Numbers 2

The ecological Footprint:

■ 70 per cent of forestland cleared in Amazon was to get plain pastures for livestock

■ 6 kilograms of plant protein when consumed by the animal makes 1 kilo gram of animal protein that can be further consumed. This is called energy-in to energy-out ratio and is on an average 25:1. 25 calories consumed by an animal produce 1 calorie of protein. This ratio is the lowest in a cow – 40:1.

■ 40 percent of all the grains of the world, grown on one third of all arable lands, are fed to the livestock.

■ 73 percent of maize, 95 percent of oilmeal is fed to animals.

Excretions:

■ Livestock excreta is 130 times more in volume than that of the entire human population put together.

■ Rate of production is 87,000 pounds per second

Emission:

■ Belching and flatulence of cattle releases methane. And as per the industry figures, the ratio of meat to the total carbon emitted is:

■ 1 kg of beef – 34.6 kg carbon

■ 1 kg of lamb – 17.4 kg carbon

■ 1 kg of chicken – 4.75 kg carbon.

Source below. Viewer discretion is advised for some meat pictures : http://www.gobartimes.org/themes/gobartimes/poster/2010_march_meat_mania.pdf

Cant give up Cheese? Its because cheese is Dairy Crack!

Researchers discovered the protein casein, which breaks into casomorphins when it is digested and also produces opiate effects. In cheese, casein is concentrated, and so is the level of casomorphins, so the pleasurable effect is greater. Neal Barnard, MD said, “Since cheese is processed to express out all the liquid, it’s an incredibly concentrated source of casomorphins—you might call it dairy crack.”

It turns out that morphine is found in cow milk and human, purportedly to ensure offspring will bond very strongly with their mothers and get all the nutrients they need to grow.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/cheese-contains-morphine.html#ixzz1hKgF1Ymi 
Watch a fun Video at http://screen.yahoo.com/why-cheese-is-addictive-27621244.html
or Watch Dr Neal Barnard's Video about food addictions.. how chocolate, cheese, meat, and sugar release opiate-like substances. Dr. Barnard also discusses how industry, aided by government, exploits these natural cravings, pushing us to eat more and more unhealthy foods.

Another day another Crap! nip some men.. shall we

So another state in India is now killing dogs left, right and center and all possible other directions as well. People get paid 20 Rupees , that is 40 cents to kill a dog.

This is the brilliant measure to control the stray dog population..

Read more about it below. Viewer discretion is advised coz the pictures on the link are not pretty.

http://keralatourism.strays.in/

The petition to sign is here http://keralatourism.strays.in/index.php/2011/11/sign-the-petition-boycott-kerala-tourism-to-stop-animal-slaughter/

Though I am not sure how much help it will be.. but sometimes petitions do work.. We can try!

On another note, there is a Bear hunt in NJ here.. where 200 bears were already killed and the total the govt is planning will get harvested is 600..!!

yes 600 bears will be slaughtered to control the population.

Cant we humans come up with ways to co-exist with the animals!

Oh wait, we cant, because there are almost 7 BBillion of us, and since there arent any predators to keep the human population in check.. we have to check the population of the other animals for our frigging convenience.

I dont know what happened to that program in India, where the government was awarding monetary compensation if men voluntarily got neutered after 3 kids.. now that is something that needs to be implemented far and wide...

Snip Snip..

some random blab.. not so..

We went towards Veganism because of my love for dogs.. though now I talk more about other animals, dogs always hold a dear place in my heart..

some stories will always make my heart cry out so loud that I want to just catch hold of everyone around me ..on the street.. on my friend circle.. anywhere and just drill this into their heads till they agree.. like totally drill it with a drilling machine if u will...

PLEASE THE HELL ADOPT.. DONT BUY A PUP!

Read a story about another set of tortured dogs here http://www.pasadosafehaven.org/2011/11/pasados-seeks-maximum-sentencing-in-akc-judge-backyard-breeding-case/

"It is hope that dies last, and their dejection broke our hearts."

