The VEB Review– new hooligan wild monkeys (translation: kittens), what I’m reading, CHEESE!
Many, most, all of you thought that Empress Floof should be mine forever… but I got her adopted.
HEAR ME OUT!
Actually, I don’t think I need to type words… LOOK AT THIS PHOTO. Then we will discuss.
I guess now this post is basically over because I can barely type words other than: dat widdle face! dat widdle tongue!!! doez widdle EARS!!!!! doez widdle whiskers!
Seriously. I nearly had a seizure typing that I would take him.
Then I had to wait decades for him to be cleared to go to foster!
Ok. I’ve gotten ahead of myself… back up.
I had Empress Floof, of the Fancy Feet clan.
Behold her regal fluffballness:
The woman who adopted her has just (within one month of each other) lost both her husband and her beloved cat… Her grief is very recent, and I just fell in love with this lady.
She came over on a Saturday morning. And Floof was amazingly not afraid of this woman!
Floof did not exactly jump in her lap, BUT she sniffed Lady’s hand, AND then deigned to grace us with her presence by lying under a chair nearby… this was a cat who was still running to hide under the bed when the heater kicked on, so voluntarily hanging out with a stranger was nothing short of miraculous!
Lady fell in LOVE with Floof, and she has called me frequently to tell me how amazing Floof is doing– and to tell me how much love and comfort Floof is bringing her… and now I have these two little men; they are brothers and best buds! They are ALWAYS together.
I know it might seem really strange that I could keep giving away these cats! But the more cats I can give a temporary home = the more cats not euthanized simply because they are struggling at overcrowded shelters.
If you can’t foster… there are still MANY ways to help! I wrote a post here about ways you can help your local shelter!
Fostering adult cats is nearly ZERO work! You give them a nice quiet place, in a room with little traffic… give them a blanket, food, scoop the litter box… done.
Yes, they come with a little bit of emotional baggage. But if you can sit nearby in the room, read a book, watch tv, do internet… just be patient with them, it can be very rewarding to see them slowly relax and go from terrified to interested in life!
On the other hand, KITTENS.
Kittens will chew your shoes. And your earbuds. And do some kind of thunderdome apocalyptic aerobics on your bed at 5 o’clock in the morning.
And if there is anything precariously balanced ANYWHERE IN YOUR HOUSE… they will find it and alert you to your own stupidity.
BUT KITTENS STEAL YOUR HEART.
***
SOAPBOX: Milk… it does a body good CANCER, DROUGHT, GLOBAL HUNGER.
Casein, which makes up 87% of the protein in cow’s breastmilk, is the most significant carcinogen we consume… Casein promotes all stages of the cancer process. — Dr. Colin T. Campbell
Have you ever asked yourself:
Why are humans the only animal to consume breastmilk after infancy?
Why are humans the only species in the entire animal kingdom to drink another species’ breastmilk?
Who decided that breastmilk intended to turn a 70 lb newborn calf into a 1,500 lb cow… is good for humans?
Is the answer to all of those questions: because our government got involved in the dairy industry?
Below is an outtake of a longer video that gives an overview of how the USDA got into the business of selling us a carcinogen.
Dairy Management, (which reported expenditures of $136 million last year,) is our government’s branch of the USDA that works to promote dairy sales… By comparison, the department’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, which promotes healthy diets, has a total budget of $6.5 million. — The New York Times, how a government-created industry group works to bolster cheese sales.
OH… WHO CARES!!
We love cheese!
BUT WHY? WHY DO WE LOVE CHEESE SO MUCH?
There’s actually an answer to this!
Cheese is highly-concentrated breastmilk… and condensing and concentrating that milk also concentrates the hormones that make nursing feel good to a baby.
In the human brain, these hormones stimulate the same receptors as heroin and morphine; regardless of whether that breastmilk comes from a human, a cow, a goat, etc.
“Digesting breastmilk creates casomorphins, which attach to the brain’s opiate receptors; causing a calming effect in much the same way heroin and morphine do.”
