Animal, Vegetable, Miserable

In keeping with the theme and interest of Orren Fox's read, posted yesterday...... here is a submission from Kellie Wilcox-Moore regarding the expressed interests and concerns of "where does the meat we eat come from and how were those animals treated and raised?" Also, in this read the ethical and moralistic questions are raised about "why do we humans feel it necessary to kill animals just to have something to eat?" And, "why do we feel simply because we are intelligent humans, we have the right to abuse, to torture and to kill animals.... just to have something to eat?"

Here now, submitted by Kellie is Animal, Vegetable, Miserable. Thank you Kellie!!

LATELY more people have begun to express an interest in where the meat they eat comes from and how it was raised. Were the animals humanely treated? Did they have a good quality of life before the death that turned them into someone’s dinner?

Some of these questions, which reach a fever pitch in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, pertain to the ways in which animals are treated. (Did your turkey get to live outdoors?) Others focus on the question of how eating the animals in question will affect the consumer’s health and well-being. (Was it given hormones and antibiotics?)

None of these questions, however, make any consideration of whether it is wrong to kill animals for human consumption. And even when people ask this question, they almost always find a variety of resourceful answers that purport to justify the killing and consumption of animals in the name of human welfare. Strict ethical vegans, of which I am one, are customarily excoriated for equating our society’s treatment of animals with mass murder. Can anyone seriously consider animal suffering even remotely comparable to human suffering? Those who answer with a resounding no typically argue in one of two ways.

To read the rest, click here.

Bless the Beasts, Bless our Children and Bless this Earth

Talking About Food and Farming with Orren Fox

Charlie Lindahl sent this to me this past week. Much like our own young visionaries we have in this fabulous group, Orren Fox is 12 years old and has an amazing fore site into the philosophy of food and intuitively recognizes, acknowledges and respects the intelligence of all living creatures. Some call him the next Michael Pollen.

Orren is the creator of "Happy Chickens Lay Healthy Eggs." He is a self taught expert in these "funny little birds," as he calls them, & raises chickens for the eggs. You will enjoy this read and appreciate the kindness and acute intelligence of this 12 year old.

In his own words:

When I was in 5th grade, we were asked to do a big research project and I, obviously, did mine on chickens. During that time, I learned a lot about different breeds and how to care for birds, but I also learned a lot about how terribly most of the hens in this country are treated. The hens raised for meat and for eggs are not treated humanely. So, after this project, I began to do more and more research.

The following year, I did a "persuasive essay" for my English class and I learned even more about the issue. Slowly, slowly, I began to wonder not only about hens, but also about other food. Then I saw Food, Inc. and it really opened my eyes to what is happening. I can't figure out why people aren't more pissed off about this. Factory farming makes animals objects - not living, breathing, creatures. People say to me "But, it's just a chicken"... Right, it is a chicken, but I wouldn't say "just." I would say, it's a funny, bossy, silly animal that I am not willing to torture for the sake of cheap, tasteless meat and eggs.

I suppose I do. However, the big difference is that hens don't live in your house and I imagine that makes a big difference. The hens don't just wander over while I am doing homework and sit on my lap, but when I arrive at my coop they definitely sing out "hello", "Glad you are here". Sometimes, on beautiful days, I let my hens out while I am cleaning their coop. They wander around and explore. Every now and then, someone will find a worm and whistle over to the others to come see what she has found. Often, when I am at the back door of the barn scrubbing bowls, a hen will come over and tell me she needs to lay and egg, so I let her in and she heads straight to the nesting box.

For the rest of this story, click here.

And....to read more about this amazing youngster..... check out his blog.

Thank you Charlie for submitting this enjoyable read!

Bless the Beasts, Bless our Children and Bless this Earth

Bless the Beasts and the Children update 11/18/09

HOWDY everyone!!!!

Ok, here is the latest update on our group’s December event!! I am so EXCITED!!!! I want YOU guys to get excited too!! This is really coming together! I hope that we can all pull together as a group and make this an event that will be very successful.. and one that we can do every year :-)

11/18/09 Village Foods gave out all 750 flyers!!! YAY!!! Time for more!!! YAY!

11/12/09 The great folks at Gobble Green out of Austin (a gourmet Vegan food delivery service) is going to bring over some samples of their foods and discount coupons to give away at our event! YAY!!!! Check out their website! BIG THANKS Jennifer and Kevin!!!

