Monday, 10 July 2017

Important Credits



I have created this page as I feel its important to have a credit list of places that have given me FREE resources so here is my list of places that I have gotten and used resources from for my creations. Some of them are paid for where others have been free. All creations are put together by me but some of my resources are the following.


Creative Market
Deal Jumbo
Inky
Design Cuts
Pixel Buddha
All silhouettes
• Action spree (no longer a site but wanted to credit them anyways.)
Font Squirrel
Pals illuminated photography
Shapes 4 Free
Adobe
Brush Eezy
Photoshop Lady
• Livenhersbeestje

Friday, 7 July 2017

Lion Ark DVD/Film Review


Lion Ark is a look into circuses with animals in Bolivia and the abuse that these animals face. However, this film is more on the quest they go to rescue the animals and bring them to a better life and freedom. 

The opening of the film does show some upsetting content (is non graphic)but it only lasts for a short time.  The rest of the film basically shows them going from circus to circus and basically rescuing 25 lions, and also a coatimundi and spider monkeys that were being used in these circuses after a nation-wide ban on using animals in circus performances. 

The film basically is a rescue mission from the horror places they were till the end a safe haven where they can live peacefully without being forced to do tricks or perform.

This is a film that will make you shed tears but happy tears. Its a beautiful operation done by ADI ( Animal defenders international) one that will bring you hope for animals. 


Also featured in this 90 minute documentary is Bob Barker and Jorja Fox (CSI ). A great rescue film, featuring the lives of animals in circuses. Many animals are still at this moment living how these animals were living  prior to their rescue. 

I recommend this film if you are interested in a happy film. Its a good feel film, filled with more good then bad.

Interested in learning more, check them out by the following 
• Learn more about ADI by visiting their website
• Visit Lion Arks official website.



Tuesday, 6 June 2017

The Missing Peace: Book Review



The missing Peace: The Hidden Power of Our Kinship with Animals by Tina Volpe & Judy Carman

This book is for spiritual enthusiasts it breaks down the barriers and is a collection of stories from those on a spiritual path and how they made the connection to either go vegetarian or vegan.  It crosses all kinds of people through their path and it also features specific religions, such as Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, etc.

This book is wonderful and if your in need of something to give you hope this book accomplishes that. With its collection of people that went Vegetarian or Vegan, just helps you to feel hope that this world is evolving and people are learning to make the connection. 

Each chapter focuses on a specific group of people, from those on a spiritual path, to those who were hunters, to those who worked in slaughterhouses, the stories will help you to feel that progress is being made.

While this book is more what I consider the vegan soup for the soul books. This book is different, perhaps for non vegans it might help you to relate and maybe spark something you never thought of before, for vegetarians and vegans this book may give you hope, that we are making a difference and people everyday are awakening and connecting the dots. 

It also features wisdoms from several people in history that spoke out on a vegetarian diet, and to live a life free from animal suffering. Such figures include,  Paramahansa Yogananda, John Wesley, Leonard da Vinci, Gandhi, etc. Several people from all times, spoke out on the injustice that animals have to face. 

This book also looks at various religions and how the underlining is the same, to live a life that is cruelty free. A lot of religious figures, and religions look at the fact that while you put dead bodies into your own you body its not good and does not help your connection to God. The affects of eating beings who had anxiety, fear, trauma does not help your own body as you take on that energy.

I think this book is a good one, while it does not necessarily give facts about the industry and whats going on. It does have several stories of people who have gone vegetarian or vegan. Perhaps by hearing their stories and what sparked them, it perhaps can spark you too!








Thursday, 23 March 2017

Online Stores and Shops




Looking for some vegan related gear or vegan options for items. Check out this list. A lot of them are vegan related clothing and activist wear but there are also other items. Obviously there is a lot you can buy in stores that are vegan, such as any cotton, bamboo, etc. However if your looking for active wear or certified vegan here is a list of some of the items


Materials to Avoid and do not buy: leather, suede, alligator skin, snakeskin, kangaroo, silk, wool, angora, pashmina, cashmere, shearling camel hair, mohair, alpaca, fleece, down, fur, fur trim.



