TRADITION VS MINDFULNESS

Tradition vs Mindfulness

So much of what we do is done by tradition, without any thought as to why we do it. Yet, most of our traditions aren’t really traditions. They started out as really good advertising campaigns. The tradition of diamond engagement rings started in 1938 from an advertising campaign created by DeBeers diamonds.  Our traditional Santa started as an advertising campaign for Coca-Cola in 1931. We think vitamin C cures colds and that orange juice is nutritious (even though it is mostly sugar) from advertising.

 Killing and eating turkeys for Thanksgiving started in the 1860’s from promotions by the turkey industry. People ate them only at Christmas because they were cheap and could feed a lot of people. Wealthy people considered turkey “peasant food”.  Commercial beef wasn’t eaten by people until the late 19^th century.

 Our Christmas celebration, started from Pagans celebrating the Winter Solstice. Historians state Jesus was born during the summer months, not winter. Christian churches could not stop Christians from celebrating this Pagan holiday, so they made it Jesus’s birthday. Decorating our houses with lights started in the mid-20th century again from advertising campaigns.  We have been programmed by advertisers just to do these “traditions” without any thought as to why we are doing them.

We continue to think dairy products build strong bones, even though study after study has shown people who consume dairy products are at a higher risk for bone fractures. We continue to think we need to eat meat for protein, even though study after study has shown meat eaters have a much higher risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and that plant proteins are much easier for the body to process. We have been taught to ignore the suffering of animals and kill billions of them every year without regard.

Slavery was traditional. Stoning people was traditional and in some countries, still is. Spanking children with belts use to be the traditional way to punish bad behavior. It took many years of public outcry to get these traditions out of the mainstream.

As we mature and leave home to become our own person, we must examine our “traditions” and find out why we do them. Traditions that do not sit well with our souls must be dropped.  We cannot use “It’s tradition” or “We’ve always done that “, as excuses for bad behavior.  We must consider if others suffer from our traditions.

Mindfulness is being aware—aware of what you are doing and how it affects others. It is taking responsibility for your actions and your choices. Being aware means researching what you are doing and what the consequences are. It means making necessary changes.  It is taking control of your life back from corporations and their propaganda. It puts you in the driver’s seat.

 When you are mindful of what you eat, you are fully aware of the suffering and torture on your plate.  It is as if you tortured and slit the throat of the innocent animal yourself.  You are aware of the planet destruction your food choices cause.  You soon will find the taste of death unpalatable.

Being mindful, you are aware of the freshness of fruit and vegetables and the vibrate taste of life that comes with every bite. It is the most wonderful feeling to eat healthy and know that nothing suffered or died. It feels great to know that you are bringing peace to our planet as well as ending planet destruction.  Thinking for yourself is the feeling of true freedom. 

FERRET MILLS

FERRET BUSINESS

Animal agriculture is about exploiting and using animals for profit. Animal agriculture views animals as inventory and nothing more. Their only concern is making money from the animal. We have all heard of puppy mills and the horrible cruelties that they inflict on dogs. But so many more animals that are sold at pet shops come from mills. Rats, lizards, snakes, hamsters, guinea pigs and ferrets. These mills are all part of animal agriculture and are only concerned about money, not the animals.

My son has a pet ferret named “Twitch”. When my son comes for a visit, he often brings Twitch along. I love ferrets. They are sweet, very tame and playful. A group of ferrets is called a “business”. About a month ago, Twitch became ill, and I took him to the vet for my son. Our family vet, Elmbrook Veterinary Clinic, has great experience with all types of animals. I take my ducks to him when they get ill.  He told me Twitch probably had a cancer which is very common in ferrets. Life span of a ferret normally would be 10-12 years, but in today’s pet shop ferrets he is only seeing 5-7 years. Their life spans are nearly cut in half because of the way they are bred.

Most pet shop ferrets come from ferret mills. Marshalls, Triple F Farms, Path Valley, and Real Canadian Ferrets are the main ones. These ferret mills not only make money selling ferrets to the major pet stores, they sell ferrets to labs and universities to be used in animal testing and experiments. Marshalls not only has a ferret mill; they operate a puppy mill where they sell dogs for animal testing. These mills have multi-million dollar contracts with universities and labs, including the CDC. Medical schools will often use ferrets to teach students how to shove breathing tubes down babies’ throats.

