January-March, 1999 Vol. 3, No. 1
| April – September | October – December |
Inside This Issue
The Myth About Milk
by Pramodaben Chitrabhanu in a children’s book named “The Bird in a Cage”
published by Mahavir Seva Trust (India), Federation of JAINA (Education Committee, USA) and others
Since our childhood we are made to believe that milk gives nourishment and is good for the bones. Yes, mother’s milk is good. But who says we need milk of other animals for the rest of our life? Even the animals do not drink other animal’s milk after weaning away from their mother’s milk. Then why do we continue drinking milk? Is it necessary or are we doing it out of habit? It is time we evaluate our actions and change them if needed.
Do you know that the glass of milk on your table is meant for an innocent calf? How would you feel if your child were denied its mother’s milk? We never try to relate such problems with the animal kingdom. As though they are meant for human exploitation we continue abusing them. The milk that we drink comes from the cows and buffaloes that are tortured, tormented, and abused in every way. How can we talk about Ahimsa when there is no Ahimsa in our living? Isaac Singer, the Nobel peace prize winner, once said, “How can we ask mercy from God if we cannot give mercy to others.” We only get what we give. If we give joy to others we will get joy but if we give pain we will get pain in return.
Let us find out the real story behind milk and under what horrifying conditions the cows are being milked. The following is the excerpt taken from the book “Heads And Tails” by Menaka Gandhi which explains the fate of the cow. This happens not only in India but also in the other parts of the world where cows are exploited and badly abused.
A continual flow of milk is extracted from the dairy cow only by subjecting her to yearly pregnancies — starting from the age of two and each lasting nine months. After giving birth she will produce the milk for the next 10 months. However, she will be impregnated with semen during her third month and for the remaining seven months she will be milked when pregnant. She has only six to eight weeks between pregnancies. She will be milked twice or more times a day and the average Indian cow used in the Indian milk industry gives five times as much as she would have in the Fifties as she is being genetically bred for bigger and softer udders.
In order to give higher yield, the cow is fed concentrated pellets of Soya bean and cereal (which could have fed a great many more people). But even then the demanded production of milk outstrips her appetite and she starts breaking down body tissue to produce the milk. The result is an illness called ketosis.
Another illness that she contracts early is rumen acidosis induced by large helpings of quickly fermented carbohydrate. This disease leads to lameness. Most of the day the cow stands tied in a narrow stall in her own excrement and udder infections like mastitis (a painful inflammation of the udder), step in. With this long suffering, sick cow is kept alive by antibiotics, hormones, and other drugs all of which come to you in the morning milk.
Each year 20 percent of these dairy cows are taken out due to infertility or disease. These are then starved to death or sent by truck to the slaughterhouse to provide beef for those that see nothing wrong in eating it. Milk production is very closely allied to the meat trade. No cow lives out her normal life span. She is milked, made sick, and then killed.
What happens to the child, the calf? All the calves are separated from their mothers after three days. If the calf is a healthy female, it is put on milk substitutes to become a dairy replacement in two years. The male calves are tied up and left to starve to death which usually takes a week of intense suffering. Some are stuffed into trucks one on top of the other and sent to the slaughterhouse illegally to be killed for the veal that people eat in restaurants, which is also illegal. Some are sold to the cheese industry to have their stomachs slit (while alive) for rennet, the acid that is extracted for cheese making. A few are selected as bulls and kept in solitary pens for the rest of their lives for artificial insemination. Sometimes, when they are old, they are left on the streets of a city, to wonder around till a truck hits them (I should know: In one week, I have picked up eight dying bulls).
What is the basic nature of a cow? To devotedly care for her young, quietly forage, and ruminate and patiently live out her 20 odd years in harmony with nature. She is not a four legged milk pump who is to be orphaned, bred, fed, medicated, inseminated and manipulated for single purpose: maximum milk at minimum cost.
Have you seen the aged old Indian dairy custom phookan — which is illegal by law but which is practiced on thousands of cows daily? As soon as the cow’s milk starts getting less, a stick is poked into her uterus and manipulated causing her intense pain in the belief that this stress will lead to a gush of more milk in the udder. This custom causes sores in the uterus — think about it, women — but what does it matter when the cow is at the end of her milk giving life anyway and due to be either tied up and starved or to be thrown into a truck with 40 others and taken to the butcher?
There is this belief that dairy products give a lot of protein and iron. Most people who consume a lot of milk, specially vegetarians in North India, the people who believe that milk and paneer are a protein substitute for meat, have been found to have iron deficiency causing anemia. Milk not only provides no iron — it actually blocks its absorption. Vegetables are the best source of iron. For instance, 50 gallons of milk are the equivalent (in iron content) of one bowl of spinach.
But what is the point of eating green vegetables if your single glass of milk is going to prevent the absorption of iron that you get from them? Listen to your body. Have you noticed that when you fall even slightly sick, the body feels nauseated at the thought of milk, that doctors recommend that you give it up till your are well? That is because after the age of four a large percentage of people lose the ability to digest lactose, the carbohydrate found in milk. The results often are in symptoms of persistent diarrhea, gas and stomach cramps. (As far as protein is concerned, milk gives the same amount as most vegetables and less than some vegetables). A human being’s total protein requirement is 4-5 percent of his daily calorific intake. Nature has arranged her food in such a manner that even if you live on a diet of chapatti and potatoes, you will still get more than that amount!
