a beautiful tribute...

you may have watched some of bite size vegan's videos - i've shared a few over the years - however this one i'm about to share is one of her most personal stories... you see emily's beautiful companion ooby died last week - a beautiful canine girl, a 'bulldog' born and bred to human specifications, human dictates as to how she should look, regardless of the health problems that designer-breeding would cause...

it is beautiful and yet heart-wrenching... it is a tribute to ooby, and to emily's love and guardianship, yet it is also a sad testament to the horror that the breeding of animals by profiteers to be sold as commodities, chattels, has wrought on many animals...

in emily's words - "This is the story of Ooby the bulldog. It’s a story worth knowing. For every purebred dog suffering from man-made afflictions, for every homeless or abandoned dog out there, let Ooby’s story and her life help change how we treat our companions.

farewell beautiful ooby...

please adopt, don't shop - there are far too many languishing in shelters waiting for their chance to experience love, happiness, companionship...

the vegan revolution is happening...

and people say vegans don't have a sense of humour...

i just had to share this.... as someone on google+ commented after viewing it - 'it's thug kitchen meets martha stewart'...

please, go vegan - for the animals, the planet and because it's the right thing to do....

draw my life...

one of my favourite vegan activists, emily of bite size vegan, has put together the following video which speaks volumes on the short life of farmed turkeys from the viewpoint of one young turkey... it is poignant, moving, eye-opening - there is no 'real life' graphic horror footage here, just a simple illustrated story that hopefully you find thought provoking...

if this touched you, perhaps you may also find the draw my life videos on the vegan break site illustrated by vegan artist sooyeon jang - 'a chickens life', 'a pigs life', 'the life of a dog in south korea' - as impactful as i did - please take the time to view them, they are breathtakingly moving... http://www.veganbreak.com/vegan-draw-my-life/

love, the bond that ties...

did you know my mother? 

by mary lynn

Did you know my mother?

I'm told her name was Belle.

I don't know what she looked like

but have memories of her smell.

Did you ever hear my mother?

Did her cries pull at your heart?

I remember them quite clearly

when the men pulled us apart.

Did you drink from my mother?

Did you ever taste her milk?

Did you feel her face against yours?

Was her skin as soft as silk?

I've been told I had two brothers,

and my sister's numbered four,

Then my mother went to slaughter

of no value anymore.

Were you there with my mother?

Did you look into her eyes?

Did you see the fear within them?

Did you listen to her cries?

And now MY end is coming,

I am waiting with my friends,

We are huddled close together

In this place where all life ends.

Will you be there at our slaughter?

For the flesh you want to eat.

Will you ever think about us?

When you buy that piece of meat.

It’s my turn now, I’m moving,

I am going to my end.

I am urged with shouts and kicking

and with sticks that never bend.

I am thinking of my mother

and remembering her smell.

And I know we'll meet in Heaven

and forget this life called Hell.

Weronika Kolinska has created some stunning black and white artwork reproducing this poem graphically which adds even more poignancy if that's possible...

and this is the perfect post to share this video of a reunion between a mother and her child - beautiful - it's something no mother or child should ever have to experience, they should never be forcibly separated... you can read more on the background to this heart-rending/heart-warming story "Crying Mother Cow Greets Lost Baby In Breathtaking Reunion" 

as the saying goes...

a picture paints a thousand words and these powerful images by dana ellyn brilliantly portray the reality of the sentient beings hidden behind a language that strips them of their species, their uniqueness, their individuality, their lives, to become the victims of human food choices...

eggs & bacon

bacon cheeseburger

four wrongs don't make a right

 you can view more of dana's stunning imagery at

http://www.danaellyn.com/portfolio151.html

what will your next meal be? please go vegan, for the animals, the planet and because it's the right thing to do, the moral thing to do, the ethical thing to do...

they go hand in hand...

feminism and veganism...

feminism - "The goal of feminism is to dismantle the hierarchical system that values certain groups over others: men over women, whites over blacks, straights over gays and so on. This false hierarchy permits the exploitation of those at the bottom by the powerful at the top. But mainstream feminism is failing to include non-human animals in the equation – and this needs to change..." from 'feminism must stop ignoring animals' by ruby hamad...

veganism - is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude - as far as is possible and practicable - all forms of animal exploitation and cruelty for any reason, including medicine, food, clothing, entertainment or for any other purpose... in dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals. In short, veganism is a philosophical position and not a diet... from 'your vegan fallacy is...', a wonderful new resource that has many articles on the misconceptions surrounding veganism...

this is the latest vegan street meme - why not check out the vegan street blog, 
formerly known as vegan feminist agitator

do you call yourself a feminist? do you believe in equality for all? do you believe in reproductive rights? do you believe our bodies belong to us? have you made the connection yet? then surely you believe in every sentient beings right to live their lives free from harm, free from enslavement, free from exploitation... if so your next logical step has to be veganism, it is a moral imperative, the ethical baseline that really will change this world...

want some 'brain food' - check out the blog 'there's an elephant in the room' - just brilliant...

another farewell...

and the end of an era for me...

5.5.1926 - 13.4.2015

eileen, 'aunty eil', my mother's best friend of 80 years, died on monday, april 13 at 11.05am... she was such a strong presence throughout my life... she was feisty, funny, one of a kind and i love her deeply...

she was recently diagnosed with secondary liver cancer, given 2 months to live, but she didn't last that long, dying 2 weeks after diagnosis... she lost her spark long before that though - she was heartbroken when my mother died 9 months ago - she'd lost her lifelong friend, her confidante, her 'soulmate'... i will miss her terribly but am thankful she never lingered to suffer at length..

her funeral was yesterday and lots of stories and laughs were shared and many tears shed, and we all got a giggle as she made her final journey to the soundtrack of the number 96 tram that went past her building every day... eileen and judy lived on the esplanade in st kilda opposite the beach, with a tram stop virtually out the front for the last 20 years of their lives - they loved their flats and never felt comfortable if they couldn't see the beach and hear the trams - those two things epitomised home to them both so it was a classic, fitting farewell...

bye eil, you were always there for me... i'll miss our conversations and laughs together, i'll miss the shoulder you always offered in my times of need, i'll miss you wonderful womonxxx

stop the excuses...

for more VeganStreet memes go to http://veganstreet.com/dailymeme.html#Archive

the real matrix...

i've been meaning to post this video for a while now... presented by james wildman of the animal rights foundation of florida 'the real matrix - 101 reasons to go vegan' is 1 hour and 8 minutes of thought-provoking time well spent...

sit down, take a load off, and become absorbed in james' informative, entertaining, fascinating and compelling talk covering tradition, culture, inherited choices and health...

if 1 hour and 8 minutes is too long for you, perhaps melanie joy's talk fits your time scale better - 20 minutes in which she talks about inherited choices...

personally, i recommend both - similar messages, different styles of presentation, both articulate, passionate speakers - i could have watched each speaker for far longer than both videos ran...

 

"if we could live happy and healthy lives without harming others… why wouldn't we?" ... edgar's mission