Fois Gras

The foie gras controversy has been on the plate of local activists around San Diego this month. Foie gras literally means fat liver, and is the process of tube-force feeding a duck or goose corn boiled in fat several times a day until its liver becomes engorged. In some countries this is considered a delicacy due to its rich flavor. According to an independent research report prepared for the Sullivan County foie gras Producers, the United States is one of the top consumers and producers of this contestable main course.

Foie gras has been outlawed in 14 countries including Italy, Norway, Germany, and Poland and according to the New York Times, foie gras will be banned in California beginning July of 2012. The ban will impose fines of up to $1,000 per day to violators. This ban will be the first in the nation that criminalizes the sale of foie gras, and some hope this will snowball into a nation wide ban.

Local restaurants that are still serving foie gras have been subject to an array of different groups of animal rights protestors outside their businesses, such as the most recent protest outside Bertrand at Mister A's in San Diego. Participants held signs with graphic images of the force feeding process for patrons to view.

Some argue that foie gras is a natural process of migratory birds who gorge themselves before making the long trek and often enlarger their liver to twice its natural size however the delicacy that is sought after requires the liver to be enlarged six to ten times its regular size. These birds are being force fed more than they would ever eat in nature or domestically on their own. The food being force fed is so high in fat that it slows and sometimes completely stops digestion; another thing that would never happen naturally or domestically.

There is a great environmental impact of producing foie gras too. These birds are being fed over two pounds of genetically modified corn per day, and with the United States producing about 500,000 foie gras ducks and geese per year, this amounts to 1,000,000 pounds of grain per year. That growth takes a lot of water, and when dealing with genetically modified corn, run off is also a considerably serious environmental impact.

With the Centers of Disease Control reporting that about 34 percent of people in the United States are considered obese, foods like foie gras really have no need to be served. Eating the sickly organ can cost upwards of $100 and with the United States Census reporting that the nation wide annual income level has fallen, we could gladly bid adieu to this unhealthy and over priced commodity.

Pancreatic Cancer

It has been a rough few months for me. I have held a very close relationship with my Nana (as I called her) all of my life. I stay the weekend at her house at least once a month, and she even comes down to San Diego to visit me occasionally. I don't know much else for family since my Papa passed away about five years ago. My Nana got sick and went down hill rapidly. She was diagnosed with COPD which is basically a lung problem that many smokers get, yet my Nana never smoked a day in her life, however she was a rock hunter, and a jewelry maker, so she was often around toxic dusts that have shown the test of time on her lungs. She was also diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. This silent disease is curt and unkind. It was a matter of a few months that my Nana needed oxygen and was unable to leave the house to when she took her last breathe. She will always live on in my heart and missing her is something that will take me a while to get used to, especially with the holiday season coming up. I donated some of my inheritance to Pancreatic Cancer research since it is one of the most underfunded cancer research projects. Pancreatic cancer claims the lives of an estimated 44,030 people in 2011 according to SEER Stat Fact Sheet. 75% of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer do not live past the one year mark. That is an astonishing number and honestly, I blame lack of money. Breast cancer used to claim many more lives then it does now, now we have treatment options and prevention methods and early detection methods. There is not one single early detection method for pancreatic cancer. The past ten years we have learned a lot about a lot of different types of cancer, but it is time pancreatic cancer gets a little spot light, and a little funding. If you are interested in learning more, or making a donation in honor of my Nana (or someone else you know effected by pancreatic cancer) please visit the Lustgarten Foundation. I researched the different funds for pancreatic cancer, and the Lustgarten Foundation is the most reputable and beneficial since 100% of the donations they collect goes directly to the cause.

I will always miss and love you Nana. I will always carry part of you with me, where ever I go."I love you, a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck."
Virginia Livingston 9/12/1934-10/16/2011

A sad day for The Cove

Warning: These videos are graphic, viewer discretion is advised. 

Whale slaughter

First dolphin slaughter of the 2011/2012 season

Simply put, my heart aches for the pain these poor creatures have to go through. Awareness must continue to be raised. Since you (my readers) and I are aware, it is our duty to end this. I will be posting throughout yet another year of this injustice. Please refer back here for any information and make sure to follow Save Japan Dolphins Blog for information straight from the ghastly site in Taiji, Japan.

Fighting for our Oceans...