These mills are only interested in one thing—profit. Many will spay, neuter, and descent their ferrets themselves, without a vet. Vets cost money. Ferrets are raised in overcrowded, dirty conditions. Their cages have wire bottoms and very often young ferrets will fall through the wires and be killed. The cages are stacked on top of each other, so waste from the upper ferrets hit the lower ones. Often the temperature in their quarters will reach over 100 degrees. It’s very much how factory farms and egg farms treat their larger animals.  Peta did an undercover investigation into Triple F farms in 2011  http://www.peta.org/features/investigation-exposes-cruelty-ferret-mill/

http://investigations.peta.org/animals-gassed-frozen-petco-petsmart/?utm_campaign=Pet%20Trade%20Investigation%20&utm_source=PETA%20E-Mail&utm_medium=Alert

These ferret mills practice closed colony breeding where animals are kept in cramped cages and there is often incest. It only takes a few generations of such poor breeding practices before genetic weaknesses, abnormalities, diseases, and a shortened life span show up.  A few of the diseases ferrets eventually get from these poor breeding practices are cancer, adrenal disease and insulinoma. 

Ferrets are typically taken from their mothers at an early age, packed into crates, and trucked for days or flown hundreds of miles to dealers and then to pet stores, often without adequate food, water, or ventilation.

At the pet store they are put into cages with many other ferrets. They usually do not get a proper diet or enough space to move around. Ferrets that are not sold are either killed by the pet store and thrown in the trash, used by the pet store as live feed for snakes and reptiles, or sent back to the mill for a credit. If they are sent back to the mill, the mill will kill them and they will wind up as livestock feed. This is the fate of most of the small mammals that do not sell at pet stores.  

So what can we do? We can stop buying animals from pet stores and instead get pets from rescues and shelters. We can stop buying products that use animal testing. This will put these mills out of business. It is up to us, the consumer, to show these businesses that the lives of others matter, that animals are not the same as toasters.

While the vet could not do much for Twitch, we started him on Essiac tea and he is improving greatly. He is running around and playing again. Essiac tea may not cure his cancer, but it has greatly improved the quality of the days he has left. 

Please note, I am not a vet and am not giving medical advice. 

THE MOST IMPORTANT NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION YOU WILL EVER MAKE

THE MOST IMPORTANT NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION YOU WILL EVER MAKE

Every year most of us make New Year’s resolutions like losing weight or eating healthier. The top three resolutions people make each year are: Lose weight, get organized and spend less. The most important resolution you can make this year will not only make you a better, healthier person, it is necessary to save our planet.

Climate scientists have been warning us about global warming for decades. Scientists say a warming of two degrees will cause massive extinction and problems for humans. At the rate of our current global warming we will be warming by four degrees in just a few short years. They have stated 2017 is the point of no return. If we do not start to reverse global warming by 2017, it will be too late. It is estimated, at our current trend, by 2030 there will be a mass extinction not seen since the dinosaurs.

So what can we do to reverse global warming? Stop driving our cars? Turn off our lights? None of these will be effective enough to start a reversing trend. The most effective way to reverse global warming is to adopt a plant based diet—in other words, go vegan.

 

 

The number one cause of greenhouse gases is animal agriculture (dairy, meat, and eggs). According to the World Bank Group, it is responsible for 51% of greenhouse gases. Transportation total is responsible for 13%. Animal agriculture is the number one cause of methane and nitrous oxide.  Methane is 25 times worse than carbon dioxide as far as creating global warming. Nitrous oxide is 300 times worse than carbon dioxide. The following charts show the growth in factory farms compared to the growth in greenhouse gases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An interesting note, researchers have discovered that the smog over many cities was not caused by cars (like we are told) but by the smoke and fat from thousands of restaurants grilling meat.

Animal agriculture is the number one cause of rainforest destruction. 91% of rainforests were destroyed for animal agriculture compared to 23 % for palm oil. In the US alone, every minute 7 acres of trees are cleared for animal agriculture. These lands are not only cleared to raise the animals, but also to grow food to feed them. Trees are needed to clean our air and reduce greenhouse gas build up. It takes 16 pounds of feed to make one pound of meat. Think about it. If we all adapted a plant based diet, we could not only reverse global warming, we could feed the world.

The majority of our dwindling oil and natural gas supply is used by animal agriculture. Animal agriculture uses 25 times more fossil fuels than our cars and other transportation. We are going to run out of oil. The only question is when.

