These guy are amazing ..... and what a ride for the deer!!!!
Monday, April 28, 2014
Sunday, April 27, 2014
So Want to See This Movie
From those guys who opened our eyes to what is happening in Japan with "The Cove" - they've done it again...going places they're not supposed to.
No Longer Posting On FaceBook
Facebook have shifted the goal posts yet again. For Pages like mine which are purely there for information/entertainment/shouting out frustrations etc, etc. the people at FaceBook are no longer supporting us. It has been coming for a wee while. I've noticed how the numbers of people who actually have the post delivered into the news feed has diminished.....the number of "friends" has gone up, but the number who see the posts has gone down.
If you're really savvy you'll know to tick the "get notification" box which is under the "like". But, most of us don't know to do that, (I've only recently discovered it myself).
In short, if I want my wonderful "friends" on FaceBook to actually see the posts, I have to pay to "boost" - see photo of how much.
The point is that I will no longer be posting up on FaceBook.
The posts on here will be short and just like the ones I did on FaceBook .... there probably won't be quite so many. I'll be going into the Twitter page instead and posting up there approximately one a day like I did with FaceBook.
If you don't have a Twitter, don't worry, the good stuff I'll post here.
So, if you still want to keep up with what's happening, then please either follow via Twitter or get notification in your email box.....the links are at the top
And PLEASE, PLEASE feel free to post comments in either place.
A huge thank you for all the "likes" and comments over the years on the FaceBook page - I sure hope we can continue with the communication via the different medium.
 | ||
| NUMBER OF FANS = 1,012 - Pretty good. |
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| NUMBER OF FANS WHO SAW THIS POST = 19 - that's sad |
If you're really savvy you'll know to tick the "get notification" box which is under the "like". But, most of us don't know to do that, (I've only recently discovered it myself).
In short, if I want my wonderful "friends" on FaceBook to actually see the posts, I have to pay to "boost" - see photo of how much.
 | |||
| $5.00 GETS ME STARTED |
The posts on here will be short and just like the ones I did on FaceBook .... there probably won't be quite so many. I'll be going into the Twitter page instead and posting up there approximately one a day like I did with FaceBook.
If you don't have a Twitter, don't worry, the good stuff I'll post here.So, if you still want to keep up with what's happening, then please either follow via Twitter or get notification in your email box.....the links are at the top
And PLEASE, PLEASE feel free to post comments in either place.
A huge thank you for all the "likes" and comments over the years on the FaceBook page - I sure hope we can continue with the communication via the different medium.
Have Happy Animal Friends and Great Veggie Food
Fee
website: www.thevegetariancenter.com
website: www.thevegetariancenter.com
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Book Review: Factory Farming and Animal Liberation - The New Zealand Experience
Title: Factory Farming and Animal Liberation -
The New Zealand Experience
Author: Michael Morris
Reviewer: Fee O'Shea
More Information
Although some of the information is now out of date due to the work of animal welfare groups and changes in the N.Z. system, the book itself is still certainly very much on track and exposes the factory farming that still goes on in New Zealand.
It is a harsh reminder that if it can happen in a country like New Zealand, it can happen anywhere.
The author, Michael Morris, is hard hitting at the policy makers and those behind the scenes.
The points and facts are set out in such a way that makes this book easy to read, (although the subject matter itself is not).
As the title suggests, it is mainly concerned with the factory farming practices in New Zealand, however it also covers animal welfare in general.
After outlining the conditions and factory farming activities in N.Z. Michael then goes on to provide more details on how both the industry and government has conspired to keep up the intensive farming practices. I found it fascinating how the wheels of the egg producing industry went into full swing when the battery cage system was threatened.
"Factory Farming and Animal Liberation - The New Zealand Experience" is written in a matter of fact way relying on documented research and evidence rather than from an emotional approach. It gives ideas to the individual as to what s/he can do as a way of supporting the cause of stopping factory farming then goes on to give suggestions on how the industry could be curtailed and how the government could ensure more accountability to ensure animals are protected under the Animal Welfare Act.
This book did open my eyes to certain issues I was not aware of especially in the area of who actually holds the power and why. It also reiterated what I already knew, that the general public can be hoodwinked into believing anything when the P.R. machines from Government and industry are run at full volume.
