Wow.
There are many animals that society has labeled as “stupid” or “pests” when they are anything but. Rats, pigeons, squirrels, and crows are four of the top ten smartest animals. So why are they known as disease agents rather than little geniuses?
1⃣ Rats have very developed senses of hearing, smell, touch—through their long whiskers—and taste. Although they have a reputation of carrying diseases, they’re less likely than dogs or cats to transmit parasites and viruses. They’re actually quite clean, spending several hours every day grooming themselves and each other. They are very social and affectionate animals, and love being in the company of their own species or humans. They take care of the injured and sick rats in their group. Because they’re so smart—they can find shortcuts, loopholes and escape routes in laboratory experiments—rats are widely used—and abused—in research.
2⃣ Pigeons can identify themselves in a mirror, be taught to perform a sequence of movements and discriminate subtle differences between two objects can recognize hundreds of images even after several years have passed— not bad for a “pest”
3⃣ Most squirrels display an impressive array of tricks and strategies that help them survive. They’ve adapted to living alongside humans, eating out of bird-feeders, flower gardens and whatever food might be lying around. They are also able to store food for leaner times, and then find their hidden morsels many months later. They may also pretend to hide food in order to confuse potential thieves, which researchers believe shows an advanced level of cunning and intellect.
4⃣ Crows living in urban areas are known to gather nuts from trees and then place them in the street for passing cars to crack open the shells. Then, after waiting patiently for the light to change, they return to the street to retrieve their nutty snack. Crows also communicate in elaborate population-specific dialects and play games and tricks on one another.
Smart little guys aren’t they? Speciesism sucks #vegansofig
Advocate child abuse and murder amongst many other cruelties.
Christians are always claiming, “he’s the lamb”, “our savior”, “the king of peace”, “the embodiment of love”, amongst the many other names they associate with a loving, merciful nature. Jesus a nice guy? Not in my book. Nor in any other person’s who is capable of compassion and rationality. Let’s examine who the hell the Jesus character really is. These verses will show not only is Jesus’ “loving” nature a joke but so are the Christians who worship him. Jesus’ real mission to come to earth:
Jesus says that he has come to destroy families by making family members hate each other. He has “come not to send peace, but a sword.” Matthew 10:34
Jesus says, “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace on earth! No, rather a sword lf you love your father, mother, sister, brother, more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. “The real beauty of this verse is that Jesus demands people truly love him more then they love their own family. I ask you how can we love someone that we can not see or interact with? Love is an emotion pertaining to physical existence not to faithful ideologies, yet God threatens you with Death just because your love for your mother maybe stronger than your love for him. Matthew 10:34
Families will be torn apart because of Jesus. “Brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.” Matthew 10:21
Jesus strongly approves of the law and the prophets. He hasn’t the slightest objection to the cruelties of the Old Testament. Matthew 5:17
Jesus advocates murder and death:
Jesus condemns entire cities to dreadful deaths and to the eternal torment of hell because they didn’t care for his preaching. Matthew 11:20
Jesus, whose clothes are dipped in blood, has a sharp sword sticking out of his mouth. Thus attired, he treads the winepress of the wrath of God. (The winepress is the actual press that humans shall be put into so that we may be ground up.) Revelations 19:13-15
The beast and the false prophet are cast alive into a lake of fire. The rest of us the unchosen will be killed with the sword of Jesus. “An all the fowls were filled with their flesh.” Revelations 19:20-21
Jesus says he is the only way to salvation yet he purposely disillusions us so that we will go to hell:
Jesus explains that the reason he speaks in parables is so that no one will understand him, “lest … they … should understand … and should be converted, and I should heal them.” Matthew 13:10-15
Jesus explains why he speaks in parables to confuse people so they will go to hell. Mark 4:11-12
Jesus advocates child abuse:
Jesus is criticized by the Pharisees for not washing his hands before eating. He defends himself by attacking them for not killing disobedient children according to the commandment: “He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.” Matthew 15:4-7
Abandon your wife and children for Jesus and he’ll give your a big reward. Jesus asks that his followers abandon their children to follow him. To leave your child is abuse, it’s called neglect, pure and simple. Matthew 19:29
Jesus criticizes the Jews for not killing their disobedient children according to Old Testament law. Mark 7:9
A few other things about Jesus:
Jesus says that those who have been less fortunate in this life will have it even worse in the life to come. Mark 4:25
Jesus sends the devils into 2000 pigs, causing them to jump off a cliff and be drowned in the sea. Clearly Jesus could have simply sent the devils out, yet he chose instead to place them into pigs and kill them. This is called animal abuse. Mark 5:12-13
Jesus kills a fig tree for not bearing figs, even though it was out of season. Jesus must not be as smart as Christians would have us believe, for he was retarded enough to do something this silly. You’d think the son of god (god incarnate) would know that trees don’t bear fruit in dry season. Mark 11:13
Jesus okays beating slaves. Luke 12:47
Companies’ Animal Ingredient Email Responses
Here is a list of all the companies I have emailed about specific ingredients, some of their responses may be more helpful than others. Add to the list if you have any information from other companies!