Animal agriculture is number one in water usage and water pollution. 85% of the water in the US goes to raising livestock.  Climate change will cause more and more drought conditions, making our water even more precious. Our underground aquifers are being drained at a tremendous rate, faster than they can be replenished. Add to that, the run-off from animal farms pollute our precious waters. There is a 7000 square mile “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico that continues to grow. Our Great Lakes also have dead zones caused by animal agriculture. One pig farm creates more sewage than the entire city of New York and this waste is untreated. This waste winds up in our lakes, rivers, and our groundwater we use for drinking. When the waste lagoons get too large, some factory farms start to spray the waste water into the air. We know conserving water is important and we want future generations to have access to water. One pound of beef takes 5,200 gallons of water. That is over a year’s worth of showers. Compare that to 24 gallons to make a pound of potatoes or tomatoes. In the US, fracking uses 140 billion gallons of water every year. Animal agriculture uses 340 TRILLION gallons every year.

Overfishing is destroying our oceans.  Fish help to keep the oceans healthy and reduce ocean warming. Many fish species have been depleted to the point of extinction. 80% of the fish caught goes to feeding livestock.

If you want to give up your car, live in the dark, stop taking showers, go ahead, but none of that will stop global warming and our inevitable destruction. We should be mad as heck at the meat, dairy and egg industries. They are wasting our oil and our water. They are poisoning our water and our air. They are destroying our planet and our way of life. This year make it your resolution to do something about it. Show the animal agriculture industry that they cannot get away with making huge profits by destroying our children’s futures. Go vegan. Take away their money, take away their power.  Not only will you be helping to save our planet, lose weight, and be healthier, you will be helping to end the torture and slaughter of 96 billion animals and 3 trillion fish every year.  It is amazing how one simple small step can do so much.

 

 I encourage everyone to read more and learn. Knowledge is the key to making responsible food choices.

My Sources:

“The Sustainability Secret” by Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn

“This Changes Everything” by Naomi Klein

“World Peace Diet” by Will Tuttle PhD

“The Food Revolution” by John Robbins

“The Conscious Planet” by Neil Pine

“Comfortably Unaware” and “Food Choices and Sustainability” by Dr.  Richard Oppenlander

epa.gov http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/ch4.html

http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/n2o.html

You can change for the better. I am here to help.

READ THIS BEFORE YOU DONATE TO HEIFER INTERNATIONAL

READ THIS BEFORE YOU DONATE TO

 HEIFER INTERNATIONAL

This time of year we are bombarded with charities asking for donations. One charity that tries to hit me up for a donation every year is Heifer International. Heifer International takes your cash donations to buy livestock to give to people in underdeveloped countries. While their intent is good—trying to teach people to feed themselves in these countries, the concept is ill-conceived.

Animal agriculture is the number one polluter of our planet. Fifty one percent of greenhouse gases come from animal agriculture. It is the major cause of water pollution. Seven thousand square miles of the Gulf of Mexico is a dead zone, caused by the run-off from animal agriculture. Absolutely nothing can live in this dead zone. Dead zones are affecting our Great Lakes also. Animal agriculture is responsible for 91% of rainforest destruction. It has destroyed millions of acres of land in the United States. Is this really something an impoverished, underdeveloped country needs?

Animal agriculture is the major user of water and is responsible for the current droughts we are facing today. Half of all the water used in the US is used in animal agriculture. According to the University of California, it takes 5200 gallons of water to make one pound of beef, 1000 gallons to make one gallon of milk, 1639 gallons of water for one pound of pork, and 820 gallons of water for one pound of chicken. By contrast, a pound of potatoes uses only 23 gallons, a pound of wheat uses 25 gallons, and a pound of tomatoes uses 23 gallons. Most of the countries Heifer International gives animals to face water shortages and drought. It takes 16 pounds of feed to make one pound of beef. People in underdeveloped countries need food more than cows. How can Heifer International expect people, who cannot even feed their children, to feed the cows, pigs, chickens, goats that they are given?  Does it make any sense at all to introduce animal agriculture to these countries? Animal agriculture is not sustainable for countries like the US or Europe. Why would anyone think it is sustainable for underdeveloped countries?

People in underdeveloped countries face oppression and violence on a daily basis. Most people do not think of this, but raising and slaughtering animals for food perpetuates violence and oppression.  The way men treat women is directly connected to the way we treat animals. Oppression of animals started in the Middle East and look how women are treated there.  When we treat animals with violence and oppression, we will start to oppress and be violent toward people. Many books have been written on this subject. “An Unnatural Order: Roots of Our Destruction of Nature” by Jim Mason, and “World Peace Diet” by Will Tuttle PhD are both good, informative books that cover this subject intensively.

The way animals shipped overseas are treated is horrendous. They are treated more like products than living beings. They are beaten, overcrowded, underfed, and violently killed. There are no laws that protect them in overseas shipping. Why sponsor more animal cruelty for Christmas?

