A Big Announcement

Hello everyone! Today I have a big announcement to make... I'm starting a new blog! It's called Vegan Forget-Me-Nots, and it's a blog on which I will share my latest activism projects and provide resources for other animal rights/vegan activists.

I felt the need to start a new blog in addition to this one because I wanted to start a more focused "homepage" of sorts for my activism-- one on which people can be easily find videos, posters, and other content that I'm making.

I am still going to keep posting sporadically (as I have been doing) on The Animal Rights Action Site, however. I started writing for this blog when I was 15, and have been keeping at it for nearly the past 5 years! This blog has been a useful place for me to develop my writing skills and spread the word about animal rights, and I'm so glad I have kept with it for so long. I love this blog, so don't worry, it isn't going away!

On Vegan Forget-Me-Nots, I am working on a project called "Reasons To Be Vegan". I'm making (a) video(s) and posters for this, so please check out my new blog and sign up for e-mail updates of new blog posts!

You can find it at http://veganforgetmenots.blogspot.ca/ .

Have a great day!



Copyright C. H. 2016

Amazing Spoken Song

This is an incredibly powerful video. This spoken song was written and performed by M. Edward King, son of a British farmer (his website is http://vegansongs.com/). Please watch it, and then show it/send it to anyone who will watch it! Thanks! I believe that his song has the ability to change hearts and minds, and to markedly shift the way many people think about animals.
For the animals,
Cat
(If you'd prefer to see the video on YouTube, here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYyjel5VuHg)

Four Things You Can Do To Help Protect Pollinators!

Hey there,
The Ontario Nature Youth Council has published a short video (2 minutes and 29 seconds) on Youtube outlining four things that you can do for pollinators in your community. Whether or not you live in Ontario, these strategies can help you to help pollinators!
Enjoy the video!
You can watch it on Youtube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgZ-DLesdAU
Or, you can watch it below:


The Ontario Nature Youth Council has produced two videos recently on pollinators and our pollinator campaign. You can see the other video, about neonicotinoids and the ONYC's pollinator campaign, on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeIEwFPWwQk.

November is World Vegan Month!

Hello everyone!
That's right-- this month is World Vegan Month. :)
On November 1, 2014, which is World Vegan Day, the "world's first vegan football [soccer] match", to quote The Vegan Society, was held! You can read more about it on The Vegan Society's website or on the Gloucestershire Vegans' blog.
Although veganism is something that should be practiced year-round, World Vegan Month provides us with an extra opportunity to raise awareness. Readers, I challenge each of you to do at least one thing this month to raise awareness for the animals and the vegan lifestyle. Please take this challenge-- the animals need our help. Here are some ideas...

1. If you haven't gone vegan yet, become a vegan! This is the number one thing you can do for the animals!
2. Host a vegan lunch or dinner, and invite friends and family to come try some delicious food. If you want, you could even make it a potluck and ask them to bring along a vegan dish for everyone to try.
3. Bake some vegan treats and give them away to your friends, family, co-workers, classmates, clients, teachers, etc. This will help them to understand that vegan food can be delicious as well as ethical. (Make sure to tell them that the food is vegan!)
4. Wear clothes and buttons and carry tote bags that have slogans on them that promote veganism and animal rights.
5. Ask your local library and bookstores to set up a display of books on veganism.
6. If you are a student or a teacher, here are some things you can do at school: put a message proclaiming World Vegan Month on the announcements, in the school newsletter, and on calendars; have a vegan bake sale; give out free vegan food samples; put up posters on the school bulletin boards (with permission, of course); hold screenings of documentaries; invite guest speakers to come and speak to classes on veganism; ask the cafeteria to serve more vegan options; hand out leaflets; start a vegan or animal rights club; and have a table offering literature and information in the hallways.
7. Do a blog post, Facebook update, etc. on veganism and animal rights.
8. Write a letter to the editor educating readers on the benefits and ethics of veganism. (It's probably more likely to get published if you mention that this month is World Vegan Month!)
9. Put up posters on telephone poles, community bulletin boards, etc. advocating for veganism. You can print off some posters for free from the Abolitionist Vegan Society's website: http://www.abolitionistvegansociety.org/posters-for-printing/#.VG-lt4t0yUn
10. Hand out materials advocating for veganism-- the Abolitionist Vegan Society (TAVS) (which is now my favourite animal rights organization) provides free downloadable bookmarks, cards, colouring pages for kids, leaflets, tear-off posters, slips, and posters for you to print out! You can see their resources here: http://www.abolitionistvegansociety.org/tavs-initiatives/tavs-resources/#.VG-mCot0yUk
11. TAVS also has posters that you can publish on your Tumblr, blog, Facebook, Twitter, and other online pages: http://www.abolitionistvegansociety.org/tavs-initiatives/tavs-resources/posters-for-online-use/#.VG-mWot0yUk.
12. Additionally, TAVS has online videos you can watch and share. I haven't watched them, but I agree with most of TAVS' overall values, so I think the videos would probably be good: http://www.abolitionistvegansociety.org/videos/#.VG-mXot0yUk. And they have audios, as well: http://www.abolitionistvegansociety.org/tavs-audio/#.VG-mWot0yUk
13. There's a currently free Kindle e-book available on Amazon.com called Why We Should Go Vegan by Magnus Vinding. I have not read it, but it might be interesting to look at, if you have a Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IHPBCOS/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00IHPBCOS&linkCode=as2&tag=volentiacom-20&linkId=GUG7AO7B7Z4LCBZE
14. If you have any other ideas, please feel free to post them below in the comments section! :)

