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New interviews with (vegan) Debbie Leigh Driver & (vegan) Hi-Deaf

Posted by: Save A Scream on Mar 04, 2010

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Save A Scream

Ah there's no rest for the wicked in the SaveAScream.com camp. Ok, we're not really wicked. I'm sure you know all the vivisectors and hunters and anyone who abuses animals are the really wicked people.

But anyway... busy bee AKA me has put an interview with vegan Debbie Leigh Driver on the SaveAScream.com site. Go check it out. Head to www.saveascream.com/debbieleighdriver.htm

 There's also an interview with Ryan, vegan member of electro pop/DJ/producer project Hi-Deaf which can be found at www.saveascream.com/hideaf.htm 

PS. If anyone wants to advertise we have cheap rates! Get in touch.
Oh and I'm contemplating what we should review/recommend next. Anyone have any nice products that are vegan?! Or is there something vegan that you're looking for and don't know where to find it? Let us know. A couple of people told us they found the guitar strap recommendation very useful - so we want to keep being useful and keep featuring vegan things you'll want and need.


Converting people to veganism. Don't be ashamed. Be proud.

Posted by: Chenli on Mar 01, 2010

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Chenli

This is in lue of being told (by people on VFF) that one should not be proud or claim credit for someone going vegan even if it's obvious they wouldn't of gone vegan without your information sharing and encouragement. They also claimed this because apparently going vegan is the 'choice' of the person alone. If that were so, we can discredit the suffragette movement because it's clear, by the logic presented by these VFF vegans, that the suffragette movement made no difference in changing people's views of women's rights. The same can be applied to any movement which hopes to change the minds of the masses for better. But of course, that is poppycock, because without the suffragettes and other such controversially acclaimed movements of their time, I wouldn't be sitting here typing this (I'm female), nor would some of the slave trade be abolished, and so on and so forth.

Contrary to the belief of some vegans, it is highly unlikely that there are many current vegans who have gone vegan purely through their own thought processes alone. I, for one, would've probably never gone vegan had it not been for the information within the videos on PETA opening my naive vegetarian eyes to the hypocritical life I was leading as a vegetarian. My fiance, whom went vegan before we started courting, would probably have never even considered vegetarianism, let alone veganism, had I not challenged his 'I'm an animal lover' statement...over the PS3 voice comm no less. From the discussion that ensued, I encouraged him to watch earthlings and to prove he was a real animal lover; give up meat, dairy, etc. He also received a copy of my Veganism Intro Guide via good old internet messenger service. Within about a week, he went vegan.

Now, it is obvious that due to me and my never ending hate for the 'I'm an animal lover' statement by omnivores (thus giving me credence to speak up), his lifestyle change occurred. Am I going to take credit for it? Yes I am. Just as I expect anyone who opens the eyes of others to take credit for conversion of a less animal friendly lifestyle to a more animal friendly lifestyle in another. Do I expect a myriad of applause for said conversion? No. But I'm not going to kid myself that my educating others has changed nobody's mind, and that my educating others has been meaningless and insignificant.

So, to all those who have shown others the path of true caring, I applaud you, and I purport you stand up, give yourself a well deserved pat on the back for coming through victorious - even with one person changed - when the mindsets of so many we have educated remains stubborn and unperturbed thus adding to our never ending frustrations as true animal lovers in a non animal friendly world.


Hungry In Hawaii?

Posted by: Save A Scream on Feb 22, 2010

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Save A Scream

Hungry in Hawaii? Just written an article on the vegan-friendly places I went to in Honolulu - READ AT www.saveascream.com/features2010veganhawaii.htm

Also, check out our recommendation of Legacy guitar straps on the SaveAScream site, if you're a musician.


Cities on the sea, is this the future?

Posted by: Herbivore Cat on Feb 15, 2010

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Herbivore Cat
 
I wrote this article in early 2009. It is the first and most comprehensive article I have written about living on the sea. Please bear in mind I have never actually lived on a boat, but do hope to one day.  
 
 
CITIES ON THE SEA, IS THIS THE FUTURE?

WOULD YOU MAKE A BOAT YOUR PERMANENT HOME?
Though house prices may be falling, the average price of a boat is many, many times cheaper than the average house. The average terraced house in the last quarter cost £177,633 and the average flat £199,669. Canal narrow boats with every needed amenity on the other hand can be picked up for under £10,000. True, boats may not have the space of the average land bound abode but boaters claim the sheer sense of freedom of the open space around them and the ability to move their home around in it more than makes up for lack of internal space. And just because internal room is limited does not mean boats are unsuited to families, Kevin Jeffrey of Sailnet community explains, “Rowing back from shore one evening, I was struck by the intense personality that emanated from our boat. In addition to all the usual liveaboard paraphernalia, we had a plastic wagon residing on the foredeck, a variety of objects dangling from off the stern (a favorite game with our children), dish towels fluttering from the lifelines, a reading book and cushion abandoned on the cabin top, bananas lashed to the boom, and what looked like an entire playhouse constructed under the bimini. No one, I thought, would ever mistake us for weekend cruisers or charterers. Instead, our sailboat was a true reflection of us as a family. She had become, through no deliberate action on our part, a true family home.”
Despite this warm description of life aboard a sailboat, members of the boating community including Jeffrey warn against complacency when attempting life on the seas. “Too often, people seek the sailing lifestyle to break away from the materialistic, stressful, fast-paced lifestyle that prevails on shore, only to find themselves bringing it all with them.” Even those with a commercial interest in the boating industry warn would-be boaters strongly of the unromantic side of boatlife. Virginia Currer Marine, a premier UK seller of inland boats gives several warnings including:

