Once upon a Vegan

A One-Fanged Feline Helps Tell A Vegan Story

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Fri, 03 May 2013 23:30:00 +0000

Before I can continue with the most special part of my last post I must introduce you to Teco, AKA Cinderella, Thumbelina, Scamper, Princess, and Muffin-Girl. She was found eleven years ago in a cardboard box at a K-mart parking lot. She was such a tiny squirt that my husband brought her home in his shirt pocket. In an instant she made our family complete.

Teco grew to be an amazing being. As perfect a feline as there ever was. She spends lots of time in two different screened in rooms so she manages to frequently catch wayward lizards. You can always tell when she does because she'll bring him into the house and loudly announce her "prize". This early warning signal has managed to spare most of them... (minus a tail or two). Is she "sweet enough" to do this deliberately? I don't know. But if you knew her, you'd almost say it was true.

She's incredibly affectionate and doesn't mind giving her dog or human family a good tongue- licking bath! Oh... And did I tell you that she coos and has a singing language too?

We love Teco!

You can imagine how frightened we were when we thought that one of her upper fangs was infected! She never had the best teeth... But this time her gums were swollen and we worried about how to have the root of the (missing?) tooth removed. Thinking the worst we carried her to our vet. And here comes the bonus to my story.

For the last dozen years Mitsie Vargas at Orchid Springs has been our vet. Throughout the years Mitsie has taken excellent care of my companions and was also a tower of support when I had to say good bye to some of them. Mitsie is a woman of dedicated compassion. She started out caring for animals when her neighbors brought their sick or injured pets to her for treatment. In this community as well, you can't find a person who doesn't have the highest confidence in her and her staff. And so we took our Teco-Girl to get the best care we knew of.

In a matter of a few minutes into the exam my husband and I were told that Teco's tooth had already fallen out! Completely! With some minor antibiotics the swelling would subside and the worst of any discomfort Teco had was already over! Yippee! What a relief!

But what could be better than this? The good doctor was soon to tell!

More good news? What could it be?

The whole Vargas family is now vegan! You could have knocked me over with a whisker!

This has been a desire of mine for the longest time: To have one of the most compassionate people I know see the full picture. I never could understand how caring people (especially veterinarians) didn't get what I thought was so obvious. But a Vegan Outreach pamphlet and a screening of Forks Over Knives landed Mitsie to the better side of her judgments.

Upon hearing the good news I embraced her in thanks and in celebration. With mutual tears in our eyes she said, "Now I know I am really living as cruelty-free as possible". Right you are Doc. Right you are! ;)

So this dear readers is the best of my super special compilation of vegan stories. ;)

I hope it uplifted and renewed your hope that open minds can meet the challenges of change and ethical growth.

I also hope your own vet is inspired to compassion as well.

Teco thinks that would be a purr-fect ending too!

An Xtra-Xtra LARGE Collection of Vegan Stories

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:27:00 +0000

As I'll explain this post is a matter of housekeeping...

Initially I wanted this blog to be a collection of daily (or weekly) posts about new people who told their stories of awakening... My thought was that by writing the Provoked blog as well... what more could there be to tell?

Well here on Once Upon a Vegan, there's never been an absence of news or of personal insights, but rather the time and the figuring of what order to prioritize what in. Throw in a bit of procrastination and my "Stories" drafts folder was over-flowing. So now I'll pass them along as I originally intended to do.

The good news is that there's so many coming-out-vegan pieces that I'd never catch up unless it was by posting this "multi"-one all in one go. So here it is!

There's videos and essays - Some came to be vegan for health or the environment... Many in hopes of living the best ethical life they could in their treatment towards nonhumans. There's some names you might already know and some you may never forget...

Thanks for bearing with me as I do some spring-cleaning as I pass on these stories that deserve to be repeated.

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“I was watching Animals Australia’s exposure of live export on television and thought, ‘I can’t watch this.’ I wanted to block my ears and change the channel, then I realised I had to witness this, no matter how much it traumatised me personally. I knew I had to become part of this and acknowledge fully the cruelty that happens to billions of animals all over the world, every second. I was wearing leather shoes which I looked at and felt ill that I was wearing a by-product of the cruelty. I cried for days.

“I realised it was time to become vegan and to commit truly to animal welfare. My life then shifted in a beautiful way. I stepped into what I believe in wholeheartedly – that my lifestyle would not support animal cruelty – and hopefully I can encourage others how easy it is to not use animal products.”
Rach Moran

More on Youtube:

Get Real with Rory Freedman and more Skinny Bitch stories:
Cara
Lisa Tabari
Owen
Kristina Besse
Todd Moore

Don Johnson - Inspired by Gandhi and Albert Schweitzer has been vegetarian since 1963, and vegan since 1991
An interview with José González of Animals Australia
Sarah Taylor creator of the popular blog “The Vegan Next Door”, and the author of “Vegan in 30 Days”
Why I Transitioned to A Meat Free Diet and Became A Vegan
Gratex - Became friends with a bird outside his apartment window and questioned his relationship with all other creatures.
Peysi - An 11 year old girl thanks Gary Yourofsky for his speech that openned her eyes to the plight of nonhumans.
Djehuty Ma'at-Ra - In 1995 adopted a "plant based diet" for the health benefits
Brain Boy - Sarcastically relays the "Dangers of being vegan"

And Tim Shieff says "I realized it was pleasure without conscience." He passionately covers all the issues!

Rose Elisabeth - After watching Earthlings wonder's how and why people can't sympathize with the animals.
Hoang Mai is an NDP Member of Parliament for Brossard--La Prairie. "I realised we don't need to make animals suffer."
Why I am Vegan
Jennifer made the connection through a report on eating dogs in Asia. She says "reason allows no contradiction".
Paulina Logan - Sings her musical vegan story
Ari Evergreen - Always thought of herself as an animal lover...
Mayim Bialik
Becoming a Vegetarian - From Writer/Director of NextNik

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Rebecca Stucki - Learned of "The realities of what animal production entails — the deaths, the “culling,” the breaking up of the animals’ social and familial structures, and most of all, the personalities and individuality of the so-called “farm” animals that most people haven’t experienced or even considered."