— Dr. Neal Barnard, professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences in Washington, D.C., and president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Does it matter that the links between dairy consumption and cancer are striking?
Does it matter that science tells us that other species’ breastmilk is bad for us… UNLESS that “science” is conducted by Dannon or funded by the milk-industry ?
Rather than try to edit all the science into one paragraph, I’ll send you to read this excellent and thorough article at Mother Jones.
Dr. Willett (Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School) found that men who drank two or more glasses of milk a day were twice as likely to develop advanced prostate cancer as those who drank no milk.
Women who drank two and a half or more glasses of milk a day had a higher fracture risk than their counterparts who drank less than one glass a day.
Studies showed a connection between dairy consumption and breast cancer; researchers theorized that the high levels of hormones in dairy foods—specifically estrogen, progesterone, and an insulin-like compound known as IGF-1—may speed the growth of tumors. — The Scary New Science That Shows Milk Is Bad For You
Hang on! I thought milk = calcium!! Strong bones! HEALTH!!
Right…???
But WHERE did we get that idea?
WHO told us that?
Was it the people who are financially invested in SELLING US MILK?
Is it possible that politics and capitalism dictate the American food system; creating a market that is completely destructive to public health and the environment; and yet embraced because societal norms tell us that WE LOVE CHEESE! (AND BACON!)
Is it possible… THAT WE ARE NOT COWS??
Is it possible that what we ate to survive winter in Kansas in 1823, is the dietary equivalent of living in a cave without wifi? I mean, survival is awesome! But why are we still making choices to feed ourselves like we are only going to live to be 42?
Is that a biological development? A cultural development? Or a development based on the PROFITABLY OF DAIRY CORPORATIONS?
Lobbying by the $50 billion dairy industry clouds policy on nutrition.
— Food Politics, Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at New York University.
Does it matter that our own wellbeing, the health of our loved ones, and the health of the planet that our children will inherit… are MOST IMPACTED BY HOW WE FEED OURSELVES.
Does it matter that the intensive farming of animals is the single biggest cause of climate change?
Not cars
Not overpopulation
Not countries with no environmental regulations
WHAT WE EAT.
Does it matter that the way we feed ourselves requires that children in underprivileged countries go hungry?
82% of starving children live in countries where food is fed to animals, and the animals are eaten by western countries. — Dr.
Does it matter that our planet’s resources are finite and that we NEED THEM TO SURVIVE… and yet allow meat and dairy industries to exploit, pollute, and destroy the planet we live on!
Does it matter that animal agriculture is the leading cause of rainforest destruction… 70% of former forests in the Amazon have been turned over to grazing. — United Nations, FAO
Does it matter that while California experienced a drought of alarming proportions… the industry that exports CA-grown alfalfa to China’s growing dairy industry was exempt from water regulations? Video below is from National Geographic.
Does it matter that animal agriculture is the leading cause of ocean dead zones? (source: our own epa!)
Does it matter that 80% of antibiotics used in the United States are for livestock? (FDA pdf)
Does it matter that a food system that uses SO MUCH ANTIBIOTIC has huge repercussions for human health?
Does it matter that everything is connected?
I think so! I think there is nothing that matters MORE!
I think it is terrifying that our government values profit and lobbyists over human health and the PLANET WE ALL NEED TO LIVE ON… and it makes me MAD.
MAD. MAD. MAD
If it makes you mad too, go forth and make other people mad!
If you haven’t seen Forks Over Knives, start there! Then watch Cowspiracy… (both of these are on Netflix)… Read all of the ALARMING (and well documented) facts page on the Cowspiracy website.
Read The China Study: learn about the factory-farming industry’s attempts to brainwash everyone in America into thinking they will die at any moment from a protein deficiency! Like this pitiful weakling: USA’s Olympian record-holding weightlifter who is vegan… Farris set an American weightlifting record by lifting 800 pounds at the 2016 Olympic Trials… SAD!
Is it possible that our collective insanity surrounding the cultural obsession with PROTEIN… is BAD FOR US? Do any of those guys slamming down shakes, bars, supplements even know that TOO MUCH PROTEIN IS BAD or did Men’s Fitness magazine fail to mention that because their job is to sell magazines and those magazines are funding by the advertising dollars from protein supplement manufacturers?