..Seriously.. an AKC judge who judges the breed championships for crying out aloud..

you cant really trust any so called "Nice" breeder.. with a slightly better home in issaquah.. and the not so suitable dogs hidden away in a dark basement in burien. 100 dogs were rescued... and the breeder might not even get charged..!!

The basement was so dark that you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. The windows were blacked out and there was ripped up plastic hanging from the door jam at the entrance of the room. There had to be a pungent stench of urine and feces. The sound of dogs frantically barking almost overpowered a radio.

Neurotic dogs going in circles, eating themselves in a dark dark dungeon..

I will judge you, if you were told by me and other people about not buying and you still choose to buy.. i will.. i am sorry but i will.

This is washington state, where western part atleast has single digit kill rates and 20% or so in the eastern part.

CA has kill rates of 60% in so any counties.. that its just ridiculous the way dogs are treated like the newest fashion..

gaah.. this crazy world and humans..

I am sorry but i Will judge you!

Why Vegan? Part 4

Why no dairy?

If you think about the figures,theres a 50% chance of bull calf being born .. and even with a requirement of the bulls in india by farmers, the dairy industry produces so much in excess that about 8 Million calves are slaughtered or starved to death every year.

There is no way to ensure the pasture fed, free range, well cared for, not slaughtered or anything esp in India. Cow slaughter is illegal in India and so is dowry, bride killing, and girl child abortion.

As far as US is concerned, there is a big veal and beef industry but the dairy industry still produces an excess of about 700,000 calves/year which are disposed off at birth. and most pasture fed, happy cow labels are misleading. check http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/index.html for your local dairy listings. even 5 star rating means low cull rate, not NO cull rate.

Why Vegan? The last heart attack

Dr Sanjay Gupta at CNN explores plant based diet and its effects in reducing and reversing heart disease and talk to Bill Clinton. Watch the video here.

Why Vegan? Part 3

Why Cow's milk, or goat's or buffalo's milk? why not Hyena's milk. it is much higher in Calcium! its because these animals are herd animals, herbivores, docile and easy to control. If we could control the carnivorous and ferocious hyena, they would be factory farmed for their milk too.

There is NO nutritional component of Cows milk that is necessary for humans more than a hyena's milk.

Cows do not "give" milk. We steal it from them.

Humans are the only mammals drinking any kind of milk into adulthood. -Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

See her video here..

Why Vegan? Continued..

Photo courtesy: julieoneill.

That is a dying baby calf.. starving slowly to death in a local, small, family run, "caring" dairy farm in the holy city of Rishikesh.. where cows are "worshipped".

From Julie's blog post.

"In north India there is a holy city called Rishikesh. It is a par­adise for yoga lov­ing veg­e­tar­i­ans. The respect for cows fills the air here. As they roam freely, vis­i­tors and res­i­dents alike gen­tly stroke their fore­heads and offer them treats of fruits and veg­eta­bles. Through the streets traffic patiently waits for the noble beasts to pass.

Here espe­cially, the cow is con­sid­ered sacred and no meat is allowed in the entire city! But plenty of milk is con­sumed. I decided to pop into a small fam­ily run dairy just off of the main drag in Rishikesh. I fig­ured that if any­where in the world mother cows would be treated well it would be here. If there was any­where that I could have a guilt free cheese sand­wich it should be here. The fol­low­ing pho­tos are from this small fam­ily run dairy."

Please read her entire post here. http://www.julieoneill.com/blog/?p=1438

Why Vegan?

It is not about giving up your favorite foods!

It is about replacing them with similar foods which are pain free!

It is not about restricting your diet and suffering from the nutritional consequences.

It is about opening it up instead, to fresher plant based foods and knowing what and how nutritionally balanced food your body needs!

It is not difficult to go Vegan. Just think about anyone you love, who has feelings and can feel pain, going through the pain and suffering animals have to go through.

It is about living healthy, eliminating diseases created and made worse by us, by our food choices.

