The Discerning Brute

GQ’s Spring Suggestions, SeaWorld Must Drown & Bad Parenting

• GQ’s Spring Must-Haves include a vegan new-wave boat shoe from Sperry Topsiders (without those leather laces, finally), fancy pocket squares of every pattern and color, bright and bold striped ties and straw fedoras.

When searching for a striped tie that isn’t made from hundreds of worms who are boiled alive, we suggest hitting up your local thrift or vintage store which typically have piles of ties or our favorite vegan tie company, Jaanj.com. As for straw fedoras, that one thing we love about spring. You can avoid the wool hats and go with a 100% plant-based straw hat. LiViTY makes recycled, hemp, organic, and fair trade fedoras in some bold patters and classic shapes, and Engineered Garments makes an organic linen boater cap. We suggest keeping a lid on it and sticking to classics like these:

The Hill-Side offers some selvedge Pocket Squares that we find quite fetching:

• I’ll be as happy as the next guy to see SeaWorld go under. The next guy is our pal Gary Smith, and he’s written an article on SeaWorld and the exploitation of dolphins and whales that flooded the enterprise with a 1.4 billion profit last year. In the article over at Elephant Journal. Ric O’Barry, who was featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary film “The Cove” and serves as the marine mammal specialist for Earth Island Institute, shares some thoughts with Gary on the recent killer whale tragedy. If you needed to be convinced that captive seas mammals are unhappy, this will do it!

“Orcas are the most social animal on the planet, even more so than us,” said O’Barry. “Males will stay with their mothers their entire lives. When we capture an animal like Tilikum, we take him away from the two most important things of his life; the world of sound and family. We put them in a concrete box and expect him to stay mentally healthy. It simply doesn’t work.” - Rick O’Barry, Marine Mammal Specialist EII

• Is Discovery’s Planet Green FINALLY getting the meat/global warming connection? Or not. The promos for Emeril’s Green(washed) Kitchen still lists “beef” as a major ingredient, but I got a recipe for vegan chocolate mousse in my inbox this morning, and they have a vegan section. Strangely, their new show Future Food: Gastronomic Geniuses seems like a bunch of dudes playing with their meat. The video showcases these “geniuses” shooting bratwurst with paint-balls, and trying to figure out the tastiest way to serve this meat up in mad-science ways. The maddest science is showcasing meat on a self-proclaimed “green” network when it’s the #1 cause of global warming! Hey Discovery, WTF!?

• Rock It Out: A Night to Benefit New York’s Farm Animal Sanctuaries

http://woodstockfas.org/art/animals/DylanPlusOlivia.jpg

Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary

This benefit will feature live musical performances, a scrumptious vegan bake sale, and an awesome raffle all to benefit farm animals at Farm Sanctuary and the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary! Check out what these sanctuaries do to save animals like Billy, who was taken in after almost being killed by a sledgehammer at a dairy farm just a few weeks ago:

Saturday, March 6, 2010 from 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Location: Reidy Hall at All Souls Church, 1157 Lexington Ave @ 80th St, Basement Level
$10 pre-sale, $15 at the door (cash only)
Pre-sale tickets can be purchased at:
https://www.mycommunitytickets.com/event_info.asp?eventid=26496

• Did society create monstrous people, or do a collective of monstrous people create civilization? This was the topic of last week’s Hardcore History, and we suggest you listen. Totally mind-bending! Could widespread child abuse and bad parenting in earlier eras explain some of history’s brutality? We think so.

• Learn to Lobby for Animals with the HSUS. We are only a few weeks away from the 2010 New York State Humane Lobby Day on Wed, March 24th in Albany. Join fellow activists to help pass legislation to crack down on animal fighters, stop puppy mills, end canned shoots of captive exotic wildlife, and protect farm animals from cruel treatment. To RSVP and get more info, click HERE.

• Jessica Reid asks GGA readers if a No Kill Nation is possible when it comes to dog shelters. There’s always a fierce discussion on the GGA comment-board, so have you say!

“The truth is you cannot blame having to kill shelter animals on an “irresponsible public” or “too many animals” when a shelter doesn’t implement lifesaving and low cost programs. I personally witnessed missed opportunity after missed opportunity from alienating potential fosters to terrible customer service to rude behavior toward rescue groups. I heard the same stories from other volunteers. These were not isolated cases. These were failures of management and staff to do what they should be doing: saving lives.”