Eating animal products causes many diseases in humans. According to the PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine), dairy, meat and egg products cause osteoporosis, diabetes, allergies, cancer, obesity and numerous other diseases. Ebola, aids, and Hepatitis all were traced back to meat eating.  People living in underdeveloped countries do not usually have access to medical treatment.  Do we really want to inflict these illnesses on people living in these countries?  

According to a lecture given on “TED” by Joy Sun, the majority of people who receive these animals sell them right away for money.  TRU TV’s show “Adam Ruins Everything” states the best way to give is to give money directly to the people who need it.  So this year, instead of supporting charities like Heifer International or Oxfamgifts.com (a charity that copies Heifer International) find charities that improve the world instead of destroying it.  Givedirectly.org gives money directly to the needy. Givewell is a good source to find respectable charities.  You can help people and our planet, you just need to be informed.

WE WERE MEANT TO EAT MEAT

WE WERE MEANT TO EAT MEAT

After years of advocating veganism, one of the arguments that I hear the most is “We were meant to eat meat.”

Looking closely at our bodies and how we function, we can see we were meant to be herbivores, not carnivores.

First, look at our teeth. We have mostly flat teeth meant for grinding, not ripping skin and flesh. Our teeth are small and soft. We have only two pointed teeth and those are incisors, meant for plant food. When you look at a true carnivore’s teeth, like a wolf or a lion, they have all pointed teeth.  Their teeth are meant to rip through skin and raw flesh. Humans are unable to do that. We have to skin flesh first and cook it. Despite what you see on TV, we do not have the teeth that can rip through skin. Our jaws move side to side, while true carnivore jaws clamp down. We are unable to easily tear through fur and skin. We need to cut pieces of flesh off with tools like knives. If humans could only eat animal flesh with our teeth and no instruments, we would all be vegan.

True carnivores have claws that can tear through skin with one stroke. Our nails are soft and without using tools we cannot rip through flesh or fur.

Our stomachs do not have strong acids to dissolve flesh like true carnivores. The acid in our stomachs is weak, meant to dissolve plants. Carnivores have shorter intestines, while ours are longer. We need high fiber diets to keep our intestines functioning properly.  High cholesterol isn’t a problem true carnivores have. Yet, humans suffer from high cholesterol by consuming meat and dairy products. High cholesterol isn’t a problem on a plant based diet either.

If we were meant to eat animal flesh, we would not be getting so many diseases from it. Cancer, obesity, diabetes, are not part of nature. If we were eating the diet nature intended for us, these diseases would hardly exist. They are an epidemic in our society today and studies trace them back to flesh eating. Animal flesh and dairy products have a high acid content. This high acid eats away at our bones. Studies have shown countries with low meat and dairy consumption have lower rates of osteoporosis.

We were born to be peaceful, non-violent creatures. It is very hard for humans to handle violence. Many vets returning from war, come home with PTSD. We don’t like conflict, and the meat, dairy, egg industry takes advantage of that. By pushing their products on us, society has accepted it as the norm. People just follow others, because to be different creates conflict.

Our decision to eat animal flesh was inherited from our parents. We did not make the choice, but we can change. Any vegan will tell you, the only regret they have is that they didn’t start sooner. Going vegan and leaving the violence behind, lifts a great weight off your shoulders.

 

HUNTING PROMOTES VIOLENCE

HUNTING PROMOTES VIOLENCE

 

There comes a time in life, when you must reflect upon what you were taught, whether what you were taught is true and how what you were taught affects your current life. That time is long past due when it comes to hunting. Hunting propaganda seems to be passed down from generation to generation. Talking with a hunter can be a most exasperating experience. Most hunters will call themselves “conservationists”. They will proudly take pictures or display their kills. Since childhood they have been taught that this is appropriate behavior. This is what you do to be “a man”. They then teach their children to kill and their sons learn that they are not men unless they have killed something. Daughters are taught to kill to show they are just as good as men. It is very sad, that they actually believe these things.

Hunters will call themselves “conservationists”.  Nothing could be further from the truth. Hunting hurts all species. Hunters are looking for a proud trophy, something to show the world how great they are. So they kill the biggest and healthiest of the species. This leaves the sickly and weaker to breed, making gene pools weaker. Chronic Wasting Disease was directly caused by hunting. When wolves, coyotes, and other predators hunt, they go after only the sickly and the weak. Unfortunately, hunters kill these animals and leave nature a mess.

Hunters will tell you how they control populations. Again, nothing is further from the truth. As I mentioned above, killing the biggest and healthiest leaves only the sick and weak left to breed. In predators, this can be devastating to their populations. Here in Wisconsin, we have a deer hunting season. Hundreds of thousands of deer are killed in a two week period. This artificial population decrease actually increases the deer population, as pregnant deer will increase the number of fetuses they carry to accommodate the lower population. This is called “compensatory reproduction”. States with the most deer hunting, have the highest deer populations. In a natural world, there isn’t such a thing as “overpopulation”.