Alba Paris Art 
Alternative Vegan Boutique
Arm the Animals 
Better Shoes (Sustainable and Vegan Shoe brands. I am not fully sure how many of these can be found in Canada but I would think you could ship them to your home.)
BeetxBeet 
Canopy Verde 
Compassion Company
Freedom OF Animals 
Goddess Provisions ( Spiritual tool box, felt like adding this here too)
Hendrick & Co 
Life is Good 
Mercy for animals
PETA
Roots of Compassion
Sevenly
The Herbivore Clothing Company
Triple Threads 
Vaute 
Veganz 
Vegan Cuts 
• Vegan Empire
Vegan Supply Co 
Vegetaryn 
Wholesome Culture- Vegan-Life


The following list is also found in the food/ products link. This however will be more extensive and will update regularly as new stores come out or discover more places!

Why not to use wool, silk, etc? They are just as cruel with the animals as  raising animals for consumption.


Fur- Animals raised for fur have a horrible life, they are confided to small cages that they can barely move, they don’t have their crates cleaned so they go to the washroom where they are. Animals are electrocuted anally, because of being there for fur purposes they can not get their fur damaged. Also coyotes who are used for coats like Canada Goose they are also caught by trapping methods that are inhumane and sometimes catches more then a coyote. Dogs, Cats, even other birds like eagles are known to get trapped in those deadly traps. Coyotes have been known to eat their own foot to try and desperately escape those death traps.

Fur trim- Most people think that a lot of fur trim is fake but so often they do not label because its not of a coyote, or a fox, rabbit etc so they do not need to label it. However, an estimate of 2 million dogs and cats a year end up being turned into coats, gloves, hats, stuffed toys, fur trims and other products. These animals are bred and raised in the same horrible conditions as other animals in fur farms. Often these dogs and animals are skinned fully conscious and alive. Fur trim could be dog, cat, coyote, fox, racoon dog and various other animals.

Down- Most down and feathers are taken from geese and ducks that will be slaughtered for meat. Again these birds are kept in horrible conditions, they are locked in dimly lit sheds, cramped, no access to outdoors and absolutely filthy. Geese and Ducks are aquatic birds, which means they need water, this is also something that they do not have access too. 80% of their life is spent swimming, cleaning themselves and preening their feathers in some body of water(ponds, streams, rivers, lakes). Another method used to get down is live plucking. Often ducks, geese are plucked fully conscious. So they take them and begin to pluck them for their feathers while they are fully conscious. They let the feathers then grow back and begin plucking them again. Once that is all done the ducks or geese are then sent to be slaughtered. Live plucking is practiced primarily in China, Poland and Hungary. They are also the largest exporters of down and feathers with China being 80% of the worlds supply’s.

Leather- Its commonly used and most people have some type of leather in their homes. However, leather comes with a price. While yes a lot of leather comes from cows or animals destined to be eaten by humans procedures in slaughterhouses can be horrifying. Animals are also just killed because people are buying leather products. aOften cows are skinned alive(slaughterhouse by Gail A. Eisnitz). Dogs are also skinned alive in China and their skin is used for both fur products and smaller items like gloves, belts, jacket collar trims, cat toys and other accessories. The Major sources of leather are cows, pigs, alligators, sheep, goats, elk, deer and horses. Other animals commonly skinned, sharks, stingrays, snakes, elephants, buffaloes, and ostriches. One of the most expensive and luxurious leathers is calfskin, which comes from the skin of a newborn calves. Leather also wreaks havoc on mother nature. Turning decomposing skin into a non-decaying product like leather(tanning) requires a toxic amount of chemicals that goes into the air and into our waterways. The toxic waste gets dumped into nearby waterways which is contaminated with carcinogens, lime sludge, sulfides, and acids.


Silk- The process of silk, because silk comes from silkworms places that are doing such starts with the eggs of the silk worms. After the eggs hatch the larve weave a protective cocoon by secreting a fibrin protein from their salivary glands, this protein hardens into a gossamer-thin strand when it comes to contact with the air. (it takes 2-3 days to spin its cocoon constructed of a single thread about a mile/ 1.6 kilometres long ). This is the process that eventually turns them into moths. In nature the silk moth would break free and eventually mate to start the cycle again. The silkworm is then killed with heat-boiled, India’s silk industry exploits hundreds of children, many as young as 5 who have been sold into slavery by their parents. Contagious diseases, especially tuberculosis and digestive disorders are easily spread in crowded rooms. Bad lightening causes eye strain and even loss of vision. Kids also reported of being beaten and also verbally abused. One of their tasks involves putting their hands in boiling water to check cocoons.