It is not just a diet, it is a state of mind about everything around you. If you dont eat your dog, you cannot possibly wear fur.

There are lots more facets to this state of mind. Find atleast some in yours.

Beauty from the eyes of a volunteer

Some pictures from Animal Aid Unlimited, a sanctuary for the neglected beings!

Scrub me tooo!


We all live together

cute piggies

See the rest of the album here http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.278328435510884.78832.100000011890735

Well done Abba

Well Done Abba 2010 political satire Hindi film directed by Shyam Benegal, has a couple of storylines. One of them about, how a well that is to be built in a village, gets stolen.

Its not just a story or a film, it is reality.

Dad told me a story the other day. I dont know the entire pre and post circumstances and all the exact details. Heres what happened in short.

One of the NGOs decided to do something for a village close to our home town. So they decided that since sanitary conditions in most villages are below par, they should build some auto flushing toilets or something. So they got some experts together including Dad to go to the village for specs and numbers.

And guess what happened. They found that there was no drinking water supply in the village? On paper, there were supposed to be 9 Bore wells in the village and hence a decent water supply and distribution. The bore well money either from the the government or the World Bank, on paper, was used to make the bore wells.

But no bore wells! Hello Corruption! All of it went to god knows who. The officials, higher ups, panchayat (local village self governmental)?

The villagers used water from one dirty lake, shared by all animals and people to do all sorts of things.. Walk to the lake, boil and filter the water through a cloth and drink. What would they do with A self flushing toilet!

Ironical isnt it. Luckily Dad informed me that they challenged the authorities, and while the case would go on, they also got some hand pumps installed. Some part solution for this village... but what about all the millions of small villages all across the country? And we wonder why the farmers commit suicide.

This story is not to make you cynical of the country, people and corruption. The story is about small changes, and not giving up. Though it is difficult for one person to deal with the big problem, a set of people working tirelessly towards a cause do make a change however small. The cases and investigations might take forever, the laws against similar issues might also take time to be passed and then later implemented, but there can be short term solutions. We just have to get together and find them. Help thy neighbor and help each other.

Erika and Claire

I had the pleasure of meeting Erika and Claire from Animal Aid Unlimited last week.

From their website:

"Animal Aid is a US-based 501(c)3 charitable organization that runs a busy animal hospital and shelter in Udaipur, Rajasthan India, where ownerless street animals are rescued, healed, loved, and returned to the neighborhoods from where they came.

On their website you will find amazing animals and dedicated volunteers from all over the world working together with Animal Aid’s staff who serve fallen angels with tenderness, respect, and joy. Animal Aid’s purpose is to both bring relief to suffering animals, and to awaken compassion among people. Showing everyone a path for action. They have emergency rescue hotline and a sanctuary for the disabled animals as well."

We didnt realize where the 2 hours went. Usually, I freeze and speak minimally when new people visit me. But I was yapping away this time even though my balance was a bit off. We discussed about their organization, some others like Karuna Society and Visakha SPCA and the work of FIAPO(Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organizations). Among these orgs, they handle all sorts of things from helping one abuse case of a pet or a stray to rescuing, treating and providing a sanctuary to any animal from cows, dogs to donkeys, Or reaching the community with a message of compassion, about treating animals as sentient beings, about veganism, about the abuse at dairy and meat industry and so on. They work on legislation or campaigns to help any animal problems as caged birds, stray dogs and cats, to stopping establishment of big factory farms and automated slaughter houses. Wildlife protection, sacrifices, animal birth control programs, Vegan meals for the poor, ban on plastic bags, you name it and one of these orgs is already working on it. And still there is so much to be done, so many campaigns to support, and continuous and collective effort to be made.

Just a short discussion about these kind of issues help put things in perspective. Whether you are a compassionate person or not, a vegan or not, you are still a human, capable of evaluating and understanding. You can think and know, about the pain and suffering all around you. You can, take a little time, find some little to do, and make a difference.

Please read about the organizations mentioned below.