Hmmm... Coming up next, I think I'd like to do a post specifically on TAVS (which, as I'm sure you've noticed, I am particularly fond of!), or perhaps something else on philosophy... Or, likely, both mixed together!
See you then!

Cat

Picture from http://www.abolitionistvegansociety.org/tavs-initiatives/tavs-resources/posters-for-online-use/#.VG-mWot0yUk

Mercy For Animals Inspirational Short Video

Hello everyone,
This is a pretty neat video. It gives a reminder of some of the reasons why people choose a vegan lifestyle, and it also provides a unique insight into the fact that people from many different walks of life are vegan. You can view it right here on my blog or on Mercy for Animals' website at http://www.mercyforanimals.org/i-am-mfa.aspx.


Have a nice day! :)

Arturo, "The World's Saddest Animal"

Arturo

I recently signed a petition on Change.org calling for Arturo, a polar bear who has been dubbed by many to be "The World's Saddest Animal", to be transferred from his current location at the Mendoza zoo in Argentina to the Assiniboine Park Zoo in Winnipeg.
Arturo lives in inadequate, hot conditions in the Argentina zoo. A narrated Youtube video (which you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxSZF-3rIt0; NOTE: following a warning, it gets graphic partway through-- I didn't watch through to the end) shows that Arturo and a brown bear in another enclosure at the zoo were exhibiting stereotypic behaviour. In the video, Arturo looks sad and lonely. Many people consider him to be depressed, which is very believable when you look at the photos. According to the Daily Mail, "The polar bear has been alone in his enclosure since his partner, Pelusa, died of cancer in 2012. Visitors to the zoo, and animal experts, had reported seeing him pacing nervously in his concrete enclosure, and appearing to struggle with the high temperatures." Although his enclosure is air-conditioned, he still has to spend time in temperatures of "up to 40C (104F)", according to the Daily Mail and others. It is said that his pool is only 50 cm (20 inches) deep. A polar bear should not be kept in sweltering hot temperatures in Argentina! Polar bears are built to live in the cold northern regions of the world, with plenty of space to roam free. Winnipeg seems like a much more suitable option for Arturo; the conditions of the zoo are said to be "world-class". (Of course, animals shouldn't be kept in zoos, but once you've kept an animal in a zoo for his or her whole life, they may not be able to survive in the wild anymore, in which case they just need to be kept in the best, most natural conditions as possible for the rest of their life.)
Unfortunately, the Mendoza zoo is refusing to transfer Arturo. I was saddened to learn this shortly after signing the petition. The zoo claims that Arturo isn't in good enough health to be transferred. They are claiming that his poor health and sad behaviours are due to old age. (As if! If a polar bear acted like this in the wild, he or she would be considered seriously unwell and/or seriously unhappy.)
If you'd like to sign the petition anyway, here's the link: Change.org
Just a reminder, everyone, please boycott zoos! Also, we all need to raise awareness about the plight of the animals who are exploited by humans. Every time we educate someone else about the way animals are being harmed, we make a difference. Even if that person doesn't go vegan and boycott animal exploitation right away, we've at least planted a seed in their mind about the matter, so that eventually they may make the right decisions. I'm definitely not suggesting that people can justify hurting animals by saying that they're "not ready to change their lifestyle yet", but at least by raising awareness, they will hopefully become more likely to make good choices in the long run.
Thanks for reading!