Wool -Australia holds the larges world production of wool by 25%. Sheep who are being used for wool are often sheared sometimes before they should which should happen in the spring this leaves them without the insulation that they need. Its an estimate that about 1 million sheep die in Australia prematurely from exposure. Once a sheep is no longer profitable for its wool, they are then shipped to Middle east to be slaughtered by a method called live export. This method is also cruel as the animals have no access too food, or water, many end up dying on the way. This export can take a long time before they reach the middle east. Australian sheep ranchers after several years of intensive selective breeding have produced sheep that that has folded skin. Which means that these sheep have more surface to grow wool and more profit for ranchers. This has drawbacks, with folded skin on a sheep backside collects feces and urine this is a perfect ideal environment for the blowfly to deposit eggs(this is called Myiasis also called flystrike). Eggs hatch into swarming maggots, which eat into the flesh and can kill the animal within days. To combat this ranchers use a procedure called mulesing they use shears to cut two large swaths of wrinkled wool-bearing skin from beneath the sheep’s tail. This procedure is done without any pain relief whats so ever and is less susceptible to flystrike. There are downsides to this procedure however, as it takes a months time to heal and it invites blowflies to lay their eggs.

Below is a chart for items, and what you can use and what to avoid to make more conscious compassionate choices.




Credit for information Bleating Hearts The Hidden World Of Animal Suffering by Mark Hawthorne

Wednesday, 1 March 2017

Common Ingredients to look out for.



Below is a list of common and everyday "ingredients" to be on a lookout for.  A lot of these items come from animals and basically are a byproduct from us eating animals and animal products. When you really think of it do you really want to eat bones or cartilage of an animal?


Firstly I want to say if you are going vegan and you make a mistake don't beat yourself up. With time you get better at it, you'll remember things easier, and it will become second nature. For now though, here is a list of everyday ingredients that are found it most products.

Casein: is a milk protein comes from dairy.

Gelatin: is made from processing beef or pork bones, cartilage, tendons and tissues

Whey: is a dairy-based byproduct of cheese-making
Whey is a common ingredient in crackers, bread, and other baked goods.

Honey: Is food made by bees that they make for themselves.

Beeswax: Look at the ingredients carefully as there is synthetic beeswax which is fine to use you want to avoid the real thing.


Isinglass: is the pure form of gelatin taken from the bladders of some freshwater fishes.

Lanolin: fat that is taken from sheep's wool

Lard: Fat that surrounds a pigs, cows, sheep's stomach and kidneys.

Check out this guide at this website for more stuff and what to be on the lookout for.

Friday, 17 February 2017

Nature's Emporium Visit and Review



Yesterday I took to check out the new store Nature’s Emporium and how EXCITING! Well its far from being a  complete vegan store the amount of vegan items though was totally blown away.  Its highly comparable to goodness me depending on which end of Burlington you are in Nature’s Emporium could possibly be more beneficial to you then goodness me and vice versa. The store is 100% Organic.

They have large variety of items, fresh fruit and veggies,  they have prepared foods. They had a large amount of vegan selections as well. Unfortunately though I find their meat and cheese area much larger then goodness me. So sadly for those of us who dislike seeing it we have to in order to get some items if we want to.  Various of their pies are vegan, and found a large selection of baked goods from Sweet of The Earth that are vegan too.  Various cakes which is perfect for birthdays and other occasions that you want a nice cake. A large variety of vegan pies as well. 

Several of their prepared food too had vegan options, from samosas, to even prepared vegan BLT’s using tempeh, and various dishes to go that are vegan. I however did find a dish there that was labeled as vegan but had honey in it so I asked them to please change their label as honey was not vegan.  They seemed nice enough and agreed to change it. 