Dan Barton was inspired to go vegan after reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer

77 year old body builder Jim Morris says animals should have the "freedom to live in its natural environment, with its own kind, making its own decisions. I believe the law should prohibit the enslavement of all non-human species for any purpose whatever."

Dianne "Veggiegirl" Wenz:
When I fully accepted that “treatment” is not the issue, but using animals for our gain IS the issue, I knew I had to go vegan. It was not a choice anymore. It was a duty. A moral obligation. I was afraid of how my husband and family would react, but that didn’t matter anymore. I could no longer wait until everyone around me changed, because if I did that it would never happen. I had to be the one to do what I knew was right, no matter what. It scared the hell out of me, but i did it.

Freeheel Vegan says "When I fully accepted that “treatment” is not the issue, but using animals for our gain IS the issue, I knew I had to go vegan. It was not a choice anymore. It was a duty. A moral obligation."

Andrew Kirschner realized the absurdity at a fund raising event to help cats and dogs when "veal" and chickens were served on the buffet.

Natalie Cunningham: "I stumbled across an article about veganism purely by chance. I cannot even remember which one it was or where it was from but it was detailed enough to make me realise that I was feeling the same grief that the baby cow feels when he is taken away from his mummy, my mother felt the same fear on her road to death that the beef cattle feel as they approached the slaughterhouse – I realised that we are all the same. Another neural pathway creation!"

A collection of Vegan Conversions at Eating Plants

Daria Zeoli : "Being vegan is not about being radical – it is about being ethical."

Seth Falcon - From an L.A. Youth publications says his aunt's veganism changed his entire family!

Karen Interlandi - "I had been told by a dog trainer a few years back not to attribute human emotions onto animals. I had agreed to this at the time, but then I started to think, well, why can’t animals experience the same range of emotions and feelings that we have? Do humans have exclusive rights to being happy or sad, or the feeling of loss or grief? Can anyone explain the pure joy that your dog displays when you they greet you at the front door as anything other than love?

That lead to me realising that every piece of meat that I ate was at some stage an animal’s baby. I suddenly didn’t want to eat someone’s babies anymore."

Lisa Hewus and her reaction to seeing the film Earthlings

Claire Crossan

Roger Yates - Owner of On Non-Human Relations, and vegan since 1979

Elizabeth Reflects on Her 4-H Experience and Her Path to Becoming Vegan

5 reasons I wish I’d gone vegan sooner.

A day in the slaughterhouse - That's why I became vegetarian (warning graphic images)
at the age of 38, I witnessed a truckload of chickens that were in such horrific conditions that I was completely shaken to my core. At that moment I knew I would never eat sentient animals again. Networking on Facebook educated me to the violence in the egg and diary industries. Ethically, I knew I had to give up some old favorites like ice cream and milk chocolate. Today I do not miss those foods at all. There are great alternatives and like I like to say, nothing tastes as good as being vegan feels.

Jo-Anne McArthur / The Ghosts In Our Machine: Why I Became Vegan

IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO CHANGE THE WORLD: WHY I BECAME VEGETARIAN
AT AGE 86 Sherrey Reim Glickman

Losing My Leg To Cancer Inspired Me To Become A Voice For Farm Animals Jenny Brown

A collection of Stories from Vegan Mainstream

Jersey City Vegan - Vegan Like Me Series

Ready for Plan B - Vegan Testamonials

This Dish is Veg:
Stephanie
Shana Kurz
Alexandra
Lisa Dawn
Samantha
Leolin
Ashley Kiefer
Lindsay Geller
Julia
Joanna Tenderro
Andee Bingham
Neva Davis
Peter
Catherine Mullins
Erin Fergus

From The Veg Monologues Vegans Telling Their Stories:
Jennifer’s Story:I cried a lot that night. I knew what I had to do. I had to give up eating animals. It was the only possible choice I could make now that I allowed myself to see the truth of the cruelty.
Cassie’s Story:We then heard a gun shot. We went back inside and the cow was strung up by the neck and slit from end to end . . . my soul was ripped apart that day.
Veronique’s Story:When I was a kid, my dad kept bunnies in the backyard who I used to feed through their cages. It never occurred to me that they were the ones I ended up eating.
Kathy Foster’s Story:I went to sleep that night and woke up a vegan.

Veg Vids Testimonials

The New Vegan Age

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Well those are the stories I've accumulated and am now happy to pass on. Certainly there are enough reasons to authenticate the very valid choice ethical people are making.

But wait! There is one more very special story I'm saving for a post all it's own. Please come back... It is my favorite story to tell! ;)

Of Easter Rabbits and Personal Tribunals

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:51:00 +0000

This photo was taken almost 4 decades ago and represents for me, a year of firsts. I had my first full time job. First car. First apartment. First serious relationship. And my first callous treatment to another living being.

I am pictured holding Metuse my first (and only) rabbit "pet". He was given to me by my partner at the time on Easter morning. I was in love the first moment I laid eyes on him! He wasn't young... But I never asked where he came from. Never thought of what home or circumstances he might be missing... All I knew was that he was mine to adore from then on!

We took Metuse everywhere we could reasonably allow for his freedom. He especially loved camping adventures where he'd be on grass for days at a time. And at home he was a perfect room mate. He had the run of the house at all times. I never found any object chewed or clawed on. And he always used his little box for his rabbit "deposits".

He must have loved me too - Each time I came home from work or errands he'd be at the door to greet me. He followed me from room to room and stayed at my feet when I settled down. He adored being petted and would fall asleep in the hollow of my lap. Everything was safe in our world...

But as youth often does - It has changes and is filled with disruptions... My 2 year relationship was ending and I made hasty arrangements to move into my second apartment - Leaving my sweet Metuse behind. So worried with my own life I didn't look back to claim him till weeks passed and by then he had been "given away". To this day I kick myself for letting my poor little love face yet another unknown. How helpless it must be to be moved about without even knowing where or why or... Well, I don't pretend to know what a nonhuman must think when they are shuffled or shoved into the unfamiliar. Or how they grieve when they miss their friends... But it can't be good. :(

I wish I could say that the fate I left my dear Metuse in was the last of my thoughtlessness regarding the nonhumans in my care - But to my shame it's not. As time allows and as I have the courage to tell - There's more...

