We Are The Glass Walls

Birmingham Wildlife Festival - 16th June 2018

"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian" 

Paul McCartney

I couldn't agree more with the above quote from Macca except I think everyone would turn vegan if they realised what actually went on during the production of meat and dairy, more on that later.

Last Saturday, June 18th we attended the annual Wildlife Festival in Birmingham, hosted by Badger Trust West Midlands. The weather gods were in our favour and held back the threatening rain clouds, but as usual, the parking was a nightmare; next time we take the train. The event was held in Victoria Square with many representatives from the #VeganWorld, #AnimalProtectionOrganisations, #HuntSabs and #AntiBloodSports groups. There was also a large selection of amazing #VeganFood options and ethical, #CrueltyFree products ranging from clothing to personal hygiene products. 

As anyone that knows me realises #AnimalRights and welfare is a driving issue in my life and always has been. In the 21st century, it is almost inconceivable to me that the human collective consciousness has not woken up to the abhorrent suffering and cruelty we are still inflicting on sentient beings by the millions every day around the World. Somehow people are able to compartmentalise their choices and actions to the suffering equation which in turn empowers the barbaric industries and practises that are going on all around us.

Maybe I'm weird, as I'm frequently reminded by my friends and loved ones, but the moment I realise that my personal actions and choices inflict any kind of suffering there is no turning back, I reform my will and actions or I can't live with myself. Too me, it's that simple.

The way we produce our food on industrial levels is not only sickening but also terrible for our environment and human health. The corporate propaganda machine spends hundreds of millions a year overloading us with pictures of 'happy chickens', smiling pigs and dancing cows and stops us thinking about the process of how these animals are 'produced' for the supermarkets. It never ceased to amaze me the disconnect. I've met so many people who don't realise that ham is from a pig or tinned tuna is a fish, I'm not joking. 

While travelling and eating in a variety of restaurants along the way, I've lost count of the number of dishes I've had to send back. Even after explaining my dietary choices, in detail if necessary, I've been served a salad or even an advertised veggie option with tuna or cheese in the dish. So many countries do not think of fish as animals, it's a real palm smacked on the forehead moment.

Anyway, that's all for now about the reason for my #veganism. I have lots of blog entries here talking about my reasons and health benefits. In this entry, I want to highlight some of the great work being done by ordinary people to help preserve and save animals all across the planet.

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Upon arriving at the festival in Victoria Square, I was immediately drawn to a stand promoting an amazing project helping save the remaining Bengal Tigers. I was greeted by the very enthusiastic, knowledgeable and passionate Tiger Awareness founder Phil Davis. Phil was manning the stand for Tiger Awareness who are a UK charity reaching out and working with Indian communities to help save the world's largest feline.

Here is an example of some of the amazing and vital projects they've implemented so far. There is so much more to do to the help guarantee a future for the wild Tiger.

1. Tiger Awareness has built a school in Sundarbans (Bay of Bengal) helping and educating 150 children.
2. They have built boundary walls around vital water wells in the Pench National Park to protect wildlife including Tigers that often fall in and perish when looking for water.
3. They have set up Tiger Squads in Sundarbans which is helping reduce animal and human conflict.
4. They have set up Animal Squads in the Pench buffer area to reduce animal and human conflict and crop raiding.
5. They continually support forest staff with training and equipment such as solar lighting, health check-ups, first aid kits and vital water filters.
6. And last of all but probably the most effective deterrent is the funding of the Anti-poaching dogs and handlers.

With approximately 3000 wild Bengal Tigers left in India every animal counts. The population is showing signs of recovery but this means we should not become complacent. The pressure for Tiger body parts in Asia and especially China is growing and the governments are dragging their feet implementing legislation and deterrents to stem the flow of Tigers out of India and S.E. Asia.

Phil Davis and his team and many others like him need support both financially and with help spreading the message. 

Can you imagine a World without the King of the Jungle? I can't, the idea appals me to the core, we can all help prevent this unimaginable tragedy.