A large variety of items I found that you can not find any where else. Or I have not yet. They had typical brands like Daiya, So Delicious, Field Roast,  Gardein. I also found new items like Silk yogurt which was available there (had not found it anywhere else yet) and I found Field Roast burgers. 

Several other items that I found which was blown away by their large Pacificia selection, it is one of my favourite brands of cosmetics. They are affordable and yet  are cruelty free and vegan.  Another of my favourite which they had there was Gabriel cosmetics. They are more pricy but its good quality. So if you need something fancy its good for those fancier day you might use them. Such as weddings, parties, etc. However for everyday wear my favourite is still Pacifica.

Overall it was a good experience! It definitely will be a place I will go more. 

For more info on Nature's Emporium visit their website. https://www.naturesemporium.com/ 

They are located on 2180 Itabashi Way which is off of Upper Middle Rd approaching Appleby Line in Burlington.





Prepared ready for take out vegan variety of protein

Friday, 3 February 2017

Tips Bearing Witness


Some Tips for Bearing Witness




Tips for Vigils before and after bearing witness

I was feeling guided to write this out and give some tips on bearing witness and vigils. Also a long life sufferer of anxiety I am mixing in some of my own path and what has helped me. If It helped me I know it can help others too. Some of these tips are for spiritual based people, however I think whether you are on a spiritual path or not you can benefit from these tips

1.) WATER is essential as an activist and flow of our body and everything. I highly recommend you attend a vigil well hydrated. Understandably when at vigils its not always possible to drink water. But if you can drink water before a vigil it will keep you flowing. Also I feel its important after vigils to drink a lot of water. It will help clear our energy or at least neutralize it.


2.) I understand sometimes we do not want to eat before a vigil and thats okay however I do suggest having something in your stomach. Personally when I do not want to eat I like to at least have some apple sauce. Its light on the stomach and keeps it calm.

3.) Emotions, its a very emotional time when at slaughterhouses, so if you feel the need to cry please don’t feel you can’t do that. I am more then sure that most of activists have broke down at some point in time. If you need to cry, please do- Its okay!

4.) This step here is in mind for spiritual minded people but I am still going to share. There are various crystals and stones out there that protect from lower and negative energy. If you are energy sensitive (I think most of us are) this could be a good route for you. I personally myself have a stone I were daily everywhere which it does just that protect against lower and negative energies. Slaughter houses are the exact opposite of the essence of who we are. They are full of fear, lower and negative energies so its important to protect yourself from that.

5.) This is a dual option doing both or do one. One is spiritual based the other is generic. Its important to clear our energy. We pick up a lot of negative energy and this can be especially disruptive to our own well being if we do not take care of it. I highly suggested clearing your energy field after each vigil by doing a meditation or something similar. Various of online clearing meditations on youtube. The second bit is if you are not into this method or it does not ratiocinate with you its important especially if its your VERY FIRST VIGIL ever, to find someone who you can talk too. I think most activists would be perfectly fine with you sending them a message to say hey I need to talk about what I saw or experienced. You should not carry any weight with you. If something you witnessed was extremely distressing, please don’t keep it to yourself seek out someone. I will post also below two support groups that you can go to and are there to assist and have PROFESSIONALS who can help steer you or you can open up to, if anything open up to a friend who you can talk to.

Two places to reach out if you need some guidance or professional help from trained persons. http://www.idausa.org/campaign/sustainable-activism/ 
HelpActivists.org/ 

6.) I think too its important to go into the vigils from a place of peace even if what humans are doing and the whole situation is maddening. Its important to check in with how we are feeling and be aware that our thoughts, and emotions can impact the animals. Cows, Chickens, Pigs, they are all still young, if we go towards them aggressively they will feel that. I have witnessed several activists who just get caught up and run after them aggressively. Animals are very much more in tune with energy then a lot of people are because of our egos. Animals have egos too but because spiritually they are on a different plain then us they are not as much into that then us humans are. So when these animals are already feeling anxious, stressed, fearful if we go with that angry mentality, they pick it up and can retaliate from us, even if we ourselves our loving beings. I think its extremely important to be mindful of your energy prior to bearing witness.. Its fully understandable that we are angry and upset this is happening. This is why we choose to bear witness but if we go to bear witness with that same energy it can be counterproductive for the animals. Our goals is to show love, compassion, and not add to stress. I.e, there is a truck people are bearing witness a driver drives by and shouts something nasty and you respond with the same energy while being beside the truck full of those beings. That energy will be felt by the pigs. I have witnessed this time and time again. I would refrain from interacting with those individuals while you are bearing witness, just do not respond. Let them say their spiral and carry on with being there for the animals.

