Enewsletter
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Enewsletter • October 21, 2009 | |||||||||||||
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Notes from Vegan Outreach“Not So Bad”
Sometimes people say Vegan Outreach literature is outdated or focuses only on extremely rare cases of cruelty, and the current reality is not so bad. For example, a defender of modern agribusiness, having received a booklet at the University of Illinois, wrote to say that recent developments, such as the FAST II system, have improved conditions for today’s farmed pigs. Here are pictures (1, 2) from EatPork.com showing how FAST II works (pictures not reproduced for copyright reasons; similar picture from Viva! USA shown at right). This is what the industry promotes to show good care. As always, thanks to everyone who is taking this truth to the public. In the past week alone, Adopt a College activists exposed agribusiness to 29,848 new students. With your help, we will continue to expose what the industry hides.
Link of the Week: Relative Numbers Killed
AnimalVisuals has an insightful new analysis of the relative number of animals killed for food, showing graphically the vast difference between small and large animals. We also note birds raised for meat and layer hens are the most intensively confined of all land animals, and are not covered by the Humane Slaughter Act. See this page and subsequent links for more information.
Products of the WeekTracy: “I love Vegan Macaroni & Cheese by Leahey Gardens as well as Road’s End Organics Shells & Chreese. I have a soft spot in my heart for Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, and Leahey’s Macaroni & Cheese captures that flavor so well that when I take a bite I feel like a kid again. If you want to go the Road’s End Organics way, I recommend the Shells & Chreese Cheddar Style.” Robin: “I recently discovered So Delicious coconut milk yogurt, and I’m hooked on the stuff!” Send your product of the week to product (at) veganoutreach (dot) org; previous entries here.
Notes from All OverNumber of Vegetarians GrowingFrom Dr. Greger: VRG’s 2009 poll estimates 3.4% of the U.S.’s adult population are real vegetarians. This is up from 2.3% in 2006. If you extrapolate to the population as a whole, this would indicate more than 3.5 million new vegetarians between polls.
Ten Tips for Animal Activists Based on the Life of Henry Spira
Excerpts: 1. Try to understand the public’s current thinking and where it could be encouraged to go tomorrow. Above all, keep in touch with reality. 2. Select a target on the basis of vulnerabilities to public opinion, the intensity of suffering, and the opportunities for change. 3. Set goals that are achievable. And from the
comments:
Notes from Our Members
Great
reception at City University of
New York, CUNY Technical College, and Barnard
College today. Feedback included: “I’m
gonna go vegetarian when I turn 21.” “Thanks
for that, I read it and it almost made me cry”
(from big, tough-looking guy). “I was
just thinking of going vegetarian!” “Thanks,
and keep up the good work!” I also ran
into someone with whom I had a conversation
before. She was happy to see I was still doing
this work. She also said she did some research
since last speaking to me and was surprised
to learn that birds are the most abused animals.
The first
person I offered a leaflet to
yesterday was a professor at Berkeley City College
(CA) who said she still had last semester’s
Even If You Like Meat in her office,
and that they had discussed it extensively in
her sociology class. She took another and thanked
me for being out there. Many
different reactions and good conversations
at Loyola University (IL). One man had been
handed a leaflet last week and was so moved
by it he had not eaten any meat since! At Phoenix
College (AZ), I talked to one
young man who was very interested in going
vegan. I gave a nice positive explanation of
how he could “veganize” virtually
anything. Another student I talked with was
a football player and had once tried vegetarianism
for a month, but I suspect he wasn’t eating
enough calories because he said he felt weak.
I gave him a Guide,
talked up some great veggie foods high in protein,
and mentioned several vegan athletes. A short
but very productive day!
I was recently handed a pamphlet
and immediately wanted to restart my eating lifestyle. We met
a lot of vegetarians and vegans
at Grand Valley State (MI) today. We also had
a lot of people come back throughout the day
and say they liked what we were doing. One guy
said he’s cutting down on eating chicken. Several
people expressed an interest in going veg –
the entire day was really rewarding. Lots
of new curious people at Northwest
Vista College (TX), another never-before-leafleted
school. As leafleting went on, I asked for feedback
from people who told me they had gotten one
earlier; a number replied it was sad and they
want to go veg.
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