The alternative to dairy products is Soya milk that contains vitamin and tastes as good (or bad). It makes excellent dahi, paneer, ice cream, butter, cheese and milk chocolate, vegetable margarine and plain calcium tablets which cost much less than milk.
Milk is a theft. Would a calf benefit from your mother’s milk? No, it wouldn’t. So how will you benefit from its mother’s milk? Most of southeast Asia and the Middle East don’t touch the stuff. And rightly so. All studies have shown that Asians have the highest intolerance to lactose. We have been sold the idea by concentrated western advertising. “Nature’s most perfect food” is far from that — it is the equivalent of a placebo, and a dangerous one at that. And, most importantly, every glass of milk that you drink, every ice cream, every pat of butter, ensures that enormous cruelty to a gentle animal and its offspring goes on.
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Guide to Non-Dairy “Milks”
By Reed Mangles, Ph.D., R.D. — Vegetarian Journal, Jan/Feb 1998
Trying to cut down on or cut out dairy products? There are numerous alternatives available. You can choose milks made from soybeans, rice, oats, other grains, and almonds. These milks come in different flavors, including plain (unflavored), vanilla, chocolate, and carob. They can be nonfat or low-fat, sweetened or unsweetened. Many have vitamins and minerals added in order to provide some of the same nutrients found in cow’s milk. Milks are commercially available in aseptic shelf-stable cartons, in the dairy case, and in powdered form. All these are available at most health food stores, and several major supermarkets.
Generally these products contain no animal-derived ingredients. Sovex does make a powder which contains casein (a milk protein), but they also produce a product which is labeled as caseinate-free and which does not contain animal products. Even beverages which contain added vitamins and minerals do not contain animal ingredients.
Also included is cow’s milk in the plant milks table below, for comparison purposes only.
Calcium (milligrams in 1 cup)
Better Than Milk? Caseinate Free: Light 500 Health Valley Fat Free Soy Moo 400 Better Than Milk? Caseinate Free 350 White Wave Silk and Rice Silk, Westsoy Plus, Pacific Lite, Pacific Ultra, Rice Dream Enriched 300 Cow’s Milk 300 Westbrae Rice Beverage 250 Pacific Fat Free, EdenSoy Extra, Westsoy Low-fat, Westsoy Nonfat 200 Pacific Rice Beverage Fat-free and Low-fat,
Pacific Multi-Grain Original 150
Calories
Calorie content of regular soy beverages ranges from considerably less than whole cow’s milk (which has 150 calories in 8 ounces) to slightly more. Rice beverages generally are lower in calories than whole cow’s milk. The Low-fat and fat-free beverages are usually pretty close to skim cow’s milk in calories (86 calories in 8 ounces) but flavored Low-fat milks (vanilla and chocolate) may be higher in calories because of the added sweetener.
Protein
Many beverages are lower in protein than cow’s milk. This is not worrisome for those vegetarians whose diets contain other good protein sources. For those vegetarians who rely on plant-based milk for a significant portion of their daily protein needs or for those vegetarians who need some extra protein (growing children, pregnant or breast-feeding women, and some athletes, for example), beverages which are higher in protein can be chosen. These include EdenSoy Extra, EdenBlend, Health Valley Fat-free Soy Moo, Westsoy Unsweetened, Westsoy Plus, Pacific Foods Ultra, and Vitasoy (all flavors except light versions). For those whose diets have generous amounts of protein from other sources and who want a beverage which does not supply extra protein, rice and nut milks are generally quite low in protein.
Fat
Whole cow’s milk has a hefty 8 grams of fat per cup. Skim cow’s milk has no fat. None of the milks we examined had as much fat as whole cow’s milk. Most regular soy beverages have a fat content like Low-fat (2%) cow’s milk. Beverages labeled nonfat, lite, and Low-fat, as well as rice-based beverages are lower in fat, ranging from 0 to 3 grams of fat per cup.
Vitamins and Minerals
Cow’s milk is a significant source of calcium, vitamin D, vitamin B-12, and riboflavin. Many non-dairy beverage makers add these vitamins and minerals to their products to make them more closely resemble cow’s milk. Other sources for these nutrients exist, but these beverages do represent options for those whose diets do not otherwise have enough of these vitamins and minerals. While these products are popular with many adults and children, none should be used to replace breast milk or infant formulas. They are not suitable for use by infants as a main food since they do not resemble breast milk or infant formula in composition. Each brand of non-dairy milk tastes different and each has its fans. If you’re new to these products, try several, considering their nutrient profile and your needs, and see which ones suit you.
Vitamin B-12 content (micrograms in 1 cup)
White Wave Silk and Rice Silk, EdenSoy Extra 3.0 Cow’s Milk 0.9
Better Than Milk? Caseinate Free: Plain and Lite 0.6
Vitamin D content (IU in 1 cup)
Pacific Rice Beverage Fat-free and Low-fat; Pacific Lite, Ultra, and Fat-free; White Wave Silk and Rice Silk 120 Westsoy Plus, Low-fat, Nonfat; Westbrae Rice Beverage; Rice Dream Enriched; Health Valley Fat Free Soy Moo 100 Cow’s Milk 100
EdenSoy Extra 40
Plant Milks
Products are listed alphabetically by type. All measurements are for grams in an 8 oz. cup.