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joshuakatcher, March 2nd 2010 | Tags: dan carlin, fair trade fedora, farm sanctuary, gary Smith, gq, hardcore history, HSUS, jessica reid, lobby, mousse, no kill shelter, pocket square, rick o'barry, seaworld, sperry, the cove, ties, Tilikum, vegan pudding, vegan shoes, woodstock farm animal
Posted in Health, Shoes, Uncategorized, activism, animal rights, cruelty-free, design, dogs, environmental justice, event, fair trade, fashion, food, global warming, green, news, organic, pets, philosophy, recipes, recycled, social responsibility, trend report, vegan, vegetarian

Bamboo Suit, KEEP them, and Project X

• Major Etsy find! A 3 piece suit made from bamboo rayon? No way! Custom tailored to you! $675

• KEEP Shoes is having a great sale on Gilt Groupe. These funky cotton kicks are great for spring, and super affordable at 32$! As usual, you need an invite to join Gilt Groupe.

• Remember the movie Project X from the 80’s where Matthew Broderick tries to save some chimps from being radiated in cruel experiments? Well, now that NASA has decided to start radiating squirrel monkeys, we may need take Matthew’s lead and tell NASA to stop! Can you believe that nasty experiments like this are still being conducted?

http://www.starz.com/titles/ProjectX/PublishingImages/project_x_1987_685x385.jpg

Project X, 1987 CBS/FOX

The studies conducted at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York will expose squirrel monkeys to repeated doses of radiation. Radiation experiments involving nonhuman primates commonly involve restraint and other cruel procedures. Monkeys, like other primates, are highly intelligent, have strong family bonds, demonstrate empathy, and, most importantly, suffer.

Genetic, physiological, and anatomical differences between humans and monkeys dramatically limit the conclusions that can be drawn from the planned studies. Ongoing studies, including those funded by NASA, already use nonanimal methods to determine the effects of low-dose radiation on human tissues. – PCRM

• Turk + Taylor, AW2010. One of our favorite organic lines, Turk + Taylor, showed their AW 2010 collection at the NOW showcase in New York. Here’s some images from their upcoming look-book. Stay tuned! More to come. (And check their rad vegan model, Jayce!)

• Rock it Out: A Night to Benefit New York’s Farm Animal Sanctuaries
Reidy Hall @ All Souls Church
New York, NY
Saturday, March 06, 2010 - 7:00 PM
www.allsoulsnyc.org

Come out to support and celebrate two of New York’s Farm Animal Sanctuaries – The Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary in Woodstock, NY (www.woodstockfas.org) and Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY (www.farmsanctuary.org)!
Live performances by: Jay Stolar of Julius C, Cristin Milioti, Kaylin Lee Clinton, Whitney Wolf , Melissa Lusk and Matt Roi Berger, Grace McLean, Shaina Taub, Lindsay Wolf and Neimah Djourabchi
With special guest Jenny Brown, co-founder of Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary!
Also enjoy wine, hors d’oeuvres, a chance to win one of our many raffle prizes, as well as homemade baked goods from our in-house bake sale!
$10 pre-sale
$15 at the door (cash only)
Pre-sale tickets can be purchased at: https://www.mycommunitytickets.com/event_info.asp?eventid=26496

• Check this Paul Smith organic cotton hoody in gray or purple!

• Need a kickstart? Get Ready to Kickstart Your Health on March 1!

Based on research by Neal Barnard, M.D., one of America’s leading health advocates, this program is designed for anyone who wants to explore and experience the health benefits of a vegan diet. Low-fat vegan—plant-based—diets are the easiest way to trim excess weight, prevent diabetes, cut cholesterol, lower blood pressure, prevent and reverse heart disease, and reduce cancer risk. They even trim our carbon footprint.

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joshuakatcher, February 23rd 2010 | Tags: cotton, egan, farm sanctuary, keep shoes, kickstart, matthew broderick, NASA, paul smith, pcrm, project x, radiation, squirrel monkeys, turk + taylor, vegan suit, vegetaran, WFAS, woodstock sanctuary
Posted in Health, activism, animal rights, cruelty-free, design, fashion, green, news, organic, sale, social responsibility, vegan, vegetarian, video

Solar Empower, Shit Salad, and Sustainable Death

Do-gooder or just a good actor? Damages and Bored to Death’s Ted Danson’s Interview on GQ left us confused! It appears the handsome, sometimes-vegan is concerned with “industrial overfishing and the toxic acidification of the seas” but then proceeds to order Nantucket bay scallops during his chit-chat. From GQ:

I’d read somewhere that he was a vegan. “Oh yeah, no, I’m an actor. Which means one week I’m vegan, the next I don’t know.”