This is real 'feet on the ground' conservation work, the real deal and they deserve our support. True conservation starts with education and action and these guys are leading the way by example and hard work. I hope we can work together in the future. I'd be honoured to be a small part of your bigger picture and the continued preservation of The Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris).

© Phil Davis at the Tiger Awareness stand

I've been very fortunate to explore parts of beautiful India photographing its amazing and diverse wildlife and habitats, including Tigers. These projects are integral to India's future. The Indian people are very proud of their natural heritage and with our help, India and the Tiger has a bright future. We save the Tiger, we save India's biodiversity and the whole planet will benefit.

Contact Here

Another issue that's very close to my heart is the Dog and Cat meat festivals and trade in Asia. This is a very current and hot talking point and debate that in recent years has gained momentum and media coverage with big celebrity support such as comedian Ricky Gervais who has openly been challenging the S.E Asian governments. I do see a change coming but it does not mean we can ease off the pressure.

Every year in South Korea alone 2.5 million cats and dogs are systematically tortured and killed for human consumption. The brutality involved is truly shocking and makes traumatising reading and images. Nevertheless, this is happening right now and every day. 

The best way you can make a difference is to withdraw your spending power from the big companies like Samsung, Kia and Hyundai who are South Korean companies and have big business and trade deals with the South Korean government. Write to these companies and tell them why you are boycotting their products. Even better write to the London Ambassador Sungnam Lin, here's a link to the address: South Korea Embassy.

On the one side (my side) of the argument that "well it's their culture, it's the same as eating cows", this weak argument does not hold water. In the UK we used to burn, drown and stone women accused of being witches, that was our culture for hundreds of years, wasn't it? Well, thankfully we've become less ignorant and realised it was a bad idea for all kinds of obvious reasons. Just as well or myself and my friends would be living on a lonely, male-dominated island....I jest ladies.

The ladies I met at the weekend from the UK Rehoming for Dog CAt Meat Trade Survivors are doing tireless and self-funded work. They are finding homes for dogs rescued from the South Korean Dog Meat Trade. The dogs have been through quarantine in South Korea through Jenny Kim of KDS. All the dogs are ready to go straight into their new homes when they arrive. This is hostile and emotionally challenging work. They need our help desperately so please reach out any way you can at the above link or here.

We were delighted to meet one of the doggie ambassadors whose life has been saved. Jane, a large and gentle friendly dog adopted by Jane Bronte, and her companion Frankie.  These animals have been treated in the most horrible ways imaginable by humans and yet here they are, happy and trusting to all they came to say hello on this overcast and busy Saturday afternoon. How much we can learn from these animals. They are just like us in so many ways. They require love, kindness and compassion with family, food and a safe environment to rest their heads. I'm not ashamed to say, that Jane brought tears to my eyes.

Please get involved and join the UK Rehoming For DCMT Survivors I promise there are no graphic images just ways to help, from holding a fundraising coffee morning to opening your family and home to these wonderful animals, or contact me and I'll make an introduction for you.

DCMT Survivors Jane and little Frankie with Pilar Bueno and myself

IMPORTANT FUNDRAISING EVENT

We are hosting a Wellness Day to raise funds for our amazing Charity which helps the survivors of the Dog and Cat meat trade in Asia. We are a non-profit organisation so all funds raised, go directly to our work in rehoming these animals. 

On the day we will have a Reiki Practitioner, a Thai massage therapist, Acupressure & Deep Tissue massage therapist, Crystal Therapy, Reflexology, Yoga instructor who will hold introduction classes into Yoga, Ashtanga and Yin, Tropics skincare and facials therapist, Spiritual Healer, Tarot Card Reader, Colour & Image Specialist, Children's face paint and special effects artist, Vegan Cake stall and a full bar also serving Tea & Coffee. More stalls to be added. Tickets for entry are on sale now & prices are £3.50 adults and £1.50 children, babies free. 

It is a dog-friendly day too with beautiful grounds to even just walk your dog in with a coffee and cake. All treatments are discounted and 20% of the profits come to us. Some therapists are donating 100% of their proceeds and we are non-profit so it all goes directly to our cause. 