11/5/09 Cheryl Anne Chandler has volunteered to design and make up signage for the day of the event!!! WHOOP!!! Thanks kiddo!!!!

Week of November the 15th, I will send out an email to everyone asking
1. who is going to volunteer on the 12th
2. what shift(s) do you want to work
3. do you have a pick up for use
4. how long can we use the pickup
5. which night is best for our party.... Thursday the 3rd or Friday the 4th


LIGHT BULB MOMENT!!

If you work for the school district or if you are a Vet or work in a vet clinic, start a contest and give away prizes to the school, the grade, the classroom that collects the most donations for this event.

Have a contest with the vet clinics in town.... give prizes for the mose donations collected for this great cause!

CSPD and BPD and CSFD and BFD's could hold contests and give prizes for the city that collects the most donations...

11/6/09 I visited with Jim Lewis over at Village Foods yesterday and he showed me the area that we can use for this event! It could not have been more perfect!!! Excellent access and location. We have all the area in front of the Galaria Office Building. It is set up like a circle drive thru... so PERFECT for what we want to do!!! YAY!!!!

AND Franchesca, our newest member, can get traffic cones for us!!!! DOUBLE YAY!!!! Thanks so much, FRANCHESCA!!!

I gave Jim the flyers for his folks to start distributing to customers as they check out. Hopefully the distribution will begin today and continue thru the day of the event!!! WHOOP!!!

BIG THANKS JIM LEWIS for everything you are doing to help support this event!

I will send out an email to everyone regarding volunteer sign up and the shifts available as well as availability of pick up trucks... etc.... probably just before Thanksgiving.

I will host a get together at my house the first week of December for everyone involved (Organizations, sponsors, community partners, our groups volunteers) so that we can all meet the benefactors and discuss the final plans and loose ends. This will be Thursday the 3rd or Friday December 4th. Will keep you posted!

In case you have not read the original blog about Bless the Beasts and the Children, go ahead and take a look. This will catch you up to what we are doing.

5 Local Organizations will benefit:

*Brazos Feral Cat Allies

*God’s Little Creatures

*The Great Pyrenees

*Impact Animal Foundation

*Scotty’s House

The lists of donations are now posted on this blogsite. They are on the back of the flyers as well.

I encourage each one of you to print out the flyer that I emailed a couple of days ago and hand it out or email it. SPREAD THE WORD!!

EVENT SPONSORS

*VILLAGE FOODS

*COPY STOP PRINT & POSTAL

*BRAZOS NATURAL FOODS

*VILLAGE CAFE

*GOBBLE GREEN

Community Partners:

*KAMU TV/FM

*KBTX TV

*KEOS FM

Here’s more scoop:

BLESS THE BEASTS AND THE CHILDREN

Saturday December the 12th (possible inclimate weather date the 19th of Dec)

8am to 5pm Parking lot of Village Foods. (they are our first sponsor!)

Not only are they allowing us to use part of their lot; but also, they will stuff flyers in people’s bags during November and up to the event!! We provide the flyers. WHOOP!!! BIG THANKS JIM LEWIS!!!

People donate items and/or money to these entities. People drive up and we unload the donations and people drive away. Items are loaded in pickups according to destination and then delivered that day. We will store items under tents while waiting on delivery. Everything will be delivered that day.

We are in need of:

*VOLUNTEERS on the day of the event

*volunteers with PICK UPS on the day of the event

Volunteer schedule:

Four (3 ) hour shifts beginning at 6:30 or 7am to 6pm. This will include set up and tear down. Maybe 6 to 8 folks (MINIMUM) per shift at the site. We definitely can use as many folks as possible! Each organization needs to have someone at their end to accept and unload the donations as they are delivered.

MARY LANDRETH, with Brazos Feral Cat Allies, has offered up her tent to use!!!! YAY!! Thank you so much Mary!!

We now have 4 tents!!!

COPY STOP PRINT & POSTAL stepped up & donated services for 750 ds flyers!!!! WHOOP! BIG thanks to Jeff and Ralph over there!!!

FRANCES DE GELIA submitted the radio PSA's for the event! BIG THANKS FRANNIE D!!!

KELLIE WILCOX-MOORE owner of the VILLAGE CAFE has volunteered to feed the volunteers the day of the event!!! I know we can always make room for more folks to help Kellie! AND..she has volunteered a tent, too!!! THANK YOU KELLIE!!!!