Awesome Examples of Famous Vegetarians and Vegans Throughout History!

Hello everyone,
Need inspiration? Today we're sifting through inspiring info on famous vegetarians and vegans throughout history...

Why not take a look at the list of famous vegetarians and vegans on HappyCow.net? The link can be found here: http://www.happycow.net/famous_vegetarians.html. I warn you: there are a LOT of names on that list! Don't blame me if you end up spending a lot of time looking through them all :) This list can be useful if you want to look up the name of a particular individual, to see if they're veg*n or not.

Alternately, a more user-friendly list can be found at VeganWolf.com:  http://www.veganwolf.com/famous_vegetarians.htm#Bogus%20Vegetarians. On this website, you can go directly to different "categories" of people, such as Politicians; Actors & Filmstars; Sports Personalities; and Writers, Philosophers, Scientists. It's very inspirational.

If you'd like to read more in depth about some of these people, check out this article on Treehugger.com: http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/green-food/13-great-vegetarians-from-history/#slide-top.

Whew, that's a lot of links. If you don't want to look at any of those websites today, why not just watch this video instead? It made me cry the first time I watched it... (Make sure the sound is on.) For some of the people from ancient times, whether or not they were actually fully vegan/vegetarian is disputed, but I would think that most of the facts are correct/accurate.



Have a nice day!

Please-- If you haven't already, cut out dairy now!

Dear blog followers,
I recently received an e-mail from Mercy for Animals Canada about Simon the calf. It may be heartbreaking, but please watch the short video to understand why we need to cut out dairy from our diets without delay. Thanks for caring and for taking action. The animals need us.
(The video might not fit into the frame of my blog-- if that is the case, please simply click on the words at the top of the video to see it on Youtube.)




Good guides to going vegan can be found at the following websites:
Vegan Outreach: http://www.veganoutreach.org/guide/
ChooseVeg with Mercy for Animals: http://www.chooseveg.com/
The Vegan Society: http://www.vegansociety.com/try-vegan


Cat

Fish are Animals, Too!

For some reason, some people think that you can still consider yourself a vegan if you eat fish. Considering that fish are animals, and vegans abstain from consuming all animal products, this is inherently nonsensical. But beyond that, there are other reasons why we should avoid eating fish.

People who are otherwise vegan/vegetarian but still eat fish may do so for a number of reasons:

1. They think that fish is a "healthy" necessity that must be eaten for good health.
2. They went veg*n to reduce cholesterol levels, lose weight, or otherwise improve their health, and, since fish is considered by many to be a good "diet" food, they see no point in avoiding it.
3. They care about animals, but they don't consider fish to be animals or sentient beings.
4. They want to be vegan, but they also want to "pamper" themselves by eating a "cheat food" now and then.
5. They've never thought about it too deeply, or they try not to think about it.

Let's de-bunk each of these myths in turn! (Sources are listed at the bottom of this blog post.)

1. Do we need to eat fish to be healthy?
   When fish is touted as a health food, this is often because of its omega-3 fatty acid content. Omega-3 fatty acids are necessary to consume for good health; however, you don't need to eat fish to get omega-3s through your diet. Some extremely good vegan sources of omega-3 include flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, chia seeds, and hemp seeds. It can also be found in soy, mustard seeds, walnuts, leafy green vegetables, grains, and spirulina. If you are still concerned about getting enough omega-3s, you can also take a vegan DHA/EPA supplement, derived from algae.
2. Is there anything wrong with eating fish, from a health standpoint?
   According to Dr. Michael Greger, M.D., "All fish contain small amounts of methylmercury, the most toxic form of mercury, and fish consumption represents the main source." In his video "Fish Consumption Associated With Brain Shrinkage", he goes on to discuss the frightening effect that relatively low levels of mercury in the body can have on brain development. Here's the video below:
3. Are fish sentient?
   Why wouldn't they be? I think people are able to dissociate their emotions from fish because fish are so different from us, whereas sheep, pigs, and chickens are more relatable. Still, that doesn't mean that fish aren't sentient beings. Researchers on fish behaviour have shown that fish do display complex personalities and social structure, are intelligent, and are capable of feeling pain.
4. Is it okay to "cheat" on a vegetarian or vegan diet now and again?
   There's no "vegan police" that is going to come and arrest you for eating fish. However, please remember that "cheating" by eating sentient beings causes more animal suffering and death, and it is also simply morally inconsistent. Not only that, but by allowing yourself to eat one animal product, you're more likely to backslide and cave into your cravings for more.
5. Should we think about these issues even if it causes us discomfort to face them?
   Yes! Our world (including the animals and humans of the world) is in crisis. If we all hide our heads in the sand and do nothing, we will pay for the consequences (such as environmental degradation, poverty, and cruelty) later. It takes courage to face the truth, but it is crucial that we change our behaviours to help animals, humans, and the environment, even if that means stepping outside our comfort zone.

