CONTACT ME IF YOU WANT TO HELP!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Vegan Bakesale for Haiti!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
FREE CANDY!
Being on twitter pays off. Not only do you get to find out way too much about people, but you also get to learn about breaking news. Like IMPORTANT breaking news. Like FREE CANDY! type of important news.
A kickass company, Go Max Go has just posted that there will be free demos with their candy at the New Leaf in Capitola from 11-3 and at the New Leaf in downtown Santa Cruz from 3-7. TOMORROW!
Reason #476 I'm glad I don't have a 6th period: I can hit up both these events for 2x the chocolate. And that's WITHOUT costumes. Elvis, Moz, Oprah, Beau Broughton, George Clooney, a random hipster, and Lady GaGa are all going to be at these New Leaf markets tomorrow stuffing their face with vegan candy bars.
Go Max Go makes:
Jokerz (Snickers), Mahalo (Almond Joy), Buccaneer (3 Musketeers) & Twilight (Milky Way)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Clothes for this effin cold weather- AKA BOOTS & COATS! Volume 1
It's been real damn cold lately. I mean come on, we live in CALIFORNIA, home of anorexic girls in bikinis, traffic, and SUN!
Well, we've got you covered if you're looking for that perfect coat or pair of boots for the winter (or year-round if you just love layering your clothes that much!).
Of course, the cheapest (and greenest!) thing to do is to hit up those thrift stores! When you shop at places like Crossroads Trading (on Pacific Ave. in Santa Cruz), Retro Paradise (also on Pacific Ave.) or even the Goodwill you're not causing new materials to be made for new clothes, AND you'll be one-of-a-kind. I mean it it SUCH A PAIN to see some lowly being wearing the same clothes as you. Especially when you know you look worse than them.
The following items are, of course, going to be free of all animal products, including fur, leather, feathers, wool, and silk. Whoa, what? Yeah, down, wool and silk are SURE AS HELL not cruelty-free items.
What's wrong with down, you ask? Aren't the birds petted nicely so their feathers fall off to fill our vests? NO! "Down is plucked from geese either after slaughter or while they are being raised for meat or foie gras (“fatty liver”), which is produced by force-feeding geese through a funnel until their livers balloon to seven to 12 times their normal size.
Plucking birds causes them considerable pain and distress; one study found that the blood glucose level, an indicator of stress, of geese nearly doubled as they were being plucked."
And aren't the sheep just sheared by a nice, overall-clad farmer? NO! "Shearing sheep involves more than just a haircut. Sheep need the wool that they naturally produce to protect themselves from temperature extremes.
Because shearers are usually paid by volume rather than by the hour, they often work too fast and disregard the animals' welfare. Sheep are routinely punched, kicked, and cut during the shearing process.
Much of the world's wool comes from Australia, where tens of millions of sheep each year undergo a gruesome procedure called mulesing, in which shears are used to cut dinner-plate-sized chunks of skin off the backsides of live animals without anesthetics.
Millions of sheep raised for wool in Australia are shipped to the Middle East and North Africa for slaughter. These animals are placed on extremely crowded, disease-ridden ships with little access to food or water for weeks or even months. During their grueling journeys, they suffer through weather extremes, and temperatures on the ships can exceed 100°F. Many fall ill when they become stuck in feces and are unable to move, and many others are smothered or trampled to death by other sheep.
Intensive sheep farming, especially in Australia, is responsible for the degradation of natural waterways and land habitats and for the emission of greenhouse gases, such as methane, into the atmosphere."
And come on, silk can't be bad; it feels so nice! "Silk is the fiber that silkworms weave to make cocoons. To obtain silk, manufacturers boil worms alive in their cocoons." Oooh, dead worms. So sexy!
So what the hell are us compassionate divas/hustlers supposed to wear?
$86.40
$79
$70
$78
$159.95
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Thanksliving
Ugh. Yeah, this time of the year again. It's just SO MUCH FUN to sit around a table while a dead animal is ripped apart by your family members as they talk about how grateful they are.