Calories Protein Fat Added Vitamins & Minerals
Soy-based Beverages EdenSoy Extra: Original 130 10 4 A, D, E, B12, Ca, Thia Vanilla 150 6 3 A, D, E, B12, Ca, Thia EnerG Soy Quik 50 6 2.5 Thia Health Valley Fat Free Soy Moo 110 7 0 D, Ca Pacific Foods: Plain 100 4 3 Ir Vanilla 120 4 3 Ir Lite Plain 100 4 2.5 A, D, Ca, Ribo Lite Vanilla 110 4 2.5 A, D, Ca, Ribo Ultra Plain 160 6 5 A, D, Ca, Ir, Ribo Ultra Vanilla 170 6 5 A, D, Ca, Ir, Ribo Fat Free Plain 70 3 0 A, D, Ca Fat Free Vanilla 90 3 0 A, D, Ca Sovex Better Than Milk?: Caseinate Free, Plain, powder form 100 2 2.5 B12, Ca Caseinate Free, Plain, liquid form 86 2 2 B12, Ca Caseinate Free, Plain, Light 80 2 0.5 B12, Ca Caseinate Free, Chocolate 98 1 2 B12, Ca Caseinate Free, Carob 114 2 2 B12, Ca Sovex Solait 100 5 3 Ca Vitasoy: Creamy Original 160 9 7 Vanilla Delight 190 7 6 Rich Cocoa 210 8 6 Light Original 90 4 2 Light Vanilla 110 4 2 Westbrae Lite: Plain 100 3 2 Vanilla 120 3 2.5 Chocolate 150 3 2.5 Westsoy Unsweetened 80 7 4 Westsoy Original 140 5 5 Westsoy Plus: Plain 130 6 4 A, D, Ca, Ir, Ribo, Thia Vanilla 150 6 4 A, D, Ca, Ir, Ribo, Thia Westsoy Low Fat: Plain 90 4 2 A, D, Ca Westsoy Nonfat Plain, Vanilla 80 3 0 A, D, Ca White Wave Silk: Plain 80 4 2.5 A, D, B12, Ca, Ribo
Chocolate 100 4 2.5 A, D, B12, Ca, Ribo
Rice-Based Beverages: Amazake Light Almond 110 2 2 Pacific Fat Free: Plain 60 1 0 A, D, Ca Vanilla 70 1 0 A, D, Ca Cocoa 80 2 0 A, D, Ca Pacific Low-fat: Plain 70 1 1.5 A, D, Ca Vanilla 80 1 1.5 A, D, Ca Cocoa 170 3 2 A, D, Ca, Ir Rice Dream: Original 120 1 2 Vanilla 130 1 2 Carob 150 1 2.5 Rice Dream Enriched: Original 120 1 2 A, D, Ca Vanilla 130 1 2 A, D, Ca Chocolate 170 1 3 A, D, Ca Sovex Rice Moo: Original 84 1 0 Vanilla 80 1 0 Westbrae Rice Beverage: Plain, Vanilla 120 1 3 A, D, Ca, Ribo
White Wave Rice Silk 90 2 2.5 A, D, B12, Ca, Ribo
Miscellaneous Beverages:
EdenBlend (soy/rice) 120 7 3 EnerG Nut Quick 110 4 9 Mill Milk Oat Drink: Vanilla 110 2 2.5 Pacific Multi-Grain Original 150 3 2 Ca Pacific Naturally Almond: Original 70 2 2.5 Vanilla 90 2 2.5 Pacific Naturally Oat: Original 110 4 1.5 Vanilla 130 4 1.5 Whole Cow’s Milk 150 8 8.2 A, D, B12, Ca, Ribo
Skim Cow’s Milk 86 8.4 0.4 A, D, B12, Ca, Ribo
*Indicates vitamins and minerals which are present at a level 10% or higher than the Daily Value; A=vitamin A; D=vitamin D; E=vitamin E; B12=vitamin B-12; Ca=calcium; Ir=iron; Ribo=riboflavin; Thia=thiamin
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Move Over Milk – Now We Can Live Without You
Let’s Check out These Dairyless Recipes!
Never in human history there have been more choices in non-dairy “milks” than now. In fact, the proliferation of these alternatives has made choosing a “milk” more difficult than ever before! Each milk is different in nutrition content, consistency, price, and even the taste.
Jennifer Raymond, author of The Peaceful Palate Cookbook, reports that often someone will try one brand, dislike the taste, and decide that a milk alternative is not for them. She says, “People need to try many different brands, as they all taste different.” Raymond recommends that you continue to try brands until you find one you like.
These milks are made from various sources, such as blends of almond, soy, rice, grains and beans, and tofu, in different flavors and with varying degrees of fat and enrichment. They come in powders, liquids, and liquid concentrates in sizes from snack packs to bulk, although most are liquids in quart or liter containers. They can be found plain, unsweetened or sweetened, or containing flavorings such as vanilla, chocolate, or carob. Most of these healthy alternatives are produced from organic grains or beans. They may be used as a beverage or snack or in cooking and baking.
