May/June 2017
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But for the sake of some little mouthful of flesh, we deprive a soul of the sun and light and of that proportion of life and time it had been born into the world to enjoy. - Plutarch (46-120AD)

In this edition...

Featured Video
  Video: We are what we eat

Top Stories
  'Not guilty' verdict for Toronto woman charged for comforting pigs bound for slaughter
  One day we will see that meat is murder
  Vegan travel is really going places in Australia

Health and Environment
  Dairy consumption linked to Parkinson's disease
  Plant-based diets ease osteoarthritis symptoms
  Video: A 10-year old's vision for healing the planet
  The top five foods killing the planet

Lifestyles and Trends
  Vegan bodybuilders win 32 medals at 2017 fit games
  Charity sausage sizzle stirs up mixed reactions
  The case for simply reducing meat consumption

Signs of the Times
  Meat-free market chain launches in Switzerland
  Nondairy milks are all the rage
  James Cameron's new film charts the rise of veganism

Animal Issues and Advocacy
  Animal sentience: Can Prairie Dogs talk?
  Bird flu is back, and so is the inhumane lilling of animals
  What? Canada passes national day celebrating seal slaughter

Books and Perspectives
  A new novel sure to delight dog lovers
  Before you put that fennel and garlic-scented chicken leg in your mouth, read this
  What does a fish know? You might be surprised
 

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(Excerpts are included from current news stories. Click on the "Full story" link to read the full article.)
  Featured Video    


Video: We are what we eat
Video source: NutritionFacts.org

What happens to our gut flora when we switch from a more animal-based diet to a more plant-based diet?   Watch video...

NutritionFacts.org - August 7
More video:
How Farm Sanctuary helped grow the vegan movement in America
ABC News, U.S. (June 6)

 
  Top Stories    

'Not guilty' verdict for Toronto woman charged for comforting pigs bound for slaughter
Full story: CTV Canada

A Toronto woman who gave water to pigs on a truck headed to an abattoir didn't break the law since she didn't harm the animals or prevent them from being slaughtered, an Ontario judge ruled as he found the activist not guilty of a mischief charge. Anita Krajnc also did not intend to hurt the pigs or mean to cause the slaughterhouse to reject them, Justice David Harris told a courtroom packed with animal activists. "The act of prosecuting Ms. Krajnc has probably led to enough bad publicity for the pork industry that it might be said that the prosecution actually accomplished what they accused Ms. Krajnc of trying to do," Judge Harris said.   Read more...

CTV Canada - May 4

One day we will see that meat is murder
Full story: London Times

A few years ago I had a conversation at Harvard with Steven Pinker, the bestselling evolutionary psychologist. We were both writing optimistic books at the time, his being The Better Angels of Our Nature, about the decline in violence over recent centuries. I asked him: if all sorts of violence and cruelty were considered acceptable a century or two ago and are now beyond the pale - slavery, child labour, bear-baiting, wife-beating and so forth - then what routine habits do we practise today that we will look back on with horror in two or three generations' time? That's easy, he replied: meat-eating.   Read more...

London Times - April 23

Vegan travel is really going places in Australia
Full story: Nine.com, Australia

There's no hiding from it. Veganism is the buzzword of the moment, the diet de jour and it feels like it's creeping into every space from fine dining to your local bakery. So, it's perhaps no surprise that vegan travel is also on the up, with more meat-free, dairy-free accommodation popping up around Australia. Peter Logan set-up VegTrip in 2013 but says there's been an explosion in interest in the last two years, with Australia being one of the biggest markets. He told us that vegan luxury and vegan retreats are currently hot with Aussies, both on home soil and in Japan and Thailand.   Read more...

Nine.com, Australia - May 29
 
  Health and Environment    

Dairy consumption linked to Parkinson's disease
Full story: VegNews

New research finds that consuming three servings of low-fat milk increases risk of developing the debilitating neurological disorder by 39 per cent.   Read more...

VegNews - June 9

Plant-based diets ease osteoarthritis symptoms
Full story: VegNews

A study conducted by scientists at Tufts University and released earlier this month in scientific publication British Medical Journal found that high fiber intake in US adults dramatically reduced the incidence of knee osteoarthritis and the worsening of pain for patients already afflicted by the disease. While animal products do not contain fiber, all plant-based foods such as fruit, vegetables, and grains are high in the essential nutrient.   Read more...

VegNews - May 30

Video: A 10-year old's vision for healing the planet
Video source: TED Talks

Young Genesis Butler is an inspiration!   Watch video...

