Step your mind into a crowded elevator, an elevator so crowded you cannot turn around without bumping into (and aggravating) your neighbor. The elevator is so crowded you are often held aloft. This is a kind of blessing, as the slanted floor is made of wire, which cuts into your feet.

After some time, those in the elevator will lose their ability to work in the interest of the group. Some will become violent; others will go mad. A few, deprived of food and hope, will become cannibalistic.

There is no respite, no relief. No elevator repairman is coming. The doors will open once, at the end of your life, for your journey to the only place worse.

Whose life did you just imagine?

It was the life of an average layer hen in a battery cage.

• 97% Of US Eggs Are From Battery Cages
• Eggs are the #1 outbreak vehicle for Salmonella and Salmonella is the leading cause of food-poisoning related death
• 142,000 Americans suffering Salmonella infections from eggs every year.
• Male Chicks Are Ground-up Alive

Here is her life, in video:



“You can’t walk a mile in the shoes of a battery chicken, because battery chickens can’t walk a foot, much less a mile.”

Undercover investigators from The HSUS looked at two egg factory farms—two of the three largest operations in the nation, both located in Iowa—and found rodents in hen houses, countless flies at the facilities, dead birds among the living in cages, and massive waste piles.We found those conditions at Rose Acre Farms and Rembrandt Enterprises. But based on the FDA’s announcement yesterday, releasing information from its forensic investigations in the wake of the massive salmonella outbreak traced to two egg factories, it sure appears we could have found the same set of circumstances at Wright County Egg and Hillandale Farms, the two companies at the center of the largest egg recall in U.S. history.

While our investigation attracted press attention in Iowa, our announcement this spring did not prompt the FDA, the USDA, or state authorities to inspect any egg farms in the state. If they had done proper follow-up, then they might have discovered a situation not only dangerous for the animals but also for consumers. The assurances from the egg industry that its operators maintain safe and clean facilities, treat animals humanely, and do it all at low cost are a charade.

The crux: “The eggs may seem cheap at the cash register, but the costs are passed on to consumers in terms of health costs, despoiling of the environment, animal cruelty, and worker safety issues.”

Emphasis added. And emphasized again:

• Two of the largest egg-producers had unsanitary conditions including rodents, flies, massive waste, and dead birds.
• Eggs are responsible for a massive outbreak of Salmonella and the largest egg recall in US history.
• Battery cages are cruel for animals and unsafe for humans. Both workers and consumers are harmed.
• The egg industry does not treat animals humanely.

Read the whole thing here >>

Upcoming vegan and vegetarian fairs and festivals (via vegan.com):

• Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair: September 10-12
• DC Vegfest: September 11
• Portland VegFest: September 18-19
• San Francisco World Vegetarian Festival: October 2-3
• Boston Vegetarian Food Festival: October 30-31

“Language is never fully trustworthy, but when it comes to eating animals, words are as often used to misdirect and camouflage as they are to communicate. Some words, like veal, help us forget what we are actually talking about. Some, like free-range, can mislead those whose consciences seek clarification. Some, like happy, mean the opposite of what they would seem. And some, like natural, mean next to nothing.”

For more on the topic of language, please read these archived posts:

• Let’s Say What We Mean
• “Organic” Label Fails

And to learn what labels like “free-range” or “certified humane” really mean, please take a look at this web page: http://www.humanefacts.org/labels.htm

So I laid out a survey to try to get some measure of the efficacy of this website. One simple question, “How has reading Vegan Soapbox changed you?”

The answers included increases or decreases in animal product consumption, vegan cookbook purchases, donations, and advocacy. The answers were randomly arranged in the poll so that no answer would emerge as the winner simply for being the first choice on the list. Some measures were taken to ensure people only responded to the poll once. But respondents were allowed to select multiple answers to the question.

How has reading Vegan Soapbox changed you?

No respondents said that they “eat more meat, cheese, eggs.” None said they “stopped volunteering for animals,” nor did any say they “stopped donating to animal organizations.” Three claimed they “eat less meat” while six said they “eat fewer animal products.” Another six “donate more money to animal organizations.” Eight respondents said that they “eat a vegan diet” and eight also “bought more vegan cookbooks.” Ten said they “have not changed.” The answer that received the most votes (15) was: I do more animal advocacy.

One fill-in-the-blank answer was offered in the poll. Some responses include:

• “I’ve become more aware of my choices”
• “Nice to read articles supporting my vegan life style”
• “I have become more informed, which subsequently helps me in AR conversations.”
• “i went raw vegan!”
• “None of these apply, been vegan for over 8 years but good info is here.”
• “It has help the knowledge I can share”
• and more. (Some “other” answers were cut off mid-sentence by the polling program.)

Thank you to everyone who participated in the poll.