However, I've had far too many pessimistic holidays and I wish I'd realized earlier that the holidays, especially Thanksgiving, are such an awesome time to show people that they can forego the 'tradition' and chow down on some animal-free items that taste just as good, if not better, than the 'real' thing. Hopefully you're having Thanksgiving at your house so you can make food, but you can also make stuff ahead of time and bring it, right?
More than 46 million Turkeys are slaughtered just for Thanksgiving every year. And every Tofurkey you buy means one life saved. I mean what a bargain, right? Plus, if you cook those things right, they are DELISH! Oh, and there are 34 g of protein in each Tofurkey serving, so when your grandma tells you she's concerned about your protein intake tell her to SUCK IT! Actually, probably don't do that.
Also, I picked up one of these babies at Whole Foods the other day for just $10. I can't personally reccomend it yet, but based on the taste of this company's sausages, I'm sure it's not going to disappoint: Field Roast's Celebration Roast.
So what about the side dishes? PUH-LEASE! Just Google 'vegan thanksgiving' and you get 4,190,000 results. And that's just with the safesearch on!
It ain't no holiday without the mashed potatoes. Here's some recipes:
AND REMEMBER: Earth Balance saves lives. Both figuratively and literally. Any other vegan margarines are inferior! Hands down, this stuff tastes better than that gross butter from cow tits and while I can't make any health claims (well, it's cholesterol-free!), you can lather anything up with his stuff knowing you're not contributing to animal cruelty. Veganism would be 1000000x harder without this stuff.
Here are some more side dish ideas, from VegCooking.com
Also, risotto is awesome to make for Thanksgiving. There are only like a billion recipes for this stuff out there, and it's easily veganized with vegetable broth, Earth Balance, and stuff like that. Plus, it's super fun to stand by the stove and stir this shit for hours at a time.
WAIT! What the hell are you going to drink this whole time? Eggnog, of course. Except without the chicken periods. Silk Nog. End of story. Unless you like apple cider, which is excellent as well, but I'm assuming you already knew that.
Now, for dessert! New Leaf Markets are selling vegan pumpkin pies & pumpkin chocolate swirl pies for Thanksgiving. And let me tell you, your family will NOT know the difference if you serve them up a big slice topped with some dairy-free whipped cream. Also, Whole Foods has a ton of vegan fruit pies, including apple, cherry, and peach. You could crank out some of my new favorite things in the world, too: Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles.
And, if you don't like any of these suggestions, which is totally possible, check out this Thanksgiving feast from Robin Robertson, who has like 77 vegan cookbooks out there. This woman knows how to cook.
If you're on the fence about whether or not you want to eat a dead bird this Thanksgiving, check out this footage of a real turkey farm:
And consider adopting a turkey at Farm Sanctuary. They provide care for rescued turkeys (and other animals) like these baby turkeys. SO CUTE!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
FIELD TRIP! Loosen your belts...
There is no school on Wednesday, November 11 (Veteran's Day)!
We are having a field trip to the Saturn Cafe for lunch that day!
We've teamed up with the Saturn Cafe for "Adopt-A-Turkey" Day. Anyone who brings in the sexy flier posted below will have 10% of their bill donated to Farm Sanctuary's FABULOUS program.
As a group, we will be carpooling from SLVHS at 12:30pm to meet at The Saturn Cafe at around 1pm to HORK THE FUCK DOWN! Get stoked! There's no need to print out a flier if you plan on eating with us, but feel free to give some to your friends and family.
The Saturn Cafe is arguably the best vegetarian restaurant in the county. However, some of their dishes contain dairy and eggs. We will only be ordering vegan dishes when we eat. Thanks.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Get your microwaves out, people!
