Abolitionist Raven

Abolitionist Raven Merging with Dissension

2008-03-05T17:14:00.002-07:00

This will be my last post here since I'm merging the Abolitionist Raven with my new blog Dissension.

I started Dissension a few months back as both a paper and e-zine. I've now decided to do away with the e-zine and turn it into a blog instead. And since animal rights and veganism is one of my main topics, I don't see a point in having a separate blog just for AR.

If you link to this blog please update your links to Dissension (http://dissension.arbent.net). Thank you!

Guest Blog by Reverence Lily - Resisting Temptation

2008-02-09T02:28:00.000-07:00

The following is a post Reverence Lily wrote for her blog and decided not to use. She offered it to me and I thought it was too good not to see the light of day. So without further ado...

As you can see, the name of my blog has changed from The Element of Fun to Cherish Her: A Blog. I felt that the previous name didn't jive with the direction it was going in - which is, while interesting, not all that lighthearted. I'd originally planned for Cherish Her to be my self-owned clothing company... but I don't really have time for that right now, unfortunately. I had great designs, though.

I was pondering over the idea of "resisting temptation" and wondering why we do it - and furthermore, why giving in to temptation is considered bad. It could actually be bad, if you go by, "something that you want to do that you should not" as the definition of temptation. I have mixed feelings on that definition, myself, because while I could definitely see it being something bad, I can also see it being wildly glorified even while considered bad (and even actually harmful) because of its "rebellious" consequences - even if it's actually widely accepted, e.g. the pro-pornography mainstream.

But I was also pondering that phrase's relation to eating disorders. If you've been anywhere near a pro-anorexia (or even sometimes pro-dieting) site, you know the catchphrase, "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels." Thus my strong reaction to it in the first post I made: No praise feels as good as healthy tastes!

There are two ways you can take "resisting temptation" as relating to eating disorders: first, if you are actively eating disordered at the moment, you will most likely relate it to your own experience as "needing" to resist food. (I find that even those with BED/COED have this little quirk. It's pretty much ingrained in us all, see last post.) If you are doing well in recovery, or actively resisting an eating disorder, you will take it as meaning that you need to avoid slipping into disordered eating.

Peculiar, that. On the other hand, it's not so peculiar at all - after all, eating disorders really do change your entire worldview and personality. That, in an eating disordered mind, "resisting temptation" would mean resisting food - and all needs, a moral matter rather than a matter of essential mental health - is not surprising in the least to me.

That is because women's needs are a moral matter in at least Western society. While men run into fatphobia occasionally, it's women who see the idea, glaringly reflected on the smooth, flawless stone surface of Patriarchy, that their needs - for food, sex, security (both emotional and physical) and every other kind of need they may have - are not only suspect, they are automatically condemned until proven to serve the needs/desires of anyone but themselves - usually men's needs/desires (as long as they, too, are Patriarchy-approved).

Women see food as a moral matter because how women feed themselves is seen as a moral matter in society. Though expertly documented in The Sexual Politics of Meat by Carol J. Adams around, well, the sexual and sexualized politics of animal flesh, I'll be broader: there are foods that are seen as feminine and there are foods that are seen as masculine and, while the former are largely nourishing and do not cause disease (fruits, vegetables), they are considered "inferior" because of the lack of what I believe to be one of the primary defining characteristics of Western society's neurosis surrounding food: it doesn't cause pain - and as such it doesn't grant the illusion of power to the consumer.

Now, we have all been brought up to believe that, first, having power over someone means possessing the ability to cause them varying degrees of pain (that correlate with varying degrees of the power granted) - rather than, say, possessing the ability to make someone happy or make them laugh.* Women are, also largely, considered to be unfit to wield power - either because they are unfit (see the recent lies and distortions about Hillary's choke-up on TV) or because they would be even worse than men if they had it (see female-dominated S&M pornography).

This, I think, is where feminists decide to part ways with what I see as being a necessary component of an anti-oppression worldview: support and practice of abolitionist animal rights, i.e. veganism. (This also happens because of their unwillingness to make themselves even moreso targets than simply being radical feminists, which I understand but in no way condone.) Because animal flesh is one of the world's largest sources of calories (though not in any way nutrients) and women have historically been barred from it in times of famine so that the men could take it. Nonvegan feminists therefore think - incorrectly - that the way to solve the sexism in this matter is to make animal flesh freely available for women and children. What they do not realize, of course, is that accepting animal flesh, eggs and dairy as a necessary component of a diet means accepting violence as a necessary component of a human's life and accepting the idea that the only way one can live a "good" life is through ruling over another - etc. (You see the further slippery slope, of course - as I personally believe sexism racism et al. began.)

