Care for animals in some way? Vegan or vegetarian? Looking to stand up for a cause? Or just think vegan food rocks? If yes to any of these, who knows - this just might be the club (and/or website) for you...
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Fall Quarter 2010: Thursdays, 6 - 7 PM MS (Math & Sciences) 3915A
SATURDAY, JULY 3rd, 2010 Summer Check-In and Spring Dining Meeting Recap
Happy July! Wanted to do a summer check-in as well as post a couple official news tid bits :)
First off, a note on the relatively shorter side: We are currently working on putting together a Q&A but this time it will be of some of our BFA officers, for those of you who might want to get some inside info on such club positions, the life of a student advocate, or the general inner workings of an animal welfare/advocacy club like Bruins for Animals! For whatever purpose it will serve, this BFA Q&A will soon be on our website, so keep your eyes peeled if you are interested.
And now, a summary of our Spring meeting which took place last month, June 1st, with UCLA Dining!
It was a lovely and positive experience as usual - couldn't have imagined it going better. Simply put, it is touching to think about how many vegan options one has as a resident in UCLA on-campus housing. Especially when comparing to life as a vegan while living on the hill just a few years ago, it thrills BFA that today, someone in this position is able to take advantage of their meal plan now more than ever.
The meeting confirmed that several people in UCLA Dining management did adhere to a vegan diet in honor of Vegan Week, which was to occur during Earth Day, April 22nd, and thought up as a way to come to a better understanding of what a vegan might crave or feel is lacking in the residential dining facilities.
This commitment to Vegan Week was something UCLA Dining management came up with all on their own, and it is an understatement to say that BFA was impressed by such initiative taken in regards to management's concern with vegan options. We were also ecstatic when we heard that at least one dining representative is now eating more vegetarian due to Vegan Week!
Upon first entering the meeting, what better greeting to receive than to be offered vegan pastries? This is what went down when BFA first arrived, faced with those classic pink boxes full of vegan muffins and cookies that have all been recently introduced into the residential cafés. My favorite by far is the Vegan Chocolate Chip & Walnut Cookies, which disappear like hotcakes from Bruin Café as non-vegans and vegans alike request them so often that it was rare up to the end of Spring quarter that I got to order them after nightfall (it was maybe once that I checked and they actually still had one or two left by 8pm or so).
After discussing Vegan Week, we were asked what our opinions were as far as prioritizing what vegan items we'd like to see next, given a list of mouthwatering things like vegan pancakes, tofu scramble, yogurt, and even... vegan soft serve ice cream. Yes, you read that correctly.
Executive pastry chef Ray Works, one of those who joined us at the meeting, clearly demonstrated the massive effort being put forth in coming up with a vegan tiramisu recipe that will knock everyone's socks off and will hold for sufficient time as a pastry in order to be added to the current dessert inventory. So for those who have been waiting, a vegan tiramisu becoming available on the hill is definitely not something that has been forgotten.
Here's a quick highlight of many of the vegan options that have been introduced in dining in the past few months (note the pastries in particular!):
At De Neve Late Night:
Vegan chicken fingers with vegan BBQ sauce (Mmm... see a Daily Bruin write-up discussing this addition here)
At Café 1919:
Vegan pizza (Tre Pomodori), panini (Campania) and salad (Tagliata) with Daiya vegan cheese available on/in both (PDF menu here)
Vegan Sorbet
At Rendezvous:
Vegan Quesadillas available with Daiya vegan cheese (spinach & mushroom available on rotating basis) (Rendezvous)
At Covel dining:
Daiya cheese available for custom-made pizzas
At Bruin Café:
Vegan V-B-Q sandwich (like the vegan chicken fingers, these were inspired by the SoCal vegan eatery Veggie Grill, a favorite of UCLA's own Food & Beverage Director Daryl Ansel)
Pastries:
Vegan Cappuccino Cookies (Café 1919)
Multi-seed and Raisin muffins (Café 1919)
Vegan Chocolate Chip & Walnut Cookies (Bruin Café)
Vegan Morning Glory Muffins (Bruin Café)
This was just a short review of some progress that has been made with the food here to give those who are interested a glimpse of the delicious change that continues to happen in a more and more vegan-friendly direction. Again, kudos to all those on the UCLA Dining Team for all your efforts in this area.
Don't forget to try as many of these savory offerings as you can whenever you can, UCLA residents!
MONDAY, MAY 17th, 2010 Celebrity Panel Discussion: Improving Your Health & Nutrition
Join us in a special free BFA event at Moore Hall this Thursday where you get to listen in on an enlightening discussion of the topic many of us may have questions, opinions, or even misconceptions about -- making the most out of a plant-based diet, and just improving your health in general.
Celebrity panelists include: Debra Skelton (Comedian and Star of Mad T.V.)
Robert Cheeke (Professional Bodybuilder)
Larry Sullivan (Actor in CSI)
Rachel Avalon (Winner of Project Green Search)
Chef Tigre (Chef to the stars)
Moderated by Vanessa Meier
Don't miss this fun and educational evening!
Scroll down to see the flyer for this event on the right side of the page!
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21st, 2010 Q&A with Dr. Robert C. Jones!
Why are you against the use of animals in medical research? I oppose the use of animals in medical research for a number of reasons, the two most prominent being theoretical and practical.