An excellent, fascinating book which I recommend to anyone interested in just how the care and welfare of animals can be right down on the list when money and power are at the top.
It is a harsh reminder that if it can happen in a country like New Zealand, it can happen anywhere.
The author, Michael Morris, is hard hitting at the policy makers and those behind the scenes.
The points and facts are set out in such a way that makes this book easy to read, (although the subject matter itself is not).
As the title suggests, it is mainly concerned with the factory farming practices in New Zealand, however it also covers animal welfare in general.
After outlining the conditions and factory farming activities in N.Z. Michael then goes on to provide more details on how both the industry and government has conspired to keep up the intensive farming practices. I found it fascinating how the wheels of the egg producing industry went into full swing when the battery cage system was threatened.
"Factory Farming and Animal Liberation - The New Zealand Experience" is written in a matter of fact way relying on documented research and evidence rather than from an emotional approach. It gives ideas to the individual as to what s/he can do as a way of supporting the cause of stopping factory farming then goes on to give suggestions on how the industry could be curtailed and how the government could ensure more accountability to ensure animals are protected under the Animal Welfare Act.
This book did open my eyes to certain issues I was not aware of especially in the area of who actually holds the power and why. It also reiterated what I already knew, that the general public can be hoodwinked into believing anything when the P.R. machines from Government and industry are run at full volume.
An excellent, fascinating book which I recommend to anyone interested in just how the care and welfare of animals can be right down on the list when money and power are at the top.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Free Range Pigs in N.Z.?
This, as you can imagine, stimulated a lot of discussion and helped to raise awareness of how we are still factory farming in this country. However, one man in particular was on the side of the pig farmer saying that the crates and small stalls were necessary as N.Z. pig farmers must farm intensely in order to make a living. His argument was that the price of imported pork made it impossible to compete in the local market if the farmer wasn't able to use these (barbaric) practices.
He maintained that the pig farmer would like nothing more than to have his pigs living in better conditions, but he is unable to do this if he wishes to keep the price of pork at a low level. And should we deny low income families from having N.Z. pork on their table?
Note: I've heard this argument before not only with meat but with eggs as well.
Let's be straight here before I continue. I am vegan and wish that the world was also. I do not support any farming methods as I do not support the slaughter or exploitation of animals. However, I'm also very much a realist and understand that people will continue to want meat on their menu for some time to come.
What I do contend is that we have been pushed into eating more meat and poultry by the food industry and the argument that the meat, dairy and poultry industries are only meeting consumer demand is total garbage. It was these industries that started the "need".
Why can't we go back to making pork a luxury item as it was when I was a kid? Stop importing the pork from overseas especially as we have no idea how it has been farmed and I'm guessing it will be just as bad if not worse that we have here in N.Z.
Let the pig farmer get top dollar for his meat and allow him a decent profit to put back into his farm. Less demand would take the pressure off the farmer to intensify his numbers but rather to go for the free range style of farming. At least the pig will have some sort of decent life before the horrendous end comes.
This is taken from the site Pig Farming in N.Z. talking about free range: Pigs require special conditions, such as firm soil and a mild climate if they are to be raised in this style. Farming this way requires a greater number of staff, as pigs are exposed to all the elements and need constant care and attention. This is why most farmers using this style are smaller farms, with a small number of pigs. 1% of pigs farmed in NZ are farmed like this.
So I doubt if I'll see any change in the near future.
We are a primary producing country. I am hoping that in my lifetime I will see the intensity of farming diminish, an intense program of vegan education and making meat the luxury item rather than the "norm". If we can get to that stage before I shuffle off this earth, I'll be happier than if the reverse happens.
Have Happy Animal Friends
Fee
website: www.thevegetariancenter.com
website: www.thevegetariancenter.com
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Twitter and #Egypt529
I'm still coming to grips with Twitter and the "trending" thing they have going on, but what amazed me was that I had to search the trending part for what people are saying about what has recently happened in Egypt i.e. the sentencing of 529 Morsi supporters to death. A further mass trial of 683 could also face the death penalty.