As such - because pain is power and calorie-dense food is (often) pain is power and women cannot wield power i.e. pain i.e. food and women's survival is food is pain is power - women's desires become a moral matter. (Sorry if that didn't make any sense.)

When women wish to refuse to take part in this absurd dictate, they become anorectics. When women wish at once to prove the system wrong and also to drown it out, they become binge eaters (/purgers, perhaps). And the only reason this is at all possible is because we place a moral judgment upon the size of someone's body.

Delving more into the animal rights aspect of Feminism, I think that, because animals are supposed to be as big as possible to be as valuable as possible - and because women, instead of refusing to allow both themselves and animals to be defined in a Patriarchal hierarchy in which they are always the losers, have historically tried to distance themselves from nonhuman animals - women went the other direction in order to attempt achieving equality and made themselves as small as possible. This just so happened to produce a "societal opiate" effect that was rather pleasing to those in power, so it was continued. (Have you ever noticed how the obesity scare tactics revved up right when Bush got into power and we needed to be distracted?)

In order to abolish Patriarchy - what I see as the essential cause of all oppressions - we need to stop pushing each other down in order to raise ourselves up and begin "floating all boats", so to speak.

We need to stop saying, "comparing women to animals is insulting" and start saying "you're a bigot for thinking ill of women and animals." We need to stop trying to free ourselves from our bodies. And, perhaps above all, we need to change "power = pain" into "power = love".

*Side-note: as such, in a Patriarchal world, no matter how much a woman may "make" a man want to have sex with her, he will still have the advantage/privilege of power over her because he not only has the inherent and socially-taught ability to make her feel overwhelming mental and physical pain, but that ability of his, if use, will usually be socially accepted as long as he doesn't leave many visible marks.

Hooked on VwaV

2008-01-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've ever made this many recipes out of any cookbook I've ever owned, and I've only had Vegan with a Vengeance for a couple of weeks!!

Yesterday started with the Coconut Pancakes with Pineapple Sauce. They were really good but I prefer the regular pancakes (which I had for breakfast this morning). These were a bit too sweet and rich for my first meal of the day. Maybe a half recipe as a decadent snack or dessert sometime, but definitely not a breakfast food for me.

And for dinner last night we had the Maple Mustard Glazed Potatoes (minus the string beans because we didn't have any). They were amazing!! Sweet and tangy but not overwhelming. However, mine were Agave Mustard Glazed Potatoes since I also didn't have any maple syrup. Still and awesome dish!

And the Mushroom and Sun Dried Tomato Risotto. However, mine wasn't risotto since I didn't have the right kind of rice (I never have all of the correct ingredients to make a recipe but they're so versatile it never matters!!) so I had a pilaf using a mixture of jasmine rice, brown rice and whole wheat orzo. It was really good but a bit too salty. I knew that my veggie broth is a bit saltier than others so I omitted the salt that the recipe called for all together. However, the sun dried tomatoes were pretty salty as well. Next time I'll cut the broth with more water. Other than it being a bit on the salty side, it was really good.

And for desert I tried to make the Crispy Peanut Butter Cookies but they didn't turn out at all. After cooking them for half an hour (the recipe calls for 13 minutes) they were still the same consistency as before they started baking. I thought that this was just another high altitude disaster (I live at 6300 ft and baking is often a nightmare), then I learned that this recipe doesn't turn out for anyone. I wish I had discovered that fact before attempting to make them.

How is Mike Huckabee a Front Runner?!?!?!?!

2008-01-17T19:46:00.001-07:00

Dig a bit into this guy and you'll find he's a piece of work. I was so surprised when he suddenly became a front runner, I thought for sure people would see him for the fundamentalist psychopath he really is. I guess that southern preacher charm is working. Here's who is really is.

Gay marriage will end civilization as we know it and people with HIV/AIDS need to be removed from the general population.

"Sometimes we talk about why we're importing so many people in our workforce. It might be for the last 35 years, we have aborted more than a million people who would have been in our workforce had we not had the holocaust of liberalized abortion under a flawed Supreme Court ruling in 1973."

He pushed for the release of a serial rapist, who immediately raped and killed another woman upon release.

"It is now difficult to keep track of the vast array of publicly endorsed and institutionally supported aberrations—from homosexuality and pedophilia to sadomasochism and necrophilia." - So according to Huckabee, homosexuality and sadomasochism is the same as pedophilia and necrophilia (and the last two are also publicly endorsed and institutionally supported?!?).

