This week we’re tackling questions from our listeners, including a WIDE range of topics, everything from what form of government/economy should replace capitalism, down to the good ‘ol traditional friction with family over veganism.

In This Episode

We asked you to ask and you did and now we’re answering! Thank you as always to everyone who submitted questions, they were very thoughtful and nuanced, as always.

Condensed versions below, full versions read on air.

Questions

* Mohera (she/her): What kind of government should we have instead of one based on capitalism?

* Anonymous (she/her): I’m a vegetarian who has committed to Veganuary – what do I do about eating while traveling?

* Nina (she/her): I got into a bad argument with my sister over my veganism and now we’re not talking. My mom is pressuring me to let it go but I can’t reconcile her lack of respect for my values – what should I do?

* Kirstie (she/her): How do you feel about service animals?

Remember to Donate!

To Food Empowerment Project! All donations made through the end of the year are matched dollar for dollar, and they have a $50,000 goal they need your help to reach. We fully support this organization, from the work they do to how they treat their employees. Please please please give them whatever you can spare if you are able <3

News

* Yelp Adds “Liked by Vegans” Review Filter (VegNews)

* Vegan JUST Egg To Launch In China In 2019 (VegNews)

Nichole will do show notes later, she’s extremely sick. In the meantime, we’re discussing the article, How Capitalism Binds You to Your Own Exploitation. Enjoy!

After mentioning bad holiday romance movies a couple weeks ago, Nichole and Callie are back to do quick ranty recaps of the two worst ones. We watched them so you don’t have to! Be prepared for us laughing so hard we can’t breathe as we recall improbable plotlines and terrible acting.

In This Episode

News

* 128 Million Tons of Milk Dumped Globally Every Year | VegNews

* Dallas police officer who shot man in his own apartment indicted on murder charge | CNN

Joke

What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Thanks, Ally!

Main Topic

The two movies we’re ranty recapping this week are both Canadian treasures available on Netflix: Christmas with a View and Christmas Wedding Planner. Don’t worry if you haven’t seen either (and we recommend you don’t!), our recaps will tell you everything you need to know about these nonsensical disasters. A light-hearted episode with a LOT of laughter as we continue to be a relaxed holiday mood.

Christmas with a View Summary

Vivica A. Fox yells at her daughter, who seems fine. A celebrity chef comes to daughter’s ski resort with a “dark secret” that’s not even a little bit dark or secret. Daughter character flips the fuck out whenever chef-y boy tries to explain his total rational reactions to things. There’s a drunken heist and a city planner who is not at all boring, named Clive. Also an evil boss and an incredibly insensitively-timed engagement announcement.

Best quote: “Looks like Santa is flying past both our houses this Christmas.” Sick burn, dude.

Christmas Wedding Planner Summary

A woman starts a wedding planning business, and takes on her extraordinarily rich and high-profile cousin/sister/best-friend as a first client. An ex-boyfriend shows up to investigate the counsin/sister/best-friend’s fiance. There’s an evil, cold-hearted aunt/mother who is suddenly fine and not evil. The wedding planner and private investigator eat dinner once and hang out in a van. The last ten minutes of this otherwise boring movie are completely out of control and absolutely outrageous.

Best quote: “Emily Emily Emily.”

We are FINALLY interviewing our friend and esteemed vegan author, Mark Hawthorne, about the 10th anniversary edition of his groundbreaking book, Striking at the Roots! Throughout the course of the conversation, we talk about activism, what changes he’s seen in the last ten years in the movement, what to do about hero worship, and much more!

In This Episode

News

* 65% of Global Consumers are Making Seismic Shift to Plant-based Foods | VegNews

* The Ignored Legacy of George H.W. Bush: War Crimes, Racism, and Obstruction of Justice | The Intercept

* Students Who Survived Parkland Shooting Receive International Peace Prize | Huffington Post

Joke

How do you find Will Smith in the snow? Thanks, Rebecca!

Main Topic

We are so thrilled and proud to be talking to Mark Hawthorne today, author of multiple important vegan books (A Vegan Ethic: Embracing a Life of Compassion Toward All, Bleeding Hearts: The Hidden World of Suffering), about the release of the 10th Anniversary Edition of his groundbreaking novel, Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism.

Mark tells us what’s new in the new edition, how he made decisions of what content to keep and what to add, what he’s seen change in activism over the last ten years, and much more! Also, we talk about holiday romcoms.