You will get to meet some of our Korean meat trade survivors on the day too who is now happily settled in the UK. Please use our Paypal link dcmtrehome@gmail.com using the ref "July 8th event " and add your email address for the tickets to be sent. 

We will be running a Silent Auction for some incredible prizes including a Derbyshire Cottage break, a Professional child's photo shoot and print, Afternoon tea at The Warbrook House Hotel with doggy treats and NLP coaching course & Diploma. There will also be a raffle. I can't thank you enough for your support on this day, it really means the World. 

Thank you

Louise Trevatt

Facebook Event Page

BREAKING NEWS - Next event 11th July, a vigil outside the South Korean embassy

Click Here: Badger Trust

This year's festival was hosted by the Badger Trust West Midland. With the government's bounty now being placed on each badger (£50 an animal) their tireless and brave work is more important than ever. 

It was fantastic to meet so many representatives of the regional Badger Trust groups from around the country. We are making a difference and the day will come when these beautiful mammals can live out their lives in peace. The people are waking up to our barbaric and corrupt government's policies, misinformation and propaganda machine. 

The unsupported link between the badger and Bovine TB is a now scientifically proven without a shadow of a doubt as a fallacy. I'm most probably preaching to the choir here, but if you'd like more information on the findings and how you can get involved please go to the Badger Trust website here. I've also recently published on this blog more information about the current state of affairs concerning this issue.

It does seem that our wildlife is under attack like no other time, whether it's the badger and foxes, our raptors, raven or fish stocks. It seems everything is fair game. Make no mistake we are at war, we are the army of soldiers defending the innocent and defenceless. I take this personally as I know most of you do. This is all of our countryside and our wildlife. 

The #PowersThatBe treat the public with contempt and indifference and mock the general apathy. But the tide is turning as more and more are getting involved and raising their angered voices. The Powers That Be's arrogance will be their downfall, but until that day comes we must never give quarter. 

Get involved

Take a Stand

Make a Difference

Links will be listed at the end of this article

Myself and my niece Ellie Bonehill at the Animal Equality stand

Click Here: animalEQUALITY

I had a great chat with the guys at the Animal Equality stand while the ladies with me immersed themselves in the virtual reality presentation exposing the reality of the UK's meat and dairy industry. The tears flowed as I expected. 

For the newbie, these videos are very shocking but as most of you know the real horrors are just too much for the general public to deal with. These videos present an introductory doorway into the real issues concerning the farming and food industry where sentient animals are treated without compassion as mere commodities. 

In my time I've seen mountains of footage that has caused me to weep openly and lose sleep. As a wildlife photographer and naturalist, I've always been aware of these issues and apart from the health benefits, the reason I'm a 10yr vegan is that I've made a personal pledge to cause no more suffering....ever. 

I admit that it took me a long time to be honest with myself and a serious health issue forced my hand to re-evaluate my dietary choices. Going vegan is the best thing I've ever done with my life, the benefits have been huge and life-changing. Thankfully it seems this sentiment is spreading fast as country after country is switching to a #cruelty-free, #plant-based diet.

Latest UK figures show that veganism is on the rise and now approx 7% of the UK population has gone vegan. The numbers are staggering, that's 3.5 million vegans and rising in the UK alone!

Our planet and all life will be the benefactors.

There is no humane animal farming no matter how it is argued. When you take down your prejudices and programming and look into the eyes of a cow, a sheep, pig or chicken you recognise the same emotions that we humans feel. The nightmare that every animal goes through when being raised and then prepared for slaughter is not something I can be a part of.

Abigail and Luke promoting the Vegan lifestyle

The rest of the afternoon I spent walking around a talking with the other stallholders, sampling vegan treats and scoffing an amazing Jackfruit vegan cheeseburger. If you haven't tried one of these and you get a chance grab one, I highly recommend it.

For the sake of brevity (I've waffled enough), I'd like to thank all the organisers, speakers and fantastic musicians that took part in making this festival a memorable and informative event.

Special thanks to Mandy Bonehill for use of her camera and the use of her photos.