______________________________________
Thank you for contacting General Mills. We appreciate the opportunity to address this matter.The ingredients [monoglycerides, diglycerides, and glycerin] are derived from vegetables. If you have any further questions, please let us know.
Sincerely,
Joy Green
Consumer Services______________________________________
Thank you for taking the time to write to us at Pepsi-Cola regarding our product ingredients.
Any rumors stating that any of our carbonated soft drinks contain animal products or by-products are completely false. From time to time these misleading rumors circulate throughout the world, and it is difficult to say why or how they began. We are pleased to inform you that none of our carbonated soft drinks contain pork or animal products or by-products of any kind.
If we can be of further assistance, please call our Consumer Relations Department at 1-800-433-2652, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET. And if you would please reference the number below it will help identify your file for the representative you speak with.
Again, thank you for your interest in our products.
Sincerely,
Margaret Corsi
Consumer Relations Representative
______________________________________Thank you for contacting the Wrigley Company to inquire about the use of animal-derived ingredients in our products sold in the United States.
The majority of Wrigley products sold in the U.S. are free from ingredients of animal origin, including egg and dairy products. A list of these acceptable products is included or attached with this response.
While a small percentage of the products we sell in the U.S. may contain ingredients of animal origin, we take great strides to ensure our products are free from any animal-based ingredients in geographies with dietary restrictions preventing such ingredients. For example, all Wrigley products sold in the Middle East and Indonesia are free from animal-derived ingredients.
Our priority is, and always will be, to manufacture only the highest quality confectionery products using ingredients that meet the needs of our customers around the world. By understanding our global customers and adjusting product offerings accordingly, we are able to deliver great tasting confections to more than 180 countries.We hope this information is helpful. If you have any additional questions or comments please feel free to contact us at 1-800-WRIGLEY Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST.
U.S. Wrigley Products Without Animal-Derived Ingredients
• Wrigley’s Spearmint® gum
• Doublemint® gum and mints
• Big Red® gum
• Juicy Fruit® stick gum
• Winterfresh® gum
• Five® Cobalt, Rain, Flare, Lush, Solstice, Zing and React Fruit gums
• Extra® Cinnamon, Classic Bubble Gum, Peppermint, Spearmint, Winterfresh, Sweet
Watermelon, Supermint, Berry Pearadise, Fruit Sensations, Mango and Berry Smoothie
flavors
• Eclipse® gum and mints
• Hubba Bubba® chunk and tape gums
• Big League Chew® shredded gum
• Freedent® gum
• Orbit® Bubblemint, Wintermint, Lime Melon, Pina Colada, Positively Pomegranate,
Strawberry Mint, Peppermint, Spearmint, Cinnamint, Sweetmint, Citrusmint, Maui Melon
Mint, Mint Mojito, Raspberry Mint and Sangria Fresca
• Orbit® WhiteTM pellet gums
• Orbit® Mist Mango Surf, Peppermint Spray, Raspberry Lemon Dew, Spearmint Spritzer and
Watermelon Spring.
• LifeSavers® hard candies and LifeSavers® lollipops
• Altoids® Sours and Altoids® gum
• Skittles® candiesNote: Slight changes to product recipes can occur from time to time. Please feel free to contact us at 1-800-WRIGLEY any time to answer any ingredient questions that arise.
Sincerely,
Meridith Powers
Consumer Care Representative
______________________________________In response to your recent contact regarding the glycerin, monoglycerides, and diglycerides used in Kellogg’s® products , we are happy to provide the following information.
Mono- and Diglycerides - Consists of both monoglycerides and diglycerides. They help to obtain the desired texture. They are derived from vegetable oil then processed in a laboratory. They do not contain animal products. The glycerine used in our products is derived from naturally occurring vegetable oils such as palm/palm kernel and/or coconut oil.