TED Talks - May 17

The top five foods killing the planet
Full story: Mercy for Animals

The science is in: Climate change is real, and the food on our plates is a major cause. The debate is over. Simply by ditching animal products we can make a huge difference. Don't believe us? Consider this: Raising animals for food produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all the cars, planes, and other forms of transportation combined. Just by going vegan, you can cut your carbon footprint in half. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, these are the five most climate-damaging foods...   Read more...

Mercy for Animals - June 7

More Health and Environment News:
Coconut oil 'as unhealthy as beef fat and butter'
BBC (June 16)
Sat-fat bait and switch - reading between the research lines
Huffington Post (May 5)
Sweet sizzlin' beans! Fancy names may boost healthy dining
STAT (June 9)
Video - Is milk, cheese and yogurt healthy
Dr. McDougall - one hour - worth repeating from the archives
Here's how eating fish is killing our oceans
Scientists now warn that our oceans could be empty of fish by 2048. - MFA (June 7)
China’s appetite pushes fisheries to the brink
New York Times (April 30)

 
  Lifestyles and Trends    

Vegan bodybuilders win 32 medals at 2017 fit games
Full story: VegNews

PlantBuilt vegan bodybuilders break a world record at the 2017 Naturally Fit Games in Austin, TX... To date, more than 100 athletes - from countries around the world including Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Great Britain, and Germany - have competed with the PlantBuilt team and have raised $20,000 to support vegan outreach organizations, non-profits, and farmed animal sanctuaries.   Read more...

VegNews - June 7

Charity sausage sizzle stirs up mixed reactions
Full story: NZ Herald

The Bunnings (a garden and hardware store in Melbourne, Australia) charity sausage sizzle took on a whole new flavour at the weekend when a cat rescue service sold vegan snarlers in Melbourne. The Cheltenham Cat Rescue group was behind the sausages, with group founder Natasha Reus saying some people threw a tantrum but 550 people bought an alternative sausage and loved it. "I think we challenged people's ingrained habits and thought processes," Ms Reus said. "We explained we were an animal rescue group so couldn't sell animals to eat and so people had to think about that." Unfazed by the criticism, Ms Reus said: "At least we've got people talking about the issue."   Read more...

NZ Herald - May 17

The case for simply reducing meat consumption
Full story: San Francisco Chronicle

Despite the millions of dollars flowing into the alternative-meat industry, more diners are tackling the issue in a much simpler way: They're eating less meat. "Even if (people) go meatless one day a week, they can make a huge difference," says Kristie Middleton, author of a new book, MeatLess: Transform the Way You Eat and Live - One Meal at a Time. Brian Kateman, who has a new book of his own, The Reducetarian Solution shares a similar perspective: Just because some people stop eating meat, the all-or-nothing approach doesn't work for everyone. Meat reduction is a mindful yet more flexible approach. Welcome to the softer side of vegetarianism. [The article includes tips for reducing meat consumption.]   Read more...

San Francisco Chronicle - May 5

More Lifestyles and Trends News:
Special section takes an in-depth look at meat and emerging trends
San Francisco Chronicle (May 3)

 
  Signs of the Times    

Meat-free market chain launches in Switzerland
Full story: VegNews

Last week, one of Switzerland's largest wholesale and retail companies Coop Cooperative opened the first location of vegetarian and vegan supermarket chain Karma. The new store is positioned in the high-traffic Zug train station, just south of Zurich. Karma joins a growing number of global retailers offering exclusively vegetarian and vegan products including Hong Kong's vegan shop Green Common, Portland's two-location grocery Food Fight!, London's newly opened market GreenBay, and the world's largest vegan supermarket, The Cruelty Free Shop in Australia.   Read more...

VegNews - June 5

Nondairy milks are all the rage
Full story: Parade

Dairy alternatives are all the rage. In fact, 49 per cent of Americans now prefer nondairy milk. Lower in calories than reduced-fat milk, and rich in calcium, nondairy milks deliver plenty of flavor. [Recipes at the link.]   Read more...

Parade - May 5

James Cameron's new film charts the rise of veganism
Full story: Plant Based News

Veteran director James Cameron's Titanic broke many cinematic records and still resonates with film fans around the world. His latest film, The Game Changers, a vegan documentary, is also sure to make a big impact. It showcases top athletes and others to show how you can thrive and live life to the absolute fullest as a vegan. So, what's the story behind it?   Read more...

