ABC's Nightline "Got Milk" Segment

I try to stay abreast, to some extent, of standard practices in today's factory farms.  I don't really want to know the details, but I like to keep a couple of factoids in my back pocket when people begin to give me the usual nonsense about how there's absolutely nothing wrong with eating meat.

Without getting into all of that, I happened across a segment from ABC's Nightline, called "Got Milk".  Yikes.  I had to cover the screen for about two minutes of the presentation, then shut it off completely for the final two.  I am not a vegan, but this is definitely going to affect my eating habits.

WARNING: This video contains (what I consider, at least) graphic footage of the abuse of cows.

Flesh for Fuel?

Many have been debating the value of alternative energy originating from the sun, wind, water or more unique sources such as manure or even kitchen grease.

The use of waste products for energy seems a no-brainer, as it fits quite snugly into the “reuse” and “recycle” portions of the Green Three R’s. But what of British retail corporation Tesco’s plan to utilize 5,000 tons of expired meat in biomass plants in order to be converted into electricity? The energy created from this maneuver is equivalent to powering 600 homes for the period of a year.

Any vegetarian watching a half-eaten steak being tossed into the garbage wishes the meat suffered a different fate than to rot in a landfill. But 5,000 tons? Recycling this refuse is one solution to the problem, but begs the question: What about preventing the overage to begin with? Tesco clearly missed the “reduce” segment of the green guidelines.

Tesco defends their decision, declaring it to be, in fact, a green enhancement to their company’s practices. Tesco lauds the use of meat for fuel, claiming their responsible leadership will help fight climate change. This logic seems analogous to making a feast for 10 people though you’re only feeding two, then throwing the leftovers on a compost heap and declaring yourself an environmentalist.

Tesco also stated that meat waste only accounts for less than 1 percent of their total waste, and is a “miniscule” portion of meat sold. This is comforting in that it isn’t a greater percentage, but those sympathetic to animal rights don’t discern between 10 chickens and 10 million chickens, just as many wouldn’t argue that “only 10 people were killed” by a murderer.

Non-profit organization Vegetarians International Voice for Animals (VIVA) have responded with disdain, revealing that 5,000 tons of wasted meat is equivalent to almost 3 million chickens. Is 3 million chickens for 600 homes an even trade? How much energy was initially required to raise the livestock?

The era of egregious waste has gone the way of interest-only mortgages and the hunt for weapons of mass destruction. Perhaps we should add a forth “R” to the trio – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Reason. Then Tesco would only be half right.

Heath Ledger Earns Posthumous Award from PETA

In January of 2007, one year before his passing, actor Heath Ledger and Isaac Brock from the alternative rock band Modest Mouse collaborated on a video for “King Rat”, one of the songs on the Mouse’s recently released EP "No One's First and You're Next". During the time between the video’s conception and Ledger’s death, the idea was largely cultivated, but unfinished. With Brock’s blessing, the video has finally been completed and released.

Ledger had deep sensitivity regarding the cruelty of the whaling trade, and was a member of Australia’s Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s advisory board. Australia has had problems for many years with illegal whaling, particularly with ships coming from Japan. PETA has granted Ledger with the “Compassionate Artist” award for August, 2009 for his work on this video, which provides frank insight into the brutality of this disturbing practice.

The animated “King Rat” video continues Modest Mouse’s recent trend of nautically themed videos. It illustrates a day in the life of a whaler, but with roles reversed: the whaler is, in fact a whale. Soon we find the most dangerous game in the water – humans. The whale whaler happily harpoons men, and then festoons the ship with festive garlands to delight in the day’s successes. It may remind one of a celebratory steak dinner or even Thanksgiving – and raising a glass in a cheerful toast over a table bearing the remains of some defenseless animal.

A sample of the lyrics shows the connection between the song and the issue:

And you know you know you know it all went wrong.
And you know you know you know it was all wrong.

Deep Water, Deep Water
Senseless Denial
I went down like a rag doll as you would, child
Deep Water, Deep Water
Senseless Denial
I went down like a rag doll as you would, child

The video is explicit, but delivered more artfully and palatably through animation than, say, real whaling footage. The message is clear, and received without any “in your face” gore that might turn off more delicate viewers. It’s a tad reminiscent of Radiohead’s 1997 Paranoid Android video, as it was another tale of karma and ultimate retribution with a twinge of that ooky feeling.

(Avid fisherman) Brock gets an honorable mention by PETA here, too – though he has previously admitted in great detail how he rather enjoyed a former job cleaning out a meat truck. “King Rat” is arguably one of the strongest tunes of the eight tracks on the EP, combining his Frank Black-esque yelps, a brass section and some inspired tempo changes. Fisherman or no, Brock and the boys’ latest work deserves a listen – as do the rest of their albums.

Profits from downloads of the iTunes video for "King Rat" for the first month after release will go toward the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.

Watch it: HERE

Burgers are Better with Ammonia

Before you bite into that burger, you might want to know that it has likely been treated with ammonia. Yes, the nasty smelling stuff you generally associate with killing germs is being used for exactly that when teamed with beef products.

Lean beef processor Beef Products Incorporated, or BPI, was featured in the film Food, Inc. A zealous representative eagerly shows how pulverized meat mixed with ammonia effectively kills the e coli present in the beef. The finished product vaguely resembles a beige sponge.

BPI’s website has a lovely 13-page essay entitled “Ammonia – Essential for Life”, which depicts ammonia as an almost benign substance.