Animal Aid Unlimited

Karuna Society

Visakha SPCA

FIAPO

There are many more smaller focussed orgs and rescues all over India. I will post about some of them every few weeks!. Do give these orgs a few minutes of your time and help in any way you can, be it a donation or sending needed supplies or volunteer work on site or administrative(online).

Skepticism or Inaction ??

I am the aggressive passionate activist in the house and hubbs is the skeptical practical thinker. Between the both of us, our discussions about, any issues I come across or things I would like to change or feel strongly about, usually cover a good number of arguments that I would need to know and answer to when discussing with others.

When I discussed about going vegan, giving up milk and eggs because of ethical reasons, he needed some more reasons. Eventually we discussed ethical, health and environmental reasons for a convincing conclusion.

A similar discussion on the weekend with friends led to a familiar first reaction. As hubbs pointed out to me later that day, that we had had that discussion before, and he had a similar reaction to it. Like any big change, if you extrapolate it , the event and the change become too big for the mind to fathom. This usually leads to skepticism to make the small change.

For eg. Going vegan, if we start thinking of say , if most of the world or the entire world goes vegan, will that actually be beneficial and balanced for everyone?. will that not affect the current man animal, environment balance. Sure it would. According to most research and statistics, that is the best path for this planet to survive, but as with any big long term change, things can go differently, which no one can completely predict. Does that mean that we do not take that step, of going vegan completely or few days a month or whichever small step towards what we currently know as a better path?

We all are dependent on gas. We already know what that dependence is doing to the world, to our health, to the environment. If we decide to take the step to reduce gas consumption, and then extrapolate it to a world in the future when our gas consumption is extremely minimal, can you actually imagine a world like that? I dont think so.. In the slow path to getting there, there could be several other influencing factors that could change things. The shift of power from the gas producing countries, other political, ecological, economical impact depending on what other source of energy gets tapped into. But does that change the fact that the better path to take right now is to reduce our gas consumption?.

And hence eventually we concluded that the skepticsm is because of inaction inertia. Because we do not know both sides of the coin well enough, or all of the future consequences, and because there are already overwhelming number of problems to solve on the world, it is human nature to choose the least or no action path.

If everyone in the world goes vegan( which it self is such a far far away eventuality), the cows are not going to rule the earth.

Veganism is not about food. It is a belief system. That tiny change causes a lot of small and big ripples, which we might not be able to see. Try going completely vegan for just 2 days. Not a commitment, not an exam, no judgement, just an experiment to listen to your body. No milk, cheese, ghee, any dairy, eggs and also organic and as less processed as possible. And leave me comments on what your body told you.

Some reading about how organic, humane are just keywords these days which may or may not be enforced, other statistics and reading

http://crisisboom.com/2011/03/24/usda-refuses-to-enforce-organic-standards/

http://ocveganista.wordpress.com/why-vegan/

http://organicfood.einnews.com/article.php?oid=YJ2ZP0TDE+KA8A

http://www.ecolips.com/notes-from-the-prez/is-organic-in-an-end-game-article

http://humanemyth.org/

The honey conundrum

Partly Reproduced from the article http://www.slate.com/id/2196205

Whenever I read about veganism or talk about it with someone, I end up with questions about honey. Honey stumps a lot vegans, because it leads to a lot more arguments about the insect world and just makes veganism sound extreme and not sensible. The worry is usually over the ethics of honey production without worrying over the entire beekeeping industry.

Honey accounts for only a small percentage of the total honeybee economy in the United States; most comes from the use of rental hives to pollinate fruit and vegetable crops. Commercial bees are used in the production of about 100 foods, including almonds, avocados, broccoli, canola, cherries, cucumbers, lettuce, peaches, pears, plums, sunflowers, and tomatoes. Even the clover and alfalfa crops we feed to dairy cows are sometimes pollinated by bees.

Life for these rental bees may be far worse than it is for the ones producing honey. The industrial pollinators face all the same hardships, plus a few more: They spend much of their lives sealed in the back of 18-wheelers, subsisting on a diet of high-fructose corn syrup as they're shipped back and forth across the country. Husbandry and breeding practices have reduced their genetic diversity and left them particularly susceptible to large-scale die-offs.

