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Thanks to Sarahjane and all her kitchen helpers for making the Fourth Annual Global Vegan Waffle Party on Saturday, May 25 at Fuller Park in Minneapolis a huge success. Each year, the waffle party allows us to begin conversations about where our food comes from and the effects of our food choices. This year, the theme of the event was connection: the connection between veganism and protecting animals and the environment, and the building of connections with other members of our community. Over 100 people participated and we were thrilled to see all the new people interested in learning more about veganism.

Thanks also to LUV NICE CREAM for sampling their new vegan ice cream and donating a percentage of the sