New Study Finds that Most Bird-like Dinosaurs Became Vegetarian

Apparently in contrast to popular belief and portrayals in movies, books, and TV, some scientists believe that most theropod dinosaurs (the class that includes the Tyrannosaurus Rex) switched to plant-based diets during their evolution into birds.  Of course this took place over millions of years and you would have to believe that there were major mitigating effects that caused the change in diet.  But if the most carnivorous, predatory dinosaurs can adapt to plant-based diets then why can't humans?    Perhaps, some might argue, we already have.  Source:  http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/us-paleontologists-say-most-bird-like-dinosaurs-ate-plants/story-fn3dxity-1225974592981

400,000 Baby Chicks Drowned or Left to Freeze to Death at Russian Poultry Farm

From a story of a large-scale poultry farm in the Kursk region of Russian.


"This week, farm workers sobbed as they dumped hundreds of thousands of baby broilers into rusty metal barrels, where they would quickly freeze to death in the snow-filled farm fields." 

Source:  LA Times, Treehugger.com

UW-Madison and Its Many, Many, Many Animals

According to a recent article in the Isthmus by Bill Leuders, "The UW-Madison, at last count, annually used or held 2,614 monkeys, 237 dogs, 264 pigs, 213,116 mice and 40,431 rats for research."  
http://isthmus.com/isthmus/article.php?article=31607&sid=67571365006f48ece5175a671d0a821f

PETA Ad Supports Adoption of Shelter Dogs

Found at http://www.vegan.com/blog/2010/12/13/petas-shelter-dogs-ad/

Thinking about Awareness

This past year I've been struck by several types of awareness raising which I think the effectiveness meets one or more of the following outcomes:

1.  It has no actual long term effect because nothing is learned and no opinions or behaviors are changed.

2.  It produces a backlash, or the opposite effect of what is desired.

3.  It creates confusion or cognitive dissonance about an issue.

4.  It spreads an incorrect view (one not based in fact).

5.  It promotes the idea that someone is doing something about an issue when indeed they are not.

So here are some examples.  I'm willing to admit that there are effects of an awareness campaign that I'm not aware of, but that is the only disclaimer I feel that I can make.

1.  Facebook campaigns, such as the recent one asking users to change their profile pictures to cartoon characters from December 3-6, 2010, to fight "against child abuse and violence." This is a modern version of the internet petition, but of the worst kind.  It contains no information about the issue, confuses the issue by suggesting that the problem is 'human faces,' and does not name either its creator or any potential benefactor.  Isn't Child Abuse Awareness Month supposed to be in April?  Snopes.com has a good article about internet petitions like this campaign here:  http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/internet.asp 

2.  The Tea Party movement.  As the 2010 elections showed, this movement has not been ineffectual.  But it has spread the incredibly false belief that government is the source of problems for Americans.  Largely funded by individuals and groups that seek to dismantle environmental and social protections that have improved the lives of poor and vulnerable, Tea Party candidates emphasize personal responsibility and self-determination.  The problem with this is that people who are disenfranchised, marginalized, and are in economic or political or social minorities are in no position to organize their communities without assistance.  The only guaranteed assistance offered by the Tea Party is tax relief, which mainly benefits those who own property and have access to capital, not those without.

3.  Vegan bashing.  A personal pet peeve of mine, some supporters of locovorism have begun to target their ire against vegetarians and vegans claiming that eating a meat and dairy based diet which is locally based is by definition more sustainable to the planet than a meat and/or dairy free diet which is not locally based.  Lacking details, and contradicting the United Nations as well as authors such as John Robbins of Diet for a Small America, those who are taking this approach are providing a major disservice to many vegans and vegetarians who are in fact supporting the most unselfishly sustainable dietary practice that is possible.

4.  Nationhood.  This extremely dangerous idea has been around for a couple hundred years, with extremely negative consequences.  Not to mention the loss of lives and destruction of the environment from wars, the concept of sovereign, individual nations which have supremacy over their own domestic affairs prevents collaboration and problem-solving on a global level.  Every parade, bumper sticker, presidential address, and t-shirt that boldly proclaims that one country is the best over all others simply emboldens the idea of sovereignty and independence, rather than interconnection and interdependence.

5.  Religion.  It serves as a protector and sole possessor (sovereign) of moral law.  Humanity cannot have their own values because supreme and higher beings (Gods and Deities) have already claimed them all.

6.  Advertising.  This is a really dangerous issue because it is so omnipresent.  You cannot get away from it, unless you live in a foreign country where you don't understand the language.  Or you live in the country and have immunized yourself against its powerful reach.  It is very effective - many of our actions are controlled by what admen hired by corporations want us to do.  Everything from driving to buying milk.  It's the aggressive and tempting voice of materialism, which is something that those of us in rich countries are so beholden to.

Before you think that I think these things are necessarily bad, I'd like to leave you with one last idea (some might call it a meme, even if it's not an obvious one), and that is...

7.  We often think or say things are good or bad, when actually values and opinions more likely lie along a continuum of viewpoints.  There are venn diagrams, tables, linear representations, and all kinds of ways to visually represent the ways we think, believe, act, and behave.

This essay is simply my attempt to say that I think raising awareness involves, and requires, ways to think about the effectiveness of the action or campaign.  Costs and benefits, including effectiveness and how the action might be counter-effective or confusing, should (must!!) be considered.

I know that taking positions against nationalism and religion and simplistic Facebook campaigns will not win me many friends.  I respect those who are involved in supporting these causes.  I just think that they're not what they purport to be.

Willmar Poultry Company

When I was growing up, I loved going to South Dakota for Thanksgiving.  I ate all the foods that Americans will be eating this Thursday, and I loved it.  One of the towns that we drove through was Willmar, Minnesota, home to Willmar Poultry Company, which hatches half of the turkeys bought for food in U.S. supermarkets.  600,000 baby turkeys, or poults, are hatched per week and then sold off to other large scale agribusinesses around the country.  The U.S. Humane society report, which can be viewed at their website or read about at UPI.com alleges that Willmar Poultry Company may be in violation of some of the most basic legal and ethical responsibilities with regard to animal welfare and care.

Consider watching the video and decide for yourself whether you find it cruel.  It contains strong content and caution should be used when viewing.

How Many Dogs are Too Many?

I love dogs.  I really do.  But I think there are too many of them and they're often not treated or cared for.  Take, for example, the five dogs which were housed in a porch area connected to a garage that recently burned down here in Madison.  Fortunately, all five dogs were rescued.  No abuse or neglect has been alleged, but why would someone house so many dogs in a porch?  I don't know, but I did want to find out how many dogs you can own, and from the City of Madison's website it looks like you can have as many animals as you want in your home as long as they don't violate any of the city's other animal control ordinances or are, "on a scale objectionable to the adjacent property owners."  So you can keep as many dogs as you want if your next door neighbors don't have a problem with it.  Here is the city and county public health's department website on caring for dogs:  http://www.publichealthmdc.com/environmental/animal/dog.cfm

Wisconsin's Gun Deer Season Begins Today

According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, about 330,000 deer will be were taken by hunters last year (2009).  The previous 5-year average, the article states, was an average of 492,000 deer killed per year.  The season runs through Sunday, November 20th.

Chickens at the Madison Children's Museum

The chickens at the new Madison Children's Museum rooftop garden are apparently trying to escape.   Ideally, I'd love for all animals to be free, and I think that in general animals have a right to not be treated as entertainment or learning tools, which is what is happening at MCM.  

You might ask, what do I think about zoos?  I don't like them, but I think they are a necessary evil.  Zoos serve as protection of animals who are hurt or endangered.  I definitely don't think that zoos should contain animals which are not endangered, such as goats (why do zoos have goats but rarely horses or cows?).

What do I think about pets?  I think that pets should be kept only in certain cases:  when they are rescued, when being released would be a danger to the environment, people or themselves, when they are properly controlled (yes, I support population control for animals as well as humans), and in cases when they directly benefit an individual such as a companion or service animal or seeing-eye dog.  I do not like keeping animals as  bomb sniffers, drug dogs, police horses, or circus animals.  I am totally against the sale and breeding of dogs.

