theinformedvegan:

Animal Liberation Front (ALF) activists have claimed responsibly for the destruction of the Rocky Mountain Fireworks & Fur store near Boise, Idaho. 

The ALF operatives drilled a hole in the outside of the store’s storage space and poured in several gallons of fuel. When lit, the fuel ignited several other placed explosives placed and much of the store’s firework stock. Thousands of chemically treated animal pelts helped grow the blaze which caused $100,000 of damage.

Along with a full selection of fireworks, Rocky Mountain Fireworks & Fur was selling fur pelts from mink, chinchilla, rabbit, fox, and the traps and gear for fur trapping hobbyists.

There is no word yet if the store will reopen for business but the ALF says they are ready for anything. A communique from the activists warns the shop owners, “stay in business, and we’ll be back.”

theinformedvegan:

Last week, British fashion designer Rachel Freire unveiled her latest designs, dresses made almost entirely of cow and yak nipples.

To make her couture cow dresses, Freire went to a leather tannery in the UK and bought 3,000 discarded nipples. She had them sent through the tanning process and worked with them like leather. Some elements of her designs, such as the metal piercings, play on masochist nipple imagery and and other parts try to hide the fact that the dresses are made entirely of tanned teats.

Freire calls the project “recycled art” but animal lovers call it exploitation. Commenting on the controversy, UK based animal rights group Viva! asked “Isn’t the way we treat farmed animals bad enough without turning their dead bodies into a runway freak show?” 

The designer doesn’t seem to mind the controversy, it helps her get exposure and she genuinely seems to like her designs. Freire told the press, “I love all 3,000 of my nipples.”

Ugh.

This is different than leather….how? both are gross

theinformedvegan:

A meat processor in Victoria, Australia, is telling ABC that recently released undercover video of meat industry practices have caused their sales to severely drop.

The processor reports a drop of 15-20% in sales since undercover videos of Australia’s live cattle export industry surfaced. The videos show widespread abuse of Australian cattle exported to Indonesia for slaughter. Workers in Indonesian slaughterhouses were following “standard operating procedures” when they were caught tying cattle with crude ropes and slitting their throats while they flop on the ground. 

These images have disturbed Australians and many are reducing the amount of meat they consume. Amazingly, the 15-20% decrease accounts not only for beef but for other meats like lamb. Meat processor, Robert Radford, calls the dropping Australian meat sales a “real tragedy for our industry.” 

The real tragedy is that consumers are deliberately kept in the dark so they’ll continue to purchase an unethical product. When people have the facts and are able to make informed choices, it is a triumph.

iwishiwasashark:

And believe ALL animals should be free <3

(via iwishiwasashark-deactivated2012)

theinformedvegan:

West Hollywood is officially the first city in the country to ban the sale of fur. 

The West Hollywood City Council has voted unanimously to ban the sale of fur within city limits. Any store caught selling fur products after the ban is in place will be hit with a serious fine. The City Council will meet in two weeks to work out enforcement procedures and a ban start date.

The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce intends to battle the ban, telling press, “We feel it’s unconstitutional.” The Chamber worries about the effect the ban may have on the local economy. Forty-seven percent of all clothing retailers in West Hollywood sell fur and 7 percent of those say they would move out of town if the ban passed.

Fur, especially in warm Southern California, doesn’t seem like a major customer draw. To top it off, a survey earlier this year found that nearly 95 percent of people “refuse” to wear real fur. It might be time for these folks to get into a different business altogether.

Banning the sale of fur sends a strong message to consumers that they should be concerned about how fur products are produced. Whether it hurts the economy or not, in the end, banning fur is right thing to do.

inhidingforalifetime:

From his Blog:

Wall Street “Crime Scene, Do Not Cross” (photos #TakeWallStreet #OccupyWallStreet)

I am right now in New York for a jazz trip but when I heard about the movement #TakeWallStreet and #OccupyWallStreet, I took my photo bag in order to covering what is certainly the beginning of the US  ”indignados”.

All the financial district around Wall Street had been closed by thousands of police officers. Those were  much more than the pacific protesters without apparent leader but these were stronger, these ARE stronger. Yes, I’m convinced that People have the Power, that they have always the last word.
Here you have my photographic coverage of these first protest, it was the 17th of September 2011, and now.. they camp.

veganslove:

The Informed Vegan: Bob’s Red Mill Funds Animal Testing.

veganmudblood:

tanistanis:

thinkstrawberry:

Bob’s Red Mill Funds Animal Testing.

