A n i m a l W r i t e s © sm
The official ANIMAL RIGHTS ONLINE newsletter
Established
1997
Editor ~ JJswans@aol.com
Issue # 12/19/04
Publisher ~ Susan
Roghair -
EnglandGal@aol.com
Journalists ~ Greg Lawson - ParkStRanger@aol.com
~ Michelle Rivera -
MichelleRivera1@aol.com
Webmasters ~ Randy Atlas - ranatlas@earthlink.net
~ Trevor
Chin -
tmchin@yahoo.com
Staff
~ Alfred Griffith - agriffith@igc.org
~ Andy Glick - andy@meatfreezone.org
~ Sheridan Porter -
Pad4Paws21@aol.com
~ Bill Bobo - RunRun@aol.com
~ Katie Vann - Vann167@aol.com
THE ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ARE:
1 ~ A Prayer For The Holidays by Greg Lawson
2 ~ Create a Vegan Holiday Feast for Meat-Eaters
3 ~ Christmas Rules For Dogs
4 ~ Empathy Research
5 ~ Job Opportunity
6 ~ At Christmas
7 ~ Memorable Quote
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`
~1~
A Prayer for the Holidays
by Greg Lawson - ParkStranger@aol.com
A
few days ago I was talking with a good friend during a vegan Holidays party I
hosted. She expressed her distaste for the holidays, Thanksgiving through
New Years, how she hated to be with family because there was usually a dead
animal as the centerpiece on the table. Laura told me that she hated the
hypocrisy of saying grace, asking for a blessing on meat, that Jesus and Carcass
were words that shouldn't be together in the same prayer. Then Laura told
me that next Thanksgiving she planned on celebrating by having a dinner party,
that this year she had sat at home, alone, mourning for the birds.
It does no good to be sad at this time of year, although it is tempting to
marinate the turkeys, hams and roast beef in our vegan tears. Let's cook
for our friends and family instead. I am going home to be with my parents
for a week during the Christmas holidays and I will be cooking all the
meals.
Many of my left-wing liberal radical philosophizing animal rights advocating
vegan friends have a problem with organized religion and the concept of a man
named Jesus who might or might not have lived two thousand years ago. I
hadn't been to a church service for thirty years until a year ago when I met
the ministers of the El Paso Unitarian Universalist Community, LoraKim and
Merideth. LoraKim was a guest on our radio show, Animal Concerns of Texas
in November of 2003. She is a former avian veterinarian who decided to
become a minister for all species, a Vegetarian Veterinarian Unitarian
Universalist. I went to a couple of the UU services and after she did a sermon
entitled Animal Liberation as a Means of Human Liberation, I felt the need to
join the community.
LoraKim is also president of the national organization UUETA, Unitarian
Universalists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Next month we are having an
event called Dinner and a Movie, we are showing the film Peaceable Kingdom and
serving a vegan buffet. All of the "sermons" during the month of
January are devoted to our seventh guiding principle, respect for the web of
life.
UUs shy away from the mention of the name Jesus or the word God, But Hey, it's
that time of year when we think of a little baby laying in straw in a barn in
the mid-east, surrounded by farm animals, so please allow me to share my
thoughts. Many biblical scholars think that Jesus spent some time,
between his teen years and his thirties, as a member of the Essene, a Jewish
vegetarian community.
Rynn Berry, the historical advisor to the North American Vegetarian Society and
a recent speaker at our vegetarian society, thinks that Jesus was probably a
vegetarian. So do I. Jesus and carcass are words that don't go well
together in the same sentence.
Here are some words that are attributed to Jesus in the Essene Gospel of Peace,
a book left out of the bible but kept in the vatican library....
"For I tell you truly, he who kills, kills himself, and whoso eats the
flesh of slain beasts, eats of the body of death. For in his blood every drop
of their blood turns to poison; in his breath their breath to stink; in his
flesh their flesh to boils; in his bones their bones to chalk; in his bowels
their bowels to decay; in his eyes their eyes to scales; in his ears their ears
to waxy issue. And their death will become his death."
"...he who kills the beast without a cause, though the beast attack him
not, through lust for slaughter, or for its flesh, or for its hide, or yet for
its tusks, evil is the deed which he does, for he is turned into a wild beast
himself. Wherefore is his end also as the end of the wild beasts."
This is my image of the season, The Christ Child, Jesus the animal rights
advocate, the savior of man and beast. Let's be like children this
Christmastime.