Some individuals, especially teen boys and adult men, also need to reduce overall intake of protein foods by decreasing intakes of meats, poultry, and eggs.
Overall, our human and animal studies indicate that a low protein diet is likely to be useful for the prevention of cancer, overall mortality, and possibly diabetes. — health.gov/dietaryguidelines<– OUR OWN GOVERNMENT
Did you know that one of the mysteries of human breast milk is why the protein content is so low?
Did you know that cows’ milk has 35 grams of protein per liter, while human breast milk has only 9 grams of protein per liter?
Did you know that the ratio of whey and casein proteins in human breast milk range from 80/20 – 60/40 (as breast milk progresses from colostrum to mature milk,) whereas cow milk is completely opposite at a 20/80 ratio.
The dairy industry has long promoted the myth that milk and milk products promote increased bone health—but the opposite is true. The evidence is now abundantly convincing that higher consumption of dairy is associated with higher rates of bone fracture and osteoporosis, according to Yale and Harvard University research groups.
— Dr. Walter C. Willett, M.D., Dr. P.H., is Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Does it matter that just like humans, dairy cows carry their babies for nine months?
Does it matter that those babies are taken from their mothers immediately?
Does it matter that the dairy industry IS the veal industry?
Does it matter that the mother cow will cry for her baby loudly enough to alarm neighbors enough to call the police?
Does it matter that after her body is worn out, after being forced to have child after child, and never getting to nurse or raise any of them… she will be sent to slaughter?
It matters to me.
I believe that babies belong with their mothers. I believe that forcing an animal to birth baby after baby… only to have those babies taken from her so that the dairy industry can sell us cancer in the form of cheese and ice cream is a grotesque mockery of nature and motherhood and our own humanity.
And I have one more question:
If we can live healthier,
MORE COMPASSIONATE lives
without dairy…
WHY WOULDN’T WE?
THIS POST IS DEDICATED TO THE FORGOTTEN MOTHERS… SPECIFICALLY, THIS ONE.
She arrived at the slaughterhouse, unable to walk off the truck.
Please read her story.
This mother spent her life pregnant, but she never knew any of her children. Her sons became veal. Her daughters suffered her same fate so that humans could harvest her breastmilk.
When her production dwindled with age, she was sent to slaughter. She was injured in transport, and wasn’t able to walk off the truck… the slaughterhouse workers used their electric prods in her ear to try to get her out of the truck, then beat and kicked her in the face, ribs, and back, but still she didn’t move.
They tied a rope around her neck, tied the other end to a post in the ground, and drove the truck away. She was dragged along the floor of the truck and fell to the ground, shattering her legs and pelvis.
She remained like that from 8am until 7:30pm. For the first 3hours, she lay in the hot sun crying. When she urinated or defecated, she used her front legs to drag herself along the gravel roadway to a clean spot. She tried to crawl to a shaded area but couldn’t move far enough.
The employees didn’t allow her any water; the only water she received was given to her by Jess Pierce, a local animal lover who had been contacted by a woman who witnessed the incident. After receiving no cooperation from stockyard workers, she called the Kenton County Police. A police officer arrived but was instructed to do nothing.
In the afternoon, the slaughterhouse manager informed Jess that he had permission from the insurance company to kill the cow but wouldn’t do it until Jessie left. Although doubtful that he would keep his word, Jess left at 3pm. She returned at 4:30pm and found the stockyard deserted. Three dogs were attacking the cow, who was still alive. She had suffered a number of bite wounds, and her water had been removed.
Jess contacted the police again. 4 officers arrived at 5:30pm, and a State trooper wanted to shoot the cow but was told that a vet should kill her. The 2 veterinarians at the facility would not euthanize her, claiming that in order to preserve the value of the meat, she could not be destroyed.
The butcher arrived at 7:30 p.m. and shot the cow. Her body was purchased for $307.50.