First off, let's be honest here. We all love food, but sometimes cooking just plain sucks. Especially with all those damned dishes that sit there afterwords while you enjoy your freshly-cooked feast. Well, I have found the perfect thing for you. It's called PETA's Vegan College Cookbook and it is amazing! Think this is another one of those freaky cookbooks that tells you how to make bean sprouts 1000 different ways? YOU'RE WRONG! I was fortunate enough to get a minute with Marta Holmberg (she's the one with the brown bunny), the co-author of this literally life-saving cookbook, during a busy day in the office that probably involved sending out lots of cute stickers and some soy hot chocolate. Here's what she had to say.
Beau: Your new cookbook, PETA’s Vegan College Cookbook, has been on the shelves for a couple months now. How has the response been so far? I bet that it is definitely helpful to everyone who has gone back to school this fall.
Marta: We've had a tremendous response so far! Everyone from high school students to college students to busy people everywhere is saying that they love the cookbook, which is wonderful. The point of the cookbook is to show people that if you can be vegan in a dorm room in college, you can be vegan anywhere, and I hope that everyone has been learning just how easy being vegan is and how delicious vegan food is!
What sort of things can your average high school/college student hope to get out of this book? Buying it guarantees that you'll become a gourmet, knife-wielding compassionate chef, right?
This cookbook will show you that anyone can cook. Many people think that they don't have any culinary abilities because the stove can be a bit more intimidating than a microwave, as there's more room for error. Cooking in a microwave is easy, and with 275 recipes that are so simple you only need a microwave to make them, everyone will learn how to make things such as pasta, cake, bread, soup, and tons of other delicious vegan food!
There are a ton of myths about cooking without animal products and making vegan food. What are some of the worst ones you've encountered and how do you disprove them?
Probably the worst myth about vegan food is that it's gross—that couldn't be further from the truth! Many people hear "vegan food" and think of lettuce, berries—that sort of thing. But vegans eat everything that your average meat-eater eats—just without the meat, eggs, and dairy products. There are so many wonderful alternatives to animal derived products these days, especially in California, where you live (and where I'm from). I show people that vegan food is indeed delicious by making food for them! I use soy milk or rice milk in place of cow's milk, whip up tofu scramble with delicious veggies instead of scrambled eggs, and replace the meat in dishes with any of the many, many alternatives that are available these days (such as veggie dogs, Tofurky deli slices, veggie burger crumbles, and meatless riblets). It's so important to show people how absolutely delicious vegan food is. But beware! People will probably try to eat all your food if you start making recipes from the cookbook for them. :)
People also have a lot of excuses for not going vegan or trying vegan food. Do you have any advice for people who are thinking about ditching cruel meat, dairy, and eggs?
Just dive right in, and don't be afraid to be adventurous. I always ask people, "What's the worst thing that can happen?" You don't like the dish? Tweak it and make it better. You do like the dish? You might have just found a new favorite food! I recommend starting off with foods that you typically eat and veganizing them. For instance, if you love lasagna, simply use veggie burger crumbles instead of ground beef, and use tofu ricotta in place of the dairy ricotta mixture. Easy, delicious, and cruelty-free!
I'm sure people are going to be running out to the bookstore to get the Vegan College Cookbook now, but do you have a favorite recipe to share in the meantime?
Sure! Try the "Breakup Pudding" (and share with a few friends!):
Nothing mends a broken heart quite like sitting in bed in your pajamas, watching hours of reality TV, and eating an entire bowl of this chocolate pudding.
1 pkg. firm silken tofu, crumbled
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until creamy and thick. Chill.
Makes 4 servings
Thanks, Marta!
PETA's Vegan College Cookbook is available at Bookshop Santa Cruz and other, larger, more corporate bookstores. You can also get it online. Check out the book's amazing website for more recipes and other cool stuff.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
What Can I Do?
Depending on how much you already know about animal exploitation issues, you have probably asked yourself, "What can I do to help stop animal suffering?"