Clearly, there is some selection bias wherein some people were more motivated to complete the poll than others. The exact nature of this selection bias is difficult to determine. But from other sources we know that the vast majority of readers come from North America, mostly the US. We also know that regular readers of Vegan Soapbox account for only about 15% of the website traffic. Other visitors come once or twice for a recipe or news story but they do not read regularly every day or every week. Given the nature of the website and the comments, it’s reasonable to assume many regular readers are already vegan or vegetarian. Lastly, most visitors come to the website on Mondays, therefore since the poll was up Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, it’s likely that most regular readers who will respond to the poll have already responded.

Discounting the selection bias, which may or may not significantly influence the poll results, it appears that this website has a positive effect. What’s more, it appears to have zero negative effects. That is astonishing.

Honestly, I did not expect these results at all. My expectation was that there would be some respondents who claimed to eat more meat as a result of reading Vegan Soapbox but I expected the majority answer to be “I eat a vegan diet.”

My conclusions:

1. Online vegan education through blogging is worthwhile because it tends to encourage people to do things that benefit animals such as eating fewer animal products or doing more animal advocacy.
2. Because online vegan education has few barriers to entry and is generally low-cost, it makes sense to include vegan blogs as part of a larger animal advocacy campaign.
3. Here  at Vegan Soapbox we use methods such as “shock” videos or “welfarist” appeals. The results of this poll indicate that none are counterproductive.

The video description on YouTube says:

The footage reveals baby calves chained by their necks inside 2-feet wide wooden stalls — so narrow they cannot turn around, walk, run, play, socialize with other animals, or engage in other basic natural behaviors for their entire lives.

Join Mercy For Animals, and Mr. Barker, in urging grocery chains Costco Wholesale and Giant Eagle to immediately remove veal from their store shelves — much of which comes from the company investigated.

Please send polite emails to Costco’s CEO, James Sinegal, at jsinegal@costco.com and Giant Eagle’s CEO David Shapira, at david.shapira@gianteagle.com

—
UPDATE: Costco changed their policy. “Costco’s new policy requires that calves not be tethered, that their stalls be large enough to move around and lie down, and that there be at least two calves to a stall.” (source). Still no news about Giant Eagle.

If you’re not following a vegetarian diet but you’re thinking of trying it, here are some ideas to help you get started:

• Ramp up. Each week increase the number of meatless meals you already enjoy, such as spaghetti with tomato sauce or vegetable stir-fry.
• Learn to substitute. Take favorite recipes and try them without meat. For example, make vegetarian chili by leaving out the ground beef and adding an extra can of black beans. Or make fajitas using extra-firm tofu rather than chicken. You may be surprised to find that many dishes require only simple substitutions.
• Branch out. Scan the Internet for vegetarian menus. Buy or borrow vegetarian cookbooks. Check out ethnic restaurants to sample new vegetarian cuisines. The more variety you bring to your vegetarian diet, the more likely you’ll be to meet all your nutritional needs.

The advice above comes at the bottom of a tipsheet for new vegetarians. The tipsheet includes definitions, nutritional information along with a “vegetarian food pyramid”, and more. Check it out here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/vegetarian-diet/HQ01596/METHOD=print

First he made a virtual battery cage tour, a Farm Rescue app for Facebook, and a slaughter counter. Now he has created an information sheet about salmonella risk from battery cage hens.

Here’s just a small section of the information sheet, or as he calls it, an “infographic”:

You can see the sheet here:
http://www.animalvisuals.org/data/salmonella/

The infographic says, “Eggs are the #1 outbreak vehicle for Salmonella” and it lists Salmonella as the leading cause of food-poisoning related death.

He asks that we share this with family and friends to let them know how battery cages are cruel to animals and pose a risk to human health. So please pass it on! Share the info sheet on Facebook, MySpace, and elsewhere online. It looks like you can print it out, too, and hand it to friends, family, or coworkers.

And remember, for your health and for the well-being of hens, please choose vegan options instead of eggs and other animal products. For help on that, check out Middleton’s page of vegan resources >>

To that end, I’ve created a poll that should fairly accurately measure the impact of Vegan Soapbox. See below.

I would like your input. Please complete the poll:

Link to poll: How Has Reading Vegan Soapbox Changed You?

In order to get the most accurate measure to actual Vegan Soapbox readership, this poll will close.
Thank you.
~ Elaine

Vegas Veg* worked with Mercy For Animals (MFA) to produce pro-veg billboards in the Las Vegas Valley. Nine billboards were located throughout the Las Vegas Valley and were viewed over 10 million times!

One billboard features a puppy and a piglet and asks, “Why love one but eat the other?” In another billboard, a kitten and a chick are shown with the same question, “Why love one but eat the other?” The billboards include Mercy For Animals’ vegetarian website, chooseveg.com and the Vegas Veg* website, vegasveg.com.

Anyone in Vegas looking for vegan options can start by taking a look here: http://www.vegasveg.com/food.html which offers a list of vegan-friendly restaurants in the Vegas valley.