Contributor Bio

Mark Hawthorne is the author of three books on animal rights: A Vegan Ethic: Embracing A Life Of Compassion Toward All, Bleating Hearts: The Hidden World of Animal Suffering, and Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism, which empowers people around the world to get active for animals.

He stopped eating meat after an encounter with one of India’s many cows in 1992 and became an ethical vegan a decade later.

Mark’s writing on behalf of animals has also appeared in such vegan magazines as Satya, VegNews, Laika, and The Vegan, and you’ll find his work featured in Vegan’s Daily Companion and in the anthologies Uncaged: Top Activists Share Their Wisdom on Effective Farm Animal Advocacy, Turning Points in Compassion: Personal Journeys of Animal Advocates, and Stories to Live By: Wisdom to Help You Make the Most of Every Day.

Follow Mark: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website

Continuing our surprising positive streak, we have a lil whiskey and dish about the little things in life that bring us joy and help fight back the existential dread that we’re all living under.

In This Episode

News

* Customers Line Up On Black Friday to Buy Gifts for Refugees From Special Pop-Up Store (Good News Network)

* Baby Saved From Burning Building With Bystander’s Perfect Catch (Huffington Post)

* Federal judge strikes down Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban (Vice)

* Brave New Voices (Finals) – “Rape Joke” by Los Angeles Team (YouTube)

* How HBO Is Changing Sex Scenes Forever (Rolling Stone)

Joke in the Middle

How does vegan Spanish cheese introduce itself? (Thanks, Kim!)

Main Topic

Our favorite silly things:

Buy Nothing Project

Sunday Scaries

Terraforming Mars

Memrise language app

Fine point pens (Pilot & Pentel EnerGel needle tip)

Adobe & Articulate

Instagram accounts: PMS, You’re Welcome Club, Tiny Chef Show

Holiday romcoms

Roku

Tik Tok app

White Christmas lights

First sip of coffee

And…Silly Things by Wild Child!

Taking a break from our usual hate-watching, we’re talking about media we are enjoy-watching today! Media that is pushing a liberal agenda, breaking down the walls of privilege, and showing non-traditional relationships.

In This Episode

This week we have a long-ass news segment that includes Nichole’s thoughts from her recent jury duty experience; and then we delve into the media that we’ve been consuming that we feel is doing things right: The Connors bring shade to the memory of Roseanne’s bigotry, Wicked and Supergirl spreading awareness of privilege and activism, and our ultimate favorite, Elementary, that takes a deep look at the importance of community, personal accountability, and the bonds of friendship.

SPOILER ALERT!!!! for New Girl and Friends endings ;P

Joke in the Middle

Is Dorothy a good actress?

Links and Information

News

* Officer shoots, kills armed security guard outside south suburban bar (WGNTV)

* Police Suggest Security Guard Jemel Roberson Was To Blame For His Own Death (Huffington Post)

* Apparently, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Doesn’t Look Poor Enough for Republicans (The Root)

* City officials poured bleach on food meant for people who are homeless, rather than let community members serve food without a permit (Facebook)

* ‘Monopoly for Millennials’ reminds players that ‘adulting is hard’ (USA Today)

* What Anonymous Cops Are Saying Online About the Eric Garner Grand Jury (Vice)

It’s all news this week as we talk about the mass shooting in Thousand Oaks, CA, Ivanka Trump patenting voting machines in China, and the 2018 midterm election results.

In This Episode

After seeing all the chatter online about the 2018 midterm election results (some of which are still in question), we decided to dedicate an episode to talking about what really happened, how we feel about it, and what this means for 2020.

Content warning: mass shooting, politics

News

* California shooting: Ian David Long identified as mass shooter at Thousand Oaks bar (Independent)

* 12 people killed, including sheriff’s deputy, in ‘horrific’ California bar shooting (Washington Post)

* A California gun law might have stopped the bar massacre. Why wasn’t it used? (The Guardian)

Joke in the Middle

* Ivanka Trump Set To Gain 16 New Trademarks In China, Including For Voting Machines (Huffpost) ;)

Election Results Discussion

Outline

Results

– House vs Senate

– Florida, Georgia

– Prop 12

– Progressive wins

– Key issues, stats

Address Myths/Frustrations around Voting

– Shaming those who didn’t vote

– Access

– Time/work

– Knowledge

– Saying it “takes 10 minutes”

– Mail-in/early ballots

Future

– 2020 election – Dem picks

– How leaders and politicians can push the progressive agenda forward

Voter Turnout

An estimated 113 million people participated in the 2018 midterm elections, making this the first midterm in history to exceed over 100 million votes, with 49 percent of eligible voters participating in the election.