For now I just wanted this to be an open apology to one of the most precious beings there ever was. I'm sorry Metuse that once I was so young and dumb and insensitive to your needs. In hindsight I should have left everything else behind and taken only you. To You my sweet friend: Stretching way back to our distant lives - to the comforts of home, secure surroundings and soft caresses - Please forgive me for having denied you these. You are always in my heart.

To those reading who might be moved by my story - Adopt your sweet rabbit and give him/her the best forever home you can. Remember their little world is totally dependent on you - Make it a considerate and generous one.

Happy Easter to all the great bunnies and bunny lovers in the world!

Vegans are Conscientious Objectors to Cruelty

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:36:00 +0000

At the onset of WWII Sir Nicholas Winton sought registration as a conscientious objector. In 1940 his service changed to the Administrative and Special Duties Branch of the Royal Air Force. He was initially an airman, rising to sergeant, then commissioned as an acting pilot. Later he was promoted to the rank of flight lieutenant.

In 1988 his wife Grete found a detailed scrapbook in the attic that detailed his benevolent private acts of kindness. He had organised the rescue and safe passage to 669 mostly Jewish Czechoslovakian children destined for the Nazi death camps in an operation known as the Czech Kindertransport. This touching video is the from the 1988 BBC Program "That's Life".

Go ahead... You tell me how one person can't make a difference! Just go ahead!

So - You're only one person! But what you do matters! It matters to all others who could be affected by your choices; By your kindness.

Be a conscientious objector in the holocaust against animals... Live compassionately.

No Drama Needed to Save Dairy Cows

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 19:50:00 +0000

This is just one photo in a series of incredible images that captures the events at a collapsed dairy in Connecticut. The firefighters and rescue team did an amazing job of working through the debris while racing against time...

They were'n't motivated to save material wealth or property. It's obvious their efforts were to prevent suffering... They were saving lives.

After the emergency I hope they realize that none of us needs a crisis to be helpful or heroic. We can save lives simply by making compassionate choices. Go Vegan.

Vegan Valentines... I Won't Hurt You

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:26:00 +0000

My husband and I took a rare excursion on Sunday... It was an event that I was hoping to see pretty paintings and to meet with the artists. Little did I know that it would also be a place surrounded by tables of taxidermy, "skins", "furs" and weapons to harm. Needless to say my Vegan tee-shirt stuck out like a sore thumb. :/ On top of that the particular tent that contained the ONLY exhibit I was interested in was right next to a marathon of "duck calling" contests. What a headache to shout over that annoying, constant bombardment of noise meant to trick helpless birds... Anyway - I digress...

Among the displays of the remains of murdered others was also a "petting zoo". There was a camel, a zebra, a lama, a cow, some sheep and goats. At least those were the beings I could see on the perimeter. I couldn't help but stop to stroke a friendly Billy (and tell him how sorry I was)... In a moment a child was behind me, with his outstretched hand ready to join in the love saying "Don't worry... I won't hurt you."

Funny thing --- Recently at a road side flea market a young girl also said that very same thing to these enslaved ponies: "Don't worry... I won't hurt you."

And I'm certain I overheard another child whisper this too as he mounted the elephant for a ride: "Don't worry... I won't hurt you."

Meanwhile when the parents hear this they are so convinced and pleased that they are raising sensitive and sympathetic kids... So normal - So right. So socially well adjusted:

...And so very humane.

If you are a parent... Of course you know that your children learn everything about life from you. Please, for their sake and for the innocent nonhumans - Don't let it be all lies! Spread the real love! There are compassionate and healthier options! Go Vegan!

Wings of Kindness & Little Goats of Hope

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 19:16:00 +0000

Okay... So maybe there's just way too much wanna-be "he-man", testosterone going on lately... Between the appalling thrill-to-kill python "hunt" in Florida to yesterday's tough and tumble super marathon of wing eating . :(

Anyway --- I'll take any and every opportunity to show a gentler side to guys who get such a bad rap of being "brutes" all the time. They sure aren't! Take for instance this latest video posted by the guardian/rescuer of Fadjen:

Petit Biquet translates to my little lamb... But this adorable love is a baby goat who is being human-hand raised because his mom is unable to do so... It appears that the shepherd dog also enjoys the role of being a surrogate mom.

And sweet Fadjen has turned 3!!!... So much for the "fierce", destined-to-be-killed-as-a-baby-bull bull!

When you're kind --- It's all good! <3 span="">

Eating Dead Flesh - It's Okay 2B Grossed Out!

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 23:44:00 +0000

Some recent stories about dog penises found in a Taiwan slaughterhouse, Pork labelled as beef in Sweden, and horse flesh mixed with cow flesh in Ireland got me thinking about a few things... The first being how odd it is that anyone would be upset with eating one type of matter from a dead being over another. I know none of it is pretty and so does Lisa Simpson:

But it's not like it's not all the same thing anyway... Carnists are so strange! As if there really is a quantifiable difference between consuming one bird called a chicken and another named a pelican! The "ick" factor comes from custom and ingrained habit - Not from any significant reasoning.

Odd how even die-hard omnivores want to spew when they consider the following "foods" misplaced in the category of human nutrition:

Like the pink-slime scandal that makes us recall incidents in The Jungle by Upton Sinclair:

Sinclair told of old, lame, diseased cattle still sent to slaughter. He told of “potted chicken” made from tripe, pork fat and the waste from veal; of rancid butter, rechurned and sold to market; of meat that had fallen into the filth, spittle and sawdust of the packing-house floor, only to be retrieved and packaged; of rats and rat dung, poisoned bread and spoiled meat, mixed together in sausage hoppers.
All processed meat, Sinclair reported, contained what was euphemistically called “filler”: “There would come back from Europe old sausage that had been rejected, and that was mouldy and white -- it would be dosed with borax and glycerine, and dumped in the hoppers, and made over again for human consumption.” There were “butt-ends of smoked meat, and the scraps of corned beef, and all the odds and ends of the waste” of the manufacturing plants, which was added to fresh meat and churned into breakfast sausage. To use parts of meat that couldn’t be sold whole, the packers applied what Sinclair called “the miracles of chemistry” to make the result appear palatable.

