Best Alkaline Foods to eat are mostly of plant origin. Every person with cancer has a pH that is too acidic. Less meat & more veges keep alkaline. Be healthy without killing animals for food  https://goo.gl/eGLcHV 

The penultimate installment in Project Frankenstein was a joy to read. It was relatively short and full of stuff that I find interesting. I am dividing this review into three parts:

1. Here is a Snippet from the book:

2. Then there were these Sciency Bits that I enjoyed ruminating upon:

Cloning other adult mammals reinforced the discovery that nuclear transfer can reset genes contained in specialized cells back to their embryonic state.

It meant that the genetic clock could supposedly be turned back if things didn’t go so well the first time!

It is my content that the northern grasslands would have remained viable…had the great herds of Pleistocene animals remained in place to maintain the landscape.

This occurred to me for the first time. Yes, the Ice Ages may have changed the landscape physically but it also caused the extinction of the grazers and caused changes in a roundabout way.

…(tuna) are warm-blooded, which makes them oddities in the fish world but keeps them toasty…

They are what?! Why are you doing this to me world? I was so happy, thinking all fish are cold-blooded but no! I hate nature!

International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)

While The Sixth Extinction left me without hope, this book helped me see that we aren’t all bad eggs. Yes, humans have brought the onset of Anthropocene and change environment wherever they go…

We have harvested so many of these large deer, elk, and sheep over the centuries that many species have evolved smaller body and horn sizes. Similarly, fish have adapted to human harvesting by developing thinner bodies capable of sneaking out of nets.

Yet, organizations like ICCAT are keeping track of the number of bluefin tuna that are being pulled out of water annually. The Integrated Ocean Observing System is tagging elephant seals and other swimmers to gather information about the marine environment. Then there is Ocean Tracking Network that has been busy installing underwater listening stations that will pick up on tagged animals. The list of scientists and researchers trying to collect information goes on and on. There is even an attempt to engage the public and increase awareness via animal Facebook profiles. The point is, it took us decades if not more to wreck things. We will need some time to put them back together and it is a pity if nature doesn’t grant us that respite.

3. And a Franken-Bit that I shook an admonitory finger at:

The manufacturers of AquAdvantage salmon think that by producing only sterile female fish, they can keep them from reproducing or passing along their genes.

Even though the book raises pertinent questions about whether animals can incur psychological damage from being tagged, it doesn’t answer them. To be fair, most of us won’t be able to say no to a drug, if it would save a loved one, even if one or two clauses of animal rights weren’t observed!

Could you?

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Originally published at midureads.wordpress.com on October 23, 2017.

Children will love this version of Christmas story. It tells a story bout a reindeer who didn't want to wear that uncomfortable harness. The deer explains to Santa about her fears and concerns. Santa listens, and the world changes focus. Spending their lives chained or strapped to a harness isn't the way animals were meant to live. Children understand this but are taught that it is the way things are. What if it wasn't how things went anymore ? What if we changed ?
This a lovely short story to read to your children, about giving and loving. It is not just for the Vegan family but for all who love animals and believe we can/should do better. Positive and educational. The illustrations are bright and full of emotion

We made some more strides forward in animal protection.

"The issue confronting the Oregon Supreme Court was limited to whether animals could be considered “victims” for the purposes of sentencing under the animal neglect statute. If so, then the counts against the defendant would not be able to be merged and he could be sentenced for 20 separate convictions."

I’m sitting here after finishing this book asking myself - how is it possible that only one short month ago I was regularly and obliviously munching away on fish and meat without the least idea of what goes into their production and delivery to my table?

    
The way this author approached the topic of eating animals really resonated with me.  It was personal, it was engaging, he conveyed the information and expressed his preferences without making me feel I had to follow suit. 

I love how he began and ended with stories of the cultural and familial importance of food and the stories we tell ourselves about the people who cook them.  As a mother, a large part of my time is spent thinking about food and how to get the best quality nutrients into my family.  Reading this made me reflect upon what kind of values and memories I am creating now as I prepare and serve food for my daughter. 

I am thankful I've already given up eating meat because otherwise I would not have been able to stomach reading the information contained within.  I don’t want to write about any of the horrible and common factory farming and slaughter practices so clearly laid out in this book.  If you are interested or willing to face the true cost of what you are putting into your body and that of your family then read this book. 

Can the choice to stop eating animals make a difference?  This is the question I have been asking myself which he addresses in the final chapter.  Well, at a minimum, my choice will not contribute to the torture and death of one more pig, cow, chicken, turkey or fish simply because my fleeting and fickle appetite demands it.  For now, while I grapple with these questions a while longer, it’s enough. 

Reviewed November 18, 2009