News
The number of news found: 21.
05/31/2016 SIA GIVES "SURVIVOR" FINALIST $100K FOR BEING AN ANIMAL RIGHTS ACTIVIST
In one of the best moments in "Survivor" history, Sia showed up to the live finale, ran up to the stage and gifted a finalist with a couple thousand bucks. Tai Trang, a 51-year-old gardener currently living in San Francisco, was a fan-favorite on Season 32 of "Survivor." While filming the show in Cambodia, he confessed his adoration for all living things, saved a chicken from slaughter, and outwitted, outplayed and outlasted all but two contestants. During Tai's chat with host Jeff Probst onstage, a voice could be heard from the audience. Probst soon announced that it was hitmaker Sia and that she had something to say. Then the singer discussed her feelings toward Tai and his devotion to living things, telling him that she wanted to give him $50,000, as well as another $50,000 for an animal charity of his choice. "I'm speechless," Tai said as he hugged Sia, who was hidden behind one of her famous wigs. (huffingtonpost.com)
05/30/2016 KILLING OF GORILLA TO SAVE BOY AT OHIO ZOO SPARKS OUTRAGE
The killing of a gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo after a 4-year-old boy tumbled into the ape's enclosure triggered outrage and questions about safety, but zoo officials called the decision to use lethal force a tough but necessary choice. More than 2,000 people signed a petition on Change.org that sharply criticized the Cincinnati Police Department and the zoo for putting down the animal and called for the child's parents to be "held accountable for their actions of not supervising their child." A Facebook page titled "Justice for Harambe" had more than 3,000 likes by Sunday afternoon, a day after the 400-pound (181-kg) gorilla was shot dead about 10 minutes after encountering and dragging the child. The animal, named Harambe, was a Western lowland gorilla, an endangered species, and the zoo said it had intended to use him for breeding. A blog post on the website for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals questioned why it was necessary to kill the gorilla and whether zoos could meet the needs of such animals. (in.reuters.com)
05/27/2016 VEGAN NOVEL WINS PRESTIGIOUS LITERARY AWARD
Psychological thriller The Vegetarian, written by famed South Korean author Han Kang, was awarded the Man Booker International Prize at a ceremony in London early last week. The honor is awarded to one work translated from a foreign language to English—both Kang and the novel's translator Deborah Smith shared in the $72,000 prize—and The Vegetarian beat out works from other notable authors including one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people on the planet Elena Ferrante and Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk. The Vegetarian's surreal storyline revolves around Yeong-hye, a South Korean housewife who stuns and appalls friends and family by rejecting South Korea's strict societal norms when she refuses to eat meat, eggs, and dairy. The story was called "compact, exquisite, and disturbing" by chairman of the judging panel and literary critic Boyd Tonkin, who praised Kang's "uncanny blend of beauty and horror."
05/27/2016 INTERNATIONAL FERAL CAT SPAY DAY
In collaboration with Alley Cat Rescue, Animal Friends marks May 27 as an International Feral Cat Spay Day. Veterinary clinics from Zagreb, Cakovec and Sisak that have accepted the invitation will spay or neuter two street cats on their own cost. Over 9,500 community cats were spayed or neutered thanks to the cooperation of more than 800 veterinary clinics in the United States. Along with USA, South Africa and Canada, Croatia is participating in this international humane program this year.
05/25/2016 DAYCARES IN FINLAND ARE GOING VEGAN
YLE reports that Helsinki's City Board has approved a year-long vegan food trial at 20 of the capital's daycare centres. Their looking to determine the cost of providing vegan food to young ones, which has been roughly calculated to run 4.40 euros more per day for the offered breakfast, lunch, and snack. Many city daycare facilities provide vegetarian meals, but will soon exclude the dairy and eggs previously offered. A recent study of daycare centres found 27 vegan families who currently supply their children's food themselves. Daycare service providers estimate that closer to 125 families would opt for the vegan option for their kids if it was available. The trial was approved with a small majority headed by the Greens and Left Alliance, and a final decision must still get a thumbs up by the larger City Council.
