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PCRM: A low-fat vegan diet that includes soy fosters changes in the gut microbiome that decrease postmenopausal vasomotor symptoms, or hot flashes, overall by 95%, according to a new study by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. A vegan diet also eliminated severe hot flashes, led to a 96% decrease in moderate-to-severe hot flashes, and reduced daytime and nighttime hot flashes by 96% and 94%, respectively. Participants also lost 6.4 pounds on average. "Women who want to fight hot flashes should feed the bacteria in their gut a vegan diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains,…

LEE HALL: Environmental laws codify our right to kill. They sanctify our mechanical and chemical warfare against systems that sustain life. They enable the undoing of the formation of a unique and irreplaceable living world. Hundreds of millions of years of evolution can be spoiled in the time it takes to print a pile of paper. Enabled by laws, businesses impose cattle ranching on public lands. They stamp out savannahs and woodlands for feed crops... The Endangered Species Act nods begrudgingly to nonprofits that scrimp and save up for their last-minute flurries of activity, usually to save…

VEGOUT: Get ready for an unforgettable cinematic journey celebrating the ethos of plant-based living, environmental consciousness, and societal change. The International Vegan Film Festival is set to take place in Toronto on November 16, 2023 creating a memorable experience for individuals seeking inspiration and insight into a more compassionate world. Prepare for a diverse array of thought-provoking films, delving into the intricacies of the vegan lifestyle, animal rights, and sustainable living. This festival promises to unite like-minded individuals striving for a more empathetic and…

MARIA CHIORANDO: Next month will see the premiere of a new documentary marking 10 years of success for Veganuary, called 'It’ll Never Catch On: The Veganuary Story'.The documentary will see the founders of Veganuary – Jane Land and Matthew Glover – reflect on their struggles and surprising successes as they’ve steered the campaign which has gone global after starting as an idea crafted at their kitchen table. Despite its humble roots, the initiative has gone on to have some remarkable successes, garnering global headlines in the world’s largest publications, as well as attracting backers…

MARINA BOLOTNIKOVA: Wayne Hsiung, an attorney and leading figure in the animal rights movement, was convicted of two counts of misdemeanor trespass and one count of felony conspiracy to trespass last week, after six days of deliberation by a jury in Santa Rosa, California, about an hour north of San Francisco. The case emerged from Hsiung’s role in helping lead two mass protest actions in 2018 and 2019, in which activists removed 70 chickens and ducks from two Sonoma County factory farms: Sunrise Farms, a major egg supplier, and Reichardt Duck Farm. Activists took the animals to receive…

HARRISON SMITH: Karen Davis, an academic turned animal rights activist who campaigned on behalf of chickens, turkeys and other barnyard fowl, arguing for the dignity of “nonhuman animals,” as she put it, while promoting veganism, crusading against the modern poultry industry and turning her home into a sanctuary for chickens, died Nov. 4 at her residence in Machipongo, Va. She was 79... Her death was announced by United Poultry Concerns (UPC), a nonprofit organization she founded in 1990 and led until her death. The group did not cite a cause, but Ms. Davis had cancer and had been in…

ANDY GREENBERG: In recent years, the animal liberation group Direct Action Everywhere has carried out some of the most brazen and tech-savvy operations and investigations to ever target the animal agriculture industry. It has rescued pigs, goats, ducks, and chickens from factory farms and slaughterhouses in midnight intrusions; captured virtual reality footage with custom-built 360-degree video rigs inside massive pig barns; and used hidden cameras to record some of the meat industry's most disturbing practices, from the carbon dioxide gas chambers that are increasingly used in pig…

BENTHAM'S BULLDOG: Those who defend ethical veganism are often claimed by those who defend left-wing positions to be “speaking from a position of privilege,” or “failing to speak up for the marginalized.” Many on the far left seem to believe there to be a fundamental tension between the injunction not to eat meat when one can and advocacy for the oppressed. Such people often point to the existence of food deserts, claiming that huge numbers of people are unable to go vegan because of lack of access to vegan foods. This talking point is totally wrong. For one, it is people in wealthier…

JACK HUGHES: There was a time when smoking cigarettes was not only a normal thing to do, it was actually encouraged by doctors. Eventually, the evidence caught up. A similar thing has happened with meat over the last couple of decades. Recent statements by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and World Health Organization (WHO) have confirmed that meat damages human health and the planet. But as with tobacco in the 1960s and 70s, this scientific knowledge has taken time to filter into consumer behaviour. Messages such as “smoking kills” and “smoking causes blindness”…

CRESCENZO VELLUCCI: Attorney Wayne Hsiung was found guilty Thursday by a jury here in Santa Rosa County Superior Court after a two-month trial – including six days of jury deliberation – of felony conspiracy and misdemeanor trespass charges linked to nonviolent mass “open rescues” of injured animals at Sunrise (chicken) Farms in Petaluma, Sonoma County May 29, 2018. Hsiung, representing himself at trial, was immediately cuffed and taken to jail to await a sentencing hearing at the end of November, according to a statement by supporters. The court did not grant Hsiung bail until his…