Raymond says, “I tend to use soy milk when I want something thick and creamy. It thickens better than rice milk. If I want a true milk flavor I use rice milk.”
Eric Tucker, the head chef at the highly acclaimed Millennium restaurant in San Francisco says, “I prefer rice milk as it has lighter flavors, although it is a bit sweeter. Also, soy milk tends to curdle when exposed to high heat.”
When converting older recipes calling for dairy milk, always strive for consistency in flavorings, using sweeter products for desserts and plain or unsweetened milks in savory recipes.
Narendra Sheth
Conveniently Vegan Recipes by Debra Wasserman
Vegetarian Journal — May/June 1997
The following recipes are taken from The Vegetarian Resource Group’s recently released cookbook entitled Conveniently Vegan. This new book, written by Debra Wasserman, is meant for experienced vegan cooks, as well as anyone interested in learning how to cook with all the new products found in supermarkets, gourmet shops, and natural and ethnic food stores. The cookbook contains over 150 recipes. You’ll find recipes utilizing fresh vegetables, fruit, and herbs, along with packaged vegan products including beans, grains, pasta, seitan, soy products, and much more. Many of the recipes are quick and easy, and all have a nutritional breakdown. Conveniently Vegan also contains menus, a list of the manufacturers of each vegan product, a glossary, and general information on how to use all these different foods. Conveniently Vegan is available for $15. To request a copy, send payment to VRG, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.
Banana Biscuits
These delicious biscuits make a perfect breakfast item. Leftovers can be re-heated in a toaster oven. (Makes 35)
3 small ripe bananas, peeled and mashed 1 cup lite soyamilk or other milk alternative 2 Tablespoons oil 4-1/4 cups unbleached white flour
1 Tablespoon baking powder
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix the mashed bananas, soyamilk, and oil together in a large bowl. Add the flour and baking powder and stir well. Place dough on a floured surface and knead for 3 minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a ½-inch thickness. Cut into 2-inch-wide circles using a cutter or tin can. Place biscuits on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, bake 20 minutes or until browned. Serve warm.
Total calories per biscuit: 72 Fat: 1 gram
Bulgur, Corn, And Greens
A colorful blend of ingredients, ready in under 25 minutes! (Serves 4)
1 cup bulgur 2 cups water One 10-ounce box frozen corn kernels ½ pound greens (kale or collards), rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces ½ teaspoon cumin 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
Cook bulgur in water in a large covered pot for 10 minutes over medium heat. Add remaining ingredients. Heat 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Serve warm.
Total calories per serving: 193
Fat: 1 gram
Spicy Mandarin Chickpeas
Serve this tantalizing combination of ingredients over a bed of rice. (Serves 4)
Two 19-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained Two 10.5-ounce cans mandarin oranges, drained 1/4 cup strawberry jam 2 Tablespoons spicy brown mustard
½ teaspoon cayenne
Heat all the ingredients in a medium-size pot over medium heat for 10 minutes. Serve warm.
Total calories per serving: 357 Fat: 6 grams
Pasta With Black Bean Sauce
Enjoy this delicious sauce. (Serves 4)
1 pound pasta, cooked and drained One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained One 10.5-ounce can mandarin oranges, drained 2 large ripe tomatoes, finely chopped
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Heat beans, oranges, tomatoes, and cinnamon in a medium-size pot over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over your favorite cooked pasta.
Total calories per serving: 603 Fat: 3 grams Fruit Pizza
(Serves 4)
Here’s a beautiful looking dessert that both children and adults will enjoy.
1 large 12-inch-wide pita bread 1 cup unsweetened apple butter 1 kiwi fruit, peeled and sliced 6 large strawberries, sliced 1 apple or pear, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Spread apple butter over pita bread. Arrange slices of fruit on top of apple butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve as is or heat in 350-degree oven for 15 minutes and serve warm.
Total calories per serving: 269 Fat: 1 gram
Couscous Pudding
Experiment with different types of dried fruit for variety. (Serves 4)
1-1/2 cups water 5 ounces couscous (a little less than 1 cup) ½ cup dried fruit (raisins, chopped figs, dates, etc.) 1-1/2 cups soyamilk or other milk alternative 1/4 cup maple syrup 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
Bring water to a boil in a small pot. Add couscous and dried fruit. Cover pot, remove from heat, and allow to sit 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a separate medium-size pot, heat remaining ingredients over medium-high heat until the pudding starts to thicken (about 3 minutes). While heating, stir often with a whisk. Once pudding thickens, remove from heat and add cooked couscous mixture. Mix well. Pour pudding into a serving dish and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Total calories per serving: 319
Fat: 2 grams
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The Story of Silk
Beauty Without Cruelty, India
Soft, smooth and shimmering silk is perhaps the most attractive textile man has ever created. More than two thousand years ago, this fabric was imported from China. The method and source of its production was a very highly guarded secret …may be because it involved the killing of millions of lives.
The silk filament is what a silkworm spins its cocoon of and is constructed as a shell to protect itself during its cycle of growth from caterpillar to chrysalis to moth.