I oppose the use of animals in medical research for theoretical reasons because I do not think that all human interests trump all animal interests. Some animal interests trump some human interests and some human interests trump some animal interests. But these facts hold true in virtue of the benefits to aggregates of individual beings; they have no moral weight at the species level. That is, most of those who advocate the use of animals in medical research do so because they believe humans are "superior" to animals. In what ways are all humans superior to all animals? I do not believe that question can be answered adequately. I believe that if biomedical research is, in fact, necessary for the betterment of human beings, then decisions about who are the subjects of such experiments should not be racist, sexist, or speciesist. If someone must be sacrificed for the greater good of others, it is not at all clear why the line of ineligible candidates should be drawn around human beings.
I oppose the use of animals in medical research for practical reasons because a vast majority of medical research on animals evidences no clear direct link between the use of animals and human benefit. It's an empirical question that is by no means as easily answered as many advocates of animal research contend.
How did you come to realize this? Through lots and lots of reading, writing, discussing, arguing, and contemplation. And seeing graphic images of animals enduring harm in labs. In other words, the focus of my professional philosophical life and research centers around questions of animal ethics.
Are you suggesting that animals have the same rights as humans do? With rights come responsibilities. I do not advocate "rights", per se. The term 'rights' has a number of senses. When used in the phrase 'animal rights' it refers to a certain kind of view, belief, set of practices, etc, with regard to human-animal relations. This is its use in the popular vernacular. For example, people refer to Peter Singer as the "father of the animal rights movement", yet they often do not realize that Singer does not believe that there exist "rights", neither for humans nor animals. When used in academic circles, 'rights' means something very specific. It usually refers to some kind of absolute, inviolate protection. Like Singer, I do not believe anyone has such rights, animal or human.
However, I do believe that sentient beings have interests and that some humans have interests that some animals lack and that some animals have interests that some humans lack.
But even if I was an advocate of "rights", though it is true that rights seem to imply responsibilities, it is not always the case. It is a perfectly coherent view to hold that human babies have certain inalienable rights, but absolutely no responsibilities. This is the difference between what is referred to in the literature as the difference between moral agents and moral patients. Moral agents have rights and can be held morally praiseworthy and blameworthy. Moral patients have rights but are not held to be morally praiseworthy or blameworthy. It does not follow that if human babies have rights that they share the same responsibilities as adult human moral agents. Likewise, it does not follow that if animals have rights that they share the same responsibilities as adult human moral agents.
Some may argue we need to use animals in medical research in order to help humans. What is your response to that? If medical research experiments upon subjects are, in fact, necessary for the survival or betterment or significant increased utility of certain beings, then the decisions about who are to be the subjects of these experiments should not be based on morally irrelevant properties. And I believe that there are good, sound arguments demonstrating that race, sex, or species membership—on their own—are not morally relevant properties. If we really ”need" to use animals in medical research, we need to decide whether these subjects will be human animals or nonhuman animals based on other criteria besides species membership. By the mere fact that animals are sentient, that is, they possess the capacity to suffer physically, emotionally, and psychologically, it follows that they have interests in ethically significant ways that cannot be easily pushed aside or shrouded by some appeal to species membership. The days of unfettered anthropocentric domination by human interests over all animal interests is thankfully coming to a close, maybe not in my lifetime, but I believe within the next century. Or two.
Some scientists argue they use "compassion" towards animals in medical experiments. If welfare standards are adhered to then why is vivisection still considered to be a moral wrong? Animals are sentient and cannot give consent. In the same way that it is wrong (if you believe it is) for severely cognitively disabled humans to be used in medical experiments whether or not the scientists are compassionate, so is it wrong to use animals. Both animals and the severely cognitively disabled are sentient and lack the ability to give consent, two quite noncontroversial yet significant morally relevant properties that are violated in both cases.
Some people think if you are for animal rights that you are against human rights. Can you explain why this is wrong? Well, some people believe that if you advocate for gay marriage that you are damaging the institution of hetero marriage. It does not follow that one's interest in expanding the rights of one group entails or implies a degradation of another group. I'm sure there were people who believed that advocating the ending of institutionalized slavery in this country meant that you were against the rights and interests of whites. It just does not follow. Are there humans who might lose certain benefits in a world in which animal rights are respected? Yes, probably. Were there whites who lost certain benefits once institutionalized slavery was abolished in this country? Yes, probably. Does that mean that slavery abolitionists or animal rights advocates are "against human rights"? I don't think so.
Give us your thoughts on the “Panel Discussion” you so kindly participated in earlier this year at UCLA? The February UCLA Panel on the Science and Ethics of Animal Research was an important event because it allowed people who were there (and those who viewed it later on the internet) the chance to see representatives of the animal research status quo publicly challenged. They were confronted with empirical facts and data as well as ethical and arguments that demanded response. I do not think their responses were adequate. Their arguments were, for the most part, not too deeply well thought out. I would love to see further discussions and debates with members of Pro-Test on this topic and would gladly participate myself, particularly if I had the opportunity to publicly dialogue with UCLA's Prof. David Jenstch were he willing.
What would you like to see happen? How can we move forward and make PROgress to better the situation for both animals and humans? As I said in the panel discussion, I see at least three actions that are minimally necessary. One is to require the mandatory education of all potential researchers on the issues of animal ethics. Two, the US Animal Welfare Act needs to be amended to include rodents and birds, two species currently (and horrifyingly) left outside of the meager protections that exist today. And three, make more transparent the inner workings and conditions inside CAFOs, labs, and the like. If these industries have nothing to hide, then why do they? Even if animals are not being harmed, the veil of secrecy that cloaks these industries acts only to further raise suspicions. Opening labs, slaughterhouses, circuses, and fur production facilities to the public would go a long way toward making progress for animals and humans.