He scans the menu. “I’ll have the California condor,” he says, nutcracker jaw lowering slightly to reveal a grin. “Or maybe the gorilla. How is the gorilla here?”

One thing’s for sure. Ted likes to flirt with controversial subjects. And since scallops don’t have brains or nervous systems, Ted, like Peter Singer, might not find too much objectionable about that. More recently, Singer changed his tune:

“… if they do feel pain, a meal of oysters or mussels would inflict pain on a considerable number of creatures. Since it is so easy to avoid eating them, I now think it better to do so.” – Peter Singer, Author “Animal Liberation”

Matt & Nat is taking 40% off some of our favorite vegan, recycled men’s accessories. Blockhead, $141 at mattandnat.com

Will Ohio ban their cruelest forms of farming? According to Farm Sanctuary, battery cages, gestation crates, veal crates, downer cows, and effective euthanasia are the subject of a petition submitted to Ohio’s Attorney General in support of placing an anti-cruelty measure on the statewide November ballot. These measures seem to be sweeping the nation, and more than 600,000 registered Ohio voters signed the petition. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

Think: Christopher Raeburn’s Affordable cousin, Worn Again jackets and accessories are made from the upcycled fabric of the Virgin Hot Air Balloon and decommissioned Eurostar train uniforms that would otherwise end up in landfills.

There’s nothing more satisfying than being a self-reliant nerd. If you’ve thought about going solar, but you’re more of a DIY kind of guy, consider taking an online training course in photovoltaic design and installation from the Solar Living Institute. Start up your own solar business, or simply empower your family or community with a less-devastating energy source.

If nothing else, you can become even more of a nerd and know-it-all.

What a Shitty Salad. Consumer Reports‘ latest tests of packaged leafy greens found fecal coliform bacteria that are common indicators of poor sanitation and …poop. In some cases, these were at rather high levels. Why? Because most conventional farms and even most organic farms use slaughterhouse by-products like blood-meal, fish-meal, bone-meal, and feces to fertilize the soil. Even more reason to check out veganic farming, your local farmers market, and organic produce. And, duh, purchase as far away from the expiration ate as possible and rinse it off before you eat it – never trust those “triple washed” labels. Also, don’t blame the veggies! Blame the poop.

Prepare for Vancuver Eco Fashion Week in March! If you’re up in that area, go to the Eco Fashion Forward Gala on Feb 19th. Buy Tickets.

Chocolate just got better. I know, who thought it was possible? Pioneering organic chocolate maker Green & Black’s (who has several vegan varieties) announced its commitment to move its entire chocolate range, worldwide, to Fair Trade – including the United States. Fifteen years ago Green & Black’s led the Fair Trade movement by launching Maya Gold – the first ever Fair Trade Certified product in the United Kingdom. Still, I think it’s bizarre that we have to label the good stuff, as opposed to putting a “warning: this product was made by underpaid, overworked slaves” label on all “conventional” products.

Are we the only one’s creeped out by the greening of the funeral industry? Creating a convenient one-stop shop for eco-friendly home & garden, office and building products, Ellie’s Eco Home Store opened its doors for sustainable business in November 2008. Today, Ellie’s announces a partnership with Natural Transitions, a local non-profit resource, and Nature’s Casket, a manufacturer of eco-friendly caskets made from Colorado beetle-kill pine. “In a typical 10-acre section of cemetery, the grounds contain enough coffin wood to construct 40 houses, nearly 1,000 tons of casket steel, 20,000 tons of vault concrete, and enough toxic embalming fluid to fill a backyard swimming pool, which eventually leaches into ground water, according to the book Grave Matters, written in 2007 by Mark Harris” says Steve Savage, Ellie’s President and Founder.

I mean, it’s a totally valid concern considering that since everyone dies, there is only so much land to go around and eventually the Earth could be one giant graveyard. Is a low-impact death in your future?

