I felt my heart stop

I honestly felt my heart "thump" to a stop when I read this Dvorak Uncensored post:

"MMA Cage Fighter Tries ’shrooms; Guts Opponent, Rips Out Heart!"

"Jarrod Wyatt also cut out his friend’s tongue and ripped off most of his face in a brutal assault that police said looked like a scene from a horror film. They found the 26 year old standing naked over his friend’s body with body parts, including an eyeball, strewn around the blood splattered room.  

Wyatt told police he had drunk a cup of tea spiked with hallucinogenic mushrooms and became convinced his close friend Taylor Powell was possessed. According to an autopsy Powell,21, bled to death after his heart was ripped out. The coroner said Powell had been alive when the organ was ripped out after his chest had been sliced open with a knife. Wyatt told the police he thrown the heart into a fire along with other organs that he had removed from the body."

 

Ok....I'm fine looking at Rotten.com pictures...I have a bunch on my iPad...no sweat...but reading about someone around my age...with a DAMN similar name (for a person like myself who sees "words jumble")..JARROD Wyatt....my name is JORDAN Wyatt....

JARROD

JORDAN 

 

We share J O R D A, and I have an 'N' instead of his second 'R'.  Now, the story didnt have his name in ALL CAPS, which makes the similarity even closer!

They look so similar to me with a split second glance while reading the article....

I thought my entire future would be ruined, when people searched online for "Jordan Wyatt", I'd have this other guy show up, someone who while high on drugs ripped someone apart....

*phew*.  I'm taking deep breaths!

Blog Template

I was told someone actually READS my blogposts!  Wow!  On hearing how impossible it was to read white on black, I decided to change my blogspot template.

I'm not thrilled with the current colour scheme, and I'd love some suggestions for nicer looking, although easily readable templates!

Episode 29 Pets or Meat

Episode 29 Pets or Meat

Hello and welcome to another episode of Coexisting With Nonhuman Animals.

I always like to start off by saying hello to people who well, said hello to me.

First of all
Mitch Bennett, who is a photographer, you can find his work at earthlightandcolor.com, thats color spelt the
American way, C O L O R, absolutely no U involved.

Mitch mentioned why he decided to promote Veganism.

Ohio Cow Brutality

Its quite possible you have already seen this video


http://www.mercyforanimals.org/ohdairy/

The cows involved are brutally beaten with different objects, or pummelled with fists or wild kicks.

Especially amazing is how the calves are treated, they are hurt again and again, and still get up.  The amount of suffering these men try and cause to a baby animal is incredible, and yet the calves show a resistance, a will to live.

I've been talking about this footage online.  If I had a choice between receiving a brutal (and yet non lethal) beating such as was filmed in Ohio, or the most quote "humane" slaughter possible, I would choose the vicious beating.  Where there is life, there is hope.  When you kill an animal they have NO hope.

Animals should never be treated as "property", they are their own beings.

I wouldnt campaign for "less brutal beatings", nor would I try and hurt the men filmed.  What has been done has been done, we cannot avenge the calves by hurting the men.  We must move on and try and end violence, not cause it ourselves.

Please promote Veganism

Episode 28 "Factory Farming" $300K pigs

Episode 28 "Factory Farming" $300K pigs

Hello and welcome to a fine episode of Coexisting With Nonhuman Animals.

My friend Sasha James , of Melbourne Vegan is thinking of having her own podcast.  I think its very exciting to hear from other Vegans, if you are at all interested, its very easy to record your voice and upload it, and I'm sure a lot of people would like to hear your thoughts.  You can find Sasha's blog at http://melbournevegan.wordpress.com/

I recently made a blog post about how at least in New Zealand, the term "Free range" is meaningless.  A Free Range egg has no real definition.  I'll include a link to my blog post if you'd like to find out more.

No Actual "free range" Standard For NZ Eggs

Thank you to William Paul for mentioning this program

"The debate over free range eggs versus battery ones has been complicated by the fact that there are just about no standards for keeping free range hens.

Consumers are told that free range eggs, while being the more expensive option, taste better and come from happy, free-to-roam hens.

But with no standards in place the practice of keeping free range hens ranges greatly from one farm to another.

But while he may have set standards, he says about 70% of eggs sold free range in New Zealand have never seen the light of day.
"People don't understand what's going on, they just presume when they see the words 'free range' they expect that there are some standards but in New Zealand there are no standards for free range," he told TV ONE's Close Up."