If you haven't gone vegan yet, please begin to make the transition to a vegan lifestyle as soon as possible. You can learn more about going vegan at http://www.vegansociety.com/become-vegan/ and www.chooseveg.com.
Have a nice week!

Sources:
Omega-3 fatty acids:
http://www.vegansociety.com/lifestyle/nutrition/essential-fatty-acids.aspx
http://www.theveganrd.com/2012/01/omega-3-fats-in-vegan-diets-a-quick-primer.html
"Fish Intake Associated with Brain Shrinkage": http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fish-consumption-associated-with-brain-shrinkage/
"Fish Feel Pain": http://www.mercyforanimals.org/fish/fish-feel-pain.aspx
"Do Fish Have Personalities?": http://www.americanscientist.org/science/pub/do-fish-have-personalities
Fish Intelligence: http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/fish/hidden-lives-fish/

A Recent History of Veganism: Part I-- The Vegan Society

Vegetarianism has a long history, stretching back all the way to Ancient Greece, Ancient India, and more. Veganism also has a long history-- in fact, in Jainism, veganism plays an integral role in the practice of compassion and non-violence. However, for most of history, veganism was referred to as "pure vegetarianism", "strict vegetarianism" or "total vegetarianism" (and in some parts of the world, it still is!). Although this pure/strict/total vegetarianism has a rich history of its own, today I want to explore with you the recent history of veganism as we know it today in the Western world, starting with the year the word "vegan" was born.
In this post, I'll be discussing the history of the Vegan Society, which is how the term "veganism" came to be.
The word "vegan" was coined in 1944 by Donald Watson, co-founder of the Vegan Society, which is based in the UK. According to Wikipedia,

"In August 1944 two of the Vegetarian Society's members, Donald Watson (1910–2005) and Elsie "Sally" Shrigley (died 1978), suggested forming a subgroup of non-dairy vegetarians. When the executive committee rejected the idea, they and five others met in November that year at the Attic Club in Holborn, London, to discuss setting up a separate organization.
They suggested several terms to replace non-dairy vegetarian, including dairyban, vitan, benevore, sanivore and beaumangeur. Watson decided on vegan.... As he put it in 2004, the word consisted of the first three and last two letters of vegetarian, "the beginning and end of vegetarian." He called the new group the Vegan Society. Its first newsletter... was distributed to 500 people."

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism

To read the FIRST EVER copy of the Vegan Society newsletter from 1944 ("The Vegan News" (Quarterly Magazine of the Non-Dairy Vegetarians)), follow this link: http://www.vegansociety.com/uploadedFiles/About_The_Society/Publications/The_Vegan_magazine/Feature_Articles/1944-news.pdf. It's really cool to see on page 2, for example, where they discuss what to call themselves:

"We should all consider carefully what our group, and our magazine, and ourselves, shall be called. ... As this first issue of our periodical had to be named, I have used the title "The Vegan News". Should we adopt this, our diet will soon become known as a VEGAN diet, and we should aspire to the ranks of VEGANS. Members' suggestions will be welcomed."

In 1976, The Vegan Society produced a 30 minute program on veganism. It presents shockingly similar knowledge to the modern-day information on veganism and is still highly relevant to veganism today-- watch it to see for yourself!


If you can't watch this video on my blog, you can view it on Youtube instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=VlTYjaQLy2o

The gardener who was interviewed, Kathleen Jannaway, later left her position as the secretary of the Vegan Society and formed The Movement for Compassionate Living, which focuses on both veganism and sustainable living (the two are closely correlated, of course).

The Vegan Society focuses on a wide variety of tactics, including education, food labelling, and their (still quarterly!) magazine, The Vegan. Check out their website: http://www.vegansociety.com/default.aspx.
The Vegan Society is definitely one of my favourite vegan organizations; it doesn't do offensive things like PETA, and it doesn't scorn personal purity in the vegan diet the way Vegan Outreach does.

Here is a much more recent video from the Vegan Society:


Check back soon for my next post, everyone!