Ultimately, I would like to see animals' interests respected and our practices involving them reflect that respect. How that will play out, I cannot say, but I truly believe that it will happen. The animal rights movement is barely 35 years old. Like many human rights movements in history, the animal rights movement is like a train that will not stop. You either get on or get out of the way.
How could someone better educate themselves on this issue? Read Lori Gruen's entry on the Moral Status of Animals at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Go to Wikipedia and type in 'Animal Rights' and read not only the entry, but some of the references used for that entry. But perhaps the most powerful and perhaps effective way to educate is through the heart, through sentiment, through the model of compassion. Learning things like how your food is produced and how medical research is conducted by seeing for yourself, first-hand (or through film and video) is often the most devastatingly profound way to educate people about the abuses and horrors of nonhuman animals' lives.
TUESDAY, APRIL 20th, 2010 Q&A with Dr. Ray Greek!
Why are you against the use of animals in medical research? Society in general dislikes seeing animals used in research and testing. The phrase “a necessary evil” is often used to describe the process. The reason society tolerates the practice is, as the phrase suggests, they think it is necessary in order to find treatments for human diseases and make sure that medications are safe. Researchers who use animals sell the practice to society using that rationale. In point of fact, one species cannot predict the response of another; at least not when it comes to the response to drugs and disease. So the entire premise upon which society accepts using animals in medical research and drug testing is flawed.
How did you come to realize that animals are not helpful in curing human disease? In 1989, my wife was in veterinary school and I was an attending physician in the Department of Anesthesiology in the University of Wisconsin at Madison. We would discuss our patients and found to our surprise that animals and humans reacted differently to medication and suffered from different diseases. Even when they suffered from the same diseases, they reacted differently in many cases. This led us to wonder if studying animals could inform researchers about human reactions to drugs and diseases. Over the course of the next ten years we studied this and eventually wrote books and articles explaining why animals cannot predict human response.
Approximately how many animals are subjected to exploitation in the name of science each year? The exact number of animals used in research and testing each year is unknown. Estimates vary greatly in large part because there is no hard data. The number has increased dramatically in the last decade due mainly to the increase in the use of genetically modified mice. My best guess is that when all animals are counted, mice, fish, monkeys, rats and so forth, in government, industry and academia, the number will be around 500 million annually. This represents not just a large number of animals but an even larger consumption of money and other resources that should be going toward research that is likely to cure human diseases. A related issue is the distribution of grants between human-based research and animal-based. Based on the government figures, it appears that roughly 50% of taxpayer dollars (via the National Institutes of Health) go to animal-based research.
Where has animal use harmed humans? There are essentially two ways. First, there are numerous examples where a drug helped or was safe in animals but humans reacted the opposite way. In 1993, half of the people participating in trial of fialuridine died. Zimeldine caused a paralyzing illness known as Guillain-Barre syndrome. An Alzheimer’s drug called AN-1792 worsened Alzheimer’s disease in test patients. The converse is also true. Drugs that failed animal trials but that probably would have benefitted humans were never developed. The National Cancer Institute, for example, believes society has lost cures for cancer because of results in animals. There are many such examples. Second, society has been harmed because animal models have taken money away from good scientific research modalities that would have resulted in treatments and other breakthroughs.
Give us your thoughts on the “Panel Discussion” you so kindly participated in earlier this year at UCLA? The panel discussion was typical in that most everyone presented opinions but very few facts were offered and there was really no chance for challenging an opponent and pinning him down on nonsense. The idea, and the reason I participated in the panel, was that a debate on prediction, and possibly other topics, was supposed to follow. So far, this has not happened and Dr Ringach has essentially said that it will not. Reneging on this agreement is unprofessional on his part and will not improve otherwise strained relations between those advocating animal use in research and those opposing it.
What would you like to see happen? How can we move forward and make PROgress to better the situation for both animals and humans? People who believe humans have the right to use animals in research are unlikely to be convinced they are wrong and vice versa. What can be agreed upon is the science behind such use. The facts are very clear. Using animals to predict human response to drugs and disease is not scientifically viable. On the other hand, animals can be used as bioreactors, heuristic devices, in dissection, and so forth. I see no progress being made until both sides agree to these facts. What this would mean is two things. 1. Researchers would need to stop selling to a scientifically naïve society the nonsense that animals are predictive. This would essentially mean the US Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency would need to rewrite their rules. Data from animals would no longer be required or accepted. 2. Animal advocates would need to acknowledge that there are scientifically viable uses of animals and stop saying, as some do, that all uses of animals fail the test of science. This would open the door for finding alternatives to the uses of animals that do work and abandoning the uses that do not. I do not see much progress being made by discussing the ethics and philosophy of using animals as the two sides have nothing in common and society has made it very clear that it will tolerate animal experimentation if it results in cures and safer medications.
Where can someone learn the facts about using animals in science? This issue involves science and some people find science in general intimidating. That not with standing, you really do need to read some books about the science in order to fully appreciate why curing cancer in mice is not the same as curing it in humans. Niall Shanks and I have just written two books on the subject; one for scientists and one for people intimidated by science. Animal Models in Light of Evolution is for scientists and FAQs About the Use of Animals in Science is for the scientifically perplexed. Our website, www.AFMA-curedisease.org also contains excellent information.