“In the last three decades, we’ve had about 40 percent of those eligible to vote participating in midterm elections. If we get in the upper end of that range, if we can beat the 1966 49-percent turnout rate, you’d have to go all the way back to 1914 to get a turnout rate above 50 percent,” McDonald said last week.

From https://www.cbsnews.com/news/record-voter-turnout-in-2018-midterm-elections/

Exit polls show Trump is a major factor in voters’ decisions

Early exit poll results suggest that President Donald Trump was a factor that significantly affected voting for the House of Representatives in the 2018 midterm elections. Nearly two-thirds of those voters said President Trump was a factor. One-quarter of those casting a House ballot said they did so in part to support him. Four in ten said they cast a vote to oppose him. Only one-third said he played no role in their voting.

From https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/2018-midterm-elections-results-polls-us-races-live-updates-today-2018-11-06/

Voting Results

Democrats gained a net 27 seats in the House of Representatives, gaining control of the chamber, while Republicans expanded their majority by gaining a net two seats in the S...

An episode so random, we didn’t even know it was our 200th! So, whoo for us. We talk about the Trump administration, voting, and then some things that came up in the VWPA Society – namely, guidelines for talking about autism, calling cow’s milk a “secretion,” and lab-grown meat and obligatory carnivore companion animals.

News

* New Finnish Project to Turn Animal Feed into Meat and Dairy Alternatives (VegNews) (Al Jazeera)

* The US is sending 5,000 troops to the border. Here’s what they can and can’t do. (Vox)

* US midterms: How widespread is voter suppression?

* ‘Transgender’ Could Be Defined Out of Existence Under Trump Administration (NY Times)

* All the ways the Trump administration has rolled back protections for transgender people (CNN)

In This Episode

We’re back from a weekend trip to Tijuana to talk about rando topics that came up in the VWPA Society and voting in the (today’s!) midterm elections.

Joke in the Middle

What do ghosts eat on Halloween? (Thanks Ozzie!)

Voting Resources

* Vote.org – check your registration, find a polling place, see what’s on your local ballot, and more!

* Our Revolution – Bernie Sanders Movement’s website to help citizens support progressive politicians.

Posts Referenced

* Tips for Talking about Autism

* Cow’s Milk as “Secretions”

* Obligatory Carnivores and Lab Meat

This week we talk about Ferdinand, the adorable animated film by Blue Sky Studios that is based on the children’s book The Story of Ferdinand.

In This Episode

Don’t be a BULLy, be yourself! We dissect Ferdinand, the sweet story of a bull who doesn’t want to fight. We were impressed by the way the film seeks to dismantle toxic masculinity messages that children receive from the world and, sadly, often their parents. A heartwarming film with a great message.

Related Articles

* The mediocre Ferdinand mostly fails to bring a beloved kid-lit bestseller to life (AV Club)

* Ferdinand (2017) REVIEW – A Load Of Bull? (Cultured Vultures)

Mentioned in the Middle

* Midwest March for Animals (Facebook)

Joke in the Middle

What do you call a sleeping cow? Why are bulls afraid of archery?

Links and Information

News

* China’s plan to cut meat consumption by 50% cheered by climate campaigners (The Guardian)

* Yet Another #MeToo Stumble for the Animal Rights Movements (Nonprofit Chronicles)

* Get Off My Lawn: Trump Proposal Could Squelch Protests in D.C. (Bloomberg)

* Terrifying climate change warning: 12 years until we’re doomed (NY Post)

This week, we’re posting the recording of our live episode from Chicago VeganMania. Enjoy!

In This Episode

For our live episode from Chicago VeganMania on October 13th, we were teamed up with our beloved Bearded Vegans to tackle vegan holiday-related questions, and then field questions from the crowd. Among the many topics covered:

* How do I deal with burnout and feeling isolated?

* Are avocados vegan?!

* How do we moderate call out culture to create more community building?

* How do I handle relatives who insist on talking about hunting and animal consumption to “tease” me?

…and more!