Monday, 31 January 2011 13:24 Written by Mary Gabriel

The challenge is on! No meat, no milk, no animal anything. Oprah and 378 Harpo staffers go vegan for one week.

TUNE in on FEBRUARY 1, 2011 to watch the show!

Wednesday, 15 December 2010 20:48

 

The investigator—who spent a month working inside a Smithfield-owned facility in Waverly, Va.— documented numerous abuses including the following:

• Female breeding pigs were crammed inside "gestation crates" so small the animals could barely move for virtually their entire lives. The animals engaged in stereotypic behaviors such as biting the bars of crates, indicating poor well-being in the extreme confinement conditions. Some had bitten their bars so incessantly that blood from their mouths coated the fronts of their crates. The breeding pigs also suffered injuries from sharp crate protrusions and open pressure sores that developed from their unyielding confinement.
• The investigator never saw a veterinarian at the operation. A barn manager told the investigator to ignore a pig with a basketball-sized abscess on her neck, and then cut the abscess open with an unsterilized razor.
• Employees jabbed a lame pig's neck and back with gate rods to force her to move.
• Three times, the investigator informed employees that a pig was thrown into a dumpster alive. The animal had been shot in the forehead with a captive bolt gun, which is designed to render an animal unconscious, and was thrown in the dumpster still alive and breathing.
• Employees mishandled piglets and tossed them into carts.
• Some piglets prematurely born in gestation crates fell through the slats into the manure pits.

"If this is the best that Smithfield can do, it is evident that there are terrible problems in the nation's pig industry," stated Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS. "It is indefensible for Smithfield to allow its sows to linger in crates barely larger than their bodies for months on end."

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Last Updated on Tuesday, 14 December 2010 18:02 Written by Mary Gabriel

Our fabulous champion for the animals and champion on ice, Gina, is an incredible figure skater!  A few of us RVV members attended her event and it was amazing!  We were so impressed.  She soars across the ice with confidence and grace.  There were a lot of kids in the show as well and it was very sweet. The animals, and us, are lucky to have Gina! 

Saturday, 30 October 2010 13:50 Written by Mary Gabriel

Rogue Valley Vegans member, Gina Meyers, is a dynamo in so many ways!  She is tireless in her efforts to support the animals.  She has graciously opened her home to the public and held events to educate them about cruelty to animals and the benefits of a vegan diet.  She has hosted many potlucks over the years and served her guests gourmet vegan cuisine (many of which I have been privy to!)  Gina was the president of our local animal rights group, S.O.A.R.S., and proved to be a true example of leadership, always steadfast in her committment to getting things accomplished and always with the animals in mind. In a nutshell, the woman gets shit done!  She is generous, funny and can ice skate her ass off!  Plus, she saves my butt every year by doing my taxes!  What more can we say?  Well, there is more!  She is also longtime supporter of PETA and attends the annual Gala.  This year she took her nephew, niece and daughter and met some great celebrities!

In my opinion, Alec Baldwin, Charro and James Cromwell were lucky to meet Gina!

Friday, 29 October 2010 21:30 Written by Mary Gabriel

Every year a local group called Friends of the Animal Shelter, (FOTAS) puts on an event called Puss N Boots Ball.  FOTAS is a great group because they help improve conditions for animals at our local pound.  And with the number of animals coming into the shelter, BELIEVE ME....FOTAS is needed! 

FOTAS allowed another group, SYNP, Spay Neuter Your Pet, to collect funds by having the drink part of the event.  So when my friend and Rogue Valley Vegan member Sally asked if I would help man the drink booth to help SYNP, I was all over it.  I love Sally and I love SYNP!  However, being overhwlemed juggling 2 jobs as well as life events, I did not have time to put together a costume.  So being that my dear and lovely friend Sally did not want to be humiliated alone, she brought me a lovely $2.00 hat and hair that said "for ages 4 and up."  I assume the max age would be about 8, but I took it anyway to be a good sport.

We raised about $1800 for SYNP and FOTAS raised over $30,000! 

Of course my amazing husband Cameron was there and worked his ass off! God I love this man! He's a hotty, kind, compassionate and always willing to help the animals. I scored big time!

I am very excited to announce that merchandise will be available soon!  Active members already received a shirt with our bad ass design. Don't you think it's worth going vegan just to nab a shirt with this fabulous message?

If you are interested in pre-ordering a sweatshirt, mens or womans t-shirt or sassy woman's tank, drop me a line. Bumper stickers are also available.

Saturday, 02 October 2010 02:34 Written by Mary Gabriel

Southern Oregon offers so much natural beauty.  Here are a few brief clips of some of the wonders.

Sunday, 26 September 2010 21:25 Written by Cameron Gabriel

Rogue Valley Vegans ride again. Our second outing took us to Dragonfly Restaurant in Ashland, a personal favorite of Mary's. If you have family or friends visiting from out of town, definitely consider bringing them here: they won't be disappointed. Good food, hip decor, great spot to hang out. After about 6PM the service slows dramatically, so be prepared for that. Dragonfly serves a very unique mix of latin and asian cuisine, and while there are many meat dishes on the menu, a lot of items can be made vegan, and the staff is fairly well versed in this and in the ingredients of their dishes.

Sunday, 29 August 2010 14:37 Written by Mary Gabriel

We had our first gathering last night, August 28, 2010 at CultureWorks in Ashland.  Everything was great for the most part.  Attendance was, Mary, Cameron, Sally, Gina, Linda, Janelle, Jamshed, Julianne and Mark!  We had great conversation and the food was good.