"I think if a doctor knowingly took the life of an unborn child for money, and that's why he was doing it, yeah, I think you would, you would find some way to sanction that doctor...I think you don't punish the woman, first of all, because it's not about ... I consider her a victim, not a criminal." - so all abortion doctors are men and women need to be protected from abortions? Cause, you know, all women are just cute little things who can't make decisions for themselves.

And for all of the hating that he does on abortion and stem cell research, he took money from stem cell and emergency contraception groups.

Bragging about how he used to fry squirrels in a popcorn popper.

He covered for his son when he hung a stray dog from a tree, slit it's throat then stoned it while it died

More VwaV

2008-01-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

I have to say, this is the best cookbook I've ever bought (though I did order Dino's Alternative Vegan today and have a feeling it will be just as good). We've been using it like mad ever since we got it in. We've made pancakes numerous times, though I haven't taken a photo yet (they look like pancakes, not much to see lol).

Fettuccine Alfreda. While it was good, it was my least favorite so far. I prefer a lighter sauce and even thinned it out a bit with some rice milk but it was still really heavy.

Tofu Dill Salad (minus the sammiches) - We've had this a couple of times now, both times on salad. I really want to try it as a sammich but we haven't had any sammich bread and I would also like to get some sweet relish for the sammiches. A really good recipe, though I did almost double the amount of mustard and vegannaise and added chopped pickles. I love it as a salad topping, and no need for dressing at all. Shown here over red leaf lettuce tossed with slivered almonds.

Seitan-Portobello Stroganoff

2008-01-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

I made the Seitan-Portobello Stroganoff from Vegan with a Vengeance tonight and it was wonderful! I halved the recipe since there's only two of us and we still had enough for two meals! I also didn't have any wine so I just subbed veggie broth instead and I realized halfway through that I didn't have the wide noodles that I thought but instead had spaghetti type noodles. None of this made any difference, this was stroganoff like I remember!!

Veganism, Anarchy, Environmentalism, Feminism - The Connection

2008-01-04T12:20:00.000-07:00

This is an article from the first issue of my new zine, Dissension. I won't generally be posting zine articles but this one says so much about my beliefs in these areas that I thought it was an important one to put online.

I'm vegan for a number of reasons, the main one being that I don't believe animals deserve to be held captive, tortured and/or killed anymore than I believe humans do. Animals are sentient beings who experience fear and feel pain just as real as any human. After all, humans are merely animals.

As a feminist who fights for women's rights, as a bisexual in support of queer rights, as a proponent of civil rights and as an anarchist who doesn't believe in any kind of hierarchy, I feel that supporting animal rights is perfectly in line with my other beliefs.

How can I be against the exploitation and commodification of women if I support the exploitation and commodification of animals? Especially when it's the female animas who are most often tortured. Female egg laying hens have their beaks seared off (even those labeled free range) and are put into tiny cages stacked on top of each other, forced to live in the waste of those above them. Dairy cows are forcefully inseminated at a place that the factory farm workers have "playfully" nicknamed the "rape rack". They give birth, only to have their baby taken away from them to eventually become veal an dare hooked up to machines which cause large and painful sores until her milk slows and the entire process is repeated. When both chickens and cows are considered "used up", meaning they're too old to produce eggs or milk anymore, they're killed. For these reason, among others, I believe that the animal industries are very much a patriarchal institution. This is why, in my opinion, feminism and animal rights go hand in hand.

I'm an environmentalist. I feel that humans have done so much damage to the Earth that at this point, it may be beyond repair. Animal agriculture is one of the largest causes for pollution in the world. *It is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions measured in CO2 equivalent (more than transportation), and 64% of of anthropogenic ammonia emissions. It is also one of the largest sectoral source of water pollution, contributing to eutrophication, “dead” zones in coastal areas, degradation of coral reefs, human health problems, emergence of antibiotic resistance and many others. The major sources of pollution are from animal wastes, antibiotics and hormones, chemicals from tanneries, fertilizers and pesticides used for feedcrops, and sediments from eroded pastures.*
*From Vegan Outreach

I'm an anarchist and don't believe in any kind of hierarchy. How could I say, without hypocrisy, that I don't believe there should be hierarchies among humans but it's just a fact that human animals are above non-human animals? I know that people have their reasons why they believe that animals are inferior to humans but every group who has ever tried to oppress another had their justifications for it. The fact is that animals have ways of communicating with each other, they share relationships and familial bonds, experience grief and fear, and feel pain when they are harmed. Knowing all of these things, I see no proof that non-human animals are lesser beings than human animals.

Fuck Middle America!