MAINTENANCE: Despite the fact boats can be much cheaper to buy than houses they generally require more maintenance. This can be made cheaper with DIY skill, however the main maintenance cost occurs in the boat equivalent of MOT. This involves it being removed from the water to be surveyed. A significant expense.

SECURITY OF TENURE: There is little. Even if land is owned freehold, it is unlikely that there will exist an indisputable right to tie a boat to it. Leasehold moorings offer reasonable security, but are not common. The vast majority of residential berths are based on short term mooring agreements that can be terminated at little notice.

LOCATION: Proper residential berths, particularly in and around London, are in high demand and short supply. Because of this it is frequently not possible to locate in the exact area required.

However these warnings could be set to be dated. Bristol’s world famous floating harbour for example has recently made a significant expansion of its marina, and being stationed on inland waterways is not the only way to live afloat. Ocean cruisers are being sold for as little as £7000. But…

IS IT POSSIBLE TO LIVE INDEFINITELY IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS?

Well, technically yes. Though remaining offshore for an entire lifetime is unlikely, the facilities do exist to make it possible for the average person to spend very long periods afloat without needing to go ashore. The three unique things required would be:

A solar powered boat

A hydroponic food system (a system of creating edible plants using no soil, only light, heat and water.)

A desalination machine to make freshwater

These things are expensive and may seem futuristic but once obtained would make it technically possible for an individual or group to live permanently on the sea, but this of course would seem too much of a stretch for most people. There are of course things such as bad weather and boat damage to consider. Completely forsaking the land is very unadvisable but striving for as much independence from the land has great appeal. 

ARE CITIES ON THE SEA THE FUTURE? 

There are no real practical reasons why it would not be possible for quite large communities to live on the sea. As technology such as hydroponic growing systems and desalination machines can be expensive and demanding of space it would make sense to have larger ships dedicated to these tasks. According to David Kreamer, a geoscientist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, hundreds of disused military and private ships could be adapted to be mobile desalination plants. Kreamer is currently supporting the idea that desalination ships should be used to help get freshwater to residents on land. An estimated half of the world’s population lives within 100 miles of a coast. He states that another advantage of a mobile desalination plant is that it could cruise away during a hurricane and then return afterward to supply a city lacking in water and power. But, would it be even better if an entire city was afloat? Then if a hurricane was predicted, the entire city could float away to a safer place. 
A Houston based company called Water Standard, is in the process of making a mobile desalination plant a reality. They have bought a former vegetable oil tanker which they predict will be ready for use in the first quarter of 2010. They claim the tanker will be capable of producing up to 50 million gallons of freshwater a day. Facts vary on how much water the average western individual uses every day from 50 to 200 gallons. Water Standard have not yet determined any buyers for their product, but a floating city would make an excellent market. 
Hydroponic food systems are ideal when space is limited. They are used frequently on space stations. There is no reason why such systems cannot be used on a large scale on large ships. The technology is actually quite old and was used by Aztecs when they grew plants on rafts. Hydroponic systems are capable of many times the number of crops compared to their agricultural counterparts per acre. In Bengal a hydroponic acre can yield 5,000 lb of wheat but an agricultural acre only 600 lb. Potatoes yield 70 and 8 tons, respectively. Tomatoes, 180 and 5-10 tons, but in Florida a hydroponic acre can make up to as much as 300 tons of tomatoes. Hydroponic systems are known for improving the lives of those who live in the desert and other places where soil culture is difficult or even impossible.
It appears that living on the sea has answers to many wide reaching problems. With water getting more scarce, food prices rising and natural disasters always a threat, perhaps one day the majority of the human population could easily be living afloat.

OTHER ADVANTAGES OF A FLOATING HOME:

GOOD FOR THE DISADVANTAGED – Boats are effectively floating bungalows, for those who cannot or prefer not to climb stairs may find a boat appealing. Boats being smaller than houses it is easier to adapt them to an individual’s needs. Boats are also very well insulated and easier to heat than houses. Heating bills can be much cheaper on a boat.

GOOD FOR PET OWNERS AND PET HATERS – If your neighbour complains about your barking dog or your cat using their garden as a toilet this could be a thing of the past. Likewise if you are a victim of these things you can float away from any noise you dislike and a cat is much less likely to leap onto another boat than it is to leap over a garden wall. Also for pet owners neutering may be a thing of the past as your animal cannot very well roam around mating with neighbour’s pets. Although boats may not be ideal for territorial cats.