Or PCRM reports that: Nearly Half of Supermarket Chicken Tainted by Feces, Testing Finds

And everyone should know about the pus in cows milk... But what about the mites and maggots in cheese?

Or maggots used to process meat:

What about worms in fish? You don't even have to consume the fishes - Just have intercourse with someone who did!

Is it okay to be grossed out by the idea of consuming these guys the Taenia saginata or Taenia solium aka tapeworms? Of course cooking the flesh at high temperatures kills these worms - But they're still in the meat...

Hitchhikers in meat

So people eating cows, pigs and fishes are already eating these worms... Then why should they get nauseated at the idea of having flies on their plate or maggots on a sandwich? Why are people repulsed by squirrel, opossum or rat eating but aren't equally disgusted at eating rabbits? What about pig rectums? A lamb's head? Or eyeballs or intestines? It's all animal protein anyway you slice it! And if you're grossed out by one you should be grossed out by all!

As a vegan... Can you possibly imagine being revolted if you discovered a forth kind of bean in your three-bean salad? Or carrots cleverly disguised in a sweet potato pie? Or nuts tucked and folded inside a veggie patty? No. Eating kale would no more gross you out than eating bok choy, or arugula ... Red cabbage wouldn't turn your stomach any more than white. And one beautiful mushroom would be as appreciated as all the rest... All simply good food!

So as the rest of the world wrings its hands and shuts its eyes as to how insanely ridiculous it is to fret over horse's bodies mixed in with cow's bodies or eating chicken's brains along with chicken's ovaries, or the confusion of species they think is "food"... I have discovered that it's okay to be grossed out by their grub. Even they among themselves "yuck" and dry-heave over equally nasty choices... I may even be able to say I have a predisposition to be offended and repelled by all animal eating... It May Be Genetic!

I'm comforted in knowing that it’s normal to feel grossed out by people eating meat. As every thoughtful vegan will agree there are countless good reasons for thriving on plants instead. The dear creatures trapped in a "food chain" that's fashioned to serve the inconsistent, fickle and frivolous wants of man thank you for your very palatable choice!

New Lessons from an Old Year

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 07:03:00 +0000

It's only appropriate that this first post of the new year would be late in coming as what I've written below has been in my drafts folder for over a year...

As I mentioned last year, January 1st for me not only marks a new year... But it's also my vegan-versary. And a year ago it was also the day that Peggy's chicks were hatched:

I've put off writing about Peggy because of the possibility of criticism... But I've mulled over worst-case-scenarios enough to stick my neck out, and hope that the hatchet doesn't fall without at least telling our story first...

Here's what I wrote almost a year ago:

Peggy has been the most brooding hen I've ever known. She would sit on her nest with her one egg for endless days. Many times not leaving to eat or even to roost with the rest of the flock... When I did remove her into the grass and sunshine - She'd scream and squawk in desperation - not wanting to leave her egg. Her precious egg that never had the benefit of a rooster's charms. This went on for many months - She'd always fret. I'd always feel badly for her frustrated mothering desires.

Well, a few weeks before Christmas I went to my flea market for some veggies and a Sunday browse. As usual I'd stopped to see my nursery-man Ralph who sold the best plants... And who I've been somewhat successful in nudging towards a (healthier) plant based diet. Well, Ralph also has chicken as "pets" (and for eggs) as well. I told him about Peggy's issues and he suggested to let her hatch some chicks. I didn't quite get how this would work without a rooster but he said if she really wanted to sit on some eggs... Any eggs would do - Like the eggs from his hen-friends that mingled and romanced with the roosters. Ah! Now I understood!

The next day Ralph gave me 15 assorted eggs - probably all fertilized. I placed them in a nest box - and Peggy laid claim to them immediately. For 3 weeks straight she only left those eggs for water and food... Not all the play, digging, or sun bathing by her friends could get her to abandon her mission. Peggy was in her element! She dutifully rotated those eggs, keeping each at just the right temperature - Cooing a mantra in her task of motherhood.

Then on New Year's eve nature's alarm clock struck... Her first chick hatched at about 8 pm - During the night 4 more peeps were under her warm feathers... Throughout the next day about every 3 hours another little being reached the official welcome-mat of life. I tried to imagine what each new sibling thought of the next:

Hey - I'm me! peep-peep Who are you? cheep-cheep Where'd you come from? peep Are there more of us? cheep Isn't Mommy the best place to be? peep - peep... cheep - cheep.

Peg left several unhatched eggs - Apparently birds know when they aren't viable because there is no conversation taking place. The shells that were vacated though were stacked one into the next --- Accordian style - Like a collapsed tower... This was her way of "counting" and making room for the other lives yet to come. Quite a bit of a perfect "miracle". Yeah - I cried...

After about 24 hours Peggy left the nest with her little babies following her. She didn't go far... Maybe 2 feet. But the chicks ventured further. Then she'd fluff all her feathers to make herself huge. She'd flap her wings and let out a deafening screech. Each of chicks made a rapid retreat back under her. These were their first lessons to return to safety at her urging.

For the first month they all slept in Mother's down - Tucked in every space available.

Under and inside of her inviting wings... I don't know that anything was ever more serene to witness.

In the month and a half since they've had daily teachings about where and how to scratch for bugs... How to dust bathe... And eventually how to perch at night. Peep - Cheep - Peep.

From the beginning I also had my own "maternal" goals in mind... There is my beautiful Cleo

Cleo

who is separated from the rest of the flock due to a neurological issue that makes it difficult to walk. Cleo has had the company of some peeps in the past when I came by chicks from a woman who "changed her mind" about keeping them. But they've grown and left her terribly alone. My hope, realized through Peggy's chicks, is that now Cleo has all the companionship she could want via a "secret passage" that only the little ones can enter:

The chicks have climbed on her... Cooed and gently accepted her as a surrogate mom... At first Peggy wasn't so generous to "share" her chicks - But as they've gotten older I think she's grateful for the break away from her duties.

And as you can see in this video - There was a particular bond with one chick named Miss. Miss for "misfit" as Peggy totally rejected her. Ran her away from the rest of the brood with a vengeance. Why? I have no idea but she and Cleo were inseparable.