Please note that BFA does not find it morally justifiable to dissect animals.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17th, 2010 Violence and Intimidation in Laboratories
The following statement can also be found as a link under our Anti-Vivisection Campaign links section on the right.
Following the recent and successful UCLA panel on animal-based research, there has been much online discussion about the virtues of the event. Supporters of Pro Test for Science (PTS) have applauded the publishing of a joint PTS/Bruins for Animals (BFA) statement against the "harassment" and "intimidation" by some AR activists of animal researchers at their homes and on websites. For example, one of the PTS panelists, CSUSJ philosopher Janet Stemwedel, exclaims in a headline on her blog, "There are animal rights supporters who take a public stand against violence and intimidation."
Additionally, we see similar commentary in this article in Science magazine.
AR activists can rightly accept praise and credit for encouraging the two sides to come together in what was an unprecedented public and civil dialogue. However, one glaring and rather twisted irony too often overlooked is the fact that those very same participants who speak against aggressive campaigns against the animal experimentation industry and who are quick to praise AR advocates’ stance on nonviolence are themselves engaged in (or are supporters of) violence and intimidation towards sentient beings on a daily basis.
Vivisection, industrialized meat production, fur production, and other such practices involve extreme violence and intimidation against animals. So, when headlines such as Stemwedel’s congratulate AR activists for "taking a public stand against violence and intimidation," what the headline fails to address is the fact that a vast majority of AR supporters are against violence and intimidation of any kind, including (and most importantly) violence against and intimidation of innocents, including animals.
Make no mistake about it, vivisection is a form of violence, violence perpetrated against innocent sentient beings. Animals exploited in medical research fear for their lives and are denied all that is important and natural to them. These animals are terrorized in every sense of the term. Despite the fact that most animals used in laboratories are sentient and have rich, complex, emotional lives, many experiments involve the infliction of physical and emotional pain and harm upon them. When the reality of the situation is brought to light in this way so is the hypocrisy of those animal researchers who, on the one hand, congratulate animal activists who are against violence and intimidation, while on the other, participate in the violence and intimidation involved in animal experimentation practices.
To assert this point in no way denies or diminishes the fact that the recent UCLA event was important, fruitful and an extremely positive and informative discussion on the science and ethics of animal based research. However, the praise by PTS supporters of ecumenical dialogue and the admonishing of certain tactics should not go unnoticed, as we do appreciate the willingness for dialogue. However, as already stated, we find it perplexing that one would congratulate us for a position which they themselves do not hold in a consistent manner. Further, such praise should not be allowed to weaken or undermine the solidarity of AR activists, nor should we lose sight of our shared, fundamental goal, namely, animal liberation.
BFA appreciates, welcomes and looks forward to continued civil and constructive dialogue with PTS on this issue.
Kristy Anderson, Co-Founder, Bruins for Animals!
Ashley Smith, President, Bruins for Animals!
Jill Ryther, Esq., Advisor, Bruins for Animals!
THURSDAY, MARCH 4th, 2010 Statements Within Animal Rights Community in Support of BFA's Efforts for Ongoing Dialogue Long title, but it just about sums up this update -- check out our page, Anti-Vivisection Campaign (can also be accessed from the sidebar's list of our website's links), to see the newest addition to our website regarding the Perspectives event on the 16th and the pursuit of continuing dialogue between the animal welfare and animal research communities.
TUESDAY, MARCH 2nd, 2010
Official Winter Meeting with UCLA Dining Services!
Bruins for Animals cannot express how thrilled we are with the immensely obvious progress UCLA Dining is making toward cruelty-free fare. Recently, a couple of our members were invited by Food & Beverage Director, Daryl Ansel, to yet another treat (not long after our delightful experience with the Café 1919 tasting! [see below]) – this time at the Veggie Grill on Sunset Boulevard. The purpose of the Veggie Grill visit was to get our feedback on new vegan items they were planning on incorporating into the menus of Bruin Café and De Neve Late Night. After getting to sample basically everything we could have wished for at Veggie Grill, including vegan chicken fingers, Bruins for Animals affiliates and a few others (including other Dining representatives) voted on our favorite dishes. The highest-voted dish (aside from the vegan chicken that will soon be served at De Neve Late Night), a mouth-watering chipotle barbeque burger, served as a source of inspiration for the new item under consideration at Bruin Café. Needless to say, we cannot wait to see such delicious additions to the menus! About ninety percent of Veggie Grill’s patrons are not veg, and that is saying something about the appeal of their food (if you haven’t tried this place yet, you are seriously encouraged to do so). It is worth mentioning that the generosity on behalf of UCLA Dining also included our being treated to dessert – vegan carrot cake, which Veggie Grill is admirably known for.
Though admittedly I could go on in detail about the Veggie Grill trip, today’s focus is on the meeting that Bruins for Animals had with Dining Services this afternoon, March 2nd, 2010. We were honored to have the issues we are heavily concerned about be given the level of attention so evident in today’s meeting. The meeting was comprised of about thirteen people, with almost half representing UCLA Dining and the other half a mix of Bruins for Animals representatives, Outreach Director of the Humane Society of the United States’ Farming Campaign, and representatives of Hidden Villa Ranch, a cage free egg supplier.