EASIER TO AVOID CRIME AND ACCIDENTS – Burglars are not too well known for targeting boats. The gap of water is very offputting and boats being smaller will have much less possessions not making it a very tempting target. If your boat is your principal method of traveling then avoiding muggers is quite easy and fatal crashes are unlikely at 6 miles an hour (the average speed of canal boats). And of course if you live on the ocean domestic criminals are miles away. Piracy is not too common these days and they tend to go for oil tankers rather than residential boats. 

EXCELLENT SEWERAGE SYSTEM – The population of London is at 7 and a half million. The majority of its sewage goes into the Thames. This is a great burden for an inland river to carry. Sewage from canal boats ends up in similar places but for a lone boat far out to sea it would be quite acceptable to simply dump the matter overboard. The waste would add to the nutrients of the sea and it is the same toilet that sharks and whales and many other forms of marine life are using anyway. For a floating city it may be more advisable to have a designated ship to collect sewage and dump it in a spread out manner. 

VERY ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY – Aside from the reasons mentioned above boatlife can be much more environmentally responsible for other reasons. Building on the sea could solve the problem of the greenbelt being eaten up. The building of houses always causes great damage to the land they are built on. Along with the damage to the earth building on land evicts many insects and often animals as well. But a single shipyard would only use up one piece of land and can create many, many homes. 


ONE MONTH SUCCESS!

Posted by: alonzoca on Feb 11, 2010

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alonzoca

So yesterday marked a month of living vegetarian! I figured halfway through that this was something that I definitley wanted to continue. The change has been so rewarding and exciting especially since my housemate has commited to doing the same.

Whenever I first decided I was going to "try" it out for 30 days (thanks to my most super awesome coworker, friend and fellow veggie lover,  Jessica!) I figured I would get a lot of grief about it and I would somehow feel very unconventional and definitely ridiculed for it. Although at first it was tough gaining acceptance, people warmed up to the idea and offered me lots of support! I even realized that I had more veggie friends than I actually thought! It made me wonder how I never noticed it before......

I bought several books on vegetarianism and veggie eating in hopes that I can better understand all the different aspects of health, nutrition and so on that this new healthy lifestyle. Hopefully I will learn many new recipies, answers and new facts!

Read More...


Chocolate, vegan chocolate.........

Posted by: ethicalwares on Jan 20, 2010

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ethicalwares

Now in stock 4 fantastic Vegan Chocolate bars; Buccaneer, Jokerz, Mahalo & Twilight - reminiscent of mainstream non-vegan chocolate bars.  And what could be better than enjoying one with a cup of coffee from the stylish Zapatista Coffee Mug!

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Veggie cycling weekend in June

Posted by: Bicycle Beano on Jan 18, 2010

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Bicycle Beano

Bicycle Beano's Magical White Horse Weekend

Legendary veggie cycling holiday company Bicycle Beano returns to rural England this summer for a weekend of rides in Oxfordshire's Vale of the White Horse. Best known for its week-long Welsh tours, the company promises a whole holiday packed into a weekend, set in idyllic scenery within easy travelling distance of London and the Midlands.

Based in a medieval manor house, the weekend promises wholesome, tasty vegetarian catering and day-long bike rides with plenty of stops for pubs, cafes and historic sites.

Bicycle Beano is a tiny company with 28 years' experience running cycle tours and has built up a dedicated following, with some returning year after year for its unique mixture of leisurely riding with good food, drink and conversation. This year's tour programme also includes a weekend in Shropshire and a week exploring the backroads of Snowdonia. Details of the White Horse Beano, 25-27 June, at Bicycle Beano Cycling Holidays (www.bicycle-beano.co.uk).


Hillfields Animal Sanctuary appeal

Posted by: ethicalwares on Jan 16, 2010

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ethicalwares

This just in on behalf of the splendid Hillfields Animal Sanctuary in Bromsgrove, West Midlands.

 

URGENT APPEAL - the recent harsh & freezing weather conditions has meant that  the feed & bedding costs have increased  enormously. The sanctuary funds are dangerously low, so please consider whether you are able to make a donation now to help secure the animals future, it really is  such a worrying time for owner Lyn Tudor

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Nakd/Trek & Greyhound Action Interviews

Posted by: Save A Scream on Jan 13, 2010

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Save A Scream

There's an interview with Tony of Greyhound Action up at www.saveascream.com/greyhoundaction.htm
You can also find an interview with Jamie of Natural Balance Foods, the company that produce Nakd and Trek, at www.saveascream.com/naturalbalancefoods.htm
And I've also put Nakd and Trek in the recommendation section as they are soooo good!

 Anyone eat Nakd or Trek already?

If not, you HAVE to try them. You'll love them.

Read More...


Please support our sanctuaries

Posted by: ethicalwares on Jan 04, 2010

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ethicalwares

We have some 40 animals living their lives out with us here at ew.  The water supply has frozen to the barns so having to carry buckets of water down the yard over an iced track is a particular challenge in itself. 

So with what we are coping with in this weather for our small percentage of animals, please spare a thought for the sanctuaries who have 100’s of animals.  Any assistance you can give them I am sure will be well received.


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