7.) For clearing yourself another way is to use Sage. There are various natural stores that have sage, you can also buy sage spray and it works the same way that burning sage does. Its a great way to clear yourself energetically. Also I recently got a tip from a spiritual teacher another way to clear yourself is to use ground sage in salad dress and it clears you from the inside out. I have not tried this one yet but its on my to try in 2017. If you would like more help with this or any questions feel free to message me at any time. I am here to help, not to judge.

By no means am I an expert but if there is something I don't know we can learn together.

Wonderful Animal Facts!




There are so many wonderful animals out there, but for the purpose of this site I am focusing in this part any ways of the most abused animals on EARTH. All animals deserve our love and respect.  Most people do not know truly facts about cows, chickens, pigs, etc. I am just shedding some love and light of some of those who tend to be overlooked and people just see as food. By learning more about them we can help to connect with them better. I invite everyone to go and visit sanctuaries and to learn more about them and to get to know the animals from themselves. Just as you would with your dogs and cats at home.





• Chickens slurp grass like spaghetti when living in their natural environment chickens will spend the day foraging for bugs and slurping down fresh blades of grass
• Chickens love dust baths. It may not sound very appealing to you but chickens take so much pleasure in digging a shallow pit in the dirt and spreading their wings and rolling around in it. Dust baths help chickens maintain a proper feather insulation and ward off parasites.
• Chickens have complex communication with specific meanings. When you spend enough time around chickens you’ll start to understand many different vocalizations from calling their youngsters to alerting others whereabouts of food.
• Chickens like to play. When giving enough space chickens will run, jump, spa and even sunbathe.
• Chickens like to talk to their unborn babies. In a natural setting a mother hen will cluck to her chicks before they have even hatched and they will churp back to her and to each other through their shells.
• Chickens are a lot more clever than you think. Recent studies have shown that chickens are intelligent animals with many attributes similar to that of primates. They are able to solve complex problems, understand cause and effect, pass on knowledge, demonstrate self control and worry about the future.
• Chickens have excellent memories. They are able to recognize and remember more than 100 different individuals including humans


• Cows can hear lower and higher frequencies better than humans. 
• Cows don’t have four stomachs. They have just one stomach with four chambers- rumen, reliculum, amasum, and abamasum. This allows them to digest tough plant matter that would normally be indigestible. 
• Cows are red-green colourblind  
• Cows make various sounds. Moos aren’t the only sound cows make. Calves make a sound called bowling while bulls bellow. 
• Cows have long lifespans. Cows can live more than 20 years ( although ). If they have horns you can guess their age by counting the number of rings. 
• Cows build close relationships. Like humans cows (cattle) form close friendships and choose to spend much of their time with 2-4 preferred individuals. They also hold grudges for years and may dislike particular individuals. 
• Cows get excited when they solve problems. When faced with a challenge of finding out how to open a door to reach food their heartbeat went up, their brainwaves showed excitement and some even jumped into the air 
• Cows are devotional mothers and are known to walk for miles to find their calves 
•Cows can walk up a flight of stairs, but once they are there they can’t walk back down. Their knees don’t bend the right way. 
• Cows drink the equivalent of a bathtub of water each day. 
• Cows spots is equivalent to human fingerprints, no two cows have the same set of spots. 
• Cows sleep and average of four hours each day. 
• Cows pregnancies lasts the same as humans 9 months. 
• Cattle have excellent sense of smell they can detect odour up to 5 miles away. Also hear both low and high frequency sounds beyond human capabilities. 
• Cows are extremely curious creatures and will investigate everything. 
• Cows show excitement when they are let out after long periods of confinement.