What about keeping animals to eat or to provide some other food or resource such as wool?  Like I said, I ideally think animals should be free and not used for food, clothing, or other things.

What other treatment of animals do I consider inappropriate?  Culling, testing and research, genetic engineering, transportation, decoration, and the list goes on.  I'm pretty much in favor of coexisting with animals in ways that are not harmful or unnecessarily restrictive.

In any case, it appears to me that as long as we cage, contain, and control animals we have to deal with the ethical consequences that result, including when chickens try to escape their coops by jumping off of a five story building (as the article indicates, the chicken that did this was fortunately not injured).

Fact-checking 'The Vegetarian Myth'

Several weeks ago I read a book review in Mother Earth News about a book called, "The Vegetarian Myth," by someone named Lierre Keith.  I did my own research about Keith at the time and realized quickly how unqualified she was to write about such a widespread myth or conspiracy, but I'll be the first to admit that this is only my opinion.  Keith however seems to take no hesitation at the swipes she takes at vegans and vegetarians.  At the time I read the Mother Earth Review (which could hardly be called impartial - even the title of the review is "The Truth about Vegetarianism") there were very few reviews available about the book  that were objective or critical.  However, there are several now that show how this book is filled with poor sources, anecdotal and unproven observations, and ultimately a completely unscientific investigation into the benefits vs. harms of being or not being a vegetarian.

Here are just a couple reviews that call into question Keith's sources and level of authority on this issue:

Ginny Messina - The Vegan R.D. - http://www.theveganrd.com/2010/09/review-of-the-vegetarian-myth.html

A. Perri - Amazon.com Review - http://www.amazon.com/review/R3M4LC3USB5H3S?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_cr_rdp_perm

Alliance for Animals' "Best of the Best" Chili Fest and Silent Auction: September 25, 2010

What: Vegan Chili Fest/Silent Auction with Guest Speaker Anthony Marr
When: Saturday, September 25, 2010
Where: Goodman Community Center (149 Waubesa Street, Madison)
Time: 5:30 - 8:30 pm
Guest Speaker Anthony Marr (7:00 to 8:15 p.m.)
How much: $10 for adults, $8 for students, and kids under 5 FREE


More info:  http://www.allanimals.org/chili_fest_auction_preview.html

V-egg-nism

Being vegan is often an alienating experience, except when popular culture or the New York Times (for example) provide a meat, dairy, and egg-free perspective or reference.  There have been a couple of these references lately that seem to stand out to me.

First, the giant egg recall that's taking place has gathered some press around the issue of egg production.  About a half a billion eggs are involved, which apparently is only about 1% of the total annual U.S. egg market.  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, there are 90 billion eggs produced per year in the United States - about 3/4 of which are destined for human consumption and the remainder to be replacements for the egg-laying flock (http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Poultry/Background.htm).  The same source states that Americans eat about 250 eggs per year.

Second, the movie Scott Pilgrim vs. The World has an evil character who not only is a vegan, but who is also a bad vegan (that is the movie's critique, not mine).  It was a totally fun portrayal of vegans - far from realistic, yet somehow holding a lot of truth about how vegans are often perceived.  I won't say anymore here because it's a good movie and I don't want to give too much away.

So what is my analysis?  Perhaps being vegan is perhaps more mainstream than I ever thought it was before.  There is definitely a major trend towards providing more compassionate care of animals used in agriculture, as well as more awareness about the benefits of eating food which is locally produced as well as food which is produced with environmental sustainability in mind.  These are all good things, in my view.  But the poultry industry is still a behemoth - it will be hard to make significant changes to a $20 billion/year industry that uses over 100 billion pounds of feed/grain/year.  (See above USDA link)

If you are interested in making a difference, I would suggest you first educate yourself.  Here are a couple good links to check out:  http://www.goveg.com/ui_chickens.asp or http://www.eggindustry.com/.  A video about animal rights can be seen here (it may be extremely upsetting - so don't watch it if you are put off by video or images involving animal cruelty):  http://www.earthlings.com/.  If you choose to continue eating eggs, please consider buying only free-range, cage-free, locally produced eggs, and moderate your consumption if possible.