Please feel free to leave comments, your feedback is always valuable to me.

Please feel free to follow and share

Regards

John Hodges
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For more information on any of the topics I've touched on, here is a list of websites and contacts:

Badger protection Groups and information
Blog - Badger Cull A State Sponsored Sadistic Genocide EXPOSED

Blog - #StopTheCull by Mark Plummer
worcsbadger@gmail.com

Gloucestershire against badger shooting

Cheshire Against The Cull

Badger Trust West Midland

Animal Aid UK

League Against Cruel Sports

Emily Lawernce - LACS Regional campaign Manager

Hunt Investigation Team

Three Counties Hunt Saboteurs

Hounds Off

Dog Rescue

DCMT Survivors

Candy Cane Rescue - Greyhound Rescue

Birmingham Greyhound Protection

Blue Cross Animal Shelter

Dog Trust

Battersea Dogs Home

Big Cat Conservation

Tiger Awareness

Claws Out

Born Free Foundation

Veganism

The Vegan Society

Vegan Vybes

SPEAK NEWS - A Voice for the Rights of Animals

Click Here: Vegan Society

Click Here: Wildlife Trusts

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#KillTheCull @WildlifeTrusts @ChrisPackham @BBCWildlife #WeWantWildlife @BBCSpringwatch @SupportBrianMay

'The Great Awakening'

A Journey to Dietary Enlightenment

by Mark Plummer BSc / PGCE

Before late 2015 I had no real idea how nefarious the global processed food industry really is. Sure, I knew a bit about Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO’s), a spectre I’ve been following since the mid-1990’s. Even so, I had no idea as to how the modern food business operates, not so 3 years later. 

Having spent some time researching its machinations and objectives it is not hard to see why food manufacture in the modern age is so steeped in secrecy, double-speak and dis-information. It is also not hard to see why they want to keep it that way too. One thread of how this three book series came together takes me back to my late teens and early twenties. 

Through my university days, I learned about organochlorine or halogenated hydrocarbon compounds. Perhaps the most infamous of these is the compound di-chloro di-phenyl tri-chloro-ethane (DDT) and a family of chemicals called poly-chlorinated bi-phenols (PCB’s). I learned about how they were used as pesticides and in industry respectively. I learned about their temporary success in pest control, but I also learned about their devastating long-term environmental impact. I learned of how insects evolved resistance to the poisons they were coming into contact with. I learned of how insect resistance is what drove the manufacture of ever more organochlorine pesticides. 

To date, many hundreds of these compounds are cycling their way through the planet and its biosphere. These substances may well be chemically unique compounds, but they all have the same broad devastatingly irreversible environmental impacts, irreversibility being one fundamental reason to oppose GMO’s. If the chemical companies really cared about “the environment” such substances would not have been manufactured in anything like the quantity or varieties they have been. The same goes, but for different reasons for glyphosate (trade name Round-Up) and neonicotinoid (the bee-killing) pesticides.

DDT sprayed liberally in the 1950’s and 1960’s

Later in the mid-1990’s I read of GM soya being grown across the pond in the US and Brazil. I also saw how the industry was making inroads into the Far East, particularly in China. At home, here in the UK, I saw the flavr-savr tomato come onto the supermarket shelves and then within months I saw it come off them again! This was 1995-6 when the nascent new labour opposition headed by Tony Blair was successfully duping the country and its people (me included) into thinking it was some sort of alternative to the hated conservative party, headed by the equally loathsome John Major.

Anyway, Good old “bomber” Blair gets elected in 1997 and things were supposed “to get better” were they not? Clearly, they didn’t! For me the rot set in over the academy programme, university tuition fees and the continuation of privatisation along with a general realisation that New Labour was, in essence, the same as the conservatives.  Simultaneously, I was not happy about British involvement in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Kosovo. At the time I was not in the least bit informed about any of this. I was far too busy enjoying myself! I knew there was more to what “I was being told” and I never lost sight of the environmental knowledge I gained at university. Yet, I was losing “the argument” on these and other matters because I just didn’t know the nuts and bolts of what I was talking about. 