Hunting parties are big here in Wisconsin. Hunters get together, get drunk and go off to hunt. I imagine they get their “courage” to kill from a bottle. How can something that you have to get drunk to do be anything worth doing? You may say there is something very wrong with these people that they make a party out of killing. But this makes perfect sense. It takes great courage to go against the norm, against the status quo. Having a lot of people doing the same thing makes it easier, even if it’s doing something wrong. In 1951, Solomon Asch did a conformity study. He found that 75% of his subjects would give an obvious wrong answer just to go along with the majority of the group. So even though, these hunters think they are being “tough” by killing innocent animals, they are cowards. They need a group.

Bow hunting is the most inhumane hunting. 50% of animals are cripple and not recovered. They die agonizing deaths from blood loss and infections.

Psychology and criminology studies have shown that violence toward animals often leads to violence toward people. Albert Schweitzer wrote,” Violent acts against animals are considered recognized as indicators of a disease of the psyche that is not limited to animals. Anyone who has once accustomed to the life of any living being as unworthy of life, there is a risk that one day he also comes to the conclusion that human life is worthless.”

It is interesting to note, that the one common denominator with most of the school shootings, is hunting was big in the families of the shooters. Parents encourage violence of their children, and that is what you wind up with. Teaching children to hunt, should be considered child abuse. There is definitely something wrong with people who derive amusement from an animal’s fear or suffering. Serial killers often start by abusing animals, including hunting them.

States like Wisconsin, continue to encourage hunting for one simple reason—money. Animal agriculture encourages hunting because animals like deer, wolves, bears, bison, etc. either threaten or compete with their livestock. We can end this barbaric practice very simply. Go vegan. Let’s take the money and power away from animal agriculture. Let’s stop encouraging animal abuse. Let’s start encouraging and teaching compassion.

VEGAN FRENCH TOAST

 

 

FRENCH TOAST

 

1 cup soy milk

12 ounce container silken tofu

Your choice of bread—Rudi’s® OR OTHER VEGAN BREAD

Heat electric fry pan to 325°.  Meanwhile, blend soy milk and silken tofu in a food processor until smooth.  Pour into a bowl.  Soak a slice of bread in the mixture for a few seconds, turn to make sure both sides are coated.  Coat fry pan with cooking spray.  Fry bread until brown turning once.  This makes enough liquid for about 10 pieces of bread.  Serve with Earth Balance® buttery spread and real maple syrup. 

 

 

 

 

 Or you can top with a Berry Cream Cheese topping:

1- 8 ounce container vegan cream cheese--GoVeggie®   Follow Your Heart®   Daiya®

2 cups fresh berries—strawberries, raspberries, blueberries.  You can mix or match.

¾ cup stevia or organic cane sugar

Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Refrigerate any leftovers.

OUT OF SIGHT OUT OF MIND

OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND

Recently, on my local morning news, they showed a video of people holding baby pigs. Most of the people in the video said they were going to stop eating bacon. After the video aired, one of the newscasters asked, “Would holding a baby pig make you stop eating bacon?”

Another one answered, “I don’t know. I really like bacon. I like to keep it out of sight, out of mind.”

You can watch the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyrvMuNPJ-Y

The meat, egg and dairy industries thrive on this “out of sight, out of mind” attitude so many people have. Why? Because the industry is cruel and most people are against animal cruelty. Most people have feelings and a heart and if the truth was known and acknowledged these industries would cease to exist.

 

If you had to see pigs being slaughtered and your bacon being made, of course you would not eat it. If you had to see baby chicks sent alive down a food grinder, of course you would not buy eggs. If you had to watch calves being taken from their mothers, listen to their cries as they are sent off to slaughter houses, of course you would not buy dairy products.

If you saw the environmental damage these industries do, you would not buy eggs, meat, or dairy. If you saw the harm these products are doing to your bodies, you would not buy them.

Animal agriculture is a multi-billion dollar a year industry. Big pharmaceuticals companies also have a billion dollar stake in keeping you eating their products.

 

They use words like “meat” instead of calling it what it really is “flesh”. They use words like “free range”, “grass fed”, “humane” just to make you feel better about buying their products. The standards to use these words are all set by the industry themselves, so they mean nothing.

 

Vegans are trying to get you to open your eyes. We are trying to get you to actually see what is going on and take the self-imposed blinders off.