September 1st was International Save Japan Dolphins Day. Congrats to everyone who participated from those of you on the shores of Taiji to those of you who wore your memorabilia and spread the word locally. Everything counts. Let's keep our fingers crossed that this year the cove will not bleed red with the blood of our friends. So far there has not been a lot of action going on in the cove, so lets hope it stays like this throughout the slaughter season.


California Coastal Clean up Day is approaching fast! September 17th, 2011 from 9am to noon, volunteers from around California will be cleaning up thousands of pounds of trash from our water shed systems. Last year alone in San Diego, 8,800 volunteers came together and removed 200,000 pounds of trash and recyclables from over 165 miles of shorelines. It makes a difference. This huge event is once a year (although other clean up days are bimonthly if your interested). Not only is CCD (Coastal Clean Up Day) a fun and rewarding event, but it also reminds other people who see us volunteers that every little piece of trash makes a difference. If you are interested in volunteering please refer HERE. I hope to see you all there!

8/13/2011 Coastal Clean up

Did you know that more than 80% of marine debris starts on land? Today, two people in the time span of an hour and 20 minutes, were able to collect over 42 pounds of trash from Carlsbad Tamarack Beach. Most of you who are native to North San Diego often think of Carlsbad as being one of the nicer, well kept of our beaches, and yet it took no matter of time at all to collect that much trash. The number one item picked up was cigarettes; in which we collected over 300! Clothes, blankets, flip flops, bottles, straws, forks, spoons, Styrofoam, paper, plastic, rubber, cans were among the plethora of items we found. It takes a matter of an extra few seconds and a tiny shred of dignity to simply leave nothing but your foot prints when you go to the beach, yet why do so many people find it incomprehensible to take what they bring. Trash cans line our beaches, there is no excuse. Do your part. Those of you smokers looking for a way to carry those used cigarettes? Try pocket ashtrays to carry in your pocket or purse to eliminate waste entirely.

My personal favorites...

I get a lot of questions about what my favorites are so here it is. Please feel free to let me know if you have been inspired to explore one of my favorites and have found it just as enjoyable as I have.

Movie: "The Cove" not only because I got the honor of interviewing the co-found of the Oceanic Preservation Society, but because of the fact that it is the only movie that has brought tears to my eyes and at the same time made me feel so empowered that I wanted to hop on a ship to stop these fisherman myself.


Song: Michael Jackson's "They Don't Really Care About Us" for so many reasons. It is just the right amount of realism without being to sugar coated in optimism or too doused in pessimism. This man is an inspiration to me and many more across the world and his innocence and strength is missed.

Book: This is a really hard one for me because I am a bit of a book nerd but for the moment I have picked my top book, although please excuse the fact that it is very tentative. "The Whale Warriors" by Peter Heller is a captivating text about Peter's exploration on an Eco-pirate ship to stop the slaughter of whales and other sea life. This book also plays into my fantasy of living on a ship for a years length conquering the world with direct activism.

Food: Avocado because it is amazing just plain with a spoon and a little salt. I could live off these delectable morsels.


Animal: Either a whale or a cat. I can't decide. A cat represents independence, grace, beauty, and many cultures even worshiped cats to the extent of preserving them after death. Whales are so majestic to me, living in a place that we as humans know little about, and so in control of there own life that they can decide if it is time to take another breathe of air.

Place to Visit: This is an easy one for me. I dream of visiting Egypt however I have not had the chance to yet, so until then Haiti is the most wonderful place I have ever visited. It is so beautifully rural and enchanting is the best word I can think of to describe it.

Theme Park: Six Flags Magic Mountain. The rides are thrilling and I am beyond proud when I go on them because they horrify and excite me at the same time.

Person you look up to: Bill Maher because he ventures to say what people are thinking but are too afraid to actually say.

Got any more good idea's?

Happy World Ocean's Day

Happy World Ocean's Day! Officially started in Canada and than identified by the United Nations, this wonderful holiday is one of awareness and conservation, with a dash of honor to the worlds most crucial resource. Our oceans face difficult obstacles everyday from pollution to human's over consumption of fish. This year's theme is, Our Oceans: Greeting the Future.

What a better way to greet the future than to take a step in the right direction of conservation. Last week a bill cleared the senate that would prohibit food and other vendors from using Styrofoam products by 2014.  It passed by a 21-15 vote. Styrofoam is an abundant product for consumers and is nearly indestructible, making it the second most common type of beach debris in California, according to the Southern California Coastal Water Quality Research Project.  


"The superior man seeks what is right; the inferior one, what is profitable." — Confucius