The animal derived ingredients we use in cereals includes gelatin (in the frosting of Mini-Wheats and in cereals with marshmallow bits), vitamin D (see more information below), or whey (used in Special K for added protein).Sincerely,
Rachel Valdez
Consumer Specialist
Consumer Affairs
______________________________________
Thank you for contacting Sara Lee. It is always important to hear from our consumers, and we appreciate the time you have taken to contact us.
We are writing in regard to your inquiry about the derivatives of certain ingredients in our bakery products. The mono and di-glycerides that are used in our breads can be derived from animal or vegetable sources. Unfortunately we cannot guarantee what sources our mono and di-glycerides are from.
Again, thank you for your interest in our company. We appreciate your patronage. Should you have any comments or questions in the future, please contact us via our website at www.saralee.com or by calling our toll-free number, 1-800-323-7117. Our representatives are available Monday-Friday between the hours of 7am and 6pm CST.
Sincerely,
Mindy
Sara Lee Consumer Affairs Representative______________________________________
Thank you for contacting The Hershey Company. Your comments about one of our products are important.
The source of the glycerine, mono- and diglycerides used in our products are vegetable oils.Hearing consumer comments like yours is important to us. The Hershey Company has been in business for many years because of consumers like you. You are one of the reasons for our continued success. We will share your comments with our Marketing Department. Please visit us online at www.hersheys.com for additional information about our products.
We also invite you to visit www.hersheys.com/promotions/?HG_ID=HSY_1 for current promotions, coupons, seasonal recipes and decorating ideas.
We appreciate your loyalty as a consumer.
Birgit
Consumer Representative
______________________________________Thank you for contacting Food4Less. While investigating your requests I was able to determine that purified glycerin is produced from both vegetable and animal fats. I would like to forward your other requests to our dietitian, please forward your phone number. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Again, thank you for contacting food4less and have a great day.
Sincerely,
Dorothy Bushelman
Consumer Affairs
______________________________________Thank you for writing to us.
The chicken flavor in Salsa Verde Doritos comes from chicken. We do not include animal flavors or animal ingredients under “natural flavors.”
We consider you a valued consumer and hope you will continue to enjoy snacks from Frito-Lay.
Best regards,
Linda
Frito-Lay Consumer Relations______________________________________
Thank you for writing us regarding Axe.Animal testing is a contentious issue, and there are strong and diverse opinions on the need for animal testing to underpin the development of new consumer products, particularly cosmetics. Unilever is required to provide animal data to comply with the safety regulations in place in different countries across the world. Where we are legally obliged to commission animal studies, we ensure that the minimum numbers of animals are used.
Unilever is committed to the elimination of animal testing for its business, and is at the forefront of research into non-animal approaches for assessing consumer safety. Currently, a very small amount of animal testing is still necessary to deliver innovative products that provide consumer benefits and are market competitive.
At Unilever, using non-animal approaches is the norm. Most of our products reach consumers without testing any of their ingredients on animals. We do not test our actual products on animals (any testing is undertaken on individual ingredients), and we do not undertake animal testing in our own laboratories (any studies are conducted by third party laboratories). A few countries still undertake product testing in their government laboratories. We are working with the local authorities to ensure the implementation of non-animal methods.
For more information, please visit http://www.unilever.com/sustainabilitySincerely,
Your friends at Axe
______________________________________
Thank you for writing us regarding Degree for Men .Thank you for your interest in our products. Unilever is committed to the elimination of animal testing. We are equally committed to consumer health and safety, and to the safety of our workforce and the environment. Where some testing is required by law or currently unavoidable, we aim to minimize the number of animals used. In pursuit of these goals, Unilever on the one hand applies strict internal control procedures to ensure that animal testing is only carried out when no alternatives are available, and on the other hand, invests in developing and applying alternative approaches to replace animal testing in safety assessments for consumer products.
By adopting this dual approach, we advance the elimination of animal testing and reduce the number of tests to the absolute minimum. We provide transparency both in the use of animals and in the progress made in developing alternative approaches.Some of our products contain ingredients that are derived from animal-by-products. Any product containing Glycerin and/or Stearic Acid contains animal by products, but no pork by-products:
-Stearic acid is from beef tallow-Glycerin may be either synthetic or natural glycerin, which is derived from beef tallow or coconut
-Lanolin Alcohol is derived from animal matter
-Oleic Acid is derived from animal matter (beef or pork)
The actual ingredient used in the products is significantly different from the original animal-by-product. These types of ingredients are widely used in our industry, and they are safe and effective in our products.
For more information, please visit www.unilever.com and click on Sustainability.Sincerely,
Your friends at Degree Men
______________________________________
In response to you contacting us regarding your concern for the ethical treatment of animals, below is our policy.
