live exports

While there has been no solution to the live exports debate, media coverage seems to have died down a bit recently. Articles which are being published seem to mainly focus on the situation for farmers and people who work in the industry.

If anything, I’ve been kind of surprised by the public outcry over the Four Corners footage. 90% of Australians eat meat. I’ve always kind of imagined that people just don’t really think animals have feelings, or if they do, they just don’t care. The public response was amazing. I think it’s a really great sign and it gives me hope for animal rights in the future. I didn’t actually see the program. I knew it was on, but I chose not to watch it. I guess I didn’t really see the point – it’s a subject I already feel strongly about and would only get upset by.

Personally, I think the immediate suspension of live exports was the right step to take. Sure it’s not particularly rational or well thought out, but it sends such a clear and direct message that unnecessary animal cruelty is not okay. I just hope it’s a serious sign of a commitment to end the cruelty to Australian exported animals, not just a way to quieten down an issue until it’s forgotten by the general public.

I think, if anything, it’s the response to the suspension that has upset me most. Immediately, media started focusing on the conditions for cattle being held in pens, at the docks, with nowhere to go. It was depicted as being some kind of act of cruelty that cows were being kept in terrible conditions, without adequate water, feed or room to move. Of course it is cruel and horrible, but to suggest that such a situation is worse than being kept in similar conditions while being exported, and then tortured to death, is ridiculous.

We soon started hearing about the farmers and their families who would be affected by a ban on live exports. Of course some people will suffer financially from such a ban and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. But, I do think that when you breed and raise animals, you have a kind of duty of care for their wellbeing. The general response seems to have been, “we didn’t know this was happening”. I’m sure they didn’t know, but surely it wouldn’t have been too hard to find out that Indonesia just doesn’t have laws regarding animal cruelty. I feel like it should have been their responsibility to find out what happened to their animals after they were loaded onto boats. As far as I’m aware, the majority of animals go to markets, where they can be bought either privately, or by an abattoir. In a country without laws to protect animal rights, this in itself is irresponsible.

I know live exports is a huge industry. It’s worth about $1.8 billion to the Australian economy. But I think that this issue is much more important than that. If Australia believes that the economy is more important than ending unnecessary, repeated pain and suffering, I think it’s time we reassessed our priorities.

Peter Pan!

Recently, I have been trying to be a more ethical shopper! I've been buying handmade presents and all my clothes second hand. But oh my allll these Topshop peter pan collars are a little hard to resist!

oh my gosh yum...

Yesterday I made these raw brownies from the blog My New Roots. What an excellent blog, and what amazing brownies! They are made from nothing but nuts, dates and cacao! It's amazing that something so healthy can taste do decadent and delicious! They're sweet and chewy, as all good brownies are!

I have loved fresh dates forever. Fresh medjol dates are so sweet syrupy! They've always reminded me of caramel or something. I'd never thought of using them as a sweetener though! Such a good idea.





These brownies would be so great for vegans, raw vegans and the gluten intolerant.



My poor ol' blender didn't do too well with the mixture though. I would recommend dividing the mixture into two and doing them separately if your blender is not the best.

If anything I think these brownies are a little too full on. I think next time I might put in a few less dates and not as much cacao.

On the whole though, AMAZING! Such a decadent and amazing treat!



xxx

a perfect day for...

HAHA! Today is a rainy old day, with lots of wind and frequent sprinkles of sunshine! I am excited to spend the day sewing, reading and making vegan chocolate brownies. I might pop on my gumbies this afternoon and head out on a long walk too!

xox

Peachy!

Recently, I have been craving all things peachy. Sadly, it’s the beginning of winter, so fresh peaches are not easy to come by! I’ve been satisfying my craving with Schweppes “Peachee” soft drink. Yum! And last night I thought I’d have a shot at making my own vegan peach cupcakes!



I was a little disappointed that they weren’t quite as peachy as I was hoping. BUT they were still delish! The mashed peach makes them more moist and dense which is ratherrrr nice.

I got my original basic cupcake recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero’s book Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Such a great book! I changed it a little too. And this time, I peachified it!



Peach Cupcakes

2 cups soymilk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 ½ cups plain flour
4 table spoons cornflour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup of neutral tasting oil
1 ½ cups of sugar
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 whole peaches

Pop the soy milk and vinegar in a mixing bowl together. Give them a good whisk with a fork and set them aside. The mixture will go all stinky and curdly, but don’t worry, this is meant to happen. Then beat in the oil, sugar and vanilla extracts. Now pop your peaches in a blender, til they’re nice and smooth. They should be somewhere between juice and puree. Mix the peaches into the mixture. Then sift the dry ingredients in and mix it all together. Line your muffin tray with patty pan liners; I didn’t do this as I’d run out, so you can just grease the tray if need be. Fill them up to about ¾ full and pop them into a moderate oven. It should take between 20 and 25 minutes for them to be ready.

Peach Icing

2 cups of icing sugar
1 tablespoon vegan margarine
½ peach

Pop the peach in the blender (or do it along with the cupcake peaches, then put it aside). Beat the margarine while slowly adding the sugar. Then add the peaches sporadically until the icing is the right consistency.

When the cupcakes have cooled, stick the icing on top of the cakes and enjoy!

xox

finished!

So I've finally finished uni. It's such a strange time and I have such mixed feelings. Part of me is glad it's all over and another part of me is sad - like I didn't make the most of it. This is what I've been working to for the part three years - a little BA to put at the end of my name. I did a Bachelor of Arts, with a double major in linguistics and art history. Above all, I'm looking forward to having time to just do whatever I feel like, without feeling guilty.

These are the things I'm most looking forward to:

Reading!
Of course, doing a Bachelor of Arts, I've spent a huge part of the last three years reading. I often felt like it was impossible to keep up to date with all the weekly readings. When I did read books for my own pleasure, I usually felt guilty, like I should be doing my recomended readings instead. As a result, I haven't read nearly as much as I would have liked to over the past few years. I have a huge list of classics that i can't wait to get into!

Cooking!
So I've been vegan for quite some time now. I'm really lucky to have a family who supports me in my choices. Everyone is always happy to make a special vegan alternative for me. But as a result of this, I haven't done nearly as much cooking as I should have. I get home from uni/work late and someone has usually already made dinner. But now that i have more time on my hands, I'm really looking forward to having time to improve my cooking skills, both savoury meals and yummy cakes and desserts!

Drawing!
I loveee to draw. I find it so relaxing and rewarding. I draw a bit, but not nearly as much as I’d like to. I’m really hoping to improve my painting skills as well.

Blogging!
I’ve decided that I am really going to commit to this blog. I really like the idea of having a little online journal and I really want to keep writing. What I write may not be of the best quality, and it may not be read by anyone, but I think it is so important to keep writing.

Sally
xxo

Peppermint!

Yippee I finally tracked down a copy of Peppermint Magazine issue 6! I know it’s been out for a few weeks now, but none of the newsagents in my area seem to have it. It would kind of defeat the purpose if I was to drive out of my way to get it, so I decided to wait until I was going into the city anyway. I love it. It’s almost replaced Frankie as my favourite magazine! I think it’s so important that we live our day to day lives with the environment in mind. The best part is that it inspires us to live ethical and environmentally friendly lives, without compromising on looking lovely. Very important for us narcissists with a conscience!

I really enjoyed the article about Mark Boyle, a man who has been living for the last 18 months without any money! So inspirational. I was thinking about joining his freeconomy, but I don’t really have any skills, or things people would want to borrow. I guess it would be good to join anyway. I’m definitely going to buy his book, The Moneyless Man, though.