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Fast forward a year to now Doris, Martha, Twiggy, Miss and Linda have also grown... Leaving Cleo as alone as before :( Peggy still broods on the nest (incessantly). Nothing has really changed except that I had to find forever homes for the boys that I couldn't keep. And it's only in hindsight that I can clearly see the dilemma that I created. Even under the best intentions - When man begins manipulating and tweaking others - More problems arise than what are solved...

In today's industrialized world of mechanized chickens, it's not often a Peggy gets to be a mother hen. It's not often chicks know the genuine comfort of a nurturing parent. It's not often a rooster gets to protect a flock... For better or for worse - I wanted these things to happen. I had a hand in it all. And for all the negatives that were a concern (and I've whipped myself enough over them) - They pale in what I thought was the right thing to do at the time. So... For right or wrong - Happy Birthday Doris, Martha, Twiggy, Miss and Linda! You may have gotten here under some very strained and orchestrated circumstances... But I'm glad you did!

So much for ringing in the new year with old news... But it was something that's been tugging at me to tell as a course of learned lessons and owning up to a lapse in judgment. I was never perfect as an omnivore - And certainly still am not perfect as a vegan. Maybe the next five years of more carefully thought out decisions will get me closer though. (?) ~Happy New Year

A Christmas Shepherd... Samson's Story

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 23:33:00 +0000

A Christmas Miracle
by Crystal Ward Kent author of The Journey

It was just after Thanksgiving. An angry middle-aged man stood at the counter of the animal shelter, gripping the leash of an aging German shepherd. "Why won't you take him?" he shouted. "I need to get him off my hands!"

The adoption counselor tried once more to explain. "At fourteen, Samson is too old to be a good adoption candidate," she said.

Dr Brad Tuscon Az

"Well, then just take him and put him down," the man yelled. "I want to be rid of him."

"We don't take animals just to put them down," the counselor explained. "May I ask why you no longer wish to keep the dog?"

"I just can't stand the sight of him," the man hissed, "and if you won't put him down, I'll shoot him myself."
Trying not to show her horror, the counselor pointed out that shooting an animal was illegal. She urged the man to consult with his veterinarian for other options.

"I'm not spending any more money on this animal," the man grumbled and, yanking the leash, he stalked out.

Concerned, the counselor wrote down the license plate of the man's truck and offered up a quick prayer for Samson.

A few days later, a German shepherd was found abandoned. He was brought to the shelter, and the staff recognized him as Samson. The town where he had been abandoned was where his owner lived. The man was contacted by the police and, under questioning, admitted that distraught over his recent divorce, he had sought revenge through the shepherd. He hadn't even wanted the dog, but he fought to keep him to spite his wife. Once his wife was gone, he couldn't bear to see the animal. The man was charged with abandonment, and Samson came to stay at the shelter.

The wife and the couple's son were located in Pennsylvania. They were horrified to hear what had happened to their dog and agreed immediately to have him come live with them.

There was just one problem: The wife was nearly broke after the divorce and their initial move. She could take no time off from work to drive to New Hampshire and get the dog, and she couldn't afford any other method of getting him to her. She hated to have Samson in the shelter any longer but didn't know what to do.

Over the Garden Wall by John Trickett

"We'll come up with something," the staff assured her, but in their hearts they didn't know what. They were concerned, as well. Samson had lived with his family all his life. Within a few weeks, his whole world had been turned upside down. He was beginning to mope, and the staff could tell by his eyes that if he wasn't back with his family soon, he would give up.

Christmas was only two weeks away when the angel arrived. He came by pickup truck in the form of a man in his mid-thirties. Through a friend of a shelter staffer, he had heard about Samson's plight. He was willing to drive Samson to Pennsylvania, and he would do it before Christmas.

The staff was thrilled with the offer, but cautious. Why would a stranger drive hundreds of miles out of his way to deliver a dog to people he didn't know? They had to make sure he was legitimate and that Samson wouldn't be sold to meat dealers or dumped along the interstate. The man understood their concerns and, thankfully, checked out to be an upstanding citizen. In the course of the conversation, he explained why he had come forward.

"Last year, I left my dog in my van while I went to do some grocery shopping," he explained. "While I was inside, the van caught fire. I heard people hollering and rushed out to see my van engulfed in flames. My dog meant everything to me, and he was trapped. I tried to get to the van, but people restrained me.

By lamy grrl

Then I heard someone shouting, 'The dog is safe! The dog is safe!' I looked over, and there was this man I'd never seen before, holding my dog. He had risked his own life to get my dog out. I'll forever be in his debt. Just when you don't think there are heroes any more, one comes along. "I vowed then and there that if I ever had the chance to do someone a good turn when it came to a beloved pet, that I would. When I heard about Samson and his family, I knew this was my chance, so here I am."

The shelter staff was amazed. They all knew about the van rescue story. It had been in all the papers, and the shelter had even given the rescuer a reward, but they had never dreamed that Samson's angel was connected to this earlier good deed.

A few days later, Samson and his angel were on their way. The dog seemed to know he was going home, because his ears perked up and his eyes were brighter than they had been in some time.

Canine Designs by Suzanne Renaud

Just before Christmas, the mail brought one of the best cards the shelter had ever received. Along with a thank-you note were photos of a deliriously happy Samson romping with his family in the snow and snuggling with them by their Christmas tree. Samson was truly where he belonged, and the staff knew he would live out his days happily there.

They also knew that Samson's journey home was a true Christmas miracle, and that angels — and heroes— may still appear when you need them, even in the most unlikely forms.

Originally published in Listening to the Animals, Second Chances

To all those who are heroes to the outcasts, cast-offs, misfits, misplaced and to those who have just been born into a world without friends - Thank you for your concern and dedication to making things better.

A Peace Filled Vegan Holiday to You!

The Shepherd by Paul Doyle

Gifting Life is Being Vegan

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:28:00 +0000

Well, as I said I would have my last word about food for a while... But certainly not about turkeys or turkey rescues...

This video comes from Indraloka Animal Sanctuary and was originally posted at This Dish is Veg. Clearly the founder Indra gave a special gift to two lovely birds... She gave back what was originally theirs...
The rights to their own lives.