The female moth lays about four to six hundred eggs. The eggs hatch in about ten days and the larvae (one-twelfth of an inch) emerge. They are fed on mulberry leaves for about twenty to twenty-seven days, till they are fully grown (three to three and a half inches in length). A fully grown caterpillar emits a gummy substance from its mouth and wraps itself in layers of this filament to form a cocoon in two to four days. The caterpillar develops into a moth in about fifteen days. To emerge it has to cut through the cocoon – thereby ruining the filament of the cocoon.
Hence, to save the filament from being damaged, the chrysalis is either immersed in boiling water, passed through hot air or exposed to the scorching heat of the sun’s rays, thus killing the life inside. The long, continuous filament of the cocoon is then reeled. To produced one hundred grams of pure silk, approximately fifteen hundred chrysalis have to die. Particular chrysalis are kept aside to allow the moths to emerge and mate.
After the female moth lays eggs, she is always mercilessly crushed to check for diseases. If she appears diseased, the eggs laid by her are immediately destroyed.
Generation after generation of inbreeding has taken away the moth’s capacity to fly. After mating, the male moths are dumped into a basket and thrown out. It is a common sight to see crows picking at them outside silk manufacturing centers.
Varieties of Silk
India produces four varieties of silk obtained from four types of moths. These are known as Mulberry, Tussar, Eri and Muga. Mulberry is also produced in other silk producing countries like China, Japan, Russia, Italy, South Korea, etc., Eri and Muga are produced only in India.
Manmade materials that look somewhat like silk are known as Artificial Silk (Art Silk). Of these, rayon (viscose) is of vegetable origin; while nylon and polyester (terene) are petroleum products.
A Material’s Silk Content
Once woven, silk is known by different names depending on the weave, style, design and place where it is woven. Below are put together the most well known materials according to their silk content.
Caution needs to be taken with regard to Zari (gold or silver brocade). The yarn used for this can be silk or polyester.
For real gold zari, silk yarn is almost always used.
100% Silk Materials Boski Pure crepe Pure chiffon Pure gaji Pure georgette Khadi silk Organza Pure satin
Raw silk Matka silk
Matka silk is 100% silk, wherein the yarn in the warp is the usual silk yarn, while the yarn in weft is obtained from the cocoons that are cut open by the moths as they emerge. These moths are allowed to lay eggs, after which they are crushed to death.
100% Silk Saris Banarasi (Varanasi) Bangalore Bhagalpore Dhakai Dharmavaram Kashmiri Khambhat Matka Murshidabad Tanchhoi Tussar Temple Kanjivaram (Kanchipuram) Patola from Patan, Hyderabad and Orissa Paithani Saris of Maharashtra 100% Silk or 100% Cotton Saris Calcutta Gadhwal Madurai Shantiniketan Irkal saris from Narayan Peth (Andhra Pradesh) can be 100% silk or part silk and part cotton. Venkatgiri saris may be all cotton or part silk and part cotton. Saris with Silk/Cotton Yarns in Warp/Weft Chanderi Tissue Poona (Pune) Venkatgiri Maheshwari Saris of Madhya Pradesh
Manipuri Kota and Munga Kota saris have both silk and cotton yarn.
A Test to Determine a Material’s Silk Content
Remember, it is a totally wrong impression that if a material is cheap it has no pure silk in it. It is advisable to check oneself and not rely on the shopkeeper’s word. If you would like to know what yarn is used in a particular material, test in the following way:
Shopkeepers may not allow the silk test by burning to be performed on their premises, a few threads could be asked for and burnt at home. To identify silk, you must burn some yarn. It is very important that a few threads from the warp, a few threads from weft and the zari thread stripped of the metal are individually checked by burning. Since human hair also burns like silk, it would be easier to learn by burning some hair! Hold a strand between tweezers and burn. Observe carefully how it burns. When it stops burning, a very tiny (pinhead size) ash ball will be left behind. Rub it between your fingers and smell the powdered ash. The smell of burnt hair, silk, wool and leather is identified and the way it burns forming an ash ball, will also be the same. If the fiber is cotton or rayon, it will quickly flare up in flames and will not form any ash ball nor will it smell like burnt hair. If the yarn tested is a petroleum product like nylon or polyester, it will burn forming a tiny, hard, glasslike bead.
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I AM AN ACTIVIST!
I am an activist. Am I an animal defense activist? Yes. Am I an environmental activist? Definitely. Am I a human rights activist? Most assuredly. Am I a peace activist? Indeed. I am in complete opposition to all social injustice; I abhor all suffering. I disdain the anti-ethic that has created a society that lives upon the daily exploitation and slaughter of our animal brethren; a society that is rapidly choking off the only life support system we have; destroying our habitat, the earth; a society that embraces a philosophy of “might makes right” and chooses to ignore the plight of our “weaker” brothers and sisters — the homeless, the hungry, the elderly, the children; a society whose economy and “strength” rely on the production and dissemination of tools of destruction. I am an activist. My actions are directed at eradicating the root causes of ALL injustice: humankind’s disregard for our connection with our earth, and our loss of respect for life.