Hopefully the video will be up soon.

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/free-range-3557090

There is one way to help all the Ms Hen Friends of the country, to stop treating our fellow animals as "things", as property, and to respect them as fellow beings.

Vegan Health Studies

I'd like to have links to scientific studies about the health effects of a Vegan diet.  I'd really like to shatter some myths!

I'd greatly appreciate any help!  I'd really like to use unbiased websites whenever possible, I dont think linking to "veganism_is_fun!.geocities.com" is very credible!  Official health studies would be best.

Heres what I'm starting with, I hope to add to this over time, with your help, I'll keep this linked for future reference.

===============
Vegan Health Facts
===============

China Study, Animal Products and health effects
----------------------------------------------------------
"The authors introduce and explain the conclusions of scientific studies, which have correlated animal-based diets with disease. The authors conclude that diets high in animal protein (including casein in cow's milk) are strongly linked to diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and Type 2 diabetes.
The authors recommend that people eat a whole food, plant-based diet and avoid consuming beef, poultry, eggs, fish and milk as a means to minimize and/or reverse the development of chronic disease."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study

Mayo Clinic "plant based diets" Recommendation (Thank you Bea Elliot)
---------------------------------------------------------
"...people who eat mainly plant-based diets generally have lower blood cholesterol and blood pressure levels and a reduced risk of heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes."
http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2010-mchi/5781.html?src=email-release

Bone Formation
--------------------
"... bone resorption—in which calcium is taken away from bones via the bloodstream—was the same for omnivore women as for vegan women.
"The current model predicts increased bone resorption for people who consume large amounts of animal protein, so it was somewhat surprising that bone resorption was the same for both groups of our volunteers," Van Loan notes.
Second, bone formation was significantly less in omnivore women than in vegan women. This happened even though the omnivore women had a higher calcium intake than did the vegan volunteers. (The volunteers did not differ in their intake of other nutrients that affect bone health, such as magnesium.)
Explains Van Loan, "If you have less bone formation, the result is the same as if you had an increase in bone resorption. So, even though bone resorption was the same in both groups of volunteers, the lower amount of bone formation in the omnivore women could lead to a decrease in their bone density."

http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/mar03/osteo0303.htm

Boston Vegan guide
-------------------------


http://bostonvegan.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=365&Itemid=130


Vegetarian vs carnivore diet: cycling stamina
------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Per-Olaf Astrand did a classic study of diet and endurance using nine highly trained athletes, changing their diet every three days. At the end of every diet change, each athlete would pedal a bicycle until exhaustion. Those with a high protein and high fat meat (carnivore) diet averaged 57 minutes. Those that consumed a mixed (omnivore) diet, lower in meat, fat and protein averaged 1 hour and 54 minutes: twice the endurance of the meat and fat eaters. The vegetarian, high carbohydrate diet athletes lasted 2 hours and 47 minutes: 3 times the endurance of meat eaters (Source: Astrand, Per-Olaf, Nutrition Today 3:no2, 9-11, 1968

http://www.lifestylelaboratory.com/articles/proof-positive/nutrition.html

Video of Pig Transplant Facility In Invercargill

*** October 5th 2012 update ****

Now we're performing experiments of killing these pigs and injecting their braincells into our brains, to try and cure Parkinsons.

The Southland Times "Human Pig Cell Transplant Trial Approved"



*EDIT* I've linked to the screenshots I took here http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaywontdart/sets/72157623932869503/ *EDIT*

Original news report website no longer available, here is the video



The Auckland Island pigs were left on a bunch of small islands on the way to Antartica, the Auckland Islands (absolutely nothing to do with Auckland, New Zealands largest city)

Why were pigs released on these islands?  Why, in case Whalers were shipwrecked, they were left there to killed, if desired, as "food".

Ah, but then two centuries later we got all "politically correct", and decided as as "introduced species", they had to go.  And go they did, by our Department of "Conservation", DOC, who sent in the hunters.

A few were captured, and dragged back to the South Island, where I live.  They are now recognised as "disease free" from living in isolation, on a stunningly beautiful island in the middle of nowhere....those we didnt kill, are now to be used in medical experiments to take their pancreas, which will be processed, and the end result giving to Diabetic humans. 