Even the vegans who abstain from honey end up dining on the sweat and hemolymph of exploited bees. There isn't really an alternative: We can't replace our insects of burden with machines, as we've done for the mules that once pulled our tractor rakes. You might try to do right by seeking out wind-pollinated grains and fruits tended by wild insects. But what about the bugs that inevitably perish in the course of any large-scale agriculture? Even the organic farmers are culpable: They may not spray synthetic pesticides, but they do make use of natural chemicals and predators to kill off unwanted animals.

We do not know enough about the insect nervous system to know if they feel pain or how much suffering are they conscious about. The suffering as we know is felt only by living things with a developed nervous system. Eventually we can keep going down the path of all living things to a single cell organism and if there is any suffering involved. The debate becomes useless at this point.

The point of veganism is not being extremist about such issues. It is about reducing suffering in as many ways as possible, in being kind to as many living things involved, is understanding that self preservation will eventually lead to pain and death of say agriculture pests or mosquitoes and such. And it not just about animals as well. It is about people too. Reducing suffering and being kind to your fellow human being. Whenever possible.

Its a way of life, a state of being.

To read about the honey debate and other discussions about colony collapse disorder and more, read the complete article at http://www.slate.com/id/2196205

Some more information about the cruelty in the honey industry. http://www.veganpeace.com/animal_cruelty/honey.htm

To read more views about veganism, health resources, discussions and other details check out

http://www.veganoutreach.org/about/index.html

Perspectives

One of the most frequent questions(after going over the usual frequent ones) that crop up in why vegan argument is about the bugs. Why do dogs have more care and abuse rights than chicken.. and why do chicken have more rights that bugs. I mean who ever thinks twice before squashing a bug. So when we really can kill a living thing without a though, how does it matter that a living thing is getting killed for food?

Here is what I think . In the wild, carnivores like lions, tigers also kill their prey, and if you watch national geographic, you know that the whole process of stalking and killing looks like a very cruel and painful slaughter. But the carnivores cannot survive without that food, and the animals that get killed had a normal, natural life in the wild, till they were killed.

Applying the same argument to bugs/ticks/fleas/mosquitoes, that they had some natural life before the infestation became a problem and they had to be killed.

Humans being omnivores though do have a choice. For their carnivore self, if they can simulate a somewhat natural life of the animal, before they slaughter it, then eating meat would seem more acceptable. But the problem is, that even in organic and humane farms, the life of the hens,cows,goats is far from natural and enjoyable, with only limited access to sunlight, perches, space and green pastures to roam and such. And there is no way to guarantee that the animals had a decent and not miserable life before the slaughter. This is one of the reasons a lot of us are going vegan. Because there are very very few ways to ensure the kindness in the meat or dairy industry.

Veganism really, is not extremism, it is about being aware and kind. Being aware of what goes on in each product you consume, being Kind to the animals, kind to the people, being aware of the options, and making good choices for yourself. being kind to yourself, your health, your environment, your earth.

Bribes..

Anyone who has lived in India, even for a few years knows that Bribes make up the oil that keeps the machinery rolling, even when the machinery doesnt really need that oil..

Sign the Bribe Bandh today to help reduce the corruption! It might sound like an idealistic thought, but if you have ever given a bribe or know of stories of harassment from friends and family.. sign up and maybe this small participation will help!!

THE BRIBE BANDH GOAL
Bribe Bandh is collecting one million clicks to influence the Indian Government to tighten its laws against corruption.

WHY PRESSURISE THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT TO RATIFY THE UN CONVENTION?

India is one of the 140 countries that has signed the UN Convention against corruption. But signing alone is of no use. The government is under no pressure to make its anti-corruption laws stricter unless it ratifies the Convention. Its time for all Indians to come together and demand for change.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF INDIA RATIFIES THE CONVENTION?

