Website of the Week

The Blue Fox .....

The Grumpy Vegan is not shy in coming forward in declaring his political allegiance is to the Labour Party. Yes, we all know, the Comrades have their, shall we say, issues. Nevertheless, when we look back on Britain’s history the Labour Party is consistently the movement behind all progressive change. What’s more, it’s the party which fights against all reactionary impulses which seek to undo the hard-fought for accomplishments.

This doesn’t mean to say, however, that recognition shouldn’t be made where it’s due. This is why Website of the Week is awarded to Conservatives Against Fox Hunting otherwise known as the Blue Fox. Now, don’t worry, the Grumpy Vegan is not about to change his political colours. But he does want to speak out in support of this group because they are succeeding in drawing attention to those Conservatives who, er, speak out against hunting. Here’s some of their fighting talk which will give you an indication of their steely resolve.

Our message for 2011 is simple and positive, it is very much about continuity and spreading our message. We want to encourage undecided and unknown Conservative MPs to make the right decision and represent the mainstream Conservative supporter’s view against hunting wild mammals with dogs. We will continue to campaign for more fairer representation by our Conservative MPs on this issue and to show they are in touch with the majority opinion not only within the party but in the country and say no to Hunting wild mammals with dogs for sport.

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To Ban or To Ban … That is the Question

BBC Radio 4 broadcasts every week day morning at 5:45 a program called “Farming Today.” In the Grumpy Vegan home — as one suspects in homes across the country — it is known as “Moaning Today.” Britain’s farmers are a moaning lot. There is, of course, much to moan about. Who doesn’t like a good grumble?

But all this current handwringing about the ban on the barren battery cage in the European Union from January 1, 2012, is, well, too much like “thou doth protest too much.”

After all, the Laying Hens Directive prohibiting the barren battery cage from 1st January 2012 was passed 13 years earlier in 1999. So, farmers have had more than a decade to prepare for the inevitable. Of course, the writing has been on the wall even longer. In 1997, for example, the EU adopted a Protocol annexed to the Treaty of Amsterdam, recognising animals as sentient beings. It’s not as if they didn’t know it was coming.

Why aren’t they ready?

Surely a good question.

Well, there’s always money. Or the lack of it to reinvest. Economic times are tough for most people, including farmers. But we all have to move with the times. We all live in a society which periodically requires us to change for various reasons. Moreover, the Grumpy Vegan can’t help but wonder what the life is of an industrial shed full of thousands of battery cages. I don’t mean the birds but the infrastructure: cages, conveyor belts, watering systems, buildings, etc. At what point does the caging begin to rust? The conveyor belt collecting the eggs break down? The ammonia buildup in the shed’s enclosed atmosphere corroding everything? Bits of the wire flooring coming loose trapping the hens claws? Or the water droppers becoming clogged and no longer working or functioning badly? Wielding on the cage side coming un-down exposing sharp ends of wire stabbing birds who have no means of escape? In other words, battery cages can’t last forever. So, what is it? Ten years? 15 years? 5 years?

However long cages may exist for — can’t believe they’re excluded from built-in obsolescence which most things have nowadays — it’s time for them to go. Farmers and the companies they work with have had more than enough notice. So, stop the moaning and do the right thing. And know, also, that whichever “enriched” cage system you install today will, if we have anything to do with it, become illegal in the future, too.

So, why not go cage-free now?

 

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Vegetarian Butchers

The Grumpy Vegan cannot speak a word of Dutch but from watching this video he can’t help but wonder if we’re looking into the future……to a vegetarian butchers. De Vegetarische Slager is a chain of 30 vegetarian butchers in the Netherlands. All of the food is vegetarian and much of it vegan. Truly amazing.

 

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Website of the Week

The folks at the Humane Research Council are a smart lot and provide an invaluable service

Humane Research Council

to the animal rights movement, primarily in the US but also throughout the rest of the world, with their unique programs.

One of these projects, Humane Trends, is so special that the Grumpy Vegan decided it deserved to be Website of the Week.

Humane Trends, a barometer of the status of animal protection in the United States, brings together a

collection of 25 diverse indicators to assess the status and progress of animal well-being, providing a comprehensive view of animal use and abuse in the United States to help inform animal advocates as well as policymakers and the public. Although Humane Trends compiles the most accurate data currently available for each indicator, the overall study is limited by the lack of reliable data regarding animal protection issues. Humane Trends serves to underscore the need for further research and more accurate information about our treatment of animals.

It’s all fascinating stuff and an invaluable resource. Did you know, for example, 91 per cent of US adults say that protecting companion animals is important? No, nor did the Grumpy Vegan. And he should’ve.

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Hastings Coastal Currents 2011

 

Was it a giant moth only visible at night?

Life in Hastings and St Leonards on Sea (St Leos, as the Grumpy Vegan likes to call it) is an annual calendar of events rich in diversity and all the more valued in appreciation because they’re organised by the community and largely by volunteers. This is an astonishing fact given that there is not a particularly large population in residence (about 87,000).

The visual arts festival, Coastal Currents, takes place in September. Coastal Currents provides a “showcase for the talents of the local arts community as well as profiling artists from outside the UK.” The organisers go on to explain

Hastings is a town brimming with artists, writers, poets, musicians and performers. Due to favourable property prices, a spectacular coastal location and a stimulating and creative environment; a vast number of studios and workshops have steadily evolved.

It’s impossible for the Grumpy Vegan to get to every event. Thankfully, some events are grouped together so that they occur in the course of a day or an evening.

The Lost Plot by Radiator Arts, which was part of Coastal Currents 2011.

One such included The Lost Plot by Radiator Arts, which is a

luminous white ghost garden only accessible after dark. Visitors are taken on a walk through the garden where they will enter into the imaginary world of the ghost gardeners. Radiator Arts will transform the grounds of Wellington Square into a garden of the imagination and memory with projections, soundscapes and illuminations. The audience will find themselves lost in this mystical plot beguiled and enchanted by the scenery, film, performance and sensor activated soundscapes.

The Grumpy Vegan isn’t easily beguiled or enchanted but he was this time. Wellington Square was transformed into a dream-like, lunar-white magical garden with otherworldly music, displays, settings and ghostly figures walking among us.

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Hastings Vegan Dining Club Cream Tea!

This month the Hastings Vegan Dining Club treated ourselves to our second cream tea in the home of Julia who, with Rene, put together a fabulous spread. The dining table proverbially groaned with

  1. Three types of sandwiches: tofu and cress, cheating tuna and mayo, and cucumber
  2. Cream cheese and mushroom vol au vents
  3. Scones (wholewheat and traditional) with fresh strawberries, strawberry jam and cream
  4. Fruit cake (baked by the Grumpy Vegan)
  5. Chocolate and banana cake
  6. Chocolate and black cherry gateau
  7. German apple cake
  8. Puff pastry slices with raspberry jam and buttercream filling served with fresh raspberries
  9. A variety of teas, soft drinks, red and white wine, and other drinks as needed but not lashings of lemonade…..
As these photographs testify, it was delicious and a real treat! Who says vegans can’t have their cake and eat it?
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