2008-01-01T21:35:00.001-07:00

I got home yesterday from a week vacation visiting my family in the bootheel of Missouri. First, we had the drive there, 1200 miles through Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. Seeing nothing but pasture after pasture of cows, knowing that they were destined to become a meal on someone's place. We took food with us so we didn't have to worry about eating on the trip there. However, once we got there and that food started to run out, we started to have major problems. The only grocery stores within a 100 mile radius was either Wal-Mart or Kroger. Obviously, Wal-Mart was out so Kroger it was. They had a handful of organic veggies and other than that it was overly processed, accidentally vegan foods. My body was so craving some good, healthy food by the end of the week and we still had the trip home to make. Over the course of the 2 day drive home, the only places we had to eat were Subways. We ate a total of 3 times in two days and every time it was Subway. I was so glad to be home and eat some nice, organic veggies.

I feel so sorry for vegans who have to live in this situation. No organic veggies, no bulk bins for beans, cereals, etc. You're just stuck with limp conventional veggies and processed name brand foods that just happen to be vegan. My hat's off to you!

Date Rape just a Lover's Quarrel?

2007-12-19T11:00:00.000-07:00

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=503112&in_page_id=1770&ct=5

"Date rape should be treated differently from attacks on women by strangers, John Redwood has said.

The former cabinet minister - now a senior Tory party adviser - suggested rape accusations made by women against their partners should be treated as "disagreements" between lovers."

Over the past few months I've started to notice a disturbing trend. It doesn't seem like rape is a punishable offense anymore. Men seem to get off with just a slap on the wrist and told "you understand that you did a naughty thing right? I'm going to let you off with a warning this time, try not to do it again."

Does this man not realize (or maybe he just doesn't care) that a very high percentage of rapes are committed by someone the victim knows. Maybe that's the point, keep putting stipulations on it until you can say that rape doesn't really happen anymore.

It's probably just because I'm a hairy legged man-hating feminist, but in my opinion, a lovers quarrel is verbal only. No one gets hit, no one gets beaten and certainly now one get raped.

I guess we'll also have to start excusing murder between friends as just an argument as well? They pissed me off, I wanted to kill them, they disagreed, I won the argument.

What is Animal Rights?

2007-12-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

Ask people to name an animal rights organization and a great majority of them will probably name PETA. However, those of us who are abolitionists know that PETA is pretty damn far from being an animal right organization. What most people don't know is that there are actually two kinds of people in the animal movement, those for animal rights and those for animal welfare.

Anyone who is truly fighting for animal rights is fighting for an end to the commodification of animals. We don't believe that humans should be using animals for their own gain or entertainment. We believe that all animals should have the right to live a free and natural life without human interference.

Animal welfarists on the other hand are fine with humans using and killing animals as long as it's done in a "humane" way. There are no rights for animals in this scenario, nothing that tells people that these creatures who can feel pain, and experience emotions are anything other than objects, commodities for us to use as we see fit.

Some of us in the animal rights movement have a problem with organizations like PETA, HSUS and others using the term animal rights to define the work they do. They say that we're on the same side but in reality their work is greatly harming the goal we're trying to accomplish. They convince people that they can both be compassionate and still have their cheeseburgers. They make people feel good about consuming "happy meat" by telling them that it's cruelty free when it's anything but. How can they say we're working toward the same goals when they're goal seems to be making people comfortable with exploiting animals?

If you feel strongly about this issue as I do, please take a few seconds to go and sign this petition telling PETA that it's not acceptable for them to use the term "animal rights" when promoting animal welfare.

I'd like to leave you with this piece from Animal Writings

We said "they can't feel pain" until we found out they could.
Still we beat them and killed them.

We said "they are irrational" until we found out they were not.
Still we beat them and killed them.

We said "they cannot speak" until we found out that gorillas can learn sign language and parrots can construct meaningful verb and object sentences.
Still we beat them and killed them.

We said "they don't know how to use tools" until we found out that some do.
Still we beat them and killed them.

We said "they have no culture" until we found out they did.
Still we beat them and killed them.

We said "they have no art" until we learned that some elephants play drums or paint — on their own, and wolves harmonize.
Still we beat them and killed them.

We said "they can't play" until we found out they invented play.
Still we beat them and killed them.

We said "they are inferior" until Darwin said "different, not inferior."
Still we beat them and killed them.

We said "they cannot love" until we found out that pigs saved their humans' lives, and dogs braved gunfire to be with their human family, and rabbits grieve themselves to death, and elephants after an absence embrace, and that the sighted cat guided his blind brother by intertwining their two tails, and that two hens living in a filthy cage with nothing offer comfort to each other.
Still we beat them and killed them.