Listen! I am the voice we heard so clearly as children until the din of society’s indoctrination deafened our ears. I am the clutching in the throat and intense sorrow of all those who visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I am the pain and sadness within each one of us who holds the threadlike bodies and swollen stomachs of Africa’s starving children.
I am the peace and serenity that befalls us when our eyes, for a fleeting moment, meet those of a grazing deer. And I am the sentiment that makes us mouth the words, “Set them free,” whenever we encounter animals imprisoned in cages.
I am these and more, and I am omnipresent within each one of us. I draw no political lines; I erect no artificial barriers between races, sexes, or species; I do not recognize boundaries between issues of injustice. I am above politics, devoid of our societal bigotries, and I embody all matters of justice. I am THE answer. I am our physical and spiritual connection to our earth and all life.
I cry out for each one of us to recognize the inseparable biological and ecological bonds that link all life together as earth’s family. I implore us to acknowledge that human and nonhuman needs are complementary, not competitive, as all living beings are indispensable threads of a living tapestry, interconnected to each other and all of the earth’s natural processes that sustain life. And I demand action. I demand that individuals act in accordance with the reverence they so richly deserve. I am the answer. I am the voice within your soul.
We must act. And we must ensure that our actions are guided by our inner voice that affirms our connection with the earth and all of her inhabitants. We cannot continue to alleviate the injustices imposed on an individual or segment of our society through an injustice to another. We cannot attain a true peace through the domination or killing of those who are perceived to be lesser or evil. We cannot “enrich” the lives of the poor people of Central America by boosting their economy through the destruction of their rain forests to raise and slaughter animals for a cheaper hamburger. We must strive to consider all life as brethren and act in accordance with our connection to the earth we share — to do otherwise is to betray not only our fellow beings but ourselves as well.
I want your thoughts in affirmation of our connection to the earth. I want your decisions to be made with an ethic of reverence for life as your guide. And, I need your actions to create a world of wonder, a world of justice, a world of peace bounded only by the limits of life. I am part of a living, caring world. I embrace a boundless ethic.
It is a life-affirming ethic in which I share a journey with the flowers of the field, the children of the streets, and the deer of the forest, in search of our home — a world of peace. I am your soul. I am an activist.
Are Animal Rights People Extremists?
Do you think it’s not extreme to murder living creatures for lipstick?
Do you think it’s not extreme to breed more dogs and cats while 10 million die in shelters each year?
Do you think it’s not extreme to murder a living creature to wear their dead skin?
Finally, do you think it’s not extreme to torture living creatures without their consent to make a living?
We are ALL extremists. I prefer to be an extremist for justice, compassion and peace, and not for pain, murder, rape and oppression.
Anonymous on Internet
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A Simple Way to Save an Animal’s Life Neal Barnard, M.D. – Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Animal Guardian, Vol 9, No. 4, 1996 – Doris Day Animal League
When you read about cruel animal experiments, do you ever think that you might hold the key to stopping some of these experiments — that you might actually be the one to give them the “thumbs up” or “thumbs down”?
Although many experiments are funded by government or military programs that are insulated from the public, there is one large group of animal experiments whose sponsors are exquisitely sensitive to public opinion. Certain charities give money year after year to animal experimenters. That money comes from well-meaning donors who have never had a look inside the laboratories that stay in business because of these donations.
But if a charity were to lose even a portion of its public support because of such experiments, it would have every reason to emulate those charities that fund no animal research. In England, the Wolfson Foundation announced that it would fund no animal experiments. In the process, other research-sponsoring charities knew that it had gained a tremendous advantage over them in the competition for donations. After all, there are no donors who especially want money to go to animal experiments, but there are many who definitely do not want their donations going in that direction. Charities that continue to pay for animal experiments risk losing donations and legacies, some of which will be substantial.
On this side of the Atlantic, charities’ policies are only gradually becoming known. But what an eye-opener they are!
The March of Dimes has paid for many animal experiments including experiments in which animals were exposed to alcohol, cocaine, or nicotine, and even experiments in which kittens’ eyes were sewn closed in order to demonstrate the effects on brain development. On the other hand, Easter Seals funds no animal experiments at all and has an explicit policy against making any such grants.
The American Kidney Fund and the Heimlich Foundation never sponsor any animal experiments, while the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association, unfortunately, still do.
Charities are sometimes slow to respond to donors’ wishes, particularly those charities that have been around so long that they have become set in their ways. But there is no doubt about it — charities do not like being connected with cruelty.
The National Head Injury Foundation gave a financial award to a controversial primate experimenter several years ago, and has since tried to distance itself from that indiscretion and from all other animal experiments. While the Shriner’s Burn Institute and Shriner’s Hospitals still pay for many animal experiments, the International Association of Firefighters Burn Foundation is investigating in non-animal alternatives, particularly cellular research, and welcomes the goodwill that this policy brings.
Some animal research foundations try to appease donors by saying that animals are “humanely” treated, that a committee reviews all experiments before they are funded, or that they mainly use small, less popular animals, such as rats and mice. Needless to say, such statements do nothing to address donors’ real concerns.
Before you make a contribution to a charity to help make people’s lives better, please make sure they aren’t hurting animals to reach their goals.
What You Can Do:
1. When a research facility asks for a donation, let them know that you only support those with a strict no-animal-experiments policy. Write to charities, and write again.