DJ Rubiconski tweeted "If 529 white Europeans were sentenced to death there would be an invasion of #Egypt tomorrow by a coalition of Western countries." … and it would be with all guns blazing!
Here is another example of the outrageous, stupid, inhumane, cruel, senseless, power hungry, … what other adjectives can I add … way humans treat other humans, this time on a massive scale. The sad part is that we see this on a daily basis in small and, sometimes, unseen ways in our own backyards.
DJ Rubiconski tweeted "If 529 white Europeans were sentenced to death there would be an invasion of #Egypt tomorrow by a coalition of Western countries." … and it would be with all guns blazing!
Here is another example of the outrageous, stupid, inhumane, cruel, senseless, power hungry, … what other adjectives can I add … way humans treat other humans, this time on a massive scale. The sad part is that we see this on a daily basis in small and, sometimes, unseen ways in our own backyards.
- Violence to women
- Violence to children
- Neighbours at war
- Bullying in schools, home, workplace
- Drunken brawls
You can keep adding to the list, I'm sure you get my flow here.
So it's no wonder humans can be so violent towards animals without flinching.
Do you think it's a lost cause - animal welfare? I don't. I look around and see growing evidence (albeit growing slowly) that humans are gradually pulling themselves out of the caveman mentality and are starting to "care" about other humans - evidence being the flip side of #egypt529 which is #MH370 - the Malaysian plane that has gone missing with 239 people on board. Here we see Governments falling over themselves trying to find this plane and I believe it is not so much that it makes these "helping" countries look good, but that they are actually able to do something without having their hands tied in red tape and without fear of causing diplomatic incidents (which reminds me …. Ukraine's gone quiet).
No, as per the list above, it's in our backyards that the real cavemen lurk
It's these cavemen we need to convince that they have to start respecting other humans then we might have a chance of them respecting animals.
So it's no wonder humans can be so violent towards animals without flinching.
Do you think it's a lost cause - animal welfare? I don't. I look around and see growing evidence (albeit growing slowly) that humans are gradually pulling themselves out of the caveman mentality and are starting to "care" about other humans - evidence being the flip side of #egypt529 which is #MH370 - the Malaysian plane that has gone missing with 239 people on board. Here we see Governments falling over themselves trying to find this plane and I believe it is not so much that it makes these "helping" countries look good, but that they are actually able to do something without having their hands tied in red tape and without fear of causing diplomatic incidents (which reminds me …. Ukraine's gone quiet).
No, as per the list above, it's in our backyards that the real cavemen lurk
It's these cavemen we need to convince that they have to start respecting other humans then we might have a chance of them respecting animals.
 |
| Artist - Banksy |
Have Happy Animal Friends
Fee
website: www.thevegetariancenter.com
website: www.thevegetariancenter.com
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Let's Just Boil 'Em Alive
Let me ask you a question. Do you know how chickens are slaughtered? Ooops, sorry, if you are currently biting into a chicken wing or chowing down on a drumstick …. Put it down for just a minute and read this.
The live chicken is flipped upside down by holding onto the legs.
It is then tied up. At this point there is quite a high possibility that the chicken’s leg is broken or it’s not tied up correctly.
To stun the chicken prior to killing, it is slid through some water which has an electric current running through it.
The next process in this automated chain of events is the actual killing, which, in N.Z. is done by slitting the throat so the chicken will bleed to death.
The dead chicken is then put into scalding water for plucking.
If the chicken is not correctly trussed at the beginning (remember I said that there was a high possibility that this might happen?), this will mean that the killing blade will actually miss the chicken resulting in the chicken being put into the boiling water still alive.
Wait a minute …. Don’t we already do that with crayfish and lobster??????
I know you’re asking yourself, where is she going with this. Well there is a proposal being finalized by the USDA to increase the maximum number of birds going over the line from 140 birds a minute to 175 birds for chickens and from 45 to 55 for turkeys.
My point is, that there already is a problem of birds missing the killing part and being boiled alive, this is only going to really increase those numbers.
I wrote to SAFE here in N.Z. to find out if we have the same speed and problems. They were unable to tell me the figures and directed me to the Ministry of Primary Industries.