We said "we have to eat meat" until we found out we didn't.
Still we beat them and killed them.

We said "they have no soul" until we read the original Hebrew bible. We said "God put them here for our use" until we read "A righteous man regards the life of his beast" and "Blessed are the merciful."
Still we beat them and killed them.

We say "they have no rights."
And we will go on beating them and killing them until we find out they do.

All attempts to justify cruelty have been vain attempts to maintain power. Only when we release our grip on power and stand humbly as servants to Creation will we truly find our power.

The Age of Piracy, Online Media and the Future

2007-12-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

I found the following through Bob Torres' blog and had to share it here as well. It's a wonderful commentary on what's going on right now with digital media and the vastly changing entertainment industry. Music piracy has been a problem for record companies for many years and now with torrents and streaming video, the television and movie industries are jumping on board as well. After all, that's a majority of what the writer's strike going on right now is all about. The bottom line is that the landscape is changing and unless the industries are willing to accept major changes in the way things are done, they're going to be left in the dust.

When Pigs Fly: The Death of Oink, the Birth of Dissent, and a Brief History of Record Industry Suicide.

I have to post this exert from the article:

So what can you and I do to help usher in the brave new world? The beauty of Oink was how fans willingly and hyper-efficiently took on distribution roles that traditionally have cost labels millions of dollars. Music lovers have shown that they're much more willing to put time and effort into music than they are money. It's time to show artists that there's no limit to what an energized online fanbase can accomplish, and all they'll ever ask for in return is more music. And it's time to show the labels that they missed a huge opportunity by not embracing these opportunities when they had the chance.

1. Stop buying music from major labels. Period. The only way to force change is to hit the labels where it hurts - their profits. The major labels are like Terry Schiavo right now - they're on life support, drooling in a coma, while white-haired guys in suits try and change the laws to keep them alive. But any rational person can see that it's too late, and it's time to pull out the feeding tube. In this case, the feeding tube is your money. Find out which labels are members/supporters of the RIAA and similar copyright enforcement groups, and don't support them in any way. The RIAA Radar is a great tool to help you with this. Don't buy CDs, don't buy iTunes downloads, don't buy from Amazon, etc. Steal the music you want that's on the major labels. It's easy, and despite the RIAA's scare tactics, it can be done safely - especially if more and more people are doing it. Send letters to those labels, and to the RIAA, explaining very calmly and professionally that you will no longer be supporting their business, because of their bullish scare tactics towards music fans, and their inability to present a forward-thinking digital distribution solution. Tell them you believe their business model is outdated and the days of companies owning artists' music are over. Make it very clear that you will continue to support the artists directly in other ways, and make it VERY clear that your decision has come about as a direct result of the record company's actions and inactions regarding digital music.

2. Support artists directly. If a band you like is stuck on a major label, there are tons of ways you can support them without actually buying their CD. Tell everyone you know about them - start a fansite if you're really passionate. Go to their shows when they're in town, and buy t-shirts and other merchandise. Here's a little secret: Anything a band sells that does not have music on it is outside the reach of the record label, and monetarily supports the artist more than buying a CD ever would. T-shirts, posters, hats, keychains, stickers, etc. Send the band a letter telling them that you're no longer going to be purchasing their music, but you will be listening to it, and you will be spreading the word and supporting them in other ways. Tell them you've made this decision because you're trying to force change within the industry, and you no longer support record labels with RIAA affiliations who own the music of their artists.

If you like bands who are releasing music on open, non-RIAA indie labels, buy their albums! You'll support the band you like, and you'll support hard-working, passionate people at small, forward-thinking music labels. If you like bands who are completely independent and are releasing music on their own, support them as much as possible! Pay for their music, buy their merchandise, tell all your friends about them and help promote them online - prove that a network of passionate fans is the best promotion a band can ask for.

3. Get the message out. Get this message out to as many people as you can - spread the word on your blog or your MySpace, and more importantly, tell your friends at work, or your family members, people who might not be as tuned into the internet as you are. Teach them how to use torrents, show them where to go to get music for free. Show them how to support artists while starving the labels, and who they should and shouldn't be supporting.

4. Get political. The fast-track to ending all this nonsense is changing intellectual property laws. The RIAA lobbies politicians to manipulate copyright laws for their own interests, so voters need to lobby politicians for the peoples' interests. Contact your local representatives and senators. Tell them politely and articulately that you believe copyright laws no longer reflect the interests of the people, and you will not vote for them if they support the interests of the RIAA. Encourage them to draft legislation that helps change the outdated laws and disproportionate penalties the RIAA champions. Contact information for state representatives can be found here, and contact information for senators can be found here. You can email them, but calling on the phone or writing them actual letters is always more effective.