A set of circumstances I am pleased to say no longer exist, at least in the areas where I profess to “know my damned onions”.  Yet, it still took Afghanistan and Iraq to really catalyse my thinking and catapult forwards to where I now politically, philosophically and ideologically reside.  

I learned that Monsanto was involved in the production of compounds such as DDT and the other chemicals mentioned above. I learned of equivalent involvement in the production of Agent Orange and later how the British army also used in Malaya. I saw the clear ideological links between what was, and still is, going on in the Middle East and Central Asia and equally criminal imperial ventures such as South East Asia and Chechnya. On the back of Iraq and Afghanistan, I learned of the sordid history of Western and other forms of Imperialism.  Plus, the totality of lies, deceit, hypocrisy and destruction that goes with it all.  I was and still am appalled over the hypocrisy around Colonel Gadhafi’s Libya. For a time that particular dictator got his oil swap Lockerbie points. He also caused through arms sales from the UK (and other countries) untold suffering to people all over Western Africa. The list of crimes wrapped up in all of this and more is as endless as it is well documented, all the reader has to do is look.

From the Horse’s mouth in 2001 – Nothing has changed since then!

The key point of this article is the realisation that the same companies and institutions that were pushing for war in the Middle East, were the same companies who made the types of chemicals mentioned above.  They were also involved (and still are) in the drive to implement GMO’s in agriculture all over the world.  A point outlined with Specific reference to Iraq in chapter 6 of the Introducing GMO's book. 

For instance, here in the UK a company called Rothamsted Research is well embedded with various forms of GM crop, but also has a direct historical connection to developing poisons such as Agent Orange as weapons of war. And it was for reasons such as this that the fundraising job mentioned in chapter eight of the GMO book comes to its forte. 

In 2003 ONE reason for opposing GMO’s in agriculture was realising that a company such as Monsanto, with its sordid history, really ought to have no business in telling the world what is good to eat and what is not. In 2018 nothing has changed! Exactly the same goes for ALL other transnational corporations involved in GMO’s. The "Introducing GMO's" book gives countless additional examples and provides links to plenty more.

The second book in the series concerns the mass production of bread here in the UK. It grew out of an original idea to look at additives and food processing in general. I soon realised that developing an “additives database” was a reinventing the wheel exercise. So I decided to focus on a staple of the British diet, the humble loaf of bread. What I found out in the course of putting that book together should put any rational human being off ever eating mass produced bread of any kind again. 

Bread by definition is made by mixing flour, yeast and water together in the right proportions and then following the instructions for kneading, rising and finally baking into the final loaf. Bread produced through the Chorleywood process is not made in this way. All the reader has to do is look at the ingredients in any supermarket loaf. The how what and why of those ingredients form the bedrock of “The BIG Secret - What Happened To Our Bread?" book. 

On the back of that writing, we have invested in a bread maker. We use a simple Panasonic SD2500 machine, with a recipe book, which right now is baking a 5 seeded granary loaf. It is made from flour, water, butter, yeast, sugar, the seeds and that is all. 

Solely, from a bread perspective, if there is one thing the reader can do right now it would be to invest in a bread maker. For sure there is an initial outlay, which is going to be an issue if you’re on a budget. And finance is another point raised throughout the trilogy, it’s no good banging on about how terrible GMO’s and processed food is and then praising the virtues of whole or organic food if we have millions of people in the population who are barely getting by.  However, our machine cost £100 and we spend on average about £15 per month on ingredients. The health, taste and nutritional benefits more than outweigh those costs. In any case, if you use your machine regularly and follow the recipes it will have paid for itself in about 2-3 months. 

Another point is raised here and is made repeatedly throughout the writing. The ONLY reason people do not buy more fresh wholesome and the locally produced food is down to cost. In turn, the only reason proper food is so much more expensive is structural, i.e. mass produced food is cheaper than non-processed food. 

