VegE-News is a monthly news and events email service. It is free to subscribe. Their January issue's stories included:

Animal Issues and Advocacy Animal rights group targets KFC. Taiwan law takes bite out of dog meat sales. Peter Singer on Japanese whaling: Harpooned by hypocrisy. Is whaling unethical, compared to the unnecessary suffering inflicted on animals by Western nations through culling, hunting and factory farms? Singer argues that it is. UK covert video reveals the true cost of cheap chicken. Chef's new goal: Looking dinner in the eye.

“A chicken is a living thing, an animal with a life cycle, and we shouldn't expect it will cost less than a pint of beer in a pub.”

Books and Movies  Skinny Bitch, a combination of girl power, tough love and gross-out tales from the slaughterhouse has been translated to the kitchen in Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin's new cookbook, Skinny Bitch in the Kitch. Sample recipe title: "'Chicken' Noodle Soup: Just like Mom used to make – minus the pieces of decomposing, rotting chicken carcass." An interview with the force behind the thought-provoking film "A Sacred Duty." Praise for the new cookbook, Veganomicon.

Health High dairy in childhood linked with colorectal cancer risk. We are what we eat. Vegans seek grilled meat warning. Legumes linked to lower diabetes risk. Bird flu may be spread indirectly, WHO says.

Environment Lifestyle changes can curb climate change: UN science panel chief. World Bank backs cattle ranching, helps cut down Amazon forest.

“Ranching has grown by half in the last three years, driven by new industrial slaughterhouses which are being constructed in the Amazon basin with the help of the World Bank.”

Empty seas: Europe's appetite for seafood propels illegal trade. Rescued pademelons, part of the rampant trade in rare and exotic animals from Papua and other areas of Indonesia, were returned home. Poor law inforcement, rapid deforestation and commercial development also threaten better known species such as the Sumatran tiger, elephant, rhino and orangutan.

Lifestyles and Trends Why not give a vegetarian diet a try for the New Year? Cutting down on meat is on an upswing. It's healthy! Shhh ... Don't tell the kids – The trick is to introduce unusual foods, such as broccoli and tofu, to kids slowly. Make it fun and use familiar names for the foods. US approves animal clones as food.

VegE-News is a monthly news and events email service. It is free to subscribe.
Their Nov issue's stories include:

Animal Issues and Advocacy Seven-year-old tells his teacher: Animals are not 'things.' Thailand saves pangolins (a kind of anteater) bound for China restaurants. Activists comfort dying dolphins. A Thanksgiving prayer for mercy. "The Humane Farming Association recently shot undercover video at an Ohio pig farm which shows animals living and dying in conditions far more horrifying than one finds in any torture camp."

Books, Movies and Perspectives Get healthy - by eating chocolate! Inspiring and eye-opening documentary: "Sharkwater."

Health Fat, processed meat, beef, pork and alcohol raises cancer risk, report warns.
“Every 1.7 ounces of processed meat consumed a day increases the risk of colorectal cancer by 21%.”
One of the key recommendations is "Eat mostly foods of plant origin." Free range eggs are more nutritious. Study: Wild-caught fish contain elevated levels of toxins. Troubling meaty 'estrogen' "...diets rich in red meats might elevate breast-cancer risk." You can't judge a piece of meat by its reddish-pink cover.

Environment UN panel gives dire warming forecast. Growing demand for meat will contribute to prolonged food shortages. Factory farm antibiotics far from healthy for humans. US: Protections for threatened sea turtles rescinded. Attention scallop-eaters: "loggerhead and other turtles [are] being entangled, crushed and drowned when they are swept up by industrial-sized scallop dredges." Fish species in Europe threatened.

Lifestyles and Trends US survey: Teen vegetarians on the rise. "According to the latest Harris poll, three percent of teens are vegetarians, up from one percent in 1997." Developing countries increase fat consumption - and disease. 72-year-old former 'Mr. America' still going strong - and buff - on veggies. Is veganism the new vegetarianism? UK veggie group launches Vegan Month.