5 Comments

joshuakatcher, February 2nd 2010 | Tags: bacteria, Battery cages, consumer reports, downer cows, eco coffin, Ellie's Eco Home, euthanasia, fair trade, farm sanctuary, gestation crates, gq, green & black's, green funeral, nature's casket, peter singer, solar power, Ted Danson, upcycle, veal crates, vegan, vegetarian
Posted in Uncategorized, activism, animal rights, art, celebrity, cruelty-free, design, energy, fair trade, fashion, food, green, news, organic, sale, social responsibility, trend report, vegan, vegetarian

Petition the Prez for Pigs

This video was featured on CNN last week. Dragged, beaten, pushed with forklifts and shocked with electric prods — these are the routine methods used by workers to get pigs and other farm animals too sick, injured or weak to walk on their own onto slaughterhouse kill floors, and the reason Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal protection organization, is petitioning President Barak Obama to put an end to this abuse by issuing regulations to prevent these animals — called “downers” — from entering the food supply. Please sign the petition.

1 Comment

joshuakatcher, December 10th 2009 | Tags: downer, farm sanctuary, pig slaughter, predisent obama
Posted in activism, animal rights, food

No Thanks, Turkey Day.

For many of us, Thanksgiving is about indulgence. Around this time of year, I’m usually flying down to visit my parents in Florida, where we prepare a feast and eat much more than we typically would. Thanksgiving, not unlike the other major holidays, has become more about buying certain things assigned to that holiday and subscribing to a ritual that makes us feel good (indulging in the company of friends and family) under the guise of goodwill. And maybe that goodwill isn’t just a guise, but as we all try to act out that famous Norman Rockwell painting, accurate history just doesn’t seem to matter. Consider what historians have recently discovered – that Spanish-speaking, Catholic settlers dined on bean soup with the Timucua Indians almost a half-century prior to the famed 1621 Plymouth celebration (which incidentally did not have a single factory farmed Turkey at the table – and no cranberry or potatoes). So how is it that 500 years later, this holiday has become a showcase of nothing but Turkey? It is know as “Turkey Day”.

Last Thanksgiving I warned, “It’s Me or the Turkey,” vowing to never again sit at a table where the body of an individual whose existence was thankless is set out on display. A bird whose morbidly engineered body: painfully detoed and debeaked without anesthesia, forced to live in one sq-foot of space, pumped full of drugs and hormones – is somehow turned into the centerpiece of gratitude. An individual whose life is not considered valid. How is it that this abstinence I have asserted is seen as “radical”, yet the processes by which this dead body arrived is not? How is it that talking about the truth of turkey farming is avoided like the plague, yet putting the product of that truth in our mouths is so enthusiastically embraced?

Every year almost 300 million turkeys are slaughtered in the US. Of that, 46 million are specifically killed for Thanksgiving. Having been bred to grow at alarming rates (twice as fast and twice as large as their ancestors, often causing heart attacks), commercial turkeys are slaughtered after only 14-18 weeks. Many of them die of exposure during transport to the slaughterhouse, and when they arrive, many are not properly stunned prior to slaughter. Turkeys and other poultry are specifically excluded from the Humane Slaughter Act, which requires that animals be stunned prior to slaughter. Finally, as the birds who have not been stunned avoid the automated blades slitting their throats, they are often boiled alive in scalding tanks. Even “free-range” turkeys are no better off. In an industry where maximum output and profit are king, it is no surprise that suffering by individuals who fall between the cracks is so easily overlooked. As much as we’d like them to be true, our delusions of these birds having come from peaceful, Utopian farms must be shattered.

Please take a look at these undercover investigations in turkey facilities from our friends at Compassion Over Killing and Peta.

As Johnathan Safran Foer says in his new book, “We can not plead ignorance, only indifference”.
Given what we now know about food production and factory farms, where 99% of animal products come from, it’s difficult to rationalize eating turkeys in a symbolic gesture of thankfulness. The scientific community recently re-wrote the book on bird-brains, revealing how incredibly intelligent turkeys and chickens actually are, shaming the community that capitalized on their perceived stupidity. We also know that the environmental consequences of raising animals for food is greater than the entire transportation sector. We know that we don’t need to eat a Turkey any more than a Twinkie, yet the sentimentality of tradition persists, and so many of us purchase the anonymous, plastic-wrapped, frozen body of a creature and gather with our families around it like some sort of shrine that we are entitled to, never giving a second thought to who he or she was, and what his or her perception and experience of this world was like.

Please take a moment to watch the short video I produced for Farm Sanctuary featuring actress Ginnifer Goodwin as she considers this “tradition based on cruelty” while hanging out with some rescued Turkeys at the sanctuary in Orlan, California.

So what’s the alternative? Can Thanksgiving be Thanksgiving without turkey? Here are some tips on a conscientious celebration and ideas for a truly thankful holiday:
• Sponsor a Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary Turkey, or a Farm Sanctuary Turkey (or both!)