The trilogy of writing uses examples from the real world to demonstrate this and chapter four in the “food additives” book uses examples from the life of yours truly.  As with plastics and the processed food outlined in the third book, the only real answer is to overhaul how food and agriculture are organised all over the world. In many cases as with single-use plastic packaging and other items, the only REAL answer is to STOP making or producing it, a point raised in chapter 3 of the “Food Additives - The Truth” book.  

This third volume also considers sweeteners in general and aspartame in particular. The same nefarious links mentioned above as regards GMO’s also apply to the most studied and arguably most controversial sweetener on the planet. As for sweeteners themselves, read the book, in fact, you can read that chapter first if you like, when you’re done if you keep ingesting sweeteners there really is nothing else I (or anyone else) can do.

Bread from the bread machine

Prior to 2015, I had no idea as to the depth of knowledge and research there is tied up under the word “nutrition”. I truly believed it was wishy-washy whimsical nonsense and certainly not as important as the global issues I constantly bang on about. Read the books to see what they are! I am pleased to inform the reader that I see how wrong I was. The domain of food and nutrition is just as hard in the science and politics department as the big self-inflicted problems we need to fix if we are to survive on this Earth.

Now in May 2018 I truly do understand what is meant by the term “you are what you eat”. Since 2015 we have made as many individual choices as we can. We have cut out as much processed food as we can and we have almost completely removed meat and fish from our diet. We have taken to using more pulses, beans, nuts and grains in our cooking. We cook from scratch as much as possible too and that is another action the reader can take. Get a cookbook, the best IMO, are the traditional farmhouse type. They have better recipes, better instructions and are more fun to use in the long run. 

The only fly in the ointment here is single-use plastic. We pretty much get everything we buy in glass or metal containers. Another way to significantly reduce your plastic footprint is to stop eating meat and fish. Even so, our much re-used black bin bag becomes filled with various wrappers of grains, pulses, seeds, and other single-use packaging materials. Such is one consequence of living in a food desert!

About a month of single-use plastic in the bin bag!

So here we are then, this is the broad strokes as to where the box set comes from. My hope is that the reader will see the processed food industry and the drivers behind GMO’s for what they truly are. As a construct, it has no interest in promoting healthy eating, sustainable agriculture or nutrition. All it cares about is making cash at all costs, to the detriment of you and yours, everyone else and the planet itself. My hope is the reader will become empowered by knowledge and begin to explore and act upon the issues raised further.

Mark Plummer
Website
Amazon Authors Page

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My Beetroot Harvest Smoothie

September is one of my favourite times of the year. The countryside is filling up with wild fruits and my organic garden is producing wonderful superfoods.

Yesterday evening Pilar and I took a walk in the local countryside, camera in hand and a foraging back in my pocket. Moving very quietly we saw both Muntjac and Roe Deer foraging on the very autumn fruits we had gone out to look for. Unfortunately, the light was fading fast so no worthy photos.

The bramble bushes are just starting to produce big, shiny blackberries. We harvested about a hundred big, ripe fruits as it's very important not to take too many at any one time. The wild animals rely on this annual harvest to fatten up to prepare for the winter. Only take what you immediately need, you can always go collecting another day.

This year I planted beetroot in between my runner bean plants. They've all done really well and I pulled four large beetroots for this smoothie. I also harvested the mint, apple, celery and spinach. it can't get fresher and more organic than this.

This smoothie recipe is sweet, smooth and delicious. It's also a great blood and liver regenerator. (fantastic hangover cure, apparently) Try and drink it fresh to get the best of the live enzymes and micro nutrients. This mix makes four and a half pint of deliciousness from my faithful MagiMix blender.

Give it a go and let me know what you think.

Cheers!

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THE MARKY MARCANO SHOW - Tonight LIVE with Vidda Publishing and Jose Torres

We're all geared up for our first appearance on The Marky Marcano Show, Can't wait to talk to the great Jose Torres.

Call in and win a free copy of my new book. 

The Spanish edition of 'Resolution to be Happy' / 'Proponte Ser Feliz' narrated by Marky Marcano. The English narration has been recorded by the 'Hollywood' voice of Don Hoeksema 

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