05/24/2016 THERE'S 360% MORE BRITS EATING VEGAN
Vegan eating has officially taken over Britain. Telegraph UK reports that the number of people eating a vegan diet in Britain has risen by more than 360 per cent in the last ten years. According to a new survey carried out by Ipsos MORI in for the Vegan Society and Vegan Life magazine, 542,000 people aged 15 or over – over one per cent of the population – have adopted a plant-based diet, up from a mere 150,000 in 2006. The health benefits are said to be driving the trend. Lower cholesterol, blood pressure, BMI, heart disease, and cancer are easy to pay attention to. Still, they believe welfare and environmental issues are contributing to the popularity. Celebrities like Ellie Goulding, Jennifer Lopez and Liam Hemsworth also appear to be having an influence, with the survey showing that youngin's are giving plant-based diets a shot to live up to their idols.
05/23/2016 DENMARK BANS HALAL AND KOSHER MEAT
The new law, which came into force last Monday has been criticised by religious groups. But minister for agriculture and food Dan Jørgensen said that "animal rights come before religion". European regulations require animals to be stunned before they are slaughtered, but exemptions can be made on religious grounds. Some Halal and Kosher consumers believe it is acceptable for the animal to be stunned before it is slaughtered, but many others insist that the animal is fully conscious when it has its throat cut. Condemning the Danish change in the law, Israel's deputy minister of religious services Rabbi Eli Ben Dahan said: "European anti-Semitism is showing its true colours across Europe, and is even intensifying in the government institutions." Al Jazeera quoted the monitoring group Danish Halal, which launched a petition against the ban, as saying it was "a clear interference in religious freedom limiting the rights of Muslims and Jews to practice their religion in Denmark".
05/20/2016 TWO NEW VEGAN BUTTER REPLACEMENTS HIT UK SHELVES
VegNews reports that British supermarket chain Tesco has launched two new non-dairy butter alternatives. One is a Coconut Spread derived from coconut oil, and the other is an Avocado Spread from avocado oil. Tesco, the third largest retailer in the world, now has these plant-oil based spreads available across their 400 stores, to keep up with the vegan boom currently happening across the UK. The 9 ounce containers will run shoppers around $1.74, and are good sources of vitamins A and D, and omega 3s. With most vegan butter and margarine replacements being a mixture of palm fruit oil, canola oil, and safflower oil, it's intriguing to see companies branching out and testing new oils.
05/19/2016 WINEMAKERS ARE REPLACING GELATIN WITH PEA-PROTEIN
VegNews reports that a company called Eaton is making it easier for winemakers to create vegan products. WineBusiness.com recently addressed the growing demand for gelatin free wine, and hypes the effortless and necessary switch to pea protein with Eaton products. Eaton supports that their SIHA Pea Protein based replacement acts as a stabilizer to everyone’s favourite dinner accompaniment, similar to the gelatin that’s commonly used now. Combined with other vegan fining agents (substances to clarify wine), such as active bentonite and silica sol, Eaton’s is confident it can match the consumer demand for animal-product free wine easily.
05/18/2016 RICKY GERVAIS CALLS FOR A BAN ON IRISH GREYHOUND EXPORTS TO CHINA
Ricky Gervais has condemned the export of Irish greyhounds to China, saying they will face certain death on the country's notorious Macau racetrack. The English comedian and animal lover last night issued a passionate plea to the Irish Government, calling on it to immediately ban any further exports of the animals. The 54-year-old star of The Office spoke out after Irish greyhounds en route to China were stopped in Britain and shipped back to Ireland earlier this week. Gervais said that the Government must act now and ban the trade. Shipping crates containing 24 Irish greyhounds bound for China were turned away from London's Heathrow airport on Thursday. Staff at the airport made the decision not to ship the dogs as their crates were in bad condition and not fit for transport.
05/17/2016 LUXEMBOURG IS SET TO BECOME THE MOST ANIMAL-FRIENDLY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD
Luxembourg's leaders have proposed a far-reaching animal rights bill that advocates say could be the most progressive in the world if it becomes law. "It goes further than any legislation that I'm aware of," said Kitty Block, vice president of Humane Society International. Proposed recently by Minister of Agriculture Fernand Etgen and written with the help of animal rights activists, the proposed law assumes that animals are "living non-human sentient beings with a nervous system scientifically capable of feeling pain and experiencing other emotions" including "suffering and anguish," according to a ministry statement. The legislation wouldn't apply to most farm animals, a common provision in animal rights laws. But it would ban slaughtering animals primarily for their fur, feathers, skin, or wool — an extraordinary provision, said Block — limit the sales of dogs and cats to reputable breeders, ban people from giving animals as gifts or prizes, and prohibit the poultry industry practice of killing male chicks because they don't lay eggs.