If you attended the guest speaker event with Brian Grupe from Vegan Outreach and Eric Deardorff from Banana Slugs for Animals at UC Santa Cruz, you definitely got a quick look into the source of the animal products most of us continue to eat. However, most people are still totally oblivious to the ins-and-outs of flesh, dairy, and egg production and, thus, continue to consume these cruel products. Once you have an idea of what sorts of places and conditions these animals were forced to live in and endure, it is much easier to see that there really is only one choice we can consider if we are seriously concerned with animal suffering: veganism.
Now, before you start muttering grossly misinformed myths about veganism, it is important to understand why people choose to leave animal products off of their plates.
In your mind
In reality
We treat animals like shit. Let's just be honest, because that is what the rest of this post is going to talk about: the truth behind animal agriculture. Animals are the lowest of the low. They are purposely left outside of our moral community so that we can continue to commit heinous crimes against them for our pleasure. Keep that idea in mind as I attempt to portray the miserable existences that we allow animals before we kill them, because if we did care about animals, NONE of the following would still be occurring.
Below is a very brief overview of the life of 3 of the most commonly consumed animals.
-COWS:
For food, cows are raised for their milk and for their flesh. It may be surprising to you that the diary and meat industries are not so different.
Dairy: Females are forcibly impregnated with the use of a "rape rack" (industry terminology)
Male calves are usually sent of to the veal industry. IN EVERY GLASS OF MILK THERE IS A CHUNK OF VEAL.
Cows' sensitive teats are hooked onto vicious pumping machines multiple times a day.
Mastitis is very common from the machines as utters become infected, causing sores to form. Pus and blood often enter through the tubes. There is a legal amount of pus allowed in milk and it varies in each state.
Once the cows' can no longer reproduce and are too exhausted to produce the necessary amount of milk for them to be profitable THEY ARE KILLED and used for flesh.
Meat: Cows undergo torturous castrations, branding, and de-horning sessisons. All without painkillers.
After possibly spending some time on the range, they are sent to feedlots for the remainder of their lives. Here they are fattened up with an unnatural diet of corn, soy, and other high-protein feed, including other animal waste. Yes, that's right. Sometimes are fed shit. That hamburger looks delish still, right?
Once the cows are at their prime weight, THEY ARE KILLED for their meat, skin, etc.
-PIGS: Pigs undergo painful mutilations where their testicles are ripped out of their scrotums and parts of their teeth and tails are snipped off.
Mother pigs are usually forced to spend their gestation period in crates so small that they cannot even lie down comfortably, let alone turn around. As breeder sows, they are forced to repeat this horrific experience until they are no longer profitable and are killed.
Their babies are taken from them after about a month and spend the rest of their time on concrete slabs in filthy sheds until they are at their prime weight and THEY ARE KILLED.
-CHICKENS:
For food, chickens are raised for their flesh and for their eggs. Eggs have no part in a
compassionate diet.
Eggs: Chicks are hatched in industrialized hatching facilities. Male chicks have no use in the layer industry and are either thrown out in large masses to suffocate or ground up alive.
Layer hens are then usually crammed into horrible wire cages with many other hens. Imagine raising a hen in a shoebox. That is about how much room they have. They are often trampled to death and left to rot on the floor of the cages. Their long talons can become entangled in the wire floors and their bones become exposed from the constant bodily contact with other hens.
Often time, if the flock becomes less productive, their food is removed for days or even weeks at a time until their bodies shock themselves into another laying cycle. Once the cost of keeping the hens becomes higher than the profit their eggs yield, THEY ARE KILLED.
Meat: Broiler chickens, as they are adeptly called, live very similar lives to egg-laying hens, except they are kept alive for less time.
In both cases, the stench of ammonia in the warehouses in which these birds are kept can cause breathing problems and cause the formation of abnormal growths on their bodies and faces.
After they are drugged to be so huge that their legs cannot oftentimes hold their body weight, they are shipped to slaughter and THEY ARE KILLED.
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