March 22, 2017 @ 2:07 pm
As a dog person, I really love your kitties. I once took care of a friends dying cat (she HAD to go out of town for a family emergency) and spoon fed her and dreaded that I would find a dead cat on my watch… Thankfully my friend made it home in time, and her kitty died in her arms a few days later. Books…I absolutely agree with your assessment of The Glass Castle, life changing/appreciating really. Have you read One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus? It is such an interesting premise. I think you would enjoy it. I admit, I could not make it through the entire Dairy diatribe…maybe later. I admire your passion, but I do love dairy. I dont think I’ve ever met a cheese I didnt like, and oh…..ice cream, and yes, even milk. Surely, there must be dairy farmers who treat their animals well, and do not separate babies from their mothers. I’m not sure I believe milk is a carcinogen, or maybe I just dont want to. I also really dont want to live to 100 if I cant enjoy one of lifes simple pleasures of ice cream. I havent seen any house updates or videos recently….when can we expect a new one?
March 22, 2017 @ 7:27 pm
sadly the “and do not separate babies from their mothers ” thing – well milk only comes out of the breast / udder when it is stimulated – the cow can’t give milk unless it has delivered it’s baby, and if the baby stays with it the milk won’t go to humans. I’ve been vegan since 1978, I really never hankered after milk. Apart from animal welfare, it’s a feminist solidarity thing, – do as you would be done to.
March 22, 2017 @ 7:44 pm
Well, humans can nurse a baby, and pump extra, why cant cows, goats, sheep? I know plenty of mothers who nurse their own, and give extra breast milk away to mothers who cant. I’m sure with some effort, it could be done, but I’m probably being overly optimistic. Kudos for being Vegan for so long, I dont think I could do it.
March 26, 2017 @ 12:38 pm
You can still enjoy ice cream. Even Ben and Jerry’s has non-dairy ice cream! http://www.organicauthority.com/the-best-vegan-ice-cream-which-ones-to-try-and-which-to-skip/
Yes, casein is a carcinogen. This study, one of many, indicates it can cause prostate cancer. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4166373/
Check out the links in the blog, see what evidence is out there 🙂
March 22, 2017 @ 2:12 pm
PS I meant to add, that if cows milk is a carcinogen, I doubt it is because of it in its pure, natural state, it is probably because of what they are being fed.
March 22, 2017 @ 2:22 pm
That is horrendous. I stopped using milk in my cereal years ago, and even as a child I was not a milk drinker. However, as an adult I love Brie and other creamy cheeses, and now I’m conflicted on how to view them? Is it better to simply avoid anything dairy that is american made, or do you have to cut out dairy all together?
March 22, 2017 @ 4:04 pm
Hi Niki,
I’m not speaking for VEB, but as someone who knows way too much about this sadness- it’s not solely an American “production” issue. On the upside, the strides that have been made in vegan cheeses over the last 17 years I’ve been vegan have been astronomical. In NY, we even have multiple shops dedicated to vegan cheese (Dr. Cow, Riverdel), as well as amazing options in mainstream supermarkets, HFCs, and even bodegas. The most intriguing option I’ve seen of late is caramelized onion Camembert: all vegan. Point being- don’t be too afraid of giving up too much; you’ll be surprised what’s available!
March 29, 2017 @ 11:35 am
Thanks Abby, I will keep my eye open for some vegan cheese options when I’m out shopping. I’m in CT so not far from NY. I’ll see if I can find those brands around here too.
March 22, 2017 @ 3:52 pm
I am in the same boat, Katherine! I want to see how much I can do myself to decrease using animal products. The mama cow story was so upsetting and eye-opening.
March 22, 2017 @ 5:09 pm
I have been feeling creepy about meat for a long time and really had cut down on buying it but adult son came back home for a while and so back to meat again. I swear I will never buy meat again..this post reveals a terrible indifference to the pain and fear inflicted on these animals and I don’t want to be a single person who contributes to that in any way. It is sickening and shocking what money and profit does to the human soul. It permeates our entire culture from the slave made clothes in the mega stores to our Government,I actually heard a Government high muckety muck justify cutting out food for poorer children on the basis of its failure to produce better results in grades and conduct. This claim has been forcefully refuted but I know they will still cut the funds for this and for the EPA. Geez Louise..do these idiots ever look at what is happening at the formerly ice locked poles of this Planet? Are they Dolts? or just sick with money love?