Plant Based News - June 5

More Signs of the Times:
Pinterest reports a 52 per cent jump in vegan recipe pins
MFA (May 30)
Milk's appeal has curdled
NPR (May 16)
Brazil's vegan scene explodes
VegNews (June 6)
Would you like tofu with that? How we reached peak vegan
London Times, UK (May 18)

 
  Animal Issues and Advocacy    

Animal sentience: Can Prairie Dogs talk?
Full story: NYT Magazine

An Arizona biologist believes that their sounds should be considered language - and that someday we'll understand what they have to say. Prairie-dog communication is so complex, Con Slobodchikoff says - so expressive and rich in information - that it constitutes nothing less than language... To recognize that we are not alone, that we share our world with other conscious, thinking, speaking beings, requires us to sacrifice a great deal of ego. At the same time, it folds us, palpably and inextricably, into the fabric of a much grander universe.   Read more...

NYT Magazine - May 12

Bird flu is back, and so is the inhumane lilling of animals
Full story: Huffington Post

The American Veterinary Medical Association has proposed to allow killing by the most gruesome methods, including baking and burying animals alive. All other veterinary authorities appear to have taken the position that these methods should be avoided under any circumstance. In fact, other than burning animals to death, it is difficult to imagine how the AVMA could have come up with anything worse. [You can sign a petition against this here.]   Read more...

Huffington Post - May 17

What? Canada passes national day celebrating seal slaughter
Full story: Huffington Post

That's right, nestled amongst a calendar of dates devoted primarily to recognition of historical figures, the solemn remembrance of military battles and raising awareness for illnesses, [the Canaddian] Parliament has inaugurated a day glorifying the annual slaughter of seal pups. Canada is clearly out of step with the international community when it comes to animal protection. France, for example, just passed a ban on the keeping and breeding of cetaceans in captivity.   Read more...

Huffington Post - May 11

More Animal Issues and Advocacy News:
A plan to poison the wild hogs of Texas
New York Times (April 29)
Is treating animals as property a barbaric cultural practice?
Toronto Star (May 18)
Mercy for Animals reveals 'sickening' cruelty at BC Canada chicken farm
Edmonton Journal (June 13)
Congo miners poach at-risk animals because they have nothing else to eat
Care2 (June 8)
New York Blood Center reaches a deal to care for research chimps
New York Times (May 30)
Richard Dawkins: 'When I see cattle lorries, I think of the railway wagons to Auschwitz'
London Times (May 13)


 
  Books and Perspectives    

A new novel sure to delight dog lovers
Full story: Amazon

In Sleeping Dogs Never Lie by vegetarian M.D. Poole, Ella Indira Duncan takes refuge in a life with dogs to escape her abusive sister and father. When her first husband turns into a bully and her second shows his penchant for secrets, Ella's dogs watch her back and she does the same for them. Inspired by her beloved dog Buster Brown, and full of information about all things dog (Who is the best vet? What does grief look like when your pet dies? How can you cure the barking habit?...), this is a novel sure to delight everyone who firmly believes a sleeping dog's place is on the bed.   Read more...

Amazon - -none-

Before you put that fennel and garlic-scented chicken leg in your mouth, read this
Full story: Washington Post

For our dinner last night, my husband cooked a Moroccan-style chicken dish, the meat tender and gleaming with spices, and topped with thin slices of lemon and green olives. He served me a leg and wing. I love this dish, and normally I would dig right in. But I'd been reading Barbara J. King's new book, Personalities on the Plate: The Lives & Minds of Animals We Eat, and I hesitated. Whose leg was this? Whose wing? [Review by Virginia Morell, author of Animal Wise: How We Know Animals Think and Feel.]   Read more...

Washington Post - April 20

What does a fish know? You might be surprised
Full story: KPCC Radio, CA, USA

Turns out there's a lot more going on in fish brains than most of us realize. But fear not, Jonathan Balcombe's popular book dives into just that. What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins explores myths surrounding fish and works to give insight into what fish in our oceans are thinking and feeling. That's right, fish... thinking and feeling. [Listen to the delightful short interview at the link.]   Read more/Listen...

KPCC Radio, CA, USA - May 11

Also of interest:

More Book News

12 incredible books every animal advocate should read - From Mercy for Animals (June 7)
The Cheese Trap: How Breaking a Surprising Addiction Will Help You Lose Weight, Gain Energy, and Get Healthy - By Dr. Neal Barnard

Events
Seed Festival - UK - 7-9 July
Complete list of global VegFests - thanks to Meatout Mondays for this!

Sites/Petitions:
Petition - to stop horse blood farms
Petition: Ban fur farming in Ontario, Canada
Petition: Bring Kingston's prison farm animals home to Sanctuary, not to slaughter
RescueDiaries on YouTube
Healthy food is a right - new movement pledges to fight for it

Plus:
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