Vegan Freaks, Come Back!!

2007-12-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Is it totally sad that I've been sitting her for a day bored because the vegan freak forums is down? And now it says they won't be back up until the 5th or 6th?!?!?

I guess this would be a good time to do some research for some blog posts. Since my last couple were more anti-capitalist than abolition, I want to get some AR entries done.

Something I meant to mention before is that one of the things I want to come of this blog is an abolition website. I'd like to do the blog for a few months, then take all of the articles I've researched for it and turn them into the beginning of an informational website.

BTW, does anyone know where I can find some good photos that I would be free to use in a website layout? I sent an email to Farm Sanctuary to ask about using some of theirs but I haven't heard back from them yet.

Tofu Scramble and Spicy Fried Potatoes

2007-12-02T17:27:00.001-07:00

This is one of my favorite breakfasts. We often do the tofu scramble in different ways but this is the basic, no frills recipe. Both recipes serve two people

Tofu Scramble
1/2 block extra firm tofu, pressed and crumbled
2 tbsp vegan butter (I use Earth Balance)
a good squeeze of braggs/soy sauce
1-2 tsp cumin
a handful of nutritional yeast
pepper to taste

Combine everything, heat for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally and serve immediately.

Fried Potatoes
2 large russet potatoes pealed and sliced thin
1-2 tbsp oil
corn starch
a generous amount of chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Add potatoes, corn starch and spices and stir. Cover and cook stirring often until potatoes are tender.

I promise I’ll try to get some healthy recipes up soon. A lot of our healthy meals don’t really involve recipes. They more consist of beans, rice, and fresh fruits and veggies. I tend to keep these meals simple and seasoned with just a few choice spices. But still… Look for healthier recipes coming soon.

Save money, the environment and your health all at once!!

2007-12-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

Okay, spurred on by the walmart rant, I wanted to give a few of the ways that we save money and still remain ethical shoppers.

If you're poor and need something why not try some thrift shops or garage sales? We buy the 99% of our clothes, dishes, cookware, and other necessities from thrift shops. Garage sales are a great place to buy furniture (not one piece of furniture in my house was bought new). And, with all of the money you save by doing this, you have the extra money to spend on ethical products when you do buy new. It's also fun and every now and then you find a total gem priced at next to nothing!

You don't have to buy expensive cleansers for your house, or for yourself for that matter. Lemon juice, baking soda, vinegar... all great for cleaning both yourself and your house, and all extremely cheap. Plus you don't put all of those harmful chemicals that are in the manufactured stuff all over your house and your family.

household cleaning solutions
Personal hygiene products
Why Shampoo when you can no-poo

For food, farmer's markets, bulk bins and sales are your friend. At farmer's markets you get the benefit of wonderfully tasty, organic, locally grown food at extremely cheap prices. Oh how I wish we had one year round. And why pay twice as much for convenient processed food that has half the nutrition and twice the salt when you can buy beans, grains, cereals, flour and sugar in bulk. You not only pay less for the food but you're also cutting out the price for all of that packaging, most of which just ends up in the landfill. And lastly, look for the foods that are on sale and stick to those. So you don't get to have exactly what you're craving this week, but you may actually find some new foods that you love instead.

And don't forget what I said in the walmart post, going vegan cut my grocery bill in half!

Reduce-Reuse-Recycle. Most people don't realize that they are meant to be done in this order.

First, Reduce the amount of waste you produce. Buy unpackaged foods, use bulk bins, carry your own bags with you shopping and don't buy what you don't need. Don't put your veggies in the little plastic bags, it's okay to have 5 tomatoes, 2 potatoes and a bunch of broccoli in your basket, all running wild together, they don't need to be all housed together neatly in their own little plastic bags. End the segregation!!! And when you do need a bag (for things like green beans and bulk bin items) don't forget that you can bring them back to the store to reuse. Wait, I'm not there yet am I?

Second, Reuse everything that you can. If I buy something prepackaged, I try to buy it in glass jars. Then when I empty out the salsa, pickles, etc, I wash the jar and it becomes a storage container. Things like plastic tupperware containers are expensive, bad for the environment and leech harmful chemicals into your food. Reusing the jars is free, you're reusing instead of wasting, and they don't contaminate your food. And just to say it in the right place, reuse the plastic bags that you put your bulk items/veggies in.

Third, Recycle is a last resort. If you have to buy it and can't reuse it, then you recycle. But so many people feel that recycling is the only step necessary and totally ignore the other, more important, two.