In response to my email to MPI told me that the year to December 2013 there were 98,464,493 poultry birds slaughtered. Divide that number by 365 days and by my calculations that makes it 269,765.73 birds per day .... WOW - so how many minutes in a day? 1440 - that's approximately 187 birds a minute.
Wait a minute, that can't be right - Where's the calculator, I've got to do this again.
The ministry said: "For the year to December 2013 98,464,493 poultry birds were slaughtered in New Zealand." - yup calculations are right - Holy Moly!!! I know that N.Z. is behind the rest of the world in a lot of things, but we're killing more chickens/turkeys per minute across our factory line than the USA.
SAFE did tell me that the killing method is the same and we do also have the issue of the chicken legs broken and some ending up still alive at the scalding pot. I also got the letter below from Laura at SAFE …. Thought it worth adding
"Good luck on writing the chicken article! I wonder if people think about
that revolting process when they tuck into their KFC?
This very subject sparked a conversation in the office about end of lay
battery hens. Many of them don't even receive the "special" treatment of
the slaughterhouse process and are yanked out of their cages
(prisons/torture cells) by their feet or wings only to have their necks
broken, sometimes unsuccessfully by the farmer.
What a lovely way to say thank you to these animals who have given so much
for so little in return?
This makes me so sick to the stomach and angry that I said loads of bad
swear words in the office and had VISIBLE STEAM coming out of my ears."
I’ll let you get back to what you were doing …. Wasn’t it eating the chicken wing? No? What’s stopped you?
Thank you from the chickens.
The live chicken is flipped upside down by holding onto the legs.
It is then tied up. At this point there is quite a high possibility that the chicken’s leg is broken or it’s not tied up correctly.
To stun the chicken prior to killing, it is slid through some water which has an electric current running through it.
The next process in this automated chain of events is the actual killing, which, in N.Z. is done by slitting the throat so the chicken will bleed to death.
The dead chicken is then put into scalding water for plucking.
If the chicken is not correctly trussed at the beginning (remember I said that there was a high possibility that this might happen?), this will mean that the killing blade will actually miss the chicken resulting in the chicken being put into the boiling water still alive.
Wait a minute …. Don’t we already do that with crayfish and lobster??????
I know you’re asking yourself, where is she going with this. Well there is a proposal being finalized by the USDA to increase the maximum number of birds going over the line from 140 birds a minute to 175 birds for chickens and from 45 to 55 for turkeys.
My point is, that there already is a problem of birds missing the killing part and being boiled alive, this is only going to really increase those numbers.
I wrote to SAFE here in N.Z. to find out if we have the same speed and problems. They were unable to tell me the figures and directed me to the Ministry of Primary Industries.
In response to my email to MPI told me that the year to December 2013 there were 98,464,493 poultry birds slaughtered. Divide that number by 365 days and by my calculations that makes it 269,765.73 birds per day .... WOW - so how many minutes in a day? 1440 - that's approximately 187 birds a minute.
Wait a minute, that can't be right - Where's the calculator, I've got to do this again.
The ministry said: "For the year to December 2013 98,464,493 poultry birds were slaughtered in New Zealand." - yup calculations are right - Holy Moly!!! I know that N.Z. is behind the rest of the world in a lot of things, but we're killing more chickens/turkeys per minute across our factory line than the USA.
SAFE did tell me that the killing method is the same and we do also have the issue of the chicken legs broken and some ending up still alive at the scalding pot. I also got the letter below from Laura at SAFE …. Thought it worth adding
"Good luck on writing the chicken article! I wonder if people think about
that revolting process when they tuck into their KFC?
This very subject sparked a conversation in the office about end of lay
battery hens. Many of them don't even receive the "special" treatment of
the slaughterhouse process and are yanked out of their cages
(prisons/torture cells) by their feet or wings only to have their necks
broken, sometimes unsuccessfully by the farmer.
What a lovely way to say thank you to these animals who have given so much
for so little in return?
This makes me so sick to the stomach and angry that I said loads of bad
swear words in the office and had VISIBLE STEAM coming out of my ears."
I’ll let you get back to what you were doing …. Wasn’t it eating the chicken wing? No? What’s stopped you?
Thank you from the chickens.
Have Happy Animal Friends
Fee
website: www.thevegetariancenter.com
website: www.thevegetariancenter.com
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