We started the meeting with something that came as a pleasant surprise to BFA – a sampling of the actual vegan chicken fingers that are going to be introduced at De Neve Late Night! (See above.) If only I took pictures. These are, in my opinion, genius creations that are a fond reminder of the visit to Veggie Grill where Daryl had us try their similar item. Included in today’s sampling were vegan ranch and barbeque sauces. I could not have asked for more with the execution of this menu item, and I am sure that some of us who live further away will be willing to make frequent special trips over to De Neve just to try the vegan chicken fingers.
But it is also really something to be excited about when you know that you do not have to go all the way over to De Neve from the Sunset Village area (if you happen to live around here, like I do) to have a taste of vegan goodness, now with Café 1919 open, and talk of introducing… a vegan tiramisu! If you are blown away by this concept, so were we. Roger Pigozzi, Assistant Director Corporate Chef, never ceases to amaze Bruins for Animals with his wealth of knowledge on vegan foods and products, such as when he mentioned the tiramisu and experimenting with Ener-G egg replacer. The tiramisu is just one example of how proactive UCLA Dining is to increase vegan options throughout all dining on the Hill, and it means so much to so many residents here – not just Bruins for Animals members, and not just the animal-loving vegans and vegetarians, but the health-conscious and environment-conscious eaters, as well as those with allergies, those with religious considerations regarding diet, and more.
Alas, I am jumping ahead. The key point of the meeting today concerned the Cage-Free Campaign Bruins for Animals has been working toward – we are now seeing some real results, in that UCLA Dining is going to be joining other schools like UC Irvine, UC Berkeley, and UC San Diego, and many more in going cage-free! This is a tremendous step – because of the amount of residents here at UCLA who dine at the residential halls every day, this switch to cage-free is going to be affecting the lives of almost or about 6,000 hens every year (who each produce eggs at a rate of 260 per year, adding up UCLA’s egg count to about 1.5 million annually).
Presentations regarding the cage-free issue were put on by Josh Balk, Outreach Director of the Farming Campaign with the Humane Society of the United States (also known as HSUS), and representatives of Hidden Villa Ranch, Steven Grant and Jason Urena. From each speaker we took away valuable information regarding the battery cage and cage-free situation throughout the United States – for example, the fact that battery cage hens get less than the size of a standard sheet of paper for space throughout the duration of their lives, or that cage-free hens are allowed to engage in natural behaviors such as nesting and dust bathing.
Hidden Villa Ranch is a potential cage-free egg supplier that Daryl and the rest of the UCLA Dining team are considering, in part because the company supplies in bulk which is something that is hard to find to accomodate UCLA Dining needs. Some of the last steps in going cage-free are now making the final decision on suppliers and buying in bulk, working out the numbers financially, and testing out the new eggs to ensure maintenance of the quality in the recipes they are used in.
Though Bruins for Animals clearly encourages veganism in terms of diet and lifestyle in the realm of minimizing animal cruelty, we realize – as clearly seen with a large portion of our membership comprising non-vegetarians – that it is not practical to expect residents here at UCLA to all go vegan or vegetarian, and thus cage-free eggs are a huge step in the direction toward cruelty-free.
It is truly heartwarming to see how an institution like UCLA is heading toward this direction at the pace it is heading there. The UCLA Dining team has added to how proud we feel to be residents here, and to be the voices at UCLA representing animals facing various forms of exploitation.
Special thanks to those who met with us:
Daryl Ansel, Food & Beverage Director
Roger Pigozzi, Assistant Director Corporate Chef
Patricia Reyes, Procurement Senior Buyer
Joanne McGill, Assistant Director Business Services
Charles Wilcots, Associate Director Budget & Information
Robert Gilbert, Sustainability Coordinator
And to the folks that came to talk about the cage-free issue—
Josh Balk, Outreach Director, Farming Campaign: Humane Society of the United States
Steven Grant, Hidden Villa Ranch
Jason Urena, Hidden Villa Ranch
A big thanks to UCLA Dining for taking animal welfare seriously! As usual, Bruins for Animals is excited to take Dining Services’ offer to continue meeting to discuss relevant issues.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24th, 2010 Update Regarding Perspectives Discussion Held Last Tuesday
In an effort to establish a dialogue between those holding different opinions on the role of animals in research, Bruins for Animals and Pro-Test for Science held what, in our judgement and many of our colleagues, was an extremely positive and informative discussion on the science and ethics of biomedical research using animals.
In the weeks leading to the event, a handful of animal rights activists, with the only goal of preventing this dialogue from happening, harassed UCLA investigators at their homes and ran a campaign of intimidation through websites. Organizers and panelists on both sides of the event forcefully condemned these attempts at derailing our meeting. We prevailed. Dialogue prevailed.
Unfortunately, this outcome has not been universally received. Some appear determined to continue with their attempts at interfering with this fresh direction the debate is taking. In a move that defies logic, these activists are now suggesting children are legitimate targets of their protests.
Nobody should tolerate these renewed attempts at silencing our voices. Scientists and animal rights activists who are committed to an open dialogue that will allow the public to become better educated on these important issues should now stand up together, publicly condemn such actions and defend the right of everyone to express freely their opinions.
Anyone willing to participate in an honest, rational and open dialogue is welcome at the table.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9TH, 2010 An Open Letter by Dr. Ray Greek, Regarding Upcoming Event Perspectives...
Dr. Ray Greek, president of Americans For Medical Advancement (AFMA) and one of the panelists for our event taking place next week, Perspectives on the Science and Ethics of Animals Used in Research, has composed an open letter regarding this event. Take a look here (opens as a PDF in a new window).