For Women:

Manufactured pads and tampons are both expensive, horrible for the environment and extremely bad for your body. I make my own pads which last for years, are really cheap to make and feel so much better than chemically bleached manufactured pads with the sticky tape bottom that pulls your hair out!!

Buy a couple of yards of flannel material (find something on sale, the design doesn't really matter here, right lol) and a package of snaps. If you have pads with wings already in your house, use one of those as a pattern then immediately throw them away. I'm usually not for waste if I can help it, I'm usually about using up what I have of something but these are so bad for you that you owe it to yourself never to wear one again! Make sure you cut around the pad (about 1/2" all around) to give room for sewing, otherwise they will be too small. If you don't have winged pads here is a good pattern to use.

Now that you have your pattern, wash your material first to preshrink it then cut two pieces of flannel for every pad you want to make. Sew them inside out leaving a small section for turning it rightside out (is that a real term?). Turn and finish sewing up that small section. Sew a snap on each side. Fold the wings in to make sure the snaps line up right and that you're putting them on the right side of the pad (one will be on the top and one will be on the bottom). And you're done.

If you're a heavy bleeder like I am, you may have to put a wash cloth under the pad for those heavy days. Just fold it longways 3 times and fold the pad around it. The pad will hold it in place.

If you're not a sewer and would prefer to buy some reusable pads, I used Glad Rags before I started making my own and really liked them. If tampons are more your thing (and tampon users really need to be aware of the health implications of chlorine bleached tampons) you may prefer the Diva Cup or the Keeper (both are also available at Glad Rags).

I know that I probably left so much out but this will get you off to a good start.

And, if all else fails, steal.

Just kidding.

Maybe...

WalMart Evaila

2007-12-01T15:11:00.000-07:00

I know it's nothing new to bitch about the evils of walmart but I just have to bitch for a while on the walmart worshiper.

The first claim is always "if you were poor you would understand, some people have no other options.". Well, I call you on your bullshit! I don't work due to health problems and my husband waits tables. We live well below the poverty line and still manage to be ethical shoppers. The fact is that these cheap, often sweat-shop made products shouldn't even be available in the first place. And why is saving a few bucks considered a good reason to throw ethics out the window? But most will bluntly tell you that they don't care how the merchandise got there, they need to save money!! It seems like these people would sooner murder their precious baby jesus than give up their low prices.

I also have to throw in here that being poor also isn't an excuse not to be vegan. (This is an abolition blog after all, I have to throw it in there somewhere.) Putting aside the fact that my grocery bill has significantly gone down since becoming vegan, I again ask, what price do you put on your ethics?

Another common walmart defense is that you can get name brand products there for half the price you would pay for them elsewhere. There is a reason for this. That name brand product that you're buying at walmart is an entirely different product than you would buy in any other store. The reason walmart can charge half price for these "name brand" products is because they make deals with those companies to manufacture a lesser quality of product specifically for walmart. So you're not actually getting a good deal, you're actually paying for a crap product with a name brand sticker on it.

"The Wal-Mart vice president responded with strategy and argument. Snapper is the sort of high-quality nameplate, like Levi Strauss, that Wal-Mart hopes can ultimately make it more Target-like. He suggested that Snapper find a lower-cost contract manufacturer. He suggested producing a separate, lesser-quality line with the Snapper nameplate just for Wal-Mart. Just like Levi did."
The Man Who Said No To Wal-Mart

So, as far as I can see, there are no good reasons for shopping at walmart. There are so many ways you can save money and be an ethical shopper at the same time.

In fact, this has spurred me on to go do another post on exactly what how people can do this. After all, I shouldn't just criticize, I should offer solutions as well.

Red Curried Noodles

2007-11-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

Curries are a favorite in our house. Feel free to add/subtract veggies, this one is kind of sparse due to lack of veggies in the house.

1 package udon noodles
1/2 block tofu cubed
1 sweet potato
2 russet potatoes
2 carrots
1 can coconut milk
braggs
turbinado
red curry powder
cayenne pepper
garlic
ginger
1 cup veggie broth (I use 1 Rapunzel bouillon cube and a cup of water to make it stronger)

Bake the tofu at 450 for about half an hour. At the same time steam the veggies. I cook the sauce on low on the stovetop (sorry for not having measurements but I just throw everything in without measuring). I like it strong and spicy so I use a lot of curry, garlic, ginger and cayenne pepper. Cook the udon noodles and sit aside.

After half an hour, mix everything together except the noodles and simmer for about 10 minutes. Divide the noodles into bowls and pour the curry over them.

Hope you enjoy!!