I pray for you a Merry Christmas,
ParkStranger
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~2~
Create a Vegan Holiday Feast
for Meat-Eaters
By Melanie Wilson
http://www.vegfamily.com/articles/vegan-holiday-feast.htm
Many vegans prefer not to celebrate their
holidays in a home that features meat as the centerpiece of the meal. They
choose, instead, to have an all-vegan holiday meal at home, and an animal carcass
is not welcome. So when I invite others to share in our vegetarian feast, I am
clear that there will be no meat. In fact, I have declined offers from friends
to "make a turkey and bring it" - even for potluck style meals held
in our home. I assure everyone that if they'll just have a little faith, they
will be in for a big surprise. I focus on the positive and reassure everyone
that they won't even miss the meat. Then I follow through with a delicious
meal!
I think it's worth mentioning that I have never included a fake turkey at our
holiday celebrations. You can supplement these recipes with a Tofurky or
another ready-made "meat" centerpiece, but it's not necessary. See
below for a list of these items.
First, make a list of all the foods that you might find at a traditional
holiday meal that are already vegetarian: nuts, bread, cranberry sauce, some
vegetable dishes, apple pies, etc. Then think of all the dishes that
traditionally contain animal products, like mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy
and pumpkin pie that could easily be made vegan. Finally, make note of the meat
items and list possible substitutions.
The key is to start feeding your guests the moment they walk through the door,
and send them home full and satisfied! The best compliment I ever received
about my holiday spread was from a devout meat-eater: "You don't even miss
the meat!" With that goal in mind, I'd like to share with you a few of my
favorite, tried and true recipes for a spectacular vegetarian feast.
Finger Food
These items are the ones that will be available for snacking before dinner, to
tame those hunger pangs while your still doubtful guests mill around wishing
they'd gone to the in-laws' house instead. Set out the finest mixed nuts, dried
fruits and gourmet crackers you can find. Splurge, if you can, on stuffed green
olives, black olives, and deli slices.
Un-Meatballs
1 cup firm tofu, mashed (not the silken variety found in vacuum-packed cartons,
but the kind packed in water found in the refrigerated section of the store)
½ cup wheat germ
¼ cup parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
½ Tbsp. onion powder
½ tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
¼ tsp. oregano
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl and roll
into small balls. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Spray oil over the top of
the balls for a more crispy texture. Bake for 30 minutes until browned. Serve
warm.
Voracious Vegan Pate (adapted very slightly from How it All Vegan)
Note: This can be made one day ahead of time.
1 cup onions, diced
5 mushrooms, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
splash of olive oil
1 cup sunflower seeds, ground
½ cup flour
½ cup nutritional yeast
2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried sage
1 ½ cups water
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 cup potatoes, grated
1/3 cup olive oil
1 habinero pepper, seeded and minced (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, sauté the onions, mushrooms,
and garlic in oil on medium-high heat until tender. Meanwhile, n a large bowl,
combine the ground sunflower seeds (you can grind them in a blender or a food
processor), flour, yeast, and spices. Add the water, soy sauce, potatoes, and
oil and stir together. Stir in the sautéed vegetables and optional pepper and
mix well. Spoon mixture into a lightly oiled 9" pie plate. Bake for 45
minutes or until the center is set and browned. Chill thoroughly before
serving.
Black Olive and Caper Spread on Toasts (adapted from Vegetarian
Sandwiches)
Note: This can be made up to 2 days ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator.
Two 4-½ ounce can chopped ripe olives, drained
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 tsp. capers, drained and rinsed
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. freshly ground pepper, or to taste
2 Tbsp. minced fresh, flat-leaf parsley
2 loaves of cocktail sized bread
Process all ingredients, except parsley and bread, in a food processor until
the mixture is a coarse puree. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides as
needed. Stir in the parsley. Taste and adjust the seasoning. When ready to
serve on the day of the party, toast the bread. Spread with the olive mixture
and serve.
Sugar and Spice Mixed Nuts
3 cups mixed nuts
3 Tbsp. corn syrup
1 Tbsp. vanilla
½ cup rapadura sugar
4 ½ Tbsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
Place the nuts in a large bowl. Combine corn syrup and vanilla with a fork or
whisk, then pour over the nuts, stirring to coat them evenly. In a small bowl,
combine the sugar, and spices. Pour this mixture over the nuts, stirring to
coat them evenly. Spread the nuts on an oiled baking sheet with a lip or a 9 x
13-inch pan. Bake at 350°F for about 15 minutes, until bubbly. Let cool,
stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Transfer to a very lightly oiled
container while still warm.
Dinner
Be sure to include some delicious, fresh dinner rolls. Mashed potatoes can be
made with plain (non-sweetened) soymilk and margarine or olive oil; stuffing
with vegetable broth (I've included my favorite recipe below). Sweet potatoes
can be made with maple syrup, and other vegetable dishes are a cinch. For
example, Imagine Foods now makes a soy-based creamy mushroom soup, so you can
make a dairy-free green bean casserole. Other foods, like gravy, may have you
stumped, so I've included a terrific recipe that is sure to please!