05/16/2016 VEGAN BUTCHER SHOP CREATING MEALS FOR MARS MISSION
The vegan butcher shop Herbivorous Butcher was recently contacted by Josh Borchardt, a research scientist at the Minnesota-based Advanced Space and Technology Research Laboratory, about helping to create a vegan meal plan for a two-week simulated Mars mission with six astronauts in the Utah desert. If all goes well with the simulation, the astronauts could take Herbivorous Butcher meatless meals into space for real. Borchardt approached the wizards of vegan eating because it's more practical to eat a plant-based diet in space. So far they've made a set of six breakfasts and six dinners that will be frozen for one year. They're still figuring out how long the food can be frozen and then taste fresh after thawing and cooking.
05/13/2016 SUPPORT THE FUR FARMING BAN IN FLANDERS
The Government of Flanders in Belgium is currently discussing the fur farming ban. This is a great opportunity to save tens of thousands of animals from lives of suffering, misery and painful deaths. Over 160.000 mink are killed for their fur in the Flanders every year. Your help is urgently needed. Please email the Belgian ambassador in your country, informing him of your objection to fur farming and of your support for a ban on the cruel practice of fur farming in Flanders. If you're writing from some other country, please check the name and contact of Belgian ambassador in your country. Here is a template for you to use if needed.
05/12/2016 BE VEGAN AND LIVE LONGER!
A study by doctors from the Mayo Clinic in Arizona of over 1.5 million people found, on one hand, that going vegetarian for at least 17 years added an average of 3.6 years to life expectancy, reports The Telegraph. On the other hand, people who ate meat, particularly red and processed meats, had higher mortality rates. The doctors analysed six studies which showed the impact of meat and vegetable consumption on mortality. In their review of 500,000 who hardly ate meat, the researchers found it cut risk of all causes of mortality by 25 to 50 percent. The studies were conducted in the US, Europe and China which had follow-up periods from 5.5 to 28 years.
05/11/2016 OLYMPIC EQUESTRIAN EVENTS UNDER FIRE BECAUSE OF STRESS RESPONSE IN HORSES
Serious concerns have been raised about riding equipment to be used at this year's Rio Olympics, with scientists claiming nosebands and double bridles could cause unnecessary pain and suffering to horses during equestrian events. A study from the University of Sydney's Faculty of Veterinary Science found the use of restrictive nosebands — most common in dressage — can bind together the jaws of a horse, preventing yawning, tongue movement and potentially swallowing. "This study is the first to show that a very common practice and a very common piece of gear is eliciting a stress response in horses," said veterinarian and senior author on the study, Professor Paul McGreevy. "It's worth noting that this response emerged in horses without riders and without rein tension, so it's possibly just the tip of an iceberg." The stress response — indicative of pain and suffering — was measured by monitoring horse's eye temperature and heart rates when subjected to nosebands being tightened to levels used in competition.
05/09/2016 VEGAN LEATHER OUT OF KOMBUCHA
Food and Wine reports that researchers at Iowa State University are using the cellulose fibers taken from kombucha tea to make a new substitute for leather. The trendy fermented beverage gets combined with vinegar, sugar, bacteria and yeast in a shallow bath. What grows on top is harvested, dried, and like magic, a leather-like material is born. The resulting fabric is biodegradable, which means a step forward for creating sustainable garments that could help support an end to animal use for fabrics. The product is still in it's beta phase, meaning there are still a couple of kinks to work out. Namely, that moisture makes it lose it's structural integrity, and cold temperatures make it brittle. Growing the leather takes approximately four weeks per sheet, so no doubt it'll take some time to perfect.
