Sunday, January 29, 2012

Baby Steps

Baby steps is all it takes to get that meat right off your plate!

OK, so maybe you might be thinking that it's going to be REALLY hard to become a vegetarian...well i've got news for you..it's really not!
Before I became veg I literally ate meat at EVERY meal. I'm talking bacon for breakfast, chicken for lunch and pork chops for dinner. My whole family eats meat. I stressed out a lot about how much I thought I was going to miss meat and put off the decision for a LONG time...until one day I just decided to do it!

My first attempt was full-blown immediate cut-off of all meat products. And that worked.....for exactly 11 and a half days. So when I chose to try again I was more smart about it. These are the baby steps I took to become a vegetarian.

1. Cut out red meat
Because it's not really my favourite and it's also the most unhealthy

2.Cut out fish 
Also not my favorite

3.Cut out pork
Letting go of those ribs....

4.Cut out chicken
This was definitely the hardest...I LOVED chicken. It took me about 2 months to let it go.

This worked for me...and whenever I feel i'm about to loose sight of why I chose to do it, I play back scenes in my head of all the videos and all the information I've read about being veggie- that really helps. I imagine the blood and the pigs screaming and I know that never again in my life (or at least the foreseeable future) will I eat meat.

So, what I'm trying to say is that trying to move things to fast will make it harder to keep up in the long term. I don't want being vegetarian to be just a phase in my life y'know? I want it to be my new and improved lifestyle :)

Don't rush things! Baby steps....baby steps...:)

xxx Cynthia


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

27th January- Holocaust Memorial Day

This Friday is the annual International Holocaust Memorial Day.


It's a day to remember the 6 million people that lost their lives, and the millions more who suffered during the Holocaust, Nazi persecution, and the more recent genocides in Bosnia, Cambodia, Rwanda and Darfur.
The Holocaust and all subsequent genocides are dark parts of our history that we hope and pray will never be repeated.

You might be wondering why I'm bringing this up on a blog dedicated to vegetarianism and animal rights?

Isn't it obvious?

In the Holocaust, the Nazi's killed millions of Jews who were too weak to fight back or speak up for themselves.

In the Holocaust, violence and destruction took over the lives of peaceful men, women and children, who were people just the same as the ones who caused so much death. They were people with real feelings, families, thoughts, happiness and sadness.

Yet all that was disregarded because of the Nazi ideals that they were not worthy of life, that they were mere instruments that should be disposed of or treated cruelly at the very most.

The Jews lived in tiny cramped surroundings, with poor sanitation. Diseases were rampant. The old, sick and any that were seen as weak were simply killed.

Sound familiar?

Every year, over 50 billion animals are killed for food alone. The Holocaust lasted 12 years. 600billion animals would be killed in 12 years. That is 1 million times more people than were killed in the Holocaust.
Animals cant stand up for themselves against us.

The life in an factory farm and slaughterhouse is one of cramped surroundings, barely enough space to move or  even stand up. Animals are routinely beaten, branded, drugged, force-fed and then, when they are fat enough, or if they are weak, they face their final fate.

Animals may not be humans, but they have feelings too. They too have families, thoughts, happiness and sadness.

But we disregard all that, because to most humans, animals are mere instruments that can be disposed of or treated cruelly at least. But we refuse to see that, we refuse to think of the murder that goes into the food that we eat.

Everybody agrees that the Holocaust was the work of evil. It was a hateful genocide that we all hope will never be repeated.

I hope that one day humans look back at the murder of animals as we do on the Holocaust, because to animals, all humans are Nazi's.






Saturday, January 14, 2012

New Years Resolutions


Happy 2012 everyone!
Here are some ideas for some animal-friendly new years resolutions!


1. Pledge to be Veg
Being a vegetarian is one of the best things you can do do help animals. You can start slowly by cutting out red meat first, then moving on to other meats. Being a vegetarian ensures healthier, guilt free meals, and you can save over 100 animals a year!



2. Go vegan!
If you've been a vegetairian for a long time, maybe it's time to cut out all animal products. I haven't yet got there but I know I will someday and I'm really looking forward to having absolutely 0% cruelty in my life!



3.Clean out your closet
Animals fur, wool and skin is for them to wear, not us! If you have any clothes that required an animal to die or suffer, maybe it's time to get rid of it.