Mike Adams' Mystery Meat photo series has been getting quite a bit of attention online. He shows super close-ups of meat. Once you zoom in, the resulting images can be quite gross.

“I'm a nature macro-photography buff, I took all these pictures myself, in my own kitchen, using the same high-end photography equipment I use to take pictures of flowers and insects. As you'll see from these pictures, the detail is astonishing. You may never look at your sandwich meat the same way again.

All the photos are completely un-touched.

Click "this post continues" to see three examples, or check out the whole series. After you see this, you may be glad that you are vegetarian.

VegE-News is a monthly news and events email service. It is free to subscribe.
Their July issue 's stories included:

Health Diets high in meat boost skin cancer risk New study: Plant-based diets play critical role in breast cancer survival Dairy Council to end misleading weight loss ad campaign New 'superbug' strain spreading in meat, warns study.
Environment Meat is murder on the environment Into the meat of the global warming issue Brazilian fishermen joke over illegal dolphin kill Sharks face increased threat due to fin soup - report.
Lifestyles and Trends Veggie experiences: Health concerns inspire life changes The veggie kid The end of cheap food.
Animal Issues and Advocacy Animal sentience: Chickens are more evolved than previously believed Activists accuse Quebec foie gras maker of cruelty to ducks Video renews beefs about slaughterhouse's practices Livestock producers face animal welfare challenges Bhutanese lama saves animals from slaughter.
Books and Perspectives Planet Chicken: Suffering on an epic scale What we owe what we eat – Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy Pamela Rice's 101 Reasons Why I'm a Vegetarian.
Are They Serious? Unfortunately Yes Taiwan restaurant blasted for serving "dead-and-alive fish."

In what many animal welfare advocates describe as a “historic advance,” Burger King has announced that they will begin buying 2% of their eggs and 10% of their pork from suppliers that do not confine their animals in cages and crates. The decision will apply to the US and Canada.

Food marketing experts and animal welfare advocates predict that the shift will put pressure on other restaurant and food companies to adopt similar practices.

"The fact that Burger King has made positive changes for some of the animals killed for its restaurants will send a ripple effect through the fast food industry," said PETA spokesman Matt Prescott. It will show other companies that animal welfare "cannot be ignored."

Burger King has also been a pioneer with its BK Veggie burger available since 2001. In Canada, this burger is made by Sol Cuisine and is vegan. The U.S. version contains egg whites. Their French fries are vegan. For more information see our Fast Food Report.

PETA recently held a contest for the Young Guns International Advertising Award to design a pro-vegetarian ad focusing on chickens – "inquisitive animals who are as intelligent as some mammals, including cats and dogs." View the three winning entries, and also see the top 20 finalists. You can vote for your favorite. The winner will receive a prize.
“To see the minds of 600 ad professionals around the world come together to figure out how to sensitize people to the most abused animals in the world – chickens – was absolutely riveting. They really encourage people to think before they eat. It was very frustrating to pick the top 3 winners as there were so many imaginative entries. In fact, we found several different campaigns for different markets and look forward to getting them out to the public in early 2007.”
– Dan Mathews, Vice President, PETA

Related: Chickens are raised in stressful over-crowded conditions on factory farms.
'Organic', 'free-range' – What do the egg labels mean?
The plight of egg-laying chickens in Canada

As winter approaches, mice and rats start looking for warm places for shelter. And what better spot than a nice warm home with lots of crumbs in the kitchen? Once they move in, they will generally increase their population to take advantage of the available food supply.
   If you are not into sharing your home with rodents, there are ways to encourage them to leave with a minimum amount of suffering for everyone.
   This article details a four step approach: 1) Stop feeding them, 2) Seal cracks and holes in the kitchen, 3) Make your home uninviting, and 4) Secure your outside walls. Also, several devices are available, some more inhumane than others.

What's wrong with leather? Frequently Asked Questions. Companies that sell non-leather alternatives. Leather-free safety footware.
Plus finding leather alternatives in Toronto.