- Politicians and bureaucrats can be jailed for trying to influence courts and cops.
- Politicians and bureaucrats can be jailed for favouring business houses or lobbies.
- Corrupt business people can be jailed for bribing; their companies will be punished too.
- Money earned wrongfully, through corruption, can be forfeited.

All the right reasons

Something goes wrong and we always want a quick fix and try to fix it for all the wrong reasons. Doesnt work!

This time I want to fix my head for the right reasons.

For my dearest, ever effervescent, resilient and adorable hubbs( there are not enough adjectives to describe him).. He deserves to be pampered and he deserves all the breaks and vacations that he wants!

For my passions, things that I cannot do because of silly fears and small bodily limitations..For all the dogs i could be fostering, all the food i could be cooking...

For family and friends, because they care and would love to see me be able to do what I want to do!

The way to any cure is kindness and selflessness!

Be as kind as you can be.....

Getting a message across

is so difficult if you cannot spend time networking and increasing your reach to similar thinking audience..

produce decent content. but no one might be reading it.

reach out to and read other content, but it takes a while to find the content you really like.

be constantly out there and use all possible means... and you might or might not make much of a difference.

Whatever it may be.. food blogging, beauty gurus, youtube sensations, activists.. everything sure is a big effort.

But The point here is to not get intimidated by the immenseness of the effort.. the point is to start and make an effort.. small one.. tiny one.. any one

Its all about the starfish effect. A person walking along a beach after a big storm. As he walks he stops and picks up starfish that had been washed ashore and tosses them back into the ocean. Another person comes along and says, “Why are you even bothering to do that? There are so many that you’ll never make a difference.” The first person bends down, picks up another one, tosses it to safety and says simply, “It made a difference to that one.” This story is from http://iloverescueanimals.org/2009/05/the-starfish-effect/

Have a great sunny and cheery day u all!

Cruelty free Options in the USofA

Here are some cruelty free and mostly vegan products and brands that we use and some we have tried at home

• Toothpaste: Toms of Maine, Kiss my Face, Jason
• Soaps: Hugo Naturals, Burts Bees, Kiss my Face, Toms of Maine, wholefoods local vegan bars
• Shampoos and Conditioners and hair products: Avalon, Jason, Yes to Carrots, Burts Bees, Organix, Paul Mitchell
• Face wash, moisturising creams, scrubs: Burts bees, Queen Helene, Beauty without cruelty, Avalon, Jason
• Cosmetics: Urban Decay, Mary Kay, Afterglow.. complete list here http://www.leapingbunny.org/color.php

• Home Cleaning, Dish, Laundry, Bathroom, Carpet: Method, Seventh Generation.
• Chewie's grooming: Paul Mitchell. Halo

Whenever you think of getting any of your usual daily use products.. think about chewie or coco, living life in a tiny lab, and high concentrations of products being out in their eyes and on their skin,, till they go blind or die of the pain.

Animal testing is totally obsolete and unnecessary. There are several alternatives like testing in a tiny petri dish of cells..to ensure the safety of products. Read about them here. http://caat.jhsph.edu/ or here http://www.livingcrueltyfree.com/alternatives-to-animal-testing/

Complete guide to shopping cruelty free http://www.leapingbunny.org/shopping.php

Alternatives

Alternatives to things like

Circus... a bad place, where wild animals are kept in tiny cages and tortured to do unnatural things..

Go for a safari and see those animals in a natural environment.

Seaworld... and other aquatic parks.. same as circuses. Can u imagine having just 50 sq ft to live in all your life..

Go for whale and dolphin tours.. You will see the same tricks.. but in a happy and free big ocean.

Snake charmers.... snakes taken out of their natural habitat every year, and their teeth yanked out.. and they eventually die a slow death or end up as handbags.

Go to florida everglades.. There are enough snakes, gators and other reptiles to last you a lifetime of reptilian watching pleasure.

The Cost in most cases will be the same for the alternatives to us..

But the cost to the animals is way different...