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The Guardian Campaign
Here is an interesting campaign, found on a website with many interesting topics, called All-Creatures.org

Information on the Guardian Campaign can be found at:
www.all-creatures.org/articles/cac-guardian.html

The campaign asks us to consider ourselves guardians of our companion animals (and other animals in the community) rather than owners (or bystanders).  It urges us to make a committment towards ethical treatment of all animals in a way that hopefully stimulates thought.

Also worth looking at whilst at their website, is “Ten Commandments for a Responsible Pet Parent”
www.all-creatures.org/articles/cac-ten.html

As a followup to last month’s highlighted campaign, I am asking you to please join the following call for action:

Perhaps less well known than Canada’s seal slaughter (at least to me) and even more distressing if you read the details about it’s support by an Australian company, is the slaughter of seals in Namibia.

Please go to Animals Australia at:
http://www.animalsaustralia.org/take_action/namibian-seal-slaughter/ and join the petition to encourage the company Hatem Yavuz to stop financing this atrocious event by their purchase of the pelts, of which they are the only company still doing so, in what has been named the “largest and cruellest seal slaughter”.

I have recently returned from Switzerland where I met with a wonderful restaurant idea. Tibits is a fabulous vegetarian restaurant in Zurich which serves buffet style food which you pay for per 100g. You could load your plate up with lentil salad, dumplings, tofu curry salad, cottage cheese, bread, roast potato, green salad, fruit, tiramisu and much,  much more. This type of restaurant would be fabulous to have around the corner!

Olympic Shame 2010 – PETA’s Campaign to End the Canadian Seal Slaughter

As the world turns its attention to the Vancouver Olympic Games, millions will also focus on Canada’s shame, so PETA is calling on the Vancouver Organizing Committee to use its clout to help stop the Canadian seal slaughter.

www.olympicshame2010.com is a newly launched interactive Web site, which is a spoof of the Vancouver Olympic mascot’s site.  The aim is to intensify global pressure on the Canadian government to end the bloody seal slaughter once and for all.  Take a look and join the campaign…

Not so much a campaign as a worthwhile cause…

Serendipity Farm is run by the Veivers family near Gatton, and is a “rescue farm”.  The family take in farm animals who are no longer “useful” or “required” by commercial farming and who otherwise would be put down or (or like calves no longer required in the dairy industry) sold to the abattoirs.  They love and take care of numerous animals, including a blind cow, a 3 legged goat, and an injured stock horse.  Being a huge job to care for all the animals, the Veivers are always grateful for support or volunteers.

Take a look at the story that was run by Brisbane Extra last week:
http://extraonline.com.au/stories/story/14317.html

2 tbsp oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp tumeric
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp ground cumin
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
1 cup red lentils, rinsed well
600 ml vegetable stock (I use one stock cube dissolved in water)
300 ml coconut milk (I use the whole tin – 400 ml – and reduce the water in the stock)
2 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Heat oil in a large pot and saute the onion till clear or gently browned, then add the garlic and cook for a further minute or so, stirring.  Add the spices and cook for a further 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Add the tomatoes, lentils, lemon juice, vegie stock and coconut milk and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender and cooked.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

(Serves 4)

Help Stop the Misery of the Dancing Bears:  “Li-bear-ate the Dancing Bear”

The life of a dancing bear is one of unbelievable misery and it gives me great heartache to even read about it.  But there are organisations out there trying to help where they can.  One such organisation is Wildlife SOS who are working in India to not only rescue and rehabilitate bears, but also to try and solve the problem.  They recognise that bear dancers (Qalandars) are very poor and many feel that if they had another way to survive they would.  So Wildlife SOS is assisting them with start up costs and training to enable them to earn a livelihood in another way.

Also they are  subsidising costs so their children can go to school, and providing vocational training to their wives so they can contribute to the family income too.  This all helps to make the bear rescue efforts sustaninable, with the hope of breaking the cycle of dancing bears permanently.  For more information on this worthwhile cause, go to:
http://www.wildlifesos.com/ibr/Dbears/bdancebody.htm or
http://www.hsi.org.au/index.php?catID=164

Mango Rice Pudding

1 cup short grain (arborio) rice
400 ml water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 cup coconut cream
2 – 3 mangoes, peeled and sliced

Place rice and water into a saucepan and bring to the boil.  As soon as the rice boils, reduce heat to low and cover;  cook for 10 mins.  (If not cooked soft enough to your taste, add a little more water and cook for a few more minutes, repeating until the water is absorbed and the rice is cooked to your taste).
Stir through sugar and coconut cream.
Spoon into bowls and serve with fresh mango.
(Serves 4 – 6)

Wildlife Victoria – Bushfire Appeal

As we all have no doubt heard, the Victorian bushfires have devestated communities with sadly many people losing their lives and whole towns destroyed.  Most people are starting to realise too that millions of animals have died, both native and pets/stock.   Thousands of animals have been left injured, many being needed to be euthanased and many more requiring treatment and care.

Take a look at www.wildlifevictoria.org.au to see the wonderful work they are doing.

As in any healthy diet, choosing fats and oils that are unsaturated is always best.  In the vegetarian diet these may inlcude the following:

• avocados
• olives
• nuts
• seeds
• peanut butter
• tahini

Including flaxseed oil in salads or smoothies is also a good choice for healthy fats, in particular omega 3 fatty acids which are important for healthy brain function.