The cattle and their offspring may live long after we Humans are extinct. Karma…bite you in the butt every time.
March 22, 2017 @ 5:21 pm
Wow…I gotta do some more reading….. I don’t like the feeling of feeling so unsure of…just..food that seems basic…but…why is it basic? Ugghh, my brain hurts but in a good way I suppose…. anyways…..thank-you, I’ll have to learn more…
March 22, 2017 @ 5:30 pm
Victoria, I have followed your blog for nearly 3 years and have found it to be the place that I often seek comfort in with your humor and delightful take on all things DIY. I even sniffled along with all the rest in sympathy for your lost Elvis. I also applaud your fostering efforts as those sweet babies hopefully will go on to better, safer lives. However, I am saddened by your recent tendency to turn your blog into a soapbox. I came here to get a little happiness and escape from all that vicious, ugly, nastiness that exists in the world and which we are constantly battered over the head with. I understand your passion, but please reconsider making us laugh again rather than cry. I think that’s why your humorous columns have far more comments than the negative ones. I beg you, please please go back to being the Victoria that drew us all here in the first place!
March 22, 2017 @ 6:45 pm
Agree!
March 23, 2017 @ 8:30 am
Do you always try to silence people who are hoping to make a better world? Or do you just dislike hungry children and environmental sustainability?
March 23, 2017 @ 11:17 am
Yes, I “always try to silence people who are hoping to make a better world.” And in case you don’t understand, that was sarcasm. I never said anything about silencing; please reread my post again and see that I respectfully requested Victoria to reconsider the themes/tone of her blogs. Why does everyone and everything have to be socially damning and/or responsible for consciousness-raising? Can’t we just enjoy a little escapism from all the evil that’s in this world from time to time? That’s all I was asking for–to enjoy her original humor with which we’ve become accustomed and occasionally reliant.
March 22, 2017 @ 5:30 pm
I am in tears over the poor cow! Where did this happen??
March 24, 2017 @ 11:59 am
Tracey – this happens every day at dairy farms here in California. Mama cow is a symbol, but I can drive by ANY auction any day of the week and there are cows just like her. They’re usually shot, because a bullet costs .19 whereas a vet and fatal plus will run $200+. And don’t think that ‘organic’ dairies are any better because they’re not. If you guys want pics I’ll brave and auction and show you what happens on a moment to moment basis.
March 22, 2017 @ 7:34 pm
I am glad to be shocked into awareness of what I can do to make a tiny contribution to a better World. I sympathise with those who are up to their saturation point of bad news but therein lies enlightenment. Without our soap boxers we let the Evil roll on and pick up speed and dirty deeds done dirt cheap become so powerful they are unstoppable. We rationalize slavery around the world and accept “that is just the way things are” but we can change the world-we can be a voice for Goodness, kindness, and mercy or we can relax and return to the bliss of ignorance. Not that those who express distress at your posts are ignorant,just tired of too much hurt in the world… all of us need a heads up once in awhile.
Nothing is easy that goes against the status quo but it is so worth it. I stopped buying eggs at costco and now they have cage free eggs-I hope that is true and an improvement for the animals…but maybe not.
March 22, 2017 @ 7:55 pm
You are such a kind caring person. Also very smart. I had no idea of the statistics you have published about the dairy/cow business. So sad. You have done a great pubic service by exposing what goes on behind the scenes. So deplorable about that poor mama cow. What can we do?
March 22, 2017 @ 8:27 pm
Someone has to be the voice for these animals. No one should be complacent about animal abuse. Thank you Victoria for speaking for them. Sometimes talking about animal rights in a different setting is the only way to reach some people.
