Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Mickey Z. on Food Justice, GMOs, & the Vegan Option

"let's recap: almost all "food" is genetically modified. most of it is fed to the 53 billion doomed land animals that are eating up 1/3 of the planet's land surface in an industry that is the #1 source of human created greenhouse gases. so, needless to say, veganism and animal rights is a little bit more than tofu recipes … it's more even than barbarism like veal crates, vivisection, battery cages, slaughter houses, whaling ships, carriage horses, dog fight rings, fur farms, zoos, circuses and rodeos. it directly or indirectly connects to corporate welfare, overfishing, species extinction, the healthcare crisis, habitat loss, immigration issues, workplace justice, deforestation, climate change and gmos. most of all … going vegan is more than just occupying a boycott, changing your diet, or making a new lifestyle choice. it's the surrendering of a privilege, the privilege is called "specisism." and anytime you voluntarily surrender a privilege, it is an act of revolution … you're aiming for total liberation, recognizing that animals are not property, they are not products, and they are not commodities."

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Why Vegan? part two - for the earth



When people talk about food, it’s called “having a conversation.”  Unless you’re vegan ... then you may be accused of promoting a cult, or labelled “radical” or “holier-than-thou.”  But don’t let that curb your enthusiasm … you’re in good company!
Vegetarianism is harmless enough, though it is apt to fill a man [sic] with wind and self-righteousness.        ~ Robert Hutchison, to the British Medical Association, 1930
In March I offered evidence to prove that a plant-based lifestyle is a much healthier option for each human’s health. This month I want to explain how being vegan is the best option for the planet, offering solutions to the global hunger and climate crises.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Why Vegan? part one - for human health


The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of “real food for real people,” you’d better live real close to a real good hospital.

—Neal D. Barnard, MD, President, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

I was raised on a meat and potatoes diet, by WWII era parents who knew how to stretch a dollar and waste-not-want-not.  We ate meat daily: pot roast, liver and onions, steak and kidney pies and puddings, the occasional sweetbreads (brains) and tongues, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, traditional holiday turkeys and hams.  Preparing for rural Alberta winters we stocked the freezer with cows and sheep and baby pigs from the neighbouring Hutterites.  We didn’t indulge in junk food or sodapop, our “food” was always fresh, never processed, and it was all considered very normal.  When we talked about it we were never accused of preaching, or trying to convert anyone, it was just conversation.

At college, with perpetual acne and with weight that fluctuated by 10 lbs (which I’d heard is unhealthy), I began to question this tradition.  I was studying (among other things) human health, and I was active in the Green Future Club. We had organized a Rainforest Awareness Week and one of our guests spoke about the benefits of a plant based diet.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

From Idle No More to the Indigenous Nationhood Movement - from a child of white settler perspective




After attending last night’s INM gathering last night (From Idle No More to the Indigenous Nationhood Movement) I think I need a Children of White Settler support group.  It was intense. After only a couple of hours listening to personal stories, the emotional rollercoaster that moved me from sadness and guilt, to a sense of relief, and back again and all around left me exhausted. 

I didn’t know that a trench 30 ft wide and 80 ft deep known as the St. Lawrence Seaway  was built on top of Taiaiake Alfred’s family homes, forcing thousands of years of ancestral history to suddenly take a radical turn. Taiaiake (a Kahnawake Mohawk and Professor of Indigenous Governance at UVic) reminded us how important it is to protect the wilderness now, before it’s too late. 


Monday, February 25, 2013

Blockadia Rising - why we care

Dakota 38 - a history lesson

Idle No More - it's for all of us

Racist sentiments and accusations are surfacing, now that the Idle No More Movement has gained momentum and finally some focus from the corporate and state media. No big surprise ... this country’s history is steeped in racism.

 John A. MacDonald wrote, in 1870: “These impulsive half-breeds … must be kept down by a strong hand until they are swamped by the influx of settlers.”

I did not ask to be born into this colonialist mess. I’m not of First Nations heritage but I’m here - a first generation Canadian with a strong love for the earth, doing what I can to live gently, with compassion and understanding.


Monday, February 11, 2013

breaking copper shaming ceremony at bc legislature

an ancient shaming tradition of the kwakwaka'wakw peoples was performed yesterday at the bc legislature, after chief beau dick walked from alert bay to perform it. more information here.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013