brendan

Oops, that's not what I intended with saying it isn't easy for anyone. It's obviously easy for someone if animal agribusiness is so lucrative. I was trying to show how surprising it was to see a farm boy, who you would expect to be accustomed to slaughter, become so affected by the slaughterhouse. I guess, however, I work from the assumption that everyone is basically good - or at least starts off that way - but either by cultural indocrination or habit loses sympathy toward animals somewhere along the line and becomes numb to the grim reality at hand.

Great to have an actor on board. My mom is an acting coach, and I have a lot of friends who are actors. It's also really cool to hear you were able to convince your parents to go vegan - I failed at that and gave up trying long ago, but they do seem to eat healthier because of me. Welcome!

It's great to have you here. Welcome aboard!

It's been a while since I've seen that video, but watching it again made me realize that if most people had to do what the slaughterhouse workers are shown doing, they wouldn't be able to - it'd be much easier just to go eat some nice, clean vegetables. As I said once before, my sister's ex-boyfriend, who was raised on a farm, worked at a hog slaughterhouse for an internship one summer and he went home crying every night. He couldn't stand having to electrically prod the pigs back in line while they were squealing and attempting to free themselves. It's not easy for anyone. Thanks for posting that.

I've heard the term loosely defined. Thanks for the clarification, Topher. Count me out, though - I do like me some wine in cooking.

That's exactly where I am, too. Welcome aboard!

Oh man, it's good to hear someone else is in the same boat. My mom is the EXACT same way as you just described yours. Don't worry, I don't think college is for everyone either - I'm about to graduate from the nation's top journalism school, and I don't have a clue what I want to do. I kind of feel like I've just been punching the time card for the last few years. Go for the fitness training thing - I think you'd be awesome at it. Good luck.

Aha! Look at you go. I was wondering how you got that magical blue font. Thanks!

Ah yeah, that's not. I thought it was longer for some reason ... and I think someone told me it had to be X inches when in a pony tail, so that took off less than I expected.

Excellent idea, man. I actually tried doing that a few years ago, but my parents insisted I cut it - and the length does have to be pretty long for a donation to be made. Anyhoo, I think it's a great idea and maybe I'll try it again. I have a lot of family members and some friends who are cancer survivors.

Yeah, I keep hearing about this certain case of a family be charged with child abuse for malnourishing their kids on a vegan diet. Just seeing if anyone knows whether it is actually true ... I guess whether it is true isn't all that important. Just with any other diet, you have to be smart about it. To blame veganism for malnourishment isn't exactly fair; the same could happen on the Standard American Diet. Correlation doesn't prove causation (and all that good stuff). Again, it would be cool to find the actual case at hand to address any specifics.

Yeah, that's why I've been thinking about it - since dogs and cats are naturally carnivorous. I've heard dogs can eat vegetarian (man, that sounds silly), but that cats require a certain nutrient that cannot be synthesized. Here's what PETA says - and it seems pretty reasonable (even suggesting going back to the meat-based diet if the vegetarian one does not work): "It’s likely that your cat or dog will thrive on a vegetarian diet. Studies have shown that ailments associated with meat consumption in humans, such as allergies, cancer, and arthritis, also affect our companion animals. In addition to pesticides, hormones, and antibiotics, commercial pet foods can be composed of parts of animals deemed unfit for human consumption, such as ground-up feathers and diseased flesh. Do be especially cautious when making the transition to a vegetarian diet for your cat as cats have very specific nutritional requirements. Vitamin A, taurine, and arachidonic acid are essential and can be provided with supplements such as VegeCat by Harbingers of a New Age. For optimal health, many people also choose to supplement their cats’ diets with fresh, wholesome grains, proteins, vegetables, and essential fatty acids such as those found in flaxseed oil. Unless they eat raw meat, some dogs require supplemental taurine and L-carnitine (available in health food stores). These amino acids can prevent dilated cardiomyopathy in breeds that are prone to the disease, such as Doberman pinschers, boxers, cocker spaniels, Dalmatians, and many large breeds. For a smooth transition, start by mixing vegetarian food (several quality brands are available, or follow recipes found in Vegetarian Dogs by Verona re-Bow or Vegetarian Cats and Dogs by James Peden) with the meat-based food. Gradually increase the vegetarian portion and decrease the meat-based diet over one to two weeks. Most dogs’ and cats’ health improves on a vegetarian diet, but be sure to monitor your animal closely to be absolutely sure that the new diet is agreeable. If not, you may need to switch to a different brand, try supplementing commercial food with fresh whole or raw foods, or go back to the meat-based food." http://www.askcarla.com/answers.asp?QuestionandanswerID=234 Here's a site that sells vegan pet food: http://www.veganpet.com.au/ ... All right, we need to end this thread now before the 'PetaSucks' boys get wind of it and roast on their site. Hehe.