Bob’s Red Mill’s standing as a conscious and compassionate company is about to take a serious hit. The grain seller is donating $25 million to the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU), an institution responsible for extensive animal testing.

Bob and Charlee Moore of Bob’s Red Mill have chosen to give OHSU this massive donation for “nutrition education” and “research on obesity and other diseases.” OHSU will not deny that the funds will be used to conduct animal experimentation or provide a special guarantee that these funds won’t be spent on animal testing.

OHSU is one of the most notorious animal testing schools in the world. According to whistleblowers, OHSU hires unqualified low-paid workers to conduct sloppy and unscientific experiments. Animals, like baby monkeys, are kept in cramped cages in standing water and bodily fluids where disease and sickness are rampant. All the experiments, including the most absurd ones, are done in the name of “health research.” A few years ago, OHSU famously spent close to $1 million terrorizing baby monkeys with Mr. Potato Head dolls as part of an obesity study.

When I heard Bob’s was donating to support OHSU I immediately contacted both parties. After several exchanges, neither party will deny that the funds will be spent on animal testing. Bob’s is avoiding discussing animal testing altogether and OHSU is defending their legacy of experimentation. Jim Newman from OHSU told me over e-mail that, “There are currently no other ways to obtain this info that assists both human and animal medicine.”

Bob’s Red Mill runs a serious risk by taking their customer’s money and giving it to a notorious animal tester. Their loyal customer base of animal lovers and vegans may boycott them if they choose to go through with the donation.

To encourage OHSU to stop their animal experimentation, tweet @OHSUnews or @ONPRC.

To express your disappointment over the donation, tweet @Bobs_Red_Mill or contact them via their site.

Bob’s Red Mill, WHY. I love your shit! What the hell am I going to eat for breakfast now??

NOOOO! Fuck. Go fuck yourself, Bob. You and your Red Mill. The red mill covered with the blood of the animals you’re hurting. I’m boycotting your sorry ass. 

This is extremely disappointing. For shame, Bob. I hope this means that Whole Foods will stop selling the brand, due to their animal testing beliefs, if that’s even true.

UGH time to find another place to buy GF baking products. 

ALSO he is super proud of his donation judging by his tweets/replies. So feel free to knock him down by posting a tweet talking about his decision!! 

theinformedvegan:

Harvard University nutritionists have decided to tweak the USDA’s new “My Plate” chart in a move that is sure to piss off the dairy industry.

In June, the USDA updated the old food pyramid and put out a healthy eating pie chart called “My Plate.”  The chart depicted a relatively positive diet but almost as an afterthought, tossed a glass of milk on the side urging eaters to have a glass with every meal.  The problem is that almost any reasonable nutritionist will tell you that a serving of dairy with every meal is far too much and Harvard nutritionists agree.

The Ivy League school decided to release their own My Plate which shows a glass of water in place of the milk.  They urge eaters to drink lots of water, tea, or coffee, and avoid sugary drinks while limiting their dairy. Their defense of such a non-traditional move was this:

“High intake [of dairy] can increase the risk of prostate cancer and possibly ovarian cancer.  Plus, dairy products can be high in saturated fat as well as retinal, which at high levels can paradoxically weaken bones.”

The human body is made of about 70% water so telling people to drink more of it does seem more important than telling them to drink more milk.  

empatheticvegan:

So it goes.: One Thousand Year Old Vegan Poem

thevioletfemme:

I No Longer Steal From Nature
by Al Ma’arri (973-1057), Baghdad (modern Iraq)

You are diseased in understanding and religion.
Come to me, that you may hear something of sound truth.
Do not unjustly eat fish the water has given up,
And do not desire as food the flesh of slaughtered animals,
Or the white milk of mothers who intended its pure draught
for their young, not noble ladies.
And do not grieve the unsuspecting birds by taking eggs;
for injustice is the worst of crimes.
And spare the honey which the bees get industriously
from the flowers of fragrant plants;
For they did not store it that it might belong to others,
Nor did they gather it for bounty and gifts.
I washed my hands of all this; and wish that I
Perceived my way before my hair went gray!

(via aherdofangryhippies)