Delicious Traditional Stuffing
1 large loaf of bread, sliced into ½ inch slices and set out overnight to dry
1 package of veggie ground sausage substitute
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
½ cup walnuts, chopped
½ cup pecans, chopped
½ cup cashews, chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley
1/3 cup fresh thyme
1/3 cup fresh sage
1-1 ½ cups vegetable broth
1/3 to ½ cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
½ cup white wine (opt.)
Chop or break the dried bread into ¼-inch cubes. In a frying pan, sauté veggie
ground sausage in 1 Tbsp. olive oil. Then transfer to a bowl. Add the remaining
1 Tbsp. olive oil to the frying pan and sauté the onions, celery and mushrooms
until soft. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except broth, olive
oil, soy sauce and wine. Combine the last four ingredients, using more broth if
wine is not used. Pour the wet mixture over the bread mixture slowly, stirring
as you go. Press the mixture into a greased 9 x 13-inch pan. Bake at 350° F for
30-40 minutes. Serve warm.
Rich Wine and Mushroom Gravy
This is absolutely the best recipe for vegan gravy that I've ever tasted. It
was sent to me via email, so I'm afraid I can't give the creator credit.
2/3 cup vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup onions, chopped
2/3 cup flour
½ tsp. ground sage
2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 ½ cups water
¼ cup dry red wine
1/3 cup canned sliced mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in a medium saucepan and sauté onions and garlic. When onions are
tender and translucent, stir in the flour, nutritional yeast and sage to form a
paste. Slowly add water, soy sauce and wine, stirring constantly. When gravy
starts to thicken, stir in the mushrooms, salt and pepper. Add more water if
necessary to thin the gravy. Serve.
Emerald Corn Chowder
I adapted this wonderful fall recipe from my family's original, which contained
bacon and milk. The resulting vegan soup is just as satisfying and one that
appears more complicated than it really is. It's sure to impress your guests!
It's even more delicious the next day, so feel free to make it one day ahead to
save time.
1 Tbsp. oil
1 onion, chopped
4 large potatoes
2 tsp. liquid smoke
1 cup of frozen or fresh corn kernels
2 lightly packed cups chopped fresh kale or spinach
1 can coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste
Saute onion in oil over medium heat in a soup pot until tender and translucent.
Add potatoes and cover with water. Simmer until potatoes are tender, but not
mushy. Add liquid smoke, corn kernels, and greens and cook until the greens are
tender, but again, not mushy. Remove from heat and stir in coconut milk. Then add
salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Dessert
Tofu Pumpkin Pie
1 16-ounce can pureed pumpkin
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp. salt
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 10-ounce package of silken tofu
1 ready-made pie shell
Preheat oven to 425°F. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until completely
smooth. Pour into a pie shell and bake for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 350°F and
bake for another 40 minutes. Let cool, then chill the pie and serve.
Chocolate Fudge Cake
Ingredients:
1 1/2 Tbsp. flax seeds
1/2 cup boiling water
1 cup carob or cocoa powder
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups soymilk
1 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup maple syrup or honey
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
pure chocolate syrup (opt.)
powdered sugar (opt.)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 13 x 9" pan or two 8" cake pans. In a
blender, combine the flax seeds and boiling water. Let sit for several minutes,
and then blend for 60 seconds to form an egg-like substance. The seeds will not
entirely disintegrate. In a large bowl, sift together the carob or cocoa
powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a smaller bowl, mix the
soymilk with the vinegar. Let sit for a minute, and then add the flax seed
mixture, the oil, maple syrup or honey, and the vanilla extract. Add the wet
mixture to dry and stir just until combined. Pour the batter into the greased
cake pan(s) and bake for 20-30 minutes or until a fork inserted in the center
comes out clean. Let cool, then remove from pan(s) and transfer to a cake
plate. If desired, drizzle the cake with pure chocolate syrup and sift powdered
sugar over the top. Serve.
Melanie Wilson is the former editor and publisher of Vegetarian
Baby & Child magazine. She edits the family section of VegNews and
manages Vegetarianteen.com online magazine.
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~3~
Christmas Rules For Dogs
1. Be especially patient with your humans
during this time. They may appear to be more stressed-out than usual and
they will appreciate long comforting dog leans.
2. They may come home with large bags of things they call gifts. Do not
assume that all the gifts are yours.
3. Be tolerant if your humans put decorations on you. They seem to
get some special kind of pleasure out of seeing how you look with fake antlers.