BRAZOS NATURAL FOODS will donate drinking water for us the day of the event! WOO HOO BIG THANKS, JANICE ATKINS!!!

DELLA CARROLL, God's Little Creatures, is letting us use 2 tents..... THANK YOU, Della!..

BIG thanks to KAMU FM & KEOS FM for helping to promote this event!

NOVEMBER the 5th. I will speak to the Leadership Brazos Alumni Association about our group and the Bless the Beasts and Children event at the new Best Western Inn, Austin Colony area in Bryan from 11:30am to 1pm.

November....Set up to do a feature in the Eagle

DECEMBER the 8th, Tuesday. Becky Almany, from the Brazos Feral Cat Allies, and myself will be on the early show KBTX !!!

DECEMBER the 10th, Thursday, I (and someone from one from Scotty's House) will be on Sharon Colson's show Brazos Valley Magazine on KAMU TV to promote the event.

Whew!!!! Ok, I really need you guys help for sure. You are all Vegans and Vegetarians.. You eat very healthy and have TONS of energy.... come on and put it to great use!!! YAY!!!

Please, let me know you are available to help and we can work together on this wonderful event that will benefit so many local organizations and give great publicity for a lot of local merchants!!!

Bless the Beasts, Bless the Children and Bless this Earth

God Bless Texas A&M University

In the very early morning hours of November 18th, 1999 at 2:42a.m., Texas A&M University and its family was brought to its knees in disbelief, shock, despair and horror. For it was at that moment the great two-million pound “stack”, known only as “Bonfire,” collapsed and crashed to the ground taking the lives of 12 men and women and injuring 27 others.

Let us always remember. Let us never forget that early morning and the lives lost. On this, the 10th anniversary of the horrific tragedy... let us pray for their families, their loved ones and their friends.

Bless the Beasts, Bless our Children and Bless this Earth

Little Unexpected Surprises

I really enjoy the opportunity to speak about Veganism and our group, VISION VOICE VEG*N’z for the Brazos Valley. This is World Vegan month and one of the ideas is to get out and share your knowledge and experience as a Vegan.

I had an opportunity to do just that yesterday. My good bud over at KAMU, Vicki Holloway, asked me to speak at the Leadership Brazos Alumni Association luncheon about our group’s upcoming event, Bless the Beasts and the Children. It was a great looking crowd. Unfortunately, I did not take my camera. There were about 45-50 folks there enjoying lunch and chattin’ it up. And not a one Vegan. Did not surprise me at all.

I shared info about me and that I was a Vegan. Then I talked about our group. We are a friendly activist group with lots of ideas for events. We want to be a part of the community and have an impact on the community by creating an acute awareness and respect for our environment, our children, all living creatures, our bodies and our Earth.

Then I got into the holiday donation drive thru event, Bless the Beasts and the Children. Described what it was, who the benefactors were and gave kudos to all the sponsors and community partners that are helping us to make this an annual success.

I got a few laughs and lots of interest in what we are doing. I thanked the group and then had to leave. As I walked out the door into the hallway, a young woman approached me from the group and was just beside herself with excitement. She said, “thank you so much for coming and talking to us today. I am a vegetarian and I have felt so alone since moving here from California.” I was thrilled beyond words. I just hugged her and said “thank you so much for catching me.” Anyway, she works for the Chamber and wants to become a member of our group and is ready to help with the December event! YAY! Her name is Franchesca... WELCOME FRANCHESCA to our group!!!

This was the 2nd serendipitous occurrence this week. On the night of the meetup, a young college student walked into the Village Cafe. I asked her if she was there for the meeting. She said, “No, I don’t think so.” I asked if she was Vegan or Vegetarian... and she said, “Why yes! I am Vegetarian!” Well, I snagged her like the spider snagged the fly. She came to our meeting and is now a member of our group!!! WELCOME BRANDY!!!

I love it when life gives you little unexpected surprises that make you smile.





Bless the Beasts, Bless our Children and Bless this Earth

November Meetup Vision Voice Veg*n'z for the Brazos Valley

"THE" famous Village Cafe was the place to be last night.... if you were Vegan or Vegetarian that is.