The most generous thing you can do this holiday and everyday beyond is to allow others to keep their most precious beingness... Please do not remove them from this world - Please do not steal their sacred lives. Please extend your compassion to others. Give the gift of life by treating all creatures with respect.

Last Words on Vegan Food (for a while)...

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Sat, 24 Nov 2012 04:25:00 +0000

I trust everyone had an abundant and satisfying holiday marked by the hope of peace and the act of compassion to make it so...

I'm taking a brief break from the blog-o-sphere to accomplish some personal commitments. Perhaps you'll enjoy this video as "an intermission" and as my last word on food and eating for a while...

Choose Compassion.
Every time we sit down to eat we have the ability to choose between peace and violence, compassion and cruelty. Making vegan choices not only helps other animals, it's what's best for the earth and people, too.
Order or download your FREE Starter Kit here.

Giving Thanks to the First Farmers

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 19:41:00 +0000

With gratitude to the first American farmers - The natives on this soil who grew abundant plant based foods:

And apologies for having repaid you so unkindly: Thanksgiving A Native American View

We European immigrants should be the ones who plead for pardon.

In Lakota wolakota wa yaka cola - peace without slavery - Would be something all of us would be very thankful for. le mita pila - my thanks to those who strive for this goal.

Turkey Bowling - An Ancient Carnist Tradition

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 15:36:00 +0000

The video below shows a new past-time for the American meat-eating public to pursue - "bowling" with murdered and butchered turkey bodies...

This very depraved leisure activity is apparently sought out by many:
Firemen
Church youth groups
Walmart employees
Charity benefits for the Salvation Army
Teens in a Church
As family traditions
Even X-presidents

In light of how very beautiful these birds are - And how sacred their lives are to them - Events such as these become even more obscene and vile.

While millions of gentle, innocent creatures endure a very short painful life of extreme deprivation with no sun, no fresh air, no space, no hope of satisfying the very basic desires that are natural to them --- There are fools somewhere having laughs and jokes "bowling" with the butchered bodies of their counterparts.

And while they are gathered in the most brutal ways to be turned into preserved carcasses some dork-neanderthal is making comedy with a corpse.

And as these sentient beings face their last horrifying moments at machines meant to carve their lives away, some fool-idiot is at play with another body that has been murdered days before...

That's "turkey bowling". And these are the faces of just some of the victims:

Somebody NOT Something!

This post is my effort to shame those who would use an other's body in such a way... To remind bird (cow, chicken, pig, goat, rabbit, cat, dog, monkey and donkey) eaters what your whole bloody ritual of flesh eating can eventually manifests its self as. You see, this is inevitable when you turn life into a commodity...

No carnist can complain or judge how a nonhuman's body is used. Once it's bought and paid for - Anything goes. Even if your banquet table is set with the finest china and the most elegant glassware Congratulations! You've condoned turkey bowling!

The message is clear - We don't need to and shouldn't sacrifice these birds or any other being for our body's desires - Whether for consumption or entertainment. Choosing a vegan life is the only ethical course one can make.

Sanctuary For Hens and Humans

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Sat, 10 Nov 2012 01:48:00 +0000

This beautiful video shows Robert Grillo of Free From Harm with some quiet, quality time with his feathered family.

Two years ago Robert Grillo came to adopt and raise four beautiful hens. Doris is the star at the beginning of the film. She was rescued from a class egg hatching project. The gorgeous white leghorn is Sweet Pea. The elegant black with white speckled feathers bird is Danita. And the one seen on his lap at the end is the lovely Sandye who sadly just passed the last day of October. You can learn more about these precious chickens as well as Robert's insightful observations at the links on the bottom and side bar of those pages.

I can add very little to what is shown on this touching video - Except to say that when I first adopted Chicklett and Eunice I didn't have any prior knowledge of chickens either... I didn't expect a bond or a relationship with them. Shamefully, I didn't know chickens could respond to affection. Like most... I was taught not to know this.

But in just a bit of time I had the sweetest realization of how little I really knew about chickens. How gentle they could be - How curious - Patient - Brave - And even stubborn at times. Every quality that I knew existed in cats and dogs and in my own species could be found in chickens too!

I have a friend who lives too far away to share these backyard outings and revelations with, but on the phone she asked if chickens were different from one another. Meaning I suppose, did they have "personalities". But of course if she took my answer as "yes indeed!" - She'd also have to accept their right to their own lives as well. She wasn't ready for that truth then. Perhaps now she'll watch Mr. Grillo's video and have the courage to acknowledge that chickens, just as all other beings desire and deserve the full measure of the lives that belong to them. And to them alone!

As Robert concludes: If chickens were simply put on this earth to feed us, as some would have us believe, then why were they blessed with these highly-evolved social, emotional and cognitive abilities? What use would these abilities serve an animal whose purpose was just to be a human commodity? Our fabricated perception of chickens is a big lie we tell ourselves every time we sit down to eat chicken and see “meat” instead of an individual who had a rich and complex life. For only by perpetuating this lie can we justify eating them.

So please, if you are rationalizing why it's okay to commodify, confine and kill birds for what you can seize from their bodies - Just stop. Please. Opt for vegan choices and keep everyone Free From Harm.

Direct link to My Urban Hen Sanctuary

Humans Can't Tellagress - A Vegan Satire

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 04:41:00 +0000

There's been some miserable news lately - Not that it's unusual in our "superior" world that permits the use of "lesser" others as a means to our ends. So privileged we are. :/

I have on occasion challenged people who thought this way by arguing: If we encountered a race of beings who were much more able than us... And they wanted to control, confine, manipulate and utilize our bodies - Wouldn't we scream bloody murder at the injustice of it?!?
We would - Wouldn't we.

The video above comes from Vegan Smythe, "He won't eat anyone with feet". If you're looking for the lighter side of what ails you - Check him out.

In the meantime considering man's super specialness and all:

'I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.' ~Gandhi

And I can't argue with that one bit.

Going Five Animals More by Philip Wollen

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 06:07:00 +0000

This is an extract from Philip Wollen's recent conversation with World Peace Diet author Will Tuttle as part of the Veganpalooza celebration.

Going Five Animals More

Many years ago, as I traveled around the world I noticed the vast number of animal species that other people ate.