• Goats have accents. Researchers from queen Mary University of London found that goats accents change as they grow older and move into different groups.
• Goats stand on cow.s Apparently goats do stand on cows and practically everything else too including on people. Goats after all originated from the Zagros Mountains in Anatolia where they had to climb rocks and cliffs and they can hold their balance in the most precarious places including trees. • Goats have rectangular pupils. Their eyes have horizontal slits, which give them deep peripheral vision and allow them to monitor predators in a broad area. Horses, cows, and other hoofed animals have similar pupils but goats irises are usually pale so they show up more prominently and are more able to scare people.
• Baby goats are called kids. Since the 1200's the young of a goat has been called a kid and only in 1599 was the extended meaning to a a “child” first recorded.
• Goats can yell like a man and bark or say “what”. Their calls are called bleating.
• Each goat kid has a unique call and along with its scent that is how its mother recognizes it from birth- not by sight.
 • Goats discovered coffee. Apparently in Ethiopia a goat herd saw goats behaving more actively and energetically after eating from a particular bush. He then tried it himself and felt uplifted, awake and full of energy.
• Kids can follow their mothers almost immediately after being born. They are very close to their mothers and are weaned after around 6 months.
Pigs


• Pigs are extremely intelligent, they are known to be smarter then your 3 year old child and even more intelligent than dogs.
• Pigs are very peaceful animals, they rarely show aggression. With the exception when a mother sow feels her offspring is threatened.
• Pigs are extremely social animals. They form close bonds with other individuals and love close contact and lying down together.
• Pigs are very clean they like to keep their toilet away from from where they lie down and eat. Newborn piglets also will leave their nest to go to the toilet even within hours after being born
• Pigs have saved lives. There are numerous stories of pigs that have saved the lives of humans. A pig called Pru pulled her owner out of a muddy bog and another Priscilla save a young boy from drowning.
• Pigs snuggle close to one another and prefer to sleep nose to nose. They dream much as humans do in their natural surroundings. Pigs spend hours playing, sunbathing, and exploring. People who run animal sanctuaries for farmed animals often report that pigs like humans enjoy listening to music, playing with soccer balls, and getting massages.
• Newborn piglets learn to run to their mothers voices. They are also able to recognize there name by 2 weeks old.
• Sows sing to their young while nursing.
• Pigs do not have sweat glands, so they do not sweat. In order to keep cool they need access to mud or water.






• Sheep have very good memories. They can remember at least 50 individuals sheep and humans for years. They do this by using a similar neural process and part of the brain that humans use to remember.
• Sheep are intelligent. Contrary to popular misconception sheep are extremely intelligent animals capable of problem solving. They are considered to have similar IQ level to cattle and are nearly as cleaver as pigs.
• Sheep communicated different emotions. Like various other species including humans, sheep make different vocalizations to communicate different emotions. They also display and recognize emotions by facial expressions.
• Sheep are known to self-medicate when they have some illnesses. They will eat specific plants when ill that can cure them.
• Female sheep (ewes) are very caring mothers and form deep bonds with their lambs that can recognize them by their call (bleat) whey they wander too far away.
 • Sheep were sacred to Egyptians. Egyptians believed that sheep were sacred. They even had them mummified when they died just like humans
• Sheep cannot right themselves from certain positions, therefore if you see a sheep on his back please give him or her some assistance as sheep cannot get themselves upright from this position and if left unaided they will eventually die, within an hour.



• Individual turkeys have unique voices, this is how they recognize one another.
• Turkeys are intelligent and sensitive animals that are highly social. They create lasting social bands with each other and are very affectionate similar to dogs.
• Turkeys have outstanding geography skills. They have the ability to learn the precise details of an area over 1000 acres in size.
• Baby turkeys (poults) flock with their mother all year. Although wild turkeys roost in the trees, as poults are unable to fly for the first couple of weeks of their lives. The mother stays with them at ground level to keep them safe and warm until they are strong enough to roost up in the safety of the trees.
• Male turkeys are substantially larger than females and his feathers have areas of red, purple, green , copper, bronze and gold iridescence. Female feathers are duller overall in shades of brown and gray.
• The area of bare skin on a turkey’s throat and head vary in colour depending on its level of excitement and stress. When excited a male turkeys head turns blue, when ready to fight it turns red.
 • The Turkey is believed to have been sacred in ancient Mexican culture. The Mayans, Aztecs and Toltecs referred to the turkey as the “great xolotl’ , viewing them as jewelled birds.
• Like peacocks, male turkeys puff up their bodies and spread their feathers to attract a mate.