We wouldnt do this to other humans, (well...maybe we would....maybe we ARE... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemala_syphilis_experiment ...), why are we doing this to nonhuman animals?  I think its particularly odd since we've just had a big "Victory" in "phasing out" quote "Factory Farming",


http://coexistingwithnonhumananimals.blogspot.com/2010/12/victory-new-zealand-sow-crates-being.html

These poor Auckland Island pigs are now to live in concrete CELLS, to be hosed down each day, never allowed outside contact, like a "bubble boy".

The Mayor of my city, Invercargill claims responsibility, as you'll see in this video.  To my knowledge, footage of the facility here, perhaps 20 odd kilometres away from me right now, has always been kept Top Secret.  The location of the facility itself is "hidden".

Here, in an Australian news video, we are shown around inside.  It is horribly graphic, and yet only ever described as a marvellous business opportunity for my area, praise given to Mayor Tim Shadbolt in particular, and how this is *sure* to be a cure for all that ails humans.

I was absolutely horrified to watch a recent Australian video ( http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunday-night/blogs/article/-/article/7189393/guinea-pigs/ ) of the Living Cell Technology (LCT) Pig Farm, near Invercargill where I live.
I've seen both The Animals Film and Earthlings, I understood about experimenting on Animals, but it always seemed distant.  This Pig Farm, in an undisclosed location, is probably less than 10 minutes drive by car from my actual house.  Its awful, just awful, to think that this is happening in New Zealand.  I thought we were "Clean and Green", this utterly shatters that myth.  The footage shown of these poor pigs living area, is just shocking.  Concrete walls, as horrible as any "factory farm".  And yet these pigs are worth "$300,000" each.

Some months ago I had written to my local newspaper, The Southland Times about these awful pig to human transplants:
"I would like to know the actual plan when it comes to using pigs for organ transplant. I've asked both the mayor and Living Cell Technologies to be honest about what their procedures involve.
How I understood the mayor's last article, investors are being asked to spend $3 billion on a factory farm.
From what I understand of the process – admittedly very little – the pigs will be monitored in a sterile cell block, kept alive for their organs and blood? Will it be like in The Matrix: bodies encased in a pink slime, tubes every which way? Who knows?
And for this, these poor pigs will find themselves being trademarked as "Diabecell". What is that exactly? Is it an organ attached to a person? A series of injections?
I would genuinely like to be informed.
Can't we return these poor pigs back to their lovely remote holiday home on the Auckland Islands to live their lives free of mad science? Or will the dollar signs win out?
Jordan Wyatt, Invercargill"



I received a public reply from LCT
:

"Living Cell Technologies chief executive Paul Tan replies:
Living Cell Technologies (LCT) is breeding pigs in special facilities in Invercargill. The intention is to use pig tissue to treat human diseases rather than as a source of food.
No experiments are conducted on the pigs. They are housed in environmentally controlled facilities that give them a very comfortable existence and protect them from the viruses that modern pig herds have. They each have their own pen, which is a large area so that the pig can move around and lie out full length in any direction. They are let out of their pens twice a day for their exercise, to play and socialise with the other pigs. The pigs are given toys and the staff spend time grooming, bathing and giving attention.
The pancreas of young piglets are taken to obtain cells that produce insulin. The piglets are anaesthetised for the pancreas to be removed and they are then humanely euthanized while still under anaesthesia. In a separate manufacturing unit the cells are processed into gel capsules and the product, Diabecell (registered trade mark), can be implanted into the abdomen of someone with type-1 diabetes. In this form of diabetes, the insulin producing cells of the pancreas have been destroyed and the person becomes insulin deficient. It is treated with lifesaving insulin injections but this still causes life threatening swings in blood glucose levels. The implanted pig cells produce insulin when blood glucose is high and switch off when blood glucose returns to normal.


Pigs are used because pig insulin is very similar to human insulin. Prior to genetically modified human insulin becoming today's standard treatment, pig insulin was routinely used to treat human diabetes for many decades.
The pigs were left on the Auckland Islands by sailors as a food source. DOC would like to remove all the pigs from the Auckland Islands to protect the plant and birdlife there.
By breeding these unique pigs in comfortable conditions not only are we preserving the breed, their tissues are used to save human lives.
We are aware that Southland has an active social and economic development programme and our company is pleased to be part of its progress."