You know, I remember hearing about that a few years ago and then it turning out that was taken out of context or not true. I can't remember, but as of now, it sounds like some wild anecdote floating out there. It was even referenced in that feminist/anti-vegetarian Guardian article compassionategirl and CollegeB were talking about in some other thread. It could be true, but I'd really like some substantiated fact. Let's all look into it to see what we can find.

Hey, welcome to the board. I look forward to hearing some of your professional insight on fitness. By the way, congratulations on getting certified, Kollison! I was reading some of your other posts and thought, "Damn, how does this guy know so much about bodybuilding and fitness?"

Ah yeah, I guess I should've been more specific since it's associated with hardcore. I mean in terms of abstinence from alcohol, tabacco and drugs, etc. I've never really defined myself as 'straight edge,' but when a lot of people find out I don't drink and such, they ask me if I am. Here's more about it in case anyone else was wondering: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_edge

I don't know if this has been addressed in an earlier thread, but I was wondering who all on board is straight edge and how you define that for yourself. I 'spose I'm straight edge, though I've never really labeled myself as that.

Heh, funny you just asked that - I've been thinking about that a lot lately cause I love dogs and hope to have some of my own when I'm older. Right now, my parents buy my dog's food, and he happens to be on a special diet for the stones (ha). I know there are vegan dog foods available, though, so I would definitely pursue that option if I were buying dog food for a dog of my own.

Hey! Welcome to the board, dude! Also, thanks for the positive feedback about my approach to vegan outreach, as you pointed out on the other thread. From my experience, that seems to work best. It's nice to have that, in some part, validated by a non-vegetarian with a different perspective on things. And congratulations with all the gains you've been making!

Hey, my dog's name is Rascal! Rock on.

Yikes. Yeah, I had a friend who was a vegetarian for a while, and when she was, she once told me she wouldn't want to raise her kids the same way because she wouldn't want them to miss out on going to McDonalds. I just thought it was pretty sad that she thought her kids kids would, somehow, be missing out on a vital part of their childhood experience in America by not going to a crappy fastfood joint.

Yeah, eating vegan while living in the dorms can be really difficult. Luckily, I had a group of vegan friends in my dorm freshman year, and we made meals together in the basement kitchen (among the cock roaches - heh). We would take food containers into the dining halls and stock up on staples for our meals (vegetables, etc.) and then bought cheap meat substitutes, etc., in bulk to spruce up our self-made meals. I realize that might not be an option for you, and if your school is like mine, you're probably required to be on a meal plan if you live on campus. Again, since I had a group of friends, we were able to meet with the head of the dining services to discuss getting better options in the halls. Unfortunately, this didn't come into effect until the following year, when we were all living off campus. I have another friend at a different school who actually met with the head of his campus' dining services to discuss getting out of the meal plan all together. He dressed in a suit, did his research to show how the meals on campus we're more expensive and not meeting his nutrition needs and argued the cafeterias were not open at times when he was available. Peta offers some further advise. http://www.peta2.com/COLLEGE/c-campaignstrategy.asp Hope that helps. Good luck!

Hey, I stumbled across this. It's an interview from 20002 conducted by Friends of Animals with Gary Francione, a professor of law at Rutgers University, on the state of the animal rights movement in the United States. I think it articulates some of the points we've been talking about in other threads pretty well. It certainly made me see some of the points I made differently. http://www.antispe.de/txt/interviewgaryfrancione.html

Yeah, I played soccer for about 10 years, too. I really miss it and wish it were a bigger professional sport in the United States. Congratulations on getting up to 150! I just hit that mark and started at 5'10" and 134 at the beginning of the summer. You'll do great!

That just makes the avatar cooler in my opinion - that two drastically different animals could appear one in the same silhouetted. Aaand ... I'm gonna stop talking about avatars now, hopefully with my dignity still in tact.

What up. Welcome to the boad. And congratulations on going vegan! I'm sure you're already finding it very fun and rewarding.