Why do you love some animals yet eat others?

This week there were two tragedies covered on the same day on network TV: the house fire that killed 60 cats in Wayne and a truck of piglets that over turned on a highway in Missouri. Both are horrible stories but the cat story was given a sympathetic slant while the pig story was used for stupid jokes. No one dared kibitz about dead cats but it was “okay” to make fun of those poor pigs. Not one broadcaster acknowledged that these young pigs were en route to be systematically slaughtered and skinned alive or that they were crammed into an unheated metal truck in below zero temperatures. The pigs fled the overturned truck only to be scooped up to continue their journey to the death camp. Any cats that miraculously survived the fire are now safe and will adopted into loving homes. Not the case for those pitiful pigs.

Making Dietary Changes: What Motivates You?

By now, many peoples’ New Year resolve has gone by the wayside. (Don’t you wish the snow would do the same?)Changing dietary habits can only happen one meal at a time so there is always an opportunity for change several times a day. So, what could help motivate you to change to a plant-based diet? Here are some facts and issues that might help spur you on:

An Economical Way to Buy Organic Produce

While waiting in the check-out line at the supermarket, I see the person ahead of me purchasing bottles of soda, processed frozen foods & bags of salty snack items. They hand the cashier a pile of coupons & she proceeds to ring them up. Smiling, the customer comments to me how they’ve saved on most of the items & reduced their bill in half. I mumble something like “That’s nice” & proceed to put my items, all organic fresh

Going Veg in 2011: Helpful Resources & the Blizzard Duck Rescue

Happy New Year. Hopefully 2011 is your year to go (more) plant-based vegetarian for your health, for the environment & or for the animals. No matter what your motivation, there are numerous resources available to help you:

Taking a Gander at foie gras

By now you’ve guessed that I really love ducks & geese. I grew up with two companion ducks who lived to be 13 ½ & 16 years old.  This week I took in a huge Chinese goose with an infected foot. He is part of a flock of 9 (was 11) at a pond in South River. They are domestic geese & were dumped there.

3 good reasons not to buy down: Thelma, Louise & Howard

Thelma, Louise & Howard are my three precious Pekin ducks rescued from two Central N.J. ponds. FYI: Those white ducks or white geese you see swimming at local waterways are domestic birds abandoned there by thoughtless people. These birds usually starve, get hit by cars or are picked of by predators. Actually, there are plenty of other kinds of domestic ducks & geese dumped at ponds as well but they look like wild birds to you. Pekins are the most obvious & they definitely can’t fly or fend for themselves.

Have you ever had Brussels sprouts on a stalk?

”What do you think this is?” I ask the kindergarten & first grade students at the Richardson Elementary School in Perth Amboy revealing a large stalk of Brussels sprouts. “It’s a type of vegetable. We cook & eat these small parts.” explaining as I break the small green balls off and hand them to the children.