WOW!! We had 15 at the VISION VOICE VEG*N’z meetup! That is fantastic considering there were like 6 MIA regulars. And what else is so awesome.. we had TEN new people!!!! YAY!!!! Big welcome to these folks:

*John Borden, Edible Aggieland, native New Mexican, of course, I am a big fan of that, and guest speaker
*Kristen Williams, Vegetarian Nutritionist major at TAMU and John’s bud
*Brandy Kelly, who was just passing thru the VC, thinking about having some dinner and I snagged her as she just so happened to be vegetarian!!
*Boots McCann, PhD student at TAMU and works for the Rodale Institute
*Alicia Redden, local farmer
*Irene Erin, Postal worker who works horrible hours and can never make our meetups, but did last night!!!
*Jo Evans and her friend Joy
*Shohn Trojacek, IS manager for Pivot Point
*Tammy Jackson, Psychologist

And of course we had our very own photographer, my hubby Bear, again, taking fantastic pics of everything.

My contribution to the meet ups is a little glass of vino to take the edge off the day and to help relax and enjoy the evening.

Another fine menu was prepared for us by the great folks at the Village Cafe, including an “off the hook” black bean burger. I had the sweet potato hash with black beans and jalapeños and the fabulous squash soup! YUM-OH!!! For sure.

We got caught up on the progress of the big event for our group, Bless the Beasts and the Children, coming up Saturday, December the 12th in the Village Foods parking lot. You can check out the latest news on this awesome event at the group’s blogsite.

The donation list is also on our blogsite.

John Borden, head of Edible Aggieland, shared the ideas for developing local farming and the advantages and needed benefits of local farming and farmers markets for low income neighborhoods. He took us back to the “roots” of agriculture and how critical the health of this Earth is to the success of farming. John discussed the spiritual aspects of agriculture and its role representing a rebirth and hope for the health and wellness of all people. BIG THANKS, JOHN!

We also discussed upcoming events for our group:

*Saturday the 14th of November is the Household Hazardous Waste Collection at the old TI building on Hwy 30. Great opportunity to recycle your old computers, oil, batteries, paint, etc. I’ll be working 10am to 2pm if anyone wants to join me, just let me know. To find out more about this event, you can check out their website.

*Saturday the 5th of December, Frances De Gelia and Chrispy Carter are hosting a garage sale to benefit the Great Pyrenees Rescue Society. This is another opportunity to clean up and clean out your stuff! Contact me for more info!

If you guys have any events you think we should be involved in or any ideas for creating an event of your special interest, please... speak up and let’s discuss!

Also.. If you don't want to miss out on all the great blogs people post and on the latest updates.....you can get our blog "delivered" to you via email everyday. Just enter your email address and click on "subscribe."

If you have something you want posted on our blog or have recipes to share or events ... please just send them to me and I will take care of posting for you!! That is YOUR blog.... not mine :-) But, if you want to look at mine.... :-) HumbleVegan

No meeting in December as the Bless the Beasts and the Children will be our focus.

January’s meetup guest speaker will be Laura Thomas, PhD student of nutrition and dietetics and she is VEGAN! She will speak to us about Pro and Prebiotics. The meeting will either be January 5th or the 12th, depending when everyone gets back from holiday break!

You all met Cheryl Anne Chandler last night, this wonderful 15 year old that inspires our group and impresses us with her talent..... if you've not looked at her school project that she won the grand prize for.... I invite you to do so! It will leave you speechless.

Ok, so, another great meetup with a lot of wonderful folks!! Thanks again for joining me last night. I really think you guys ROCK!!

Here's more random shots of you great folks!!

Bless the Beasts, Bless Our Children, and Bless This Earth

NOVEMBER 3rd MEET UP

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3rd, is the 3rd meetup for our group! YAY!!!
The wonderful Village Cafe is the place at 6:30pm. Chef Martin and the great folks will prepare another fantastic special menu for us as great prices. You DON’T have to order if you don’t want to.

JOHN BORDEN, of Edible Aggieland, will be our guest speaker. He’ll talk about what his group is doing in the community in the way of edible landscaping. YAY, John!

We’ll also talk about Bless the Beasts and the Children holiday donation drive thru, which is coming along nicely! I am impressed with the organization’s volunteers that are stepping up to help with this event. We still need some of YOU to step up and volunteer for this great event. To catch up on the latest.. check out the blog.

There are a few more events our group can get involved in that benefits some great causes. If you are interested, just contact me.

Look forward to seeing all of you at tomorrow night's meeting!



Bless the Beasts, Bless our Children, and Bless this Earth