4. Start a campaign
choose anything that you're passionate about and just go for it,  and don't give up! If you're looking for ideas, I recently got one of the restaurants at my school to start serving vegetarian alternatives, and I'm planning a campaign against Nestea's animal testing!



5. Tell someone
This is probably the easiest one to do. Tell someone who seems generally interested about animal rights about becoming a vegetarian and it's amazing benefits. Dont be discouraged by all the people who will dissagree, believe me, I've met A LOT. just stay strong and you might change their minds!




6. Boycott animal testing
If you know a company tests on animals, don't buy their products. And tell your friends and family not to buy them either! (I'm still trying to convince my brother to stop using Axe :) You can even send an e-mail to the company directors or post it on their facebook page!



7. Cut out dissection
If you're in school or university, you really don't have to cut up that cute dead mouse, and maybe, like the awesome people at Conneticut University, you can persuade your school to stop it completely.
Check out this video about the horrors of dissection: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNLEsDcNTPM



8.Skip a visit to:
The Ringling Bro's Circus - where elephants are beaten, hit, poked, prodded, and jabbed with sharp hooks, sometimes until bloody. Ringling breaks the spirit of elephants when they're vulnerable babies who should still be with their mothers. Unsuspecting parents planning a family trip to the circus don't know about the violent training sessions with ropes, bullhooks, and electric shock prods that elephants endure.
www.RinglingBeatsAnimals.com
Seaworld- Sea World has been involved in illegal and unethical actions to assure their parks are well stocked with killer whales-who die younger and more frequently than they do in the sea. They are kept in cramped spaces with baarely enough space to turn around- and stolen from oceans where they can swim and live like they should
Horse Races- Horse racing is a world of injuries, drug abuse, gruesome breakdowns, and slaughter. Animals are force fed steroids to make them grom bigger than natural, whipped repeatedly and, over 10,000 of these horses in the USA alone, are slaughtered each year, when they are "past their peak" 


9. Pet Matters
If you're thinking about getting a pet this year, please adopt. There are millions of animals that are killed in shelters because they have no home. You can save one of them.The pet trade treats animals as mere moneymaking commodities to mass produce and peddle for profit. Animals are routinely denied socialization, exercise, and even basic veterinary care in this cruel, money-hungry industry. Please dont cage birds- birds long for freedom and flight- caging birds is denying them their most basic instincts
Do not chain your dogs, thisis one of the cruelest punishments imaginable for social animals who need and deserve companionship, exercise, and mental stimulation. It can also turn dogs into ticking time bombs: Many people, especially children, have been bitten, mauled, or killed by chained dogs 
Declawing, shock collars, ear cropping and tail docking are all cruel unecessary practices that need to be stopped.
And finally, neutering your pet prevents more animals ending up homeless. Its as simple as Animal Birth Control!

10.  Love all animals, equally
Whether it's a dog or a pig, a cat or a chicken, all animals feel, love, and deserve to live. Just because an animal is not a pet, doesn't mean it should end up on a plate, in a laboratory, or being forced to entertain us. Stand up for the animals you love, and maybe the ones, like snakes, that maybe aren't so easy to love- because they all deserve a chance.

                                                            
Have a happy and animal-friendly 2012!
xxx Cynthia

Be an Activist- With Free Supplies!

"Never be silent
Because if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem
Speak up! Just because animals can't say what they are feeling, doesn't mean they don't feel at all.
Tell someone, show someone, educate someone
Because once they know, they can never not know
And they will have the burden of the cruelty they carry
Until they stand up and do something about it." - Me :)

Slide-shows: If you would like me to send you a slideshow on Vegetarianism, Animal Testing, Animals used for entertainment or The Fur Trade, please comment below and I would be happy to e-mail one to you.

Posters: I have made 3 posters about Life in a Slaughterhouse, Benefits of Vegetarianism and Common Myths,. If you would like one please comment below.

Videos: There are many passionate and thought-provoking videos out there. I have yet to make one, but I am planning to very soon. Comment and tell me what you would like to see in it, and I will try my best to include it.. So far I've decided to try and expose myths about the meat industry by vising a slaughterhouse and videotaping the horrors inside. Once I'm brave enough to do it! 

If you've made any posters, videos, slide-shows or anything to show the cruelty animals face- that is too often ignored, I would absolutely love to see them!

Peace, Love, Paws.