2. Be sure to thank charities, such as Easter Seals, for their compassionate, no-animal-experiments policy.
3. Make copies of this list and give to friends and relatives, and pass it out in your neighborhood.
Health Charities Which Do Not Fund Animal Research
American Kidney Fund 6110 Executive Boulevard, Suite 1010
Rockville, MD 20852
Arthritis Research Institute of America 300 S. Duncan Avenue, Suite 240
Clearwater, FL 34615
Association of Birth Defect Children 827 Irma Avenue
Orlando, FL 32803
Cancer Care 1180 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
Cancer Prevention & Survival Fund, PCRM 5100 Wisconsin Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20016
Designer Institute for AIDS
150 West 26th Street, Suite 602
New York, NY 10001
Disabled American Veterans P.O. Box 14301
Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301
Easter Seals 230 West Monroe Street, Suite 1800
Chicago, IL 60606-4703
The Green Foundation 9481 Lechner Road
Forth Worth, TX 76179-4055
Heimlich Foundation 2368 Victory Parkway, Suite 410
Cincinnati, OH 45206
International Association of Firefighters Burn Foundation 1750 New York Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20006
International Child Health Foundation American City Bldg; P.O. Box 1205
Columbia, MD 21044
International Eye Foundation 7801 Norfolk Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20814
Multiple Sclerosis Association of America 601 White Horse Pike
Oaklyn, NJ 08107
National Burn Victim Foundation 32-34 Scotland Road
Orange, NJ 07050
National Foundation of the Blind 1800 Johnson Street, Suite 300
Baltimore, MD 20230-4998
National Head Injury Foundation 1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Suite 100
Washington, DC 20036-1904
The Rheumatoid Disease Foundation 5106 Harding Road
Franklin, TN 37064
Health Charities Which Still Fund Animal Research
Alzheimer’s Association 919 N. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1000
Chicago, IL 60611-1676
American Cancer Society 1599 Clifton Road, NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
American Diabetes Association 1660 Duke Street
Alexandra, VA 22314
American Heart Association 7320 Greenville Avenue
Dallas, TX 75231-4599
American Institute for Cancer Research 1759 R Street, NW
Washington, DC 20069
American Lung Association 1740 Broadway
New York, NY 10019
American Parkinson Disease Association 60 Bay Street
Staten Island, NY 10301
Arthritis Foundation 1314 Spring Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30309
Cancer Prevention Project 1120 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 303
Washington, DC 20069
City of Hope
30 West 26th Street, Suite 301
New York, NY 10010
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation 6931 Arlington Road
Bethesda, MD 20814
Epilepsy Foundation of America 4351 Garden City Drive
Landover, MD 20785
The Foundation Fighting Blindness 1401 Mt. Royal Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21217
Joslin Diabetes Center One Joslin Place
Boston, MA 02215
Leukemia Society of America 600 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10016
March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation 1275 Mamaroneck Avenue
White Plains, NY 10605
Muscular Dystrophy Association 3561 East Sunrise Drive
Tucson, AZ 85718
National Foundation for Cancer Research 7315 Wisconsin Avenue, Suite 332W
Bethesda, MD 20814
National Kidney Foundation
30 E. 33rd Street
New York, NY 10016
National Multiple Sclerosis Society 733 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10017-3288
National Parkinson Foundation
1501 9th Avenue
Miami, FL 33136
National Psoriasis Foundation
660 SW 92nd Avenue
Portland, OR 97223-7195
Nina Hyde Center for Breast Cancer 3800 Reservoir Road, NW
Washington, DC 20007
Parkinson’s Disease Foundation
650 West 168th Street
New York, NY 10032-9982
Shriner’s Burn Institute 51 Blossom Street
Boston, MA 02114
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 1 St. Jude Place Bldg, P.O. Box 3704
Memphis, TN 38173-0704
Top A Case of Misleading Propaganda
Below is a information bulletin published by Procter & Gamble, Inc., Consumer Relations.
Products Not Containing Animal Ingredients
The following is a list of products that currently do not contain any animal products or by-products. Since formulations may vary, this list is subject to change. In any product containing ingredients derived from animal sources, the ingredient has been chemically altered and no longer resembles it’s original state.
Laundry Detergents:
Tide Cheer
Ultra Ivory Snow
Oral Care Products:
Crest Regular Toothpaste Crest Cool Mint Gel Crest Icy Fresh Gel Crest for Kids Fixodent Fasteeth
Food & Beverages:
Crisco Oil Crisco Shortening Pringles Potato Chips Folgers Coffee Jif Peanut Butter Duncan Hines Cake Mixes*
Duncan Hines Frosting *
Household Cleaners:
Mr. Clean Spic & Span
Comet
Dish Detergents:
Ivory Cascade
Cascade Rinse Agents
Gastro-Intestinal Products:
Pepto Bismol Liquid
Metamucil
Paper Products:
Royale Dove Bounty Always Pampers
Attends
Deodorants:
Secret
* Some of these products may contain dairy
Pay attention to the words. They do not give any guarantee that the package you pick from your store would be vegetarian. Even after that, they may use chemically altered animal ingredients, if they do not resemble the original state. For example, gelatin does not resemble original bones and hides from which it was derived. If as a compassionate consumer you do not want even a fractional slaughtered product, you have to stay away from all these products. Especially when there are hundreds of small companies manufacturing truly vegetarian products, we should support them by buying only those compassionate products.