In addition to ammonia, beef can also treated with carbon monoxide to keep the pinkish hue of the product for a longer period of time. Toward the end of untreated beef’s freshness period, it will naturally begin to dull. Conversely, after a shot of carbon monoxide, beef will retain an artificially fresh look long after the meat has passed the stage of edibility.

Cigarettes are the leading cause of preventable disease. Poor diet is the second.

Is ammonia really a part of a balanced diet?

BPI’s website asks, “Is this the only way you can get rid of e coli?” to which it answers itself, “No, although we believe it is the most effective was to ensure fresh meats are free of harmful bacteria prior to cooking.” It then references a rather long list of processing agents that tends to fill the reader with more concern than comfort. There is no reference made, however, to the diet given to cows before they even arrive at the plant, which, if changed from corn, could help alleviate this problem, along with the improvements to the conditions in which they live.

Food, Inc.

A great 90 minute film is in theatres now called “Food, Inc.” If you haven’t seen “The Future of Food”, you may be interested in the eye-opening but sickening details in this movie by award-winning filmmaker Robert Kenner.

If you are one of those rare individuals who’d rather read than watch a movie, there is also a book available, containing 13 essays from experts in the food field such as Gary Hirschberg of Stonyfield Farm and Robert Kenner himself.

Here are a couple of points from the movie that you might not know about:

Did you know that in January, 2008 the FDA approved the sale of meat and milk from cloned livestock, despite two votes from Congress to delay the decision until more information was gathered, and letters from 150,000 citizens expressing their disapproval of the consumption of cloned meat? It is even more disconcerting that if cloned meat is introduced into the marketplace, the FDA will not require these foodstuffs to be labeled as cloned goods.

Did you know that 45 percent of U.S. corn and 85 percent of soybeans are genetically engineered? Many of the processed foods on supermarket shelves contain high fructose corn syrup and soybean soils, so it is estimated that over 70 percent of these foods contain genetically modified ingredients.

Did you know that 1 of the world’s 6 billion inhabitants do not have adequate food? Not a million, a billion. This issue could be improved with major changes to the way food corporations and the FDA are allowed to operate. Food, Inc. believes these changes can begin with consumers, likening each purchase we make to a vote - a vote for corporate greediness and unhealthy food, or clean and healthy sustenance.

Here is the Food, Inc. trailer:

Man Fatally Gored During Running of the Bulls Event

A 27 year-old Spanish man named Daniel Jimeno Romero was fatally gored in the neck and lung on Friday, July 10, 2009, during the annual Running of the Bulls event of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain. Romero had been vacationing in Pamplona with his parents and girlfriend. This incident occurred on the fourth of eight daily bull runs that occur during this week in July each year.

Apparently, the bulls frequently travel in a pack during this gruesome tradition, but one of the bulls separated from the rest of its pack due to a fall early on in the event. The bulls’ hooves have a difficult time getting a good grip on the paved and cobblestone streets along the run. According to a report from the Associated Press, “A bull that gets separated is more likely to get frightened and aggressive, and this is what happened Friday.”

Graphic footage of the deadly incident is available on various websites.

In addition to Romero’s mortal wounding, nine others were also injured in Friday’s race. There have been a total of 14 fatalities since 1924, when record keeping for this event began. This does not count the almost certain death each of the bulls suffer when encountering a matador in the bullring at the end of the race.

The most recent fatality took place in 1995, when American Matthew Tassio was gored in the abdomen. 63 year-old Fermin Etxeberria had his head trampled by a bull during the 2003 bull run. After spending months in a coma, he died as a result of his injuries.

This incident raises concerns as to whether this tradition should be continued.

Heifer.org - Do You Want to Give a Pig?

I was flipping around the T.V. yesterday and came across the Bonnie Hunt show. Her guest was a sheep and – as I love sheep, stopped to see what the topic was. The other guest was Jane Kaczmarek, who is probably best known for her role as the mother on Malcolm in the Middle. Anyway, she was promoting an organization called Heifer International.

Heifer International is a non-profit organization that provides assistance to communities in the United States and around the world. Their website, heifer.org, boasts that they have aided 8.5 million people in over 125 countries. They are of the “teach a man to fish” school of thought, though they have created the phrase “not a cup, but a cow” instead.

When encountering a disadvantaged area, they first provide the “immediate” necessities required for survival (food and shelter), and then grant residents with livestock and other goods to help sustain their community. Heifer distinguishes itself by focusing on ensuring they are trained to utilize these contributions to the best of their ability. They also encourage recipients to “pass on the gift”, which means: if a family receives two rabbits that in turn produce 20 offspring, they should give away some of the baby rabbits to another family in need.

Heifer International also addresses other big issues such as the HIV crisis, special needs of young people, and the distribution of small loans to new enterprises.

The point that Jane Kaczmarek was making is that instead of donating cash (though I’m sure you can do that as well), you can “give” a cow, a trio of rabbits, a flock of chicks, a pig or other animals. Being a vegetarian, I am very conflicted about that. I will say that this organization seems as though it really focuses on proper treatment of the animals under the care of these communities. Considering the deplorable way this country’s corporations treat their livestock, they would probably have better lives on Heifer’s areas than here in the States.

The good part is if you’re not interested in giving away livestock that will inevitably be slaughtered, you can give a basket, bees or some trees.

I was just curious as to what other vegetarians thought about this. I feel quite torn between my wish for all people to be adequately fed and their communities to be prosperous, but can’t quite bring myself to send livestock for a gift.

Let me know what you vegetarians think! Should I be more open minded about this? How do you feel about it?