And it dawned on me that here were literally thousands of animals I didn't eat. . . . . . dogs or cats, bears or bats, tigers or turtles, horses or hamsters, rosellas or rats.

Nor did I drink the milk of goats, yaks or donkeys, giraffes, or cats.

I decided to go only five animals more. . . . I simply added cows, sheep, pigs, chickens and fish to the list.

It was a breeze.

I didn't crave lamb any more than I craved lion; I didn't miss beef any more than I missed bandicoot. I didn't miss chicken any more than I missed chimpanzee. I didn't miss pork any more than I missed porcupine.

I replaced dead animals with an astounding variety of colorful, delicious and healthy plant foods.

The consequences for me were astonishing. I immediately felt better. It was instantaneous.

Today, I sleep peacefully and deeply. I now have boundless energy, more than people half my age.

My memory has improved rapidly. I remember what an unexamined life I had lived.

And I care more deeply:
For my family, my friends, my colleagues and associates.
For strangers I have never met.
For causes I have only heard about.

For ideas. For the arts – music, poetry, theatre, literature, painting, the ballet.

Everything of beauty seems to come alive. More vividly. More subtly. More completely.

I didn't know what I had been missing.

My greatest regret in life was that I did not do this earlier.

What madness could infect us so profoundly that we justify the murder of weaker innocent living beings?

Adding only five animals to an already huge list was the easiest (and wisest) thing I ever did.

Try it. You won't regret it. Not for a second.

The animals will thank you for it.

The planet will thank you for it.

And the farmers, the taxpayers and your family will thank you too.

Good things will come to you. You can’t miss. You can’t fail.

You will have a rich life. It is inevitable.

The Dream - An Ode to Freedom for All Animals

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:57:00 +0000

PETA does a lot of things I shake my head in grief and disbelief over... Every now and then they do something right. This is one of them: The Dream

Compassion is the Courageous Root of an Activist

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 04:00:00 +0000

When I became vegan the second book I read was Striking at the Roots by Mark Hawthorne. Being new to the cause I wanted to dedicate myself to... I had no idea where to start. But this book delivers just what the title promises... I certainly wasn't disappointed in learning the endless ways to get the message heard. Every chapter has useful information and real world solutions to get motivated and to stay involved. This book and Mark's suggestions are at once insightful and inspiring.

So I'm happy now to share excerpts from his amazing journey into advocacy that started out by participating in the very unkind event of "running bulls" in Pamplona, Spain. This event is part of the Saint Fermin festival and was historically the prelude to bullfighting.

Mark recalls that in 1992 he knew nothing about the world of animal cruelty and he was neither a vegan nor an animal advocate at the time. "I ate from the table of ignorance and wore the skin of animals without a single thought about who they might have come from."

"But that summer, something in me shifted—a flickering of awareness, if you will—and it began in Pamplona."

His accounting of the events on that day are written here on My Road to Activism Began in Pamplona and he concludes:

"Not wanting to witness a bullfight, I left the Plaza del Toro and made my way back to Estafeta Street and found several tourists dressed in white shirts and pants with red sashes. They were pondering the sight of bull’s blood on the cobblestone. “That’s where he got it!” said a drunken man of about 25, pointing at a smear of crimson near the curb. Was I the only person to travel to Spain, run with the bulls and then feel shame?

It didn’t happen overnight, but soon after visiting Pamplona I began regarding all animals with an abiding respect. Gradually, I stopped eating cows, chickens, pigs and sheep, and I visited farms where these animals are cared for and allowed to live their natural lives. Watching them interact with other animals, it occurred to me that compassion is my religion, celebrated in kindness toward all beings. No scripture, no rituals, not even a prayer to a patron saint—just a reverence for all life."

Bull by Franz Marc

No one can say exactly why we advocates suddenly get that jolt that lead us to unfogged vision. I think the first step though, is that we have to be courageous. We have to be confident enough to accept that our current state of apathy or ignorance isn't acceptable and we have to have the strength to change accordingly.

Mark Hawthorne more than accomplished these brave and thoughtful deeds... A true champion who no longer "runs the bulls" but advocates for them!

Here's some wise advice from Mark to avoid burnout:

Accept that you are human
Create something tangible to remind you of success
Talk to someone you trust
Ignore upsetting text and images
Visit and volunteer at sanctuaries
Exercise

You can learn more of Mark's helpful techniques in these videos recorded at the Let Live Animal Rights Conference and this presentation at the Lewis and Clark Law School.

What a fine example Mark Hawthorne is of someone who is the change he wishes to see!

Who Says Vegans Don't Have A Sense of Humor?

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:09:00 +0000

"We do have a sense of humor! ;) But animal suffering and death is no laughing matter!"
Go Vegan!!!

For Crying Out Loud: Please Go Vegan!

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 11:31:00 +0000

Sometimes I do an awful lot of crying... Sad, sad tears.. I'm ever grateful to those friends who help wipe them away...

It sure does get tough though. Not a day or hour can go by for the tuned-in to know that there's a universe of suffering going on out there... No wonder why I and many others can feel overwhelmed - and helpless to change much of it. So could it be - And surely it is - That just being there to listen to each others troubles becomes greater than that act might ever seem to be? I think it's true!

And so it's enough to want to share yet more tears... But those that come from sweet gladness and hope instead of the bitter ones of despair. Below is Joey Borden - A fine story teller with a worthy message:

Here is a link to his vegan story.

And his equally inspiring take on The Golden Rule.

I stumbled on Joey's videos at just the right time when I felt abundantly grateful for the comfort I found in others... And I hope that by sharing them - It will lighten someone else's burden too. Certainly with the world as harsh as it often is... We must take the chance to pay kindness forward when we can.

And through all the good found in others... It's never been more obvious to me - That the most profound acts of love and peace have got to be in the most easiest of deeds. It is found in simply allowing others the right to their own life by refusing to harm them... It's achieved by going vegan.

Humane Veal - Humane Dairy - The Mother Of All Lies!

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Sat, 12 May 2012 05:05:00 +0000

How very disturbing it is on Mother's Day to know that the one species of nonhuman so treasured for her devoted maternal ways is treated so very, very badly.

I'm speaking of the dairy cow. The most over worked mother on the planet. It's heartbreaking to know the abuses she endures for the sake of getting milk intended for her baby slathered on adult humans instead. It's pitiful and obscene I tell you!