And then there is also another issue of animal testing, that they did not mention in above pamphlet.
50,000 animals suffer and die each year at the hands of Procter & Gamble. Toxic chemicals are force-fed to fully conscious dogs. Burning chemicals are forced into the eyes of rabbits, and toxic chemicals are placed on the shaved and raw skin of rabbits and guinea pigs. These tests are all conducted without any sedation or painkillers. In 1987, P & G fought a shareholders’ resolution that would have eliminated product testing where it is not required by law.
Procter & Gamble says it shares our goal of eliminating the use of animals in product testing. But if they truly shared our goal, they would not have spent over $ 17.5 million to convince our legislators, school children and the public that tests designed to poison, blind, burn, mutilate and kill thousands of defenseless animals are absolutely necessary and humane. The fact is, P & G says one thing and does another. It is the driving force behind a major campaign to perpetuate corporate animal abuse into the next century. What drives them to do this? They want to try to protect themselves legally in the event that one of the toxic chemicals they put in their products harms you or your child. They’re only trying to protect themselves. Even though they know that many of these products are toxic and harmful, they do not take them off the market.
Boycott Procter & Gamble. Boycott all companies that do not meet our standard of cruelty-free. Support the ones which have stopped animal-testing long time ago, and agreed never to resume them. Please refer to our Handbook for Compassionate Living, “Jainism and Animal Issues.” We listed over a hundred companies that neither use any animal ingredients, nor test them on animals. You may also call PETA at 757-622-PETA or AAVS at 215-887-0816, or your local AR&V group for a current list of these companies. Animals will thank you.
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“Beauty Without Cruelty” Becomes Law in England
Merritt Clifton — “Animal People”, December 1998
Cosmetic product testing on animals was banned in Britain, effective November 16, 1998.
The British government, explained London Times political correspondent James Landale, “banned using animals to test final products such as lipsticks and mascara a year ago. At the same time it said there would be no new licenses for the testing of ingredients. But three firms which already held licenses were allowed to continue using animals.”
That ended when the Home Office brokered a deal with the three companies to end all animal use in cosmetics testing.
The agreement somewhat resembles those that the late Animal Rights International founder Henry Spira won with Avon and Revlon in 1980, which many other U.S. cosmetics makers have since ratified.
As Associated Press noted, “The ban will not block animal testing for drugs and scientific research.”
The British anti-vivisection movement, the world’s oldest, commenced early in the 19th century. The longtime leader of the cause was Frances Moore Cobbe (1822-1904), who was obliged by financial distress to work as a vivisector’s assistant while still in her teens, and devoted the rest of her life to crusading for abolition of the cruelty she had witnessed. Cobbe secured passage of the 1876 Cruelty to Animals Act, which required vivisectors to register with the government and to use anesthesia when possible. Though the strongest regulation of vivisection on the books anywhere at the time, and for many years afterward, the act fell well short of actually stopping experiments.
Cobbe had no cause to concern herself with cosmetics testing, because then, before the rise of consumer protection law, little if any was done. By the mid-1950s, however, the cosmetics industry had become one of the largest users of animals in laboratories. Muriel, the Lady Dowding (1908-1993), a lifelong humane crusader, formed Beauty Without Cruelty in 1959 specifically to oppose cosmetics testing. The British Union Against Vivisection did make cosmetic testing a priority after helping to secure passage of an update of Cobbe’s Cruelty to Animals Act, the 1986 Scientific Procedures Act.
At least two other BWC spin-offs are prominent — Beauty Without Cruelty-India, among the most militant and effective Indian animal rights organizations under Diana Ratnagar of Pune, and the American Fund for Alternatives to Animal Research, directed by Ethel Thurston of New York City, who also heads the U.S. chapter of BWC.
European Union
The British ban will have global resonance.
“The government will also be pressing its policy of ending animal testing for cosmetics at the European Union level, where EU policy on cosmetics testing is currently under review,” Janice Cox and Wim de Kok of World Animal Net predicted.
BWC and AFAAR will ask the EU to accept a procedure which Thurston in an October 31 letter termed “a fully scientific replacement for the LD50 test, which can be used right away.”
The traditional LD50 test involves feeding substances to groups of 100 animals until half the animals die. For most uses, it is superceded by LD10 — but these tests do still use animals.
Funded for seven years by AFAAR, cytotoxicologist Bjorn Ekwall of Sweden has now developed human cell culture tests which in a combination of two, “predict human lethal concentrations with 71% precision,” and in a combination of three, achieve 77% precision, Thurston said. “By the same multi variate analyses,” Thurston continued, “the rat and mouse LD50s predict human lethal doses at only 65% precision.”
Home Office secretary George Howarth said the Labour government would continue to seek reduction of animal use in laboratories in other directions, as well. Already it has increased funding for investigation of alternatives to animal research; banned animal use in testing alcohol and tobacco products; banned the use of gorillas, orangutans, chimpanzees, and bonobos; and increased the Home Office laboratory inspection staff.
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