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5th, 2010 Tickets for Perspectives... now available through the UCLA CTO Office! Active BruinCards Required
Though the event is free, an active BruinCard is necessary to get your ticket.
For info on the UCLA Central Ticket Office, please click here. Also, please see the below post regarding the reasoning for this method of ticket availability.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3rd, 2010 Open Notification to Los Angeles Community (regarding upcoming event, Perspectives...)
Ideally this event would be open to the general public and originally this was our intention. Due to the fact that a small group of disruptive and irrational individuals attempted to stop this event by way of threats and intimidation, we have had no option but to make this event closed to the broad public due to the aforementioned security concerns. These same individuals have called for open debate in the past but, for reasons not fully known or understood, are now apparently trying to sabotage our efforts to promote open dialogue and education of this important issue. It is unfortunate that the actions of a small group have resulted in the closing of this event that so many of you wish to attend, and for this, we apologize. We will however be recording this event and will make the video accessible online for everyone to view.
Bruins for Animals unequivocally condemns acts of violence in every form– whether it be towards animals or humans. Moreover the disruptive and divisive actions perpetrated by a small minority has the unfortunate potential to overshadow the scientific and ethical reasons why many are opposed to vivisection. The February 16th event is intended to be a forum where it is possible to openly and intelligently discuss the issue and, from our perspective, educate others about the scientific and ethical reasons why BFA, other groups and members of the community are strongly opposed to it.
We encourage all UCLA affiliates who wish to come and participate in this important event to visit our website for information on obtaining a ticket. For those who are unable to attend, we welcome you to please send in your questions that you would like to ask the panelists to bfa@ucla.edu. We will send your questions to the event moderator. You are also welcome to attend our weekly meeting on Thursday if you have any questions or concerns as we are more than happy to meet you.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 29th, 2010
Vegan Tasting for Grand Opening of Café 1919
Happy Friday! It was a happy one in particular for some of our BFA members indeed, as we were treated to a vegan tasting today at the brand-new Café 1919 on the Hill.
The vegan tasting presented us with wonderful news.
Management was clearly interested in what our perspectives would be regarding the food at the new restaurant, as they repeatedly emphasized how valuable our input would be to them and were eager to hear how they might improve in the area of vegan options.
On the menu for Café 1919, it is easy to spot the green leaves – symbols that indicate that something may be made vegan. There are three main menu items that have this option, the Tagliata (antipasto chopped salad), the Campania (grilled veggie panini), and the Tre Pomodori (three-tomato personal pizza [“pizette”]). In summary and generally speaking, all three items were a delight for us to eat! A couple of us had personal preferences such as a request to maybe go a little lighter on the eggplant in the panini, or to leave the basil leaves whole instead of chopped, and so on, but the quality of the menu items did not disappoint. Even those of us who didn’t personally love some of the components of one or two of the items could see how others would enjoy them.
Perhaps the most exciting news is that, arguably the best vegan cheese out there today, Daiya vegan cheese has been implemented at Café 1919 – all three vegan menu items include it. Especially when eating the pizza, it was simply a huge reminder that all of this food does not seem to even come off as though it were “trying” to taste like it is not vegan; the cheese facilitated the concept of the food to fall within the “I can’t believe it’s vegan!” category.
The moment that topped it all off, making the tasting an especially memorable treat and success, was of course when we got to try out the vegan sorbets.
We talked to the dining representatives about how we would like to see labeling on the other side of the menu, which includes beverages and desserts, indicating exactly what is vegan on that side, just as they have done with the entrée side of the menu. We were, needless to say, ecstatic to have it confirmed that the sorbet, in fact, was vegan. Several flavors were available, including favorites such as strawberry, raspberry, passionfruit, and coconut. Already, I’ve heard of coconut as a particular hit, perhaps partially attributed to the idea that it includes actual chewy little flakes of actual coconut, giving it more dimension than a purely creamy texture. The strawberry sorbet also has the same idea behind it, possessing an abundance of little delectable strawberry seeds, highly visible through the display glass, giving it that organic and wholesome quality.
I still would like to have seen at least one vegan pastry option, but now that I know the sorbets are vegan, this definitely helps ease the sadness at the lack of vegan pastries… maybe one day. Meanwhile, I will be making the most out of the delicious coconut and/or raspberry sorbet goodness.
Many vegans, myself included, tend to never stop talking about food if given the chance (especially when they discover scrumptious vegan food and see progress with more vegan options in the dining facilities here on the Hill) so it is probably a good idea if I stop here. :)
We look forward to our upcoming meeting with Dining Services in a couple weeks, on February 12th!
TUESDAY, JANUARY 26th, 2010
Letter to the Editor Regarding Recent Daily Bruin Article
I was presented as stating that Bruins for Animals is not looking for drastic changes in animal experimentation, which is completely untrue.
Bruins for Animals is dedicated to the end of animal experimentation in all of its forms. We strongly believe that any kind of experimenting on animals is a divergence from both fundamental, logical, and scientific reasoning and respect for the sanctity of life.
Widening the definition of the Animal Welfare Act to include all animals and not just certain species defined as animals is simply the beginning of a progression of changes that will ultimately lead to the end of using animals in experimentation. This is a start, not merely an end to what we anticipate.
By surfacing this extremely significant issue at UCLA, Bruins for Animals anticipates to enlighten students simultaneously about the cruel, inhumane nature and scientific invalidity of animal experimentation.