The benefits will include improved health outcomes for those who consume eggs, better work conditions for laborers, improved environment, and if I can be a little bit selfish, perhaps more menu choices in the future that feature egg-free entrees in restaurants.  I know that my views are in the minority (only perhaps 1% of Americans are vegan, and probably most of them are not living in the Midwest), but I still feel an obligation to share my views even if they are not generally acceptable.

Food and veg*nism

I have a friend, let's call him S., who has been giving me some really thought provoking ideas on food and diet.  I've argued back and forth with him on Facebook several times, both in private missives and publicly on either one of our walls.  He's very pro-meat, but that's not why he's taken a strong position and me and every other veg*n for our dietary choice.  His premise is basically that there's no way a veg*n can live sustainably in the U.S. (I'm not sure about his views on tropical areas where fruit and tuberous vegetables are plentiful).  When he says sustainably, I can only assume he means with a minimal ecological footprint.

So, while this provocation really makes me think, it's also really frustrating because he tends to generalize about veg*ns.  As if all veg*ns were of the same mind, that their lifestyles are all the same, and that they are all doing it for revolutionary, progressive, or environmental ideals (which he claims are all a sham anyway).  He likens abstaining from meat, fish, dairy, and poultry products as being nothing more than a misguided dietary choice.

I've countered that this overlooks thousands of years of the development of culture and religion which either condones or precludes the eating of certain food.  I think most people accept that these decisions were often made over long periods of time, and could possibly be based on economic and environmental reasons.  Veg*ns have a longer documented history in eastern religions such as Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism (all religions native to India), but there is also a rich veg*n history in modern western history as well (which could be directly related to influence from eastern religion and philosophy as well).

Religious, moral, ethical, and environmental beliefs do matter for a lot of people, and I think that what my friend S. is concerned about is that in the United States veg*ns who are trying to live a conscientious, environmentally sustainable life are living in some sort of cloud of ignorance and misinformation.  His main contention is that the modern agricultural industry relies on the destruction of the environment through deforestation, pesticides, distribution (fossil fuels), and things like that.

I would agree on that point - agribusiness is not a pretty picture.  But on whether one can sustain themselves on locally grown fruit, veggies, nuts, grains, berries, etc. vs. those things plus locally produced animal products I do not agree with him that relying on animals is necessary.  I would argue that using animal products is more detrimental overall.  Why?  I don't consider myself an expert, but I do know how find an answer.  I know the difference between a good source and a bad source.  I happen to trust the United Nations Environmental Programme when they come out with a report that says that an animal based agricultural system is unsustainable (Source: The Guardian, 6/2/2010 http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet).   I believe John Robbins, the author of Diet for a Small Planet, when he writes that grass fed beef is just as problematic as grain fed beef on his website (Source:  The Food Revolution website, retrieved 6/7/2010 http://www.foodrevolution.org/grassfedbeef.htm).  I believe the Nobel Prize winning group, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, when they suggest a meat based diet for the planet is unsustainable (Source: The Guardian, 9/7/2008 http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/07/food.foodanddrink).  I could go on and on about with more sources - these are just some of the most recent.

The sources on the pro-meat side are much less credible.  A little known book published in 2009 by a radical eco-feminist has appeared on some websites, including my friends Facebook page.  I also found a pro-meat rancher who wrote an article called The Carnivore's Dilemma (Source: New York Times, 10/30/2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/31/opinion/31niman.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=carnivore's%20dilemma&st=cse)  There's also the entire meat, fish, dairy, and poultry industries that you may look to, as well as the mainstream culture which seems to have no problem with the way we are farming animals.  I just don't think that bias is credible.  It's the same ignorance that my friend S. was accusing me and others of perpetuating.

In the end, none of us have the truth.  None of us, alone, has the power to change things either.  That is why I think that everyone should get as much good information as possible and just try to live that way - if the purpose is sustainable living with the environment.  There is no perfect way, there is only our attempt at perfection.  And perhaps acceptance of imperfection.  

I hope that some of this information is helpful to others as they make their dietary choices.  I really appreciate the chance to write about my views.

(Veg*n is vegan or vegetarian - I happen to be a vegan)