05/06/2016 LAWYER OPENS A FARM ANIMAL SANCTUARY ON HIS RANCH
San Diego Tribune reports on John Fiske, and how he went from a courtroom to a sanctuary. The 32-year-old attorney had a "light bulb moment" watching Cowspiracy, and decided that the toll that animal agriculture takes on animals and the environment is too high. Now, he's opening the San Diego Farm Animal Sanctuary on May 15, on his home ranch. The 2.5-acre Elfin Forest property currently houses four rescued horses, a crippled pig, two hens, a German shepherd, and will be home to some goats soon. Fiske plans on fostering animals and finding them forever homes. To cover the costs of animal feed and upkeep, Fiske rents out a studio apartment on the property through Airbnb, and sells cherimoya fruit from his own grove. He still works in law by day, but can be found snuggling animals by night. (ecorazzi.com)
05/05/2016 ANOTHER VEGAN EVENT DRAWS INSANE CROWDS
The demand for more vegan events is clear. The Daily Echo reports that at the Lyndhurst Community Centre in New Forest, UK, organizers were shocked to find huge line-ups for their vegan fair. The first entirely vegan event in the area, organizers expected somewhere around 750 guests. When it came down to it, the event actually gathered the attention of 1200 visitors this past weekend. Organizers were forced to operate with a 'one in, one out' policy to manage the crowds, who were buzzing for the 40 vegan exhibitors taking over the space. Some, travelling as far from Birmingham for the day, would see droves of people begging to sample vegan food and buy ethical goods.
05/04/2016 GREENPEACE: TTIP WILL ENDANGER OUR HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
Greenpeace Netherlands has released secret documents of the EU-US TTIP negotiations. From an environmental and consumer protection point of view four aspects are of serious concern. None of the chapters reference the General Exceptions rule, which allows nations to regulate trade "to protect human, animal and plant life or health" or for "the conservation of exhaustible natural resources". The omission of this regulation suggests both sides are creating a regime that places profit ahead of human, animal and plant life and health. Also, nothing indicating climate protection can be found in the obtained texts. Even worse, the scope for mitigation measures is limited by provisions of the chapters on Regulatory Cooperation or Market Access for Industrial Goods. As an example these proposals would rule out regulating the import of CO2 intensive fuels such as oil from Tar Sands. Furthermore, the US demand for a "risk based" approach that aims to manage hazardous substances rather than avoid them, finds its way into various chapters. This approach undermines the ability of regulators to take preventive measures, for example regarding controversial substances like hormone disrupting chemicals. While the proposals threaten environmental and consumer protection, big business gets what it wants.
05/03/2016 TORONTO TO GET FIRST VEGAN FOOD TRUCK
The Vegan Extremist will be hitting the streets of Toronto in May to serve Indian and Thai-inspired dishes. Toronto's first fully vegan food truck The Vegan Extremist will debut May 14 at the Veggie Fest Hamilton. The truck specializes in curries and will serve classic Thai and Indian dishes such as vegetable korma, samosas, chana masala, and carrot halwa with cashews and raisins. Owner Jeffrey Merkel fell in love with curry at age 12 on a trip to Singapore and dreamed of opening a vegan food truck ever since. Since announcing his intent to hit the streets, Merkel—who wears vegan combat boots to capture his “Vegan Extremist” aesthetic—said the social media attention has been booming.
05/02/2016 VEGAN CUISINE IS GETTING HAUTE
Veganism is a full blown fine dining trend. Robb Reports writes about the popularity of vegan fine dining for more than just the cool kids. No longer plates of bland tofu relegated to picket sign waivers activists, cooking without animal products is considered a legit cuisine. With only 3 percent of Americans living a vegan lifestyle, this author is excited to highlight that many of the vegan restaurants popping up are taking on a fine dining quality. According to Richard Landau, chef and owner of Philadelphia's Vedge, it's big name chefs taking their fruit and veg seriously. So while braising, brining, and deconstructing used to be for meat fiends only, demand for better vegan eats has invited chefs to get funkier with their produce, grains, and legumes. "Some people think cooking vegan is easy—here, here's your salad," Landau continued. "But that's not cooking. That's why a lot of vegan food was so uninspiring. Everything at Vedge goes through six or seven processes before it hits the plate. There are a lot more talented chefs cooking vegetarian or vegan now. But we still need more."
The number of news found: 21.