It is Church and Dwight’s policy to comply with all applicable government regulations, and to ensure that our products will not present unacceptable risk of harm either to our employees or our customers through their handling or intended use. We seek to use only materials already known to be safe, and we avoid animal testing whenever complete and satisfactory information exists to show that our products are safe. As a result of these policies, animal testing has become a last resort, and Church & Dwight has experienced considerable success avoiding such testing through this practice, especially on our Consumer Products.
Arm & Hammer Essentials Deodorant does not contain any animal by-products.
We hope this information is helpful.
Richard M. Edwards
Consumer Relations Specialist
______________________________________
Thank you for your recent comments from the Revlon website and for voicing your concern to us.
Revlon is in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations related to animal testing. All ingredients used by Revlon and all products manufactured and sold by Revlon comply with both U.S. and European Union laws and regulations, including full compliance with all Europe-wide bans on testing of cosmetics and cosmetics ingredients using animals, which are part of the European Cosmetics Directive.
Revlon has long been an industry leader in the elimination of animal testing. In 1986, Revlon was the first beauty products manufacturer to close down its animal testing facilities completely. In addition, Revlon holds its suppliers of ing redients and components to the same standards. All chemical supplier purchase orders require confirmation by the supplier that it does not perform animal testing on materials supplied.
To assure product safety, Revlon relies on the judgment of pharmacologic, toxicologic and medical experts, non-animal alternative test methods and the established safety of formulations and ingredients. Revlon is committed to providing safe and effective products and will continue to comply with all government laws and regulations necessary to assure the quality, safety and efficacy of its products.
When necessary, Revlon uses a small number of animal derived materials for which there are no vegetable or synthetic equivalents. Among these are collagen, elastin, hydrolyzed silk, beeswax, lanolin, and milk ingredients. Revlon does not manufacture a produ ct that contains pork by-products.
For more specific ingredient information, we would request that you identify the exact ingredient and product about which you have questions.
Thank you for your interest in our company. If we can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to let us know.
______________________________________
I am with Customer Compliance at Franz Family Bakeries and am responding to your e-mail of 11/14 regarding Franz products. Mono and diglycerides and sodium stearoyl lactylate are derived from soy. L-cysteine is derived from poultry. At this time we do not keep a list of products that can be considered vegan because of the variations in interpretation of the term and the sheer number of products we make (over 1200 varieties). If you have a specific product or a specific ingredient you want to inquire about, that would be helpful.Most of our retail products are displayed on our website (www.usbakery.com) under the tab “Products.” Each product has nutrition and ingredient info listed.
I hope this answers your question. Thank you for your interest.
The Foxconn suicides occurred between January and November 2010, when eighteen Foxconn employees attempted suicide with fourteen deaths. The suicides drew media attention, and employment practices at Foxconn, a large contract manufacturer, were investigated by several of its customers including Apple, Dell and HP, fearing bad press of their own. Foxconn is a major manufacturer catering to companies such as Apple, Dell, HP, Motorola, Nintendo, Sony and Nokia.
The suicides prompted 20 Chinese universities to compile a report on Foxconn, which they decried as a labour camp. Other experts have claimed that employees are treated comparatively well at Foxconn, but news reports have been critical. Long working hours, discrimination of mainland Chinese workers by their Taiwanese coworkers, and a lack of working relationships have all been cited as potential causes.
In response to the suicides, Foxconn substantially increased wages for its Shenzhen factory workforce, installed suicide-prevention netting, and asked employees to sign no-suicide pledges. Workers were also forced to sign a legally binding document guaranteeing that they and their descendants would not sue the company as a result of unexpected death, self-injury, or suicide. In 2012, 150 Foxconn workers threatened to jump off the roof but were coaxed down by management. In Wuhan, at a Microsoft Xbox production line for Foxconn, 200 workers threatened to jump off a building over pay.
An 83 page report detailing the Foxconn suicides and labor conditions was produced by 20 universities in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China. Interviews of 1,800 Foxconn workers at 12 factories found evidence of illegal overtime and failure to report accidents. The report also criticized Foxconn’s management style, which it called inhumane and abusive. Workers complained they were forced to stand for more then eight hours at a time.
A Hong Kong-based non-profit organization, Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour, also produced a report on Foxconn employee mistreatment.
