asian Traditions�. All recipes are vegan!

The Vegetarian Society (Singapore) can be contacted via email at info@vegetarian-society.org for further information and inquiries. Alternatively, you may browse the society’s web page at www.vegetarian-society.org .

Is there a dish you miss? Or perhaps you've already come up with a vegan version of it. Please elaborate.

I can’t really think of a non-vegan dish that I miss, as most dishes can be easily veganized. Scrambled eggs become scrambled tofu and I make vegan pasta sauce and olive pesto, or even have sauerkraut with a vegan sausage for a simple German dish! I miss vegan cheese though, because I buy it only occasionally as a treat, and haven’t had some for quite a while. Most soya cheeses available at supermarkets contain casein (milk protein). I have tried the vegan cheddar slices, the mozzarella and cream cheese and love them all.

Virus “Mixing Bowl”

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that cats could not play the role of “mixing bowl” for a new super virus!

I wonder what it takes before people stop eating animals…… The connection between SARS, bird flu and factory farming is so obvious. We are creating the ideal mixing bowls for the virus… but all we humans can think of is just killing more animals… Imagine that the deaths of millions of people could be prevented simply by people becoming vegetarians. A healthy and tasty solution!

VIRUS “MIXING BOWL”
Reports earlier this month that the virus had spread to pigs, with an immune system similar to humans’, turned out to be false.

Although the virus does not appear highly infectious for humans, health officials are worried that it could “mate” with a normal human flu strain to create a new highly dangerous bug against which people would have few defenses.

WHO said that unlike pigs, which can be infected at the same time with both the human and bird flu strains, cats could not play the role of “mixing-bowl” for a new super virus, such as the one that killed up to 50 million people world wide in 1918.

Being Vegan

Being vegan means trying to do as little harm as possible. Vegans believe that animals are not ours to eat or use in any other way. The number of vegans is steadily growing worldwide. I just read that Heather Mills is thinking of going vegan like her husband Paul McCartney. Which reminds me of his famous quote “If slaughter houses had glass walls we would all be vegetarians”. It is our traditions that have blinded us to the inhumanity of it all.

Speaking of “Traditions” … There is a new cook book out in the stores “New Asian Traditions” by the Vegetarian Society (Singapore). I have tasted almost all of the dishes during the cooking and photo shooting sessions and can highly recommend this book. All the recipes are vegan and easy to prepare.