Any UCLA students, staff, or faculty who are further interested in this issue are encouraged to attend Bruins for Animals and Pro-Test for Science's Perspectives on the Science and Ethics of Animal Based Research on February 16th from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. For further details please visit bruinsforanimals.org.
Sincerely,
Ashley Smith
President
Bruins for Animals!
FRIDAY, JANUARY 8th, 2010
Welcome New Members
A Happy New Year to everyone. We had a great first Winter meeting yesterday. Welcome new members! We're excited to have you, and we've got a lot of things in store as one can tell from the meeting, so we hope you're excited too. There's something for anyone who is concerned for animals in some way to do - if it somehow helps animals, we'd love to hear ideas and suggestions on how to implement a way to make it happen. Please feel more than free to give your own input on any animal welfare-related issue, and contribute in the next meetings! That's it for now; we'll post another update soon on one (or more!) of the things we are currently planning. Have a great weekend everyone!
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 26th, 2009 Help Needed
Please tell any animal lover/horse lover you might know about this >>> Help is needed for several horses (forty one, to be exact) that have been rescued from possible horse slaughter. Helping may include adoption, or providing supplies and food for the horses currently being kept by two women who have a genuine love of horses. It may also include volunteering "for a variety of tasks such as installing hot wire fencing, building shelters, tending to horse health and handling, grooming and exercising the animals." The location is in northern California, so if you know anyone who sometimes visits there, or is affiliated with the region at all, please spread the word to them (of course along with horse lovers in general) especially!
Please see the below article for details and contact information:
The horse savers by Denise Rockenstein -- Staff reporter Updated: 12/23/2009 10:57:39 PM PST
LOWER LAKE -- Lavender Horse Farm is the new home of 41 horses that were recently rescued from a ranch in Lower Lake. The rescue operation is being led by two private citizens whose love for horses spurred them into action for fear of possible slaughter.
Debra Rodrigue and Bonnie Bishop are seeking assistance in the continued care and placement of the animals. Volunteers as well as supplies are needed.
Rodrigue said she and Bishop spent two and half months rescuing the horses, which were previously housed at Classic Sport Horse Ranch on Seigler Canyon Road in Lower Lake. She said unforeseeable circumstances had forced the ranch owner to liquidate the stock.
"After three truck loads of horses going out at $40 a head, we stepped in to rescue 41 of them," Rodrigue said. "We are taking them because in my heart, I felt they were going to slaughter."
The women, with the help of a handful of volunteers, have been tending to horses preparing them for adoption. Many of the animals have little or no training and must be handled in order to find proper placement. "Our goal is to downsize the herd and give them or sale them to people who will provide them good homes," Bishop said. "Right now we have to start training these horses so they can go to good homes."
The women said that they have found some support within the community. "We have three ferriers who have been coming out consistently to trim the horses' hooves. Plus we have a few horse handlers who have been helping on the ferrier days," Rodrigue said. "These are vital to horse health. That has been a big part of this; just getting the horses handled and tending to their hooves."
Rodrigue said in January the National Humane Society is sending Eric Davis, DVM and his veterinary staff to geld about eight horses, provide some dental care and vaccinate for rabies. "To do that for 41 horses is a lot of money and they doing it for free," Rodrigue said.
Tom Reedy Work Skills for Enhanced Living clients have been helping out at the farm as well. The clients are assisting with grooming and other activities. Some are earning money, Reedy said, while others are simply enhancing their lives.
"They have a lot of fun when they are out here," Rodrigue said.
Not only is caring for 41 horses a hefty choir, the feed bill is beginning to soar, Rodrigue said. "The feed bill for this amount of horses is $3,000 a month and now we need help," she said, adding that even a couple bales of hay or bag of oats would help."
Volunteers are needed for a variety of tasks such as installing hot wire fencing, building shelters, tending to horse health and handling, grooming and exercising the animals. Bishop said they are under pressure to complete needed improvements at the horse farm, which is located on Spruce Grove Road in Lower Lake. "We are under pressure from Animal Control to get the shelters constructed so we can be in compliance with their demands," she said.
Lavender Horse Farm is currently working toward non-profit status. For more information regarding the organization or providing assistance, contact Debra Rodrigue at 995-2716.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2nd, 2009
Meeting with UCLA Dining Services!
So some members of BFA got to meet with UCLA Dining Services representatives this Wednesday, including the Food & Beverage Director, Sustainability Coordinator, Assistant Director, and Corporate Chef. The meeting went very well! UCLA Dining expressed a genuine interest in working with Bruins for Animals to pursue and ensure quality vegetarian and vegan options in our dining halls. We were alloted enough time to address all of our strongest concerns. Some of the issues emphasized during the meeting included:
Issues with the labeling system, correcting inaccuracies (where items may be labeled "vegan" but are not) both on the website and at the stations in the dining halls themselves
Possibly helping train staff as far as knowledge on what the vegan label entails
Possible expansion of vegan breakfast and dessert options, such as scrambled tofu (since tofu is already available at the dining facilities, as plain cubes in the salad bars), and pancakes. For desserts, it appears that some desserts may already be vegan, but to BFA's knowledge, none are labeled vegan, so we are pursuing clear labeling and/or more vegan desserts (1-2 options at each display)
The Food & Beverage Director encouraged the idea of students, in the case of uncertainty of whether something is vegan at the dining halls, going to the manager or speaking with the platform leads (one at each station in the dining halls) to ensure efficient handling and/or addressing of any concerns
Some of the representatives were already familiar with vegetarian-friendly resources such as VegAdvantage, an agency that serves to help foodservice professionals incorporate healthy vegetarian menu items
Our idea of celebrating certain "vegetarian holidays" such as World Vegetarian Day (Oct. 1) and the Great American Meatout (March 20) was taken to heart by the representatives; it was suggested that the holidays could be observed in the dining halls through serving special vegetarian foods for the duration of each of these days
Some of the representatives also expressed interest in a few specialty foods such as daiya cheese and jackfruit, and are looking to learn more about these items, which we suggested as a potential addition to the menus in the dining halls sometime in the future
Overall, the meeting suggested that UCLA Dining Services is very responsive to BFA's concerns with vegetarian food options, and the representatives expressed a strong willingness and interest in listening to our requests. Future meetings with Dining Services are in sight. From the meeting we also left feeling confident that vegan options are improving; proof of this even in the last couple of years can be seen with the implementation of vegan labeling and the presence of soymilk at each dining hall, as well as the increased inclusion of meat analogues in entrees, such as soy chicken. UCLA Dining Services and Bruins for Animals plan to further continue working together on this issue through Winter Quarter 2010 and beyond!