Bile bears or battery bears are Asian black bears kept in captivity in China, South Korea, Laos and Vietnam to harvest bile, a digestive juice produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder. When extracted, the bears’ bile is a valuable commodity for sale as an ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). The bears are also known as moon bears because of the cream-colored crescent moon shape on their chest. The Asiatic black bear, the one most commonly used on bear farms, is listed as vulnerable on the World Conservation Union’s (IUCN’s) Red List of Threatened Animals.
To facilitate the bile milking process, the bears are commonly kept in extraction cages, also known as crush cages, that measure around 2.6 feet x 4.4 feet x 6.5 feet (79 cm x 130 cm x 200 cm) for an animal that weighs between 110 to 260 pounds (50 to 120 kg). While this allows for easier access to the abdomen, it also prevents the bears from being able to stand upright, or in some cases move at all. Living for 10–12 years under such circumstances results in severe mental stress and muscle atrophy. The Chinese media reported an incident in which a mother bear, having escaped her cage, strangled her own cub and then killed herself by intentionally running into a wall. In two model Chinese bile farms, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) reports that the bears are moved to the crush cages for milking, but the rest of the time live in a cage large enough to stand and turn around.
The World Society for the Protection of Animals sent researchers to 11 bile farms. They reported seeing bears moaning, banging their heads against their cages, and chewing their own paws. The mortality rate is high. Bile bears suffer from a variety of physical problems which include loss of hair, malnutrition, stunted growth, muscle mass loss, and often have their teeth and claws extracted. When the bears stop producing bile after a few years, they are usually killed for their meat, fur, paws and gall bladders. Bear paws are considered a delicacy, and have been seen priced at $250.
According to the HSUS, the bile is usually extracted twice a day through an implanted tube, producing 10–20 mL of bile each time; the process is believed to be painful, as the bears can be seen moaning and chewing their paws while being milked. Other methods include pushing a hollow steel stick through the bear’s abdomen. The use of metal catheters has been banned, though HSUS writes that bile bears are still seen with catheters in them.
The “free drip” method is regarded as more humane. A permanent hole or fistula is made in the bear’s abdomen and gall bladder, from which bile drips out freely. The wound is vulnerable to infection and bile can bleed back into the abdomen, causing a high mortality rate. Sometimes the hole is kept open with a perspex catheter, which HSUS writes causes severe pain.
“Hundreds of thousands of baby male chicks are either ground up alive or discarded like trash to die more slowly, piled by the hundreds, even thousands, on top of one another in bins every single day in order to satiate the egg and chicken-meat industry.
“The majority of male chicks are basically useless to both industries, so they are considered to be ‘trash’. I can not tell you how hard I’ve cried watching documentary video of countless live baby chicks, freezing to death in garbage bins out in the winter cold. So, which is the more brutal scenario? Is there a more brutal scenario?”
— Anthony Damiano
Step 1: Mother gives birth to baby.
Step 2: Baby takes his first steps. Mother nervously stares at human observers. She knows what’s coming. She’s seen it before.
Step 3: Less than 15 minutes after birth, the still-wet baby is taken from his mother.
Step 4: Mother is hooked onto mechanical milk suckers, so her baby’s nutrients can be fed to humans (thus significantly increasing humanity’s cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes rates…but I digress…)
Step 5: Newborn baby is sent to live the rest of his short life on a veal farm.
(most of the photos above were taken by my hero Jo-Anne McArthur)
Dairy = Veal = Cruelty.
Break your cheese addiction. I know it’s tough (trust me, I KNOW it’s tough- at first), but I promise it goes away.
It’s worth it.
One year ago Osama bin Laden was shot dead by US Navy Seals during a raid on his home in Pakistan.
His death has brought a range of information on the reclusive al-Qaeda leader to light, however there are still some key pieces of information left in the dark.
“Love thy neighbor” is preached from many a pulpit. But new research from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that the highly religious are less motivated by compassion when helping a stranger than are atheists, agnostics and less religious people. In three experiments, social scientists found that compassion consistently drove less religious people to be more generous. For highly religious people, however, compassion was largely unrelated to how generous they were, according to the findings which are published in the most recent online issue of the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.
The results challenge a widespread assumption that acts of generosity and charity are largely driven by feelings of empathy and compassion, researchers said. In the study, the link between compassion and generosity was found to be stronger for those who identified as being non-religious or less religious.
“Overall, we find that for less religious people, the strength of their emotional connection to another person is critical to whether they will help that person or not,” said UC Berkeley social psychologist Robb Willer, a co-author of the study. “The more religious, on the other hand, may ground their generosity less in emotion, and more in other factors such as doctrine, a communal identity, or reputational concerns.”