Please open your eyes and see.

Here are some videos to help you see the truth. Be forewarned, they are very hard to watch.

Eggs  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQ5qAfyUuWE

Bacon  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7uJvjbN968

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_vqIGTKuQE

dairy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzS8p727gvM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBnZPJJ2QG4

 

And this just a small sampling. The industry is so cruel, there are thousands upon thousands of videos showing animal cruelty out there. Everything you see in these videos is standard practice in the industry. That is why so many videos are available.

The only way we will stop this cruelty is for people to stop buying their products, to stop supporting these industries. People like you. Please go vegan. For the animals, for the planet, and for your health.

VEGAN MARBLE CUPCAKES

MARBLE CUPCAKES

PREHEAT OVEN TO 350°. LINE A MUFFIN PAN WITH CUPCAKE PAPERS.

FOR THE YELLOW BATTER:

2 CUPS FLOUR

1 TSP BAKING POWDER

1 TSP BAKING SODA

1-1/2 CUPS SUGAR

¼ CUP CANOLA OIL

2 CUPS SOY MILK

2 TSP VANILLA

MIX ALL DRY INGREDIENTS. ADD SOY MILK, OIL AND VANILLA AND MIX UNTIL SMOOTH AND ALL LUMPS ARE GONE. SET ASIDE AND MAKE THE CHOCOLATE BATTER.

CHOCOLATE BATTER:

2 CUPS FLOUR

1 TSP BAKING POWDER

1 TSP BAKING SODA

1-1/2 CUPS SUGAR

¼ CUP COCOA POWDER

¼ CUP CANOLA OIL

2 CUPS SOY MILK

2 TSP VANILLA

MIX ALL DRY INGREDIENTS, ADD SOY MILK, OIL, VANILLA AND MIX UNTIL SMOOTH.

FILL EACH CUPCAKE PAPER (IN MUFFIN PAN) ½ YELLOW BATTER, ½ CHOCOLATE BATTER.  USE A KNIFE TO SWIRL THE TWO FLAVORS TOGETHER. BAKE IN OVEN FOR 20-25 MINUTES OR UNTIL A TOOTHPICK INSERTED IN CENTER COMES OUT CLEAN.  MAKES 24 CUPCAKES. YOU CAN ALSO HAVE HALF & HALF CUPCAKES.

I LIKE THEM UNFROSTED, BUT IF YOU WANT TO FROST THEM HERE IS A GOOD FROSTING RECIPE:

¼ VEGETABLE SHORTENING

¼ CUP VEGAN MARGARINE

3 CUPS POWDERED SUGAR

1 TSP SOYMILK

1 TSP VANILLA

BLEND SHORTENING AND MARGARINE UNTIL SMOOTH. ADD SUGAR, MILK, AND VANILLA AND MIX WELL.

THE HOLOCAUST

THE HOLOCAUST

When I was a child and learned about Hitler and World War II in school, I was curious as to why so many people would allow the Jewish holocaust. It was a wonder why people would inflict such horrors on other people.  Then I read about the Milgram experiment.

In 1961 at Yale University, Stanley Milgram conducted a series of psychological experiments. His goal was to measure the willingness of participants to obey authority figures. It consisted of an authority figure, “a teacher” or someone that obeyed the authority figure, “a learner” or the person who was shocked. The “learner” was someone who pretended to be a volunteer, but was actually acting. The “teacher” would repeat words and the “learner” was to select a match to that word. If the “learner” picked the wrong choice, the “teacher” was ordered by the authority figure to administer an electric shock to the “learner”. Each participant was in separate rooms.  The “teacher” would keep giving stronger and stronger electric shocks to the “learner”. Finally “the learner” would say “I need to stop. I’m going to have a heart attack”.  The authority figure would urge the “teacher” to administer the deadly electrical shock. In 65% of the cases, the “teacher” would reluctantly administer the final shock. Reluctantly yes, but he still flicked the final switch.

This experiment was repeated by the Discovery Channel’s “Curiosity” in 2011 episode “How Evil Are You?” They found that 72% of their subjects would administer the final shock.

This is very disturbing considering we have a holocaust going on today. One that no one wants to see or acknowledge.  Every hour, 6 million animals are killed. They live horrid, tortured lives, and have violent deaths.  I think most horror movie writers base their movies on the lives of farmed animals. 

During the 12 year Nazi reign, about 11 million people, Jews, Gays, etc. were killed.  We do that to animals in less than 2 hours, every single day.

In all the wars total, throughout history, approximately 82 million people were killed. Every YEAR, 96 BILLION land animals are killed and about 3 TRILLION fish.  A holocaust of death every year.