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6th, 2009
"Turkey Day"
So let's see… Thanksgiving is right around the corner, yet again. That wonderful, relaxing (except maybe for whoever is assigned the cooking…) holiday that brings about those all-time familiar nostalgic, warm, fuzzy feelings - a holiday cherished by Americans everywhere. Something we're all starting to look forward to particularly now, with the recent onset of November.
But if you haven't before, let's stop and think about the idea behind the holiday… wait, that didn't take long… it's about being thankful for what we have :) This typically entails coming together with close ones, and as a family (blood-related or not), appreciating each other and our own individual lives… the freedom we have, all the good in the world that we have the opportunity to experience and be surrounded with.
Unfortunately, this idea of "thanksgiving" in the United States doesn't encompass everyone. Our appreciation seems to cease - or in fact, reverse - when it comes to our consideration of turkeys. Instead of having their lives treated with more respect - and having us take a bit more mercy upon them and all innocent creatures on Thanksgiving Day - for turkeys, this holiday is something to dread, more so than any other time of the year. It is for this day that more than 45 million turkeys must face horrific treatment and death. Alas, they don't hand over their lives willingly for the holiday, and if they could talk they probably wouldn't say anything like "Yes, I know how important eating a turkey is on Thanksgiving for you humans in the scope of tradition and all of those other thoroughly logical reasons, so I shall happily hand over my life!"… They simply want to live, like we do. With as little pain as possible. Just like us, they're animals who have all of these innate desires.
How is Bruins for Animals going to spend the holiday? Well, each of us will spend it in various different ways, maybe even in different parts of the world… but most people would correctly guess that those pursuing a cruelty-free path definitely don't have to sacrifice any of the positive feelings that come with Thanksgiving - those feelings, despite the tradition aspect, are not brought about by the consumption of these animals. And in today's world, if we want something that does serve as a substitute, these are available for pick-up at health food stores in reasonable distance (Tofurky, anyone??) particularly for us SoCal residents! We have more variety in meat analogues than we know what to do with here.
What's that, what if there are no Tofurkys to be found in a 30-mile radius? Well, first of all, I express my sympathies. But to answer: I guess that's where cooking comes in! :) Making a substitute is possible as well, in too many ways to count.
It's easy to abide by the way one is raised in thinking that a turkey is necessary in making Thanksgiving "complete" - most of us in BFA have been there... not very many of the vegheads among us were exactly raised that way! But when one puts logic and heart together in examining one's actions, one starts to see beyond tradition. And lots of us college folk have learned that tradition isn't always a great thing :) Oh, and some of us have also learned that Tofurky actually tastes pretty good (just had to throw that in there).
Please check out Gentle Thanksgiving for more information and Thanksgiving-y treats.
*note: the word "Tofurky" appears 3 times in this short article. Contrary to any derived belief that the specific mention of solely Tofurky is included in regards to meat analogues, as pointed out in the article, several ready-made meat substitutes indeed exist (Google it, I dare). Along with being one of the most well-known turkey meat analogues in the United States, Tofurky is just fun to say, hence its recurrent mention.
Bruins for Animals! (BFA) is a student-run organization at the University of California, Los Angeles. Accordingly, we are in strong solidarity with the international movement to end the exploitation of animals in the food, pets, clothing, research, and entertainment industries. We work by means of education, discussion, public demonstration, and other creative outlets which promote critical thought.
Founded in 2004, BFA has developed from a small club into a large organization with a big heart, welcoming individuals dedicated to expanding humanity’s circle of compassion to include animals.
Bruins for Animals! is the only group for UCLA undergraduates that promotes dialogue in animal issues. Thus, BFA greatly benefits the student body - including the many graduate students in our group - by providing a rich and welcoming environment to open dialogue and promoting critical thought. The group meets weekly; some examples of a typical meeting might entail organizing animal rights campaigns, arranging dates to volunteer with animals, or collaborating to plan events such as documentary screenings, fundraisers for outside organizations, lectures, protests, and debates.
But it isn't all hard work and no play - we love bringing people together over cruelty-free food! BFA holds very successful vegan potlucks several times a month which everyone is invited to, including you!
Please note that everyone is welcome to participate in BFA, despite differences in diets, lifestyle choices, and opinions towards the animal rights movement.