Resources & credits for facts.
One Kind
Care 2
The Pig Site

Some of the credits are not possible as can not remember where I got from my deepest apologizes

Thursday, 2 February 2017

Animal Agriculture Facts

Animal Agriculture Facts.

Learn a little about what really goes on! We've be lied too and convinced that everything is okay when in reality these animals suffer and are prisoners.  There is a lot out there that because its done on a wide scale it is not considered cruel. It has to be abnormal and not done widely as a whole for it to be considered CRUEL however that does not change the fact for the animals these things that happened to them is extremely cruel. Over 70 BILLION land animals are killed every year to be eaten.




The Pig Industry
• Pigs who are used to bring piglets into the world (which will be killed in some short months after birth) spend their lifetime in a gestation/farrowing crate that keeps them so confided they do not even have any room to turn around. They are continuously impregnated until the day they also go to slaughter.
• After a few weeks their babies are taken also from them just like calves from their moms. However piglets do get to stay with their mothers for a little while before they are taken away and then begin the process to be fattened up for slaughter.
• While piglets are a couple days old they are taken one by one they have their teeth pulled, they have their tails cut and they also their ears cut.  Males are castrated all these procedures are done without ANY PAIN RELIEF. 
• Pigs also spend there short lives in barns where they never get to see the light of day, or feel the grass beneath their hoofs
• Pigs are slaughtered at 4-6 months of age. 
• Most pigs only get to experience air, and some sunshine when they go to slaughter.
• To make the pigs move it is not uncommon that
• Slaughtering pigs, not all are unconscious when they go into the scalding tanks because of the demand and amount of animals need to be killed a day sometimes the stunning just does not work. Several former slaughterhouse workers have reported some pigs awaken and tried to run out from the scalding tanks.
• In slaughterhouses because a lot of places hires foreigners they usually mark buckets in english one is usually for condemned or diseased parts. But because of some of the workers that are limited with english it has been said often that those parts can be taken and then people eat it. 
• Amongst the cruelty that these animals face pigs are also common to have tapeworms this is havoc on a persons body. They can move through your body, your eyes, your tissues, your heart, and most commonly your brain.




Cows for Meat and the Dairy Industry
Dairy industry
• Cows like humans produce milk to feed their young so in order to produce milk they have to be pregnant. So cows are artificial inseminated over and over again.
• Cows are also fed hormones so it forces them to produce more milk.
• Once the baby is born they take him or her away from their mother so s/he won’t drink. if they are female they will live and be fed commercial milk replacer. They will become replacement cows, for other cows who are dry and no longer able to produce milk either due to being dry or illness such as mastitis. The male cows are not as lucky, they are killed any where from the time they are born to 24 weeks old. The ones that make it past a few days old are then either sold or kept for the veal industry. They however are usually then chained to huts or veal crates. Both female or male they are to be kept away from their mothers at all times.
• The fate of a cow once she is no longer able to produce milk is to be shipped off to slaughter. Often dairy industry will sell cows to slaughterhouses to be slaughtered. Bearing witness each week often at the slaughterhouse in Toronto we see mothers who come and are just bursting with milk and there utter is just so full. (Check Toronto Cow Save)
• Cows in the dairy industry are forced to have baby after baby and have there babies ripped away from them and their utter grows so much that it makes it nearly impossible for them to walk properly. They usually are kept for 3 - 5 pregnant cycles then sent to also be killed.
• Dairy industry is the backbone of the Veal industry. If it wasn’t for them there would be no need to continue the slaughter of baby cows. The veal industry only exists because of the dairy industry.
• Its not uncommon for cheese to use rennet from the stomachs of slaughtered calves. Lots think that cheese comes solely from milk however this process involves the use of other parts of the cow as well.