Cockfighting v/s Eating Chickens and the Free Range Myth

2007-11-24T15:15:00.000-07:00

So, I overheard a conversation the other day about dog and cock fighting. My father-in-law says that they're both so horrible and doesn't understand how anyone could condone either. I immediately thought to myself that this is such a hypocritical thing for him to say since he eats chicken. Anyone who has ever done an ounce of research into animal agriculture would know that our "food" chickens are treated just as bad and sometimes worse than those used for fighting.

Workers have been caught on tape stomping chickens to death, violently ripping their heads off and even sexually assaulting them. The birds used for fighting usually peck each other until one is dead. The birds used for our food have their beaks seared off to keep them from pecking each other to death. And this is the case for the chickens who lay the "free-range" eggs as well, if you do your research, the "happy-meat" isn't actually very happy.

Now, don't get me wrong, I think that cockfighting is a completely reprehensible act. However, I also hate the hypocrisy involved in those people who are horrified by cockfighting but continue to happily eat chicken for dinner 5 times a week.

It should also be noted that while there are laws (albeit not very good ones) that govern abuse for pigs and cows used for food, there are no laws for the birds used for food. That makes all of the things I listed above perfectly legal for these people to do.

Definitions from the Humane Society:

Free-Range: While the USDA has defined the meaning of "free-range" for some poultry products, there are no standards in "free-range" egg production. Typically, free-range egg-laying hens are uncaged inside barns or warehouses and have some degree of outdoor access. They can engage in many natural behaviors such as nesting and foraging. However, there is no information on stocking density, the frequency or duration of outdoor access, or the quality of the land accessible to the birds. There is no information regarding what the birds can be fed. Debeaking and forced molting through starvation are permitted. There is no third-party auditing.

Certified Humane*: The birds are uncaged inside barns or warehouses, but may be kept indoors at all times. They must be able to perform natural behaviors such as nesting, perching, and dust bathing. There are requirements for stocking density and number of perches and nesting boxes. Forced molting through starvation is prohibited, but debeaking is allowed. Compliance is verified through third-party auditing. Certified Humane is a program of Humane Farm Animal Care.

Cage-Free: As the term implies, hens laying eggs labeled as "cage-free" are uncaged inside barns or warehouses, but generally do not have access to the outdoors. They have the ability to engage in many of their natural behaviors such as walking, nesting, and spreading their wings. Debeaking and forced molting through starvation are permitted. There is no third-party auditing.

People who buy into the whole "free-range" myth should also know that these conditions only apply to the facility where the animals are raised. When it comes time for their slaughter however, most of them are taken to the same slaughterhouses as other animals. And the slaughterhouses are where most of the stomping, beatings and assaults occur.

For more information on the treatment of the birds that are used for food in the US, see the links below.

http://www.mercyforanimals.org/poultry.asp
http://www.kentuckyfriedcruelty.com/ - a good site if you ignore all of their celebrity hype
http://www.chickenindustry.com/

And more information on the "free-range" industry..

http://www.goveg.com/organic.asp
http://www.cok.net/lit/freerange.php

Crispy Baked Tofu and Potatoes

2007-11-23T12:51:00.001-07:00

While not the healthiest of lunches, it's not too terribly bad since it's baked and it's quite yummy as well as being quick and easy to prepare.

I use a half a block of extra firm tofu and one medium potato per person. Cut the block of tofu in half and slice each half into about 6 equal size squares. Cut each potato into 4 wedges.

Put everything in a gallon sized zipper bag and add about a tbsp of olive oil and a good squeeze of braggs (or your favorite soy sauce). Shake the bag to coat everything evenly. Then add a handful of cornmeal, a handful of nutritional yeast, a bit of salt (not too much since you have the salty braggs/soy sauce, or you can omit it completely if you're worried about sodium consumption) and pepper to taste. Shake again until everything is well coated.

NOTE: If you're making more than two servings, you will probably need to do this in batches instead of all at once to make sure everything gets a good coating.

Place on an oiled cookie sheet and bake at 450 for about 40 minutes. Serve with ketchup or your dipping sauce of choice.

Some people may prefer to add some flour to the coating, however, since I have an intolerance to wheat I tend to just stick to cornmeal.

Welcome to Abolitionist Raven

2007-11-23T12:33:00.000-07:00

What can you expect to find here?

News/current events in animal rights and veganism
Yummy vegan recipes
Food Porn photos of these recipes
My random thoughts on animal rights, animal exploitation and abolition

There may be other topics covered from time to time but these will be mainly what you see here.

I welcome any comments and questions you may have, though know that I have chosen to moderate comments due to people just trying to cause trouble as well as spambots.