The way these animals are kept, would surely be illegal if they were any "pet" class animal.  These pigs are "…let out of their pens twice a day for their exercise, to play and socialise with the other pigs. The pigs are given toys and the staff spend time grooming, bathing and giving attention." But for the majority of their time, it appears, they live in concrete cubicles, like the worst examples of quote "factory farming".  I would guess each pig has a couple metres to call its own, with bland concrete wars on three sides, and a barred gate.  I would feel terrible if I left my Chicken Friends in their shed (  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaywontdart/sets/72157623271446744/ )for a single day, but in both in terms of actual space and in proportion for their size, they would have far more room to move.  And yet, this is how these pigs will live their lives, surrounded by sterile concrete, oh, except for the two times a day they get to "socialize".


Here is a link to the screenshots
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaywontdart/sets/72157623932869503/

You can see the full video here

http://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunday-night/blogs/article/-/article/7189393/guinea-pigs/

I am terribly disheartened to know this kind of experimenting on animals happens so close to home.  The Animals Film and Earthlings feel so much more tangible now.


See also my episode covering the Auckland Island Pigs, Episode 28 Factory Farming $300K Pigs

Episode 27 Drunk Kereru and "Humane" Calf Killing

Episode 27 Drunk Kereru and "Humane" calf killing

Hello and welcome to yet another episode of Coexisting With Nonhuman Animals. 

I've been lucky enough to be included on two Animal Rights shows recently, Wild Time, an Irish radio show, and also on the first episode of My Face Is On Fire. 

Brutal Killing Of Unwanted Calves

Here is another reason to promote Veganism, all animal farming will result in horrendous violence such as the brutal slaughter of calves.

I have a link to a messageboard for farmers where this is being discussed.

Here is
one of the most incredible posts, and it began with a yellow smiley face
emoticon:

"When I was a farm worker last century I worked on a farm that did it.I shot
about 300 jersey calves.I cant imagine anyone today having cows so malnourished
that the calves they produce arent able to be put on a truck at 4days.Sure there
is always the odd one but the whole lot? I dont understand.Even if you get a
bill for the odd one,big deal $5 to have a calf removed is cheap and the fact it
keeps another industry going is a bonus.The (censored) at DairyNZ are wasting
our money trying to improve our image.We can do that ourselves by just being
better farmers and stockmen and keeping our mouths shut."

I will let you decide if you want to read the comments for yourself.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Community/MessageBoard/Messages.aspx?id=281127



And the worst part, these farmers pat themselves on the back for being "humain", many mention being "animal lovers".
We should stop giving "feel good" terms for needless brutality towards other
animals.

"A knife through my brain isn't humane", and neither is beating animals to death
with "a stick", shooting them, or cutting their throats.

A "Wild Time" On The Radio :)

Just wanted to again rip off Roger Yates' podcast title, who had an awesome appearance on the Wild Time.

It was fun to talk with another vegan in a different country, and although I'm always nervous,  its easy to talk about Veganism.

I had a great time talking with Thomas, thank you for letting me be on Wild Time :)

Heres my appearence,
http://wildtimeonline.blogspot.com/2010/05/coexisting-with-nonhuman-animals-in.html

Episode 26 Cutting Off Fingers and Bloodstained Burgers

Episode 26 Cutting Off Fingers and Bloodstained Burgers

Hello and welcome to another fine episode of Coexisting With Nonhuman Animals.  I heard some positive comments about my peace episode, I was worried it was too off topic for an Animal Rights show.  I have fun making my little podcast, I encourage others to share their thoughts with shows of their own, you meet some amazing people from around the world.

I'd like to say hi to Randy and Adam, I just presume Randy has one, I've bought my way into become one of the "cool kids" with an Apple iPad.  It always drives me nuts when a hot new product is not for sale in New Zealand, the International sales date has not even been set, who knows when we will have iPads on sale here. 

"Mutant Cows Die In GM Trial"

"Genetically modified cows were born with ovaries that grew so large they caused ruptures and killed the animals.
The bungled experiment happened during a study by AgResearch scientists at Ruakura, Hamilton, to find human fertility treatments through GM cows' milk.
AgResearch is studying tissue from one of three dead calves to try to find out what made the ovaries grow up to the size of tennis balls rather than the usual thumbnail-size."


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10642031&ref=rss

I'll cover this on my next episode.  I have nothing against "Genetic Engineering"/"Genetic Modification" in general, I want my Damselfly Wings!, I do have a problem with experimenting on other animals.  What an awful thing to happen to these cows.