Cows for Meat.
• During the first part before heading to the feedlots most of them have inadequate veterinary care. So often many become sick or die from infection or injury.
• While still young cows are often branded (burned with a hot iron), dehorned (their horns are gouged out or cut or burned off), and males are castrated having their testicles ripped out of their scrotums without painkillers, or they tightly clamp them.
• Cows being raised for beef, once grown large enough they are sent to massive feedlots where they are fattened for slaughter.
• Cattle on feedlots are fed a highly unnatural diet of grain and corn in order to fatten them up quickly
• Cows when being slaughtered because of the demand and many animals to kill a day, stunning sometimes is missed, or not done properly. So often cows have become conscious when humans start cutting their legs, or taking their skin/hide off.






Chickens for Meat and Egg industry



Chickens for meat and egg layers
• Like the dairy industry males are not profitable. So male chicks are killed 1-2 days old. Many places still use horrible methods of disposing them they are often ground alive or then gassed. Whether being raised for meat, or chickens who will then be turned into the egg layers only females are a use to the industry.
• Because of the demand of Chicken meat, they are one of the MOST ABUSED species on earth. Chickens raised for meat are called broiler chickens (Broilers) 
• Chicks shortly after hatching have their beaks cut, this process is called debeaking. This is done using a burning-hot blade without any pain relief. The chicks are in pain during and after the horrible process is done. This process is also hazardous for their own well being making it difficult to eat and drink. 
• Chickens are forced to grow 65 times faster then their bodies naturally would. 
• They are also kept in crowded windowless barns/sheds by the thousands that never get to see the light of day 
• With the egg industry birds are forced to stay in battery cages roughly 18 inches by 24 inches which can hold about 10 hens. 
• Hens in the egg industry are also forced to urinate on one another and are often also covered in each others feces. These barns and sheds are usually very heavy with the stench of ammonia and feces. Often birds get sick and even dye and other a live birds are forced to remain in the same confined with their dead cagemate. 
• The lightening for the hens to produce eggs is manipulated, whatever lightening helps them to keep producing eggs the more the better. Many rescued hens at sanctuaries sometimes suffer from egg yolk peritonitis from laying so many eggs. 
• Chickens spend there short life in these barns covered with their own feces, which is rarely cleaned if a bird dies, other birds end up standing on them, near them, etc. 
• Chickens like pigs, cows, all face diseases like lameness and other issues due to their body growing too rapidly in such a short amount of time. 
• Chickens in particular suffer for leg problems because of being so young and having to grow so large in such a short time frame their legs can not support their body. 
• They are also forced to breathe ammonia all day long just due to feathers and feces. 
• Many chickens suffer from various health problems such as chronic respiratory illness and bacterial infections. 

* Estimate of 300 million chickens used each year for their eggs. Most eggs are eggs that people eat, some of them are kept for hatching, new flocks and a small portions of eggs is kept for vaccine production.


Additionally to all the cruelty and horrors these animals face confining  so many animals in one area produces much more waste then surrounding land can handle. Factory farms are associated with various  environmental hazards, such as land, water and air pollution.

Slaughtering Age



Additional links and resources!


Wednesday, 1 February 2017

Christian Resources




And God said, "Behold, I have given every plant yielding seed...and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food."  Genesis 1:29

Here is a list of places to go that have a list of reasons to go veg that are christian based. One of the dilemmas we get a lot as vegans is well God put animals here for us to eat. Lots of scripture and insight Christian based as to why we should not be eating animals today. Animals are not ours to do with as we please. Yes God gave us dominion over animals but thats to be stewards, take care of them  not to cause unnecessary pain.

Christian Veg
All Creatures
Christian Vegetarian
Jesus Veg
Humane Society of The United States Faith
Live Mercifully

Films/Videos
Eating Mercifully Documentary 
A Prayer for Compassion
Anima
• A short video Eating Mercifully

Other resources
Mundo Vegetariano (Spanish website with recipes and such)
• Article- Why I am a Christian Vegan
• Article- Rabbi's Warn Dangers of Consuming meat.
• Post on animal sacrifices and mercy
• More short videos 

Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. Ephesians 5:11 NLT


Books.
• Coming Soon.



Wolves and sheep will live together in peace, and leopards will lie down with young goats. Calves and lion cubs will feed together, and little children will take care of them.  Isaiah 11:6 Good News Translation (GNT)