Sad Animal Faces in Australia and Sad ones heading to slaughter

    I was watching CBS This Morning (which I watch almost every morning). I respect the co-hosts and their attempts to make the news both serious and entertaining when the topic is appropriate.       

     However there have been some comments made by the co-hosts lately that I have found troubling. The first one was made by Gayle King in response to sad pictures of so many animals being stressed and killed by the killer fires in Australia. She indicated how much sympathy she felt for them. I agree that this is a tragic situation for the animals and for the people of the land down under.

     This particular response to animals who are abused or injured is a good one; these situations receive a lot of press and sympathy from people.  What really bothers me as a vegan is that so many people are moved by what is happening to these animals but many of these people do not want to know and/or think about the violence that takes place with farm animals every day in slaughterhouses all over the world so that the animal's flesh can be eaten. The animals are forced to line up and it has been shown that they fear what is coming soon - they know it will not be kind to them. Someone I know called this "born to be slaughtered". In fact, 150 million animals are slaughtered world-wide every day and this gets no attention or no press. It concerns me further when the topic of meat alternatives is a news item to cut down on meat production to reduce animal violence, the climate and/or health, Gayle King feels the need to indicate that she loves to have a hamburger or Tony Dokoupil dismisses the issues of vegans in a mocking way by saying "they only represent 4% of the population anyway".

It is sad that the meat industry is such a threat to those who should be on the side of truth - journalism is supposed to teach and support the truth.

The public is not allowed to see the slaughterhouses or the way that animals are treated before slaughter when they are put in unclean and small little pens, and treated like a commodity, not a living, breathing creature sharing the planet with us.

In closing, there are many meat-free alternatives available now and recipes for so many vegan goodies. I encourage everyone to try them. To move toward a more plant-based diet can be any individual's way to live every day knowing that your own personal efforts are playing a part in reducing animal violence, cow production of methane gas and pig lagoons, burning of forests for cattle grazing, and improving your and your family's health. 
  

Cowspiracy and Compassionfest 2016 Hamden, CT

Summer is in full swing and I have been enjoying my veggie burgers, veg dogs and skewers of delicious onions, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, broccoli and pineapple all cooked on the grill. It so reminds me how little it seems I have to give up to stop eating meat, dairy and eggs.
I have also been experimenting with curries, buddha bowls, all kinds of fresh salads, lentils and a new recipe to marinate and bake tofu. This last one for tofu needs to be reviewed further. This one is called T's Tofu and is by Theresa Bizzell. It has a delicious marinade with so many wonderful ingredients, especially the sesame oil, and bakes for 45 minutes. Since I made a whole block, I had some left over and stored it in the refrigerator. After a day or so I used it in a salad and have to say it almost had the taste and texture of cold chicken. I do not miss eating chicken at all, but it was quite an amazing flavor that this recipe added to the tofu.

********* Best of all is that I get to eat delicious nutritious food that did not harm animals or the  
                                                                               environment and makes me healthy ************

COMPASSIONFEST 

 On July 23, 2016 I attended this wonderful event in Hamden, CT called Compassionfest. This was the 2nd year that it was held. As the banner says it is about community, equality, kindness and compassion. There is no doubt that this wonderful festival successfully delivered on all of these ideas. There were wonderful speakers  - my favorites being Jasmin Singer and the poetry readings - a standout being Sky Raven. Music, delicious vegan food, craft, product and causes booths, workshops and demos - something for everyone. The organizers and supporters did such a wonderful job to reach out to all people and their attendance reflected that. 
The weather was beautifully sunny and it was impossible to be there and not realize how good it feels to be in an environment that can spread compassion to every area of our lives - how we treat each other as human beings and how we treat the other living beings that share the earth with us. 
I can't wait until next year. Hope you can attend!

The other monumental happening was when I finally watched the documentary film "Cowspiracy". 
This film is now available on Netflix and I would say that it is "an inconvenient truth" Part 2. (the following comes from IMDB) The film explores the impact of animal agriculture on the environment, and investigates the policies of environmental organizations on this issue. Environmental organizations investigated in the film include Greenpeace, Sierra Club, Surfrider Foundation, Rainforest Action Network, and many more.^[1][2][3][4]
The film was crowdfunded on IndieGoGo, with 1,449 contributors giving $117,092. This funding was 217% of their goal, and it allowed them to dub the film into Spanish and German and subtitle it into more than 10 other languages, including Chinese and Russian.^[5][6] Screenings are licensed through the distributor as well as on Tugg.^[7]
A new cut of the documentary, executive-produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, premiered globally on Netflix on September 15, 2015.^{[8]
The film was very well done and quite entertaining. I was riveted to the screen from beginning to end - no bathroom breaks!!! I knew some things about the environmental impact of animal agriculture and the ways that this industry tries to hide the truth of the consequences of their methods. I was not actually that surprised that the major environmental organizations did not push back since it seems to be clear that animal agriculture is the main cause of climate change and that cutting down on meat consumption would show benefits to the environment right away. Even China is asking their citizens to eat 50% less meat.
It is clear we are on a very destructive path and action needs to be taken to help sustain our beautiful planet. My takeaway was that I was so glad that I am already a vegan especially since this film educated me in so many ways regarding the environmental impacts of the current food system. It has inspired me to send letters to my congressional representatives about this issue and encourage everyone I know to watch it. Please check it out and spread the word. 
*************Compassion-Love-Tolerance for humans and non-human animals*************}