The Milgram experiment is important, because it shows how this holocaust continues.  You allow it. It is wrong, you know this much killing is wrong, and yet you allow it. You are obeying authority. Every day we are bombarded with advertisements “Eat Meat”, “Drink Milk”. We have become to believe we need those things to live.  We don’t. In fact, many researchers have found we are healthier and live longer if we do not consume meat, dairy or eggs. The PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) has done many studies that show this. Meat and dairy causes many diseases such as cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, allergies, and obesity. Animal agriculture is also the number one polluter of our planet and number one destroyer of rainforests.

When you put items in your grocery cart, stop and think.  Do I really want to be a part of the holocaust? Do I really want to hurt my health, the planet, and other living beings?

http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/pplate

http://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2004/farm-moratorium.html

VEGAN PROPAGANDA

VEGAN PROPAGANDA

Face it, today’s world is all about money and greed.  Caring about others and our planet has fallen on the wayside.

Propaganda is used by corporations to keep their profits ups.  All advertising is propaganda. Dairy, meat and egg industries use propaganda to keep people buying their products. In 1974, the dairy industry advertised milk with the slogan “Everybody Needs Milk”. The FTC issued a proposed complaint against them citing false, misleading, deceptive advertising. Since then the dairy industry has changed their advertising to never say that milk is good for our bodies, but just to imply it. Slogans like “Milk Life”, “Got Milk” all try to push milk. It’s the same with the meat and egg industry—they don’t really say it, just imply it.  Animal agriculture is the biggest lobbyist in our government at all levels. It is not just comprised of farmers and food producers, but huge food conglomerates and big pharmaceuticals. They all make billions of dollars every year by keeping people consuming dairy, meat and eggs. They get billions every year in government subsidies and they are not going to give that up without a fight. The products they don’t sell in the free market are bought by our government and used by them mostly in the public school lunch programs. Crops that are fed to livestock like corn and soybeans are also receiving huge government subsidies. However, healthier foods like vegetable and fruit, meant just for human consumption do not receive subsidies. So the meat, dairy and egg industries really do not operate under “free market”.

REVOLVING DOORS

It is in our government representatives’ best interest to keep people buying these products, no matter how harmful they are to people’s health or to our planet. They are making money and that seems to be all they care about these days. The PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) and other groups petitioned the FDA and USDA to remove meat and dairy from their dietary food charts. The FDA compromised and made those smaller servings. Instead of saying not to eat meat, they decided just to say eat smaller portions. The FDA and USDA are the worst “revolving doors” in our government.  Many people who work in animal agriculture will go into these offices, and many people leaving these offices will go into top paying positions in animal agriculture.

EXAMPLES OF PROPAGANDA

Some propaganda is outright foolish and you wonder why people believe it. For instance, Hitler told the German people that all the reasons their economy was so bad, was because of the Jewish people. Currently in Japan, the government tells its citizens that the reason our oceans are running out of fish is because there are too many dolphins and whales that are eating all the fish.  Scientists know the reason the fish population is low is because of over fishing. But the Japanese people want to believe their government and hence, we wind up with the Taiji massacre. Why does the government lie to its people? The fishing industry in Japan is like animal agriculture here—the number one industry. Their government officials are paid millions by the fishing industry, just like animal agriculture does here in America.  Japan’s officials also make tons of money with the sale of captured dolphins to SeaWorld and other aquariums around the world. The capture and enslavement of dolphins is a big part of the Taiji massacre. When you support SeaWorld or aquariums, you are paying for the Taiji massacre.

Lysol commercials claim to kill 99.9% of all germs. But it is a dangerous, toxic spray. Harmless vinegar will also kill 99.9% of germs, without dangerous pollutants and chemicals. Lysol will never tell you that.

Unemployment is high so we are now hearing propaganda using job creation.  “We can’t save our environment because it will cost us jobs.  We must do give money to huge corporations because it will create jobs.” So much of our tax dollars are given to corporations using this excuse: “It will create jobs”. For example, cities all over the country are giving millions of dollars to build sports stadiums for team owners who make millions of dollars each game. The owners threaten to move the team elsewhere, if the state doesn’t give them what they want.  The state officials sell it to the public by saying “it will create jobs”.  In truth, they hardly create any jobs and the ones they do are seasonal and low paying. Part of the reason Detroit went bankrupt was because of stadium funding.  Another current propaganda used is immigrants are taking all our jobs. In reality, corporations are sending our jobs to China, where they can pay people next to nothing and make bigger profits.  Immigration is not destroying our economy. It is income inequality that is destroying our economy.

THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES

Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” is a timely tale of how propaganda spreads.  People do not want to look stupid.  They do not want to admit they were fooled. I think the boy who cried “The Emperor has no clothes on” represents vegans. We are trying to take the veil off and show people the truth. Mark Twain stated “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” Instead of looking at it that you were fooled, you should look at it as an awakening, as if you are seeing the world for the first time.

QUESTION EVERYTHING     

Propaganda plays a big role in keeping animal abuse alive. It is important not to be swayed by advertising, but to question everything. Examine the claims, question the motive. It is better not to believe every ad, but find out the facts for yourself. Never be afraid to ask “why”. I suppose there is such a thing as “vegan propaganda” since we are somewhat “advertising” to try to end the exploitation and abuse of animals. What is our “propaganda”? It is “end animal abuse, save our planet, eat healthier”. I welcome you to research the facts of “vegan propaganda”. I wish what we are showing the world was a lie and just propaganda. But unfortunately it’s not and we need to stop it. We have nothing to hide. We want everyone to see the truth.

QUICK AND EASY ORANGE CHICK'N WITH RICE VEGAN STYLE

ORANGE CHICK'N WITH RICE

This dish is quick and easy to make. Perfect for a busy day.

4 CUPS COOKED RICE

4 CUPS ORANGE JUICE

2 PACKAGES GARDEIN® CHICK’N SCALLOPINI

CORNSTARCH

PEPPER

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray baking pan with cooking spray.  Spread rice evenly over pan top with Gardein® pieces.  Pour       3-1/2 cups orange juice in pan on top of stove. Heat. Meanwhile mix ½ cup orange juice with ¼ cup cornstarch. Whisk into orange juice and heat until thickened.  Add pepper, salt, season to taste. Pour over chicken and rice. Bake for    25-30 minutes until heated through.

For variations you can top each chicken slice with a LightLife® Smart Deli® ham slice. You can also add sliced cooked baby carrots.

Cruelty free always tastes better.

RECOMMENDED READING TO LEARN MORE

Recommended reading

The Food Revolution: How Your Diet Can Help Save Your Life and Our World 

                                                                                           John Robbins

Every Twelve Seconds: Industrialized Slaughter and the Politics of Sight 

                                                                                                    Timothy Pachirat                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Born With a Junk Food Deficiency: How Flaks, Quacks, and Hacks Pimp the Public Health

                                                                                                     Martha Rosenberg

Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs and Wear Cows : An Introduction to Carnism

                                                                                                    Joy Melanie

Don’t Drink the Milk

                                                                                                Brent Bateman

Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Animals and the Holocaust

                                                                                                   Charles Patterson

Got Milked?: The Great Dairy Deception and Why You’ll Thrive Without Milk

                                                                                                    Alissa Hamilton

Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth

                                                                                                     Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway

Doubt is Their Product:  How Industry’s Assault on Science Threatens Your Health

                                                                                                    David Michaels

Innocent Beings                                                              Barbara Thurmann-Calderaro

The Conscious Planet: A Vision of Sustainability, Peace & Prosperity

                                                                                                    Neil Pine

Comfortably Unaware: What We Choose to Eat is Killing Us and Our Planet

                                                                                                    Richard Oppenlander

The CAFO Reader: The Tragedy of Industrial Animal Factories

                                                                                                David Imhoff

The Chain: Farm, Factory and the Fate of Our Food

                                                                                                Ted Genoways

Making a Killing:  The Political Economy of Animal Rights

                                                                                                Bob Torres

Animal Oppression and Human Violence: Domesecration, Capitalism, and Global Conflict

                                                                                          David Nilbert

The Meat Racket: The Secret Takeover of America’s Food Business

                                                                                                Christopher Leonard

Animal Factory: The Looming Threat of Industrial Pig, Dairy, and Poultry Farms to Humans and the

Environment                                                                         David Kirby

Farmageddon: The True Cost of Cheap Meat                Philip Lymbery

No More Bull: The Mad Cowboy Targets America’s Worst Enemy: Our Diet

                                                                                                Howard Lyman

Whitewash: The Disturbing Truth About Cow’s Milk and Your Health

                                                                                                Joseph Keon

Eat Like You Care: An Examination of the Morality of Eating Animals

                                                                                                Gary Francione

Veganomics: The Suprising Science of What Motivates Vegetarians

                                                                                                Nick Cooney

The Cruel Truth Behind Factory Farming:  How Animal Rights Have Become a Thing of The Past

                                                                                                Alex Morello

Milk: The Deadly Poison                                         Robert Cohen

Please add your suggestions in the comments.