4. They may bring a large tree into the house and set it up in a
prominent place and cover it with lights and decorations. Bizarre as this may
seem to you, it is an important ritual for your humans, so there are some
things you need to know:
a. Don't pee on the tree
b. Don't drink water in the container that holds the tree
c. Mind your tail when you are near the tree
d. If there are packages under the tree, even ones that smell interesting or
that have your name on them, don't rip them open
e. Don't chew on the cord that runs from the funny-looking hole in the wall to
the tree
5. Your humans may occasionally invite lots of strangers to come visit
during this season. These parties can be lots of fun, but they also call
for some discretion on your part:
a. Not all strangers appreciate kisses and leans
b. Don't eat off the buffet table
c. Beg for goodies subtly
d. Be pleasant, even if unknowing strangers sit on your sofa
e. Don't drink out of glasses left within your reach unless you can get away
with it...
6. Likewise, your humans may take you visiting. Here your manners
will also be important:
a. Observe all the rules in #4 for trees that may be in other people's
houses. (4a is particularly important)
b. Respect the territory of other animals that may live in the house
c. Tolerate children
d. Turn on your charm big time
7. A big man with a white beard and a very loud laugh may emerge from
your fireplace in the middle of the night. DON'T BITE HIM!!
´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~4~
Empathy Research
We are conducting a series of studies which look
at links between attitudes to animals and attitudes to people. This
started because we thought there might be a link between empathy levels and
attitudes to animals. The data we have gathered so far (in a student population
and in a community sample) supports this. We therefore wanted to see if
there was anything significantly different within those working for animal
protection. The idea behind this is that if people who have favourable
attitudes to animals do have better levels of empathy (which seems to be the
case) then we can start to address how empathy levels in those with problematic
and/or violent behaviour towards both animals and humans can be
addressed. One of the potential ways is through humane education which
has been shown to increase empathy levels and has the added benefit of
informing people about animal welfare issues.
We therefore need members of the animal protection community (in whatever
capacity) to complete and return a very short questionnaire. Please
consider contributing to this project by emailing animalsurvey@cqu.edu.au
and requesting the questionnaire. We will then send you a copy as an
attachment which you can complete electronically and return to the above email.
Additionally please feel free to forward this information to anyone who works
within animal protection who may also be interested in taking part.
Participation in this research is voluntary, if at any point you wish to
withdraw from this research you may do so. If you decide, after
completing the questionnaire and submitting it that you no longer want to have
your answers included in the research please contact the principal researchers
and your questionnaire will be removed and destroyed with no questions
asked. The researchers may use the data generated from the questionnaire
to publish at least one refereed journal article looking at relations between
human empathy levels and attitudes towards animals. If you do not feel
comfortable with this you may withdraw from the research.
Thank you for your time. Please return all completed questionnaire by
January 31st 2005.
If you have any queries please contact the project researcher at the above
email address or as below.
Project Researcher:
Nik Taylor
Lecturer in Sociology
Central Queensland University
Rockhampton
Queensland 4702
animalsurvey@cqu.edu.au
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~5~
Job Opportunity
Concern
for Helping Animals in Israel (CHAI) has an opening in its Alexandria, VA
office for a full-time Assistant Director. Responsibilities including helping
with fundraising, outreach, media and administrative duties, including some
bookkeeping and correspondence. Ideal candidate has an interest in humane
education and knowledge of Microsoft Office and Quicken. Salary commensurate
with experience. Resume/cover letter/references to CHAI, POB 3341, Alex., VA
22302 or chai_us@cox.net.
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~6~
At Christmas
By Guila Manchester
The card I send to you this year
Will not be thoughts of Christmas cheer
Or Santa riding in a sleigh
With loads of gifts to come your way.
A starving dog, a homeless cat,
A beaver lying in a trap,
A sparrow punctured in the eyes
To win some kid a science prize,
A horse that's trampled in a ditch
To make a movie baron rich,
A tiny baby left alone,
Old folks forgotten in a home.
If you believe in God at all,
Then love His creatures, great and small,
And help in any way you can
A suffering beast or bird or man.
If you believe these things are wrong
Then let this be your Christmas song
And raise your voice with all your might,
For only you can make them right.
*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`*´`³¤³´`*:»«:*´`³¤³´`*:»³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`´`*:»«:*³¤³´`³¤³´`
~7~
Memorable Quote
"You are like a stone
thrown into
a pond, and the ripples can be enormous, and you never know whose heart
you are going to touch." ~ Unknown teacher
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
Susan Roghair - EnglandGal@aol.com
Animal Rights Online
http://www.oocities.org/RainForest/1395/
-=Animal Rights Online=-
«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»§«¤»¥«¤»
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