March 22, 2017 @ 8:51 pm
Victoria, I always love your soapbox posts. I’ve already told you this, but my fiance and I both became vegan in the past year, in large part due to your posts (and Goats of Anarchy). We’ve discovered all the delightful vegan restaurants in Philly over the past year. It would be SO FUN if you could host a dinner for readers in the area at a place like Miss Rachel’s Pantry or Kawaii Kitty Cafe.
March 23, 2017 @ 12:37 am
I cannot thank you enough for this post exposing the cruelty and sadism of the dairy/veal industry to say nothing of the disastrous health of the nation that consumes it. I have always loved your blog – now I love you even more as you raise these issues. I was raised on a farm with many animals and have never been able to eat them let alone understand the mentality that thinks it is okay to take a life … cruelty to animals is utterly abhorrent… the story of the cow tears my heart.
March 23, 2017 @ 1:11 am
I’ve been vegan for about 5 years, vegetarian for most of my life. I have always wondered why people drank milk. I understand in some situations it might be the only available source of protein, but certainly not here in the U.S. We need to STOP eating animals and STOP milking cows. Thank you so much for writing this article and including so much information, heartbreaking as it is. The general population does not understand that milking cows are horribly mistreated. I just don’t understand how humans can let money change their idea of right and wrong. Inhumane is inhumane. Thank you so much for sharing. I love your posts, and your sweet kittens.
March 23, 2017 @ 1:23 am
(And I reallllyy want to know how your kitchen renovation turns out. Please share more of your fabulous design and DIY posts with us!)
March 23, 2017 @ 2:00 pm
Victoria, thanks for this post. I haven’t been able to get the image of that poor abused cow out of my mind. I’ve decided to eliminate dairy from my diet and will work on eliminating meat and poultry next. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to think about food again without being aware of the impacts its production can have on animals, people, and the environment. Now, to figure out how to put that decision into action and learn to eat a completely different way…BTW, love your blog, especially the kitties.
March 23, 2017 @ 2:54 pm
I know you will be offended but at least read this. Edited you go crazy.
I also have great sympathy for animals and concern for our diet. However, it is somewhat like false advertising to write so humorously about your house escapades and then find oneseneself reading about animal abuse. I think you should separate your blogs and then the person wanting house/ animal info will be able to choose. I think if you do not do this you are going to lose many of your readers who love your house stories.
March 23, 2017 @ 3:13 pm
A plant based diet is not how man was designed to thrive and survive. And the development of Frankengrains has led to a nation of sick and obese people. All of this aided by a government pushing 6-11 servings of grains for each person everyday. Dig a bit deeper, and see how Big Agra groups and lobbyists have pimped this poison to the American public.
I choose LCHF because it makes sense to me.
But I believe that all deserve to be treated humanely, in life and death.
So I will agree to disagree with you. Which makes for a much more interesting planet.
I love your blog and kitties and CL acquisitions and all your GFT. And your passion in all that you do.
XOXO
March 27, 2017 @ 7:56 pm
Agree. It is not dairy, it is pasteurized dairy. Raw dairy produced by small farmers is incredibly healthy and has been consumed by people for centuries. On top of that, it is Big Agra groups, like Susanna says above, who have ruined our foods. Check out how healthy grass fed beef really is, and how it is not destructive to the environment. Look into how veggie diets only harm our health. Check out Dr. Mercola and how to really eat healthy, and what is behind the destruction of our food supply in this country. You need to dig deeper to know the truth.
March 23, 2017 @ 8:48 pm
I loved all of what you wrote- I an an inveterate cat rescuer and fail in all my fosters. They move in, they’re here to stay. But the last story- that poor animal. I cried- And what upsets me almost as much as watching her suffer, is that the police would not simply put her out of her misery, no matter what anyone else said. How is this level of cruelty acceptable to anyone? How could anyone see that poor cow and not be moved to move heaven and hell to end her misery. “scuse- need to go cry some more.
March 23, 2017 @ 11:12 pm
Advertisements for two separate cheeses danced in the sidebar of this very blog. And just now as I type, one from chuck e. cheese’s. I guess that if this seems an appropriate venue for all topics, then one might consider the inconsistency in message coming from such ads.