And then the gall of these folks who are in the cow-milk, baby-stealing, mother-child-killing biz to have the nerve to present the farce of an idea of "humane veal" on the cusp of Mother's Day! It's irreverent!

I'm referring to two recent articles. This one recaps the two day event hosted by the N.Y. Beef Industry where they "explore" the world of veal and dairy then sit down to dine on "veal riggies". Sounds like a meal made of misery to me.

Then there's two Vermont cow-prisons that are doing things a different and "humane" way as compared to the industrial model in N.Y. One place has only 70 cows... You can read about the conditions the boy calves live in here along with several paragraphs that describe the "tenderness" of the flesh - How pink it is. How it has more "chew" and of course the flavor.

The other facility has slightly different operating procedures - But the goal is the same... To get people to feel good about eating "humane" veal.

Now here's the point in the article that really got me riled enough to discuss this huge MOTHER of a LIE!

"What they have in common is that each of the farmers believes strongly that keeping the bull calves on their farm to raise them for four and a half to six months is more humane than sending them off to slaughter within days or hours of birth."

Since when does the default of compassion (humaneness) hinge on what's the minimum of kindness? Just because the veal breast or veal chop came from a creature that had a few months with his mother... Just because he had some extra time on the grass and in the sun light - He was still brutally stolen from HIS life! For what? All for the momentary pleasure someone might get from munching on his body? All for the profitability of a rancher who sells cow's secretions to unweaned adult humans? That's it!?! And this is supposed to make dairy-cow killing and eating their juvenile babies morally palatable? ~~Joke!~~ Lie!

There's still NOTHING "humane" about it! It's still unnecessary, cruel, violent murder of an innocent being that wanted to live and had a right to that life! Others may call it "humane" all they want - It just isn't so!

There is no such thing as humane veal... Merciful veal, kind veal, kindly veal, kindhearted veal, compassionate veal, gentle veal, sympathetic veal, benevolent veal, benignant veal, or charitable veal. It's the Mother of all lies!

"Help Me" by Twyla Francois

Please - If you are not vegan - Swallow a piece of truth. Use your head and heart to figure it out... All beings love their lives and those lives are not ours to take no matter how many times you say it's "humane" to do so.

~Happy Mother's Day to all those who truly respect the lives of others.~

The Vegan Matrix - A Convincing Reason To Wake Up!

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:31:00 +0000

The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF) has a new and powerful presentation called The Vegan Matrix: A Guide to Veganism

It's loosely based on Gary Yourofsky's format that I think everyone is familiar with... But James Wildman adds some interesting content, a unique delivery, and his energy level is captivating!

Of course his message is clear - Red pill or blue?

Animal Liberation - This War We Intend To Win!

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Fri, 04 May 2012 01:40:00 +0000

"An Animal Activist's Pledge" By Janet Riddle

Until the last flesh is consumed
and no more animals are born to doom
Our struggle is beside the weak
respect for life is what we seek
Until the last is forced to entertain
and no more animals are driven insane
For all those beaten to a cower
we lend our strength and our power
Until the last suffers in a cruel test
and scientific fraud is finally confessed
To those voiceless we give them word
until their agonizing cries are heard
Until the last dead skin is worn
and for our usage no animal is born
Relentless battles we must fight
until all others see compassion's light
Until the last abuse has ceased
and existence is granted to every beast
We won't abandon or give in
because this war we intend to win

Thank You Vegan Outreach Activists!

bea.elliott@verizon.net (Bea Elliott) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 03:13:00 +0000

I thought I'd give a shout out to a few remarkable activists that I've had the privilege of leafleting with:

The amazing Lana Smithson:

How long have you been involved in animal rights and how did you get interested?

In January of 2002, I watched a short video of a cow being dragged to slaughter and I stopped eating meat that day. I went vegan about a month later. I don’t know why it took so long in my life to reach that point. I had always claimed to love animals but didn’t think about the animals in agriculture. Even in college, when my minor was animal science, my mind didn’t really open to the “food animals.” For some reason, seeing that video years later just clicked for me and I had to align my ethics with my food choices. I also felt compelled to get active to raise awareness about the suffering. I believe the images and information in the VO booklets are doing the same for many people as that video did for me.

The dynamo Nikki Benoit:

What was your most positive leafleting experience and why?

At St. Pete College – Gibbs campus, I leafleted a group of students and kept walking. Fifteen feet away I overheard, “That’s IT! I CAN’T do this anymore, damn it! I can’t contribute to this abuse! I’m DONE!” She went veg on the spot! Her friends were moaning that their lunch plans would have to change, so I told them about local veggie options. After lunch the new veg and a friend walked past me, and the non-veg said, “She’ll have me changed by the end of the day…guaranteed.” BONUS ROUND, WOOT WOOT!

The incredible Vic Sjodin:

Who has been a major influence in your life and why?

I am inspired by anyone who has the courage to follow their heart, especially people who go veg. People who feel uncomfortable sitting in their car but overcome the inertia and go out and leaflet. People who sacrifice for others. Ideas are not enough, we have to sweat to make things happen. Everyone who sacrifices for the movement is a friend of mine.

And just last week the very kind and gently persuasive Jeff Boghosian:

What made you decide to start leafleting, and, if you were nervous the first time, how did you get over it?

I decided to start leafleting because I was searching for new ways to reach people in an effective and direct way, but not through the media. To me, promoting veganism is about getting people to make different choices – but first they need to hear our message. So instead of protesting or going through the media, both of which have their places, I decided the best thing to do is to distribute flyers – asking people directly if they'll learn about the issue and consider a change.

More activist profiles for Vegan Outreach can be found here and here. Hat's off to these phenomenal, inspirational advocates who put their dedicated time and energy into making the world a better place!

“The Vegan Outreach team serve as a vital cog in the rapidly expanding vegan movement. Smart, smiling, happy, healthy and fit people on university campuses handing out a colorful booklet carefully designed to inform but not offend – it’s a winning formula. The sky’s the limit. Their ultimate success will come when there will no longer be any demand for their booklets, because everyone has already read it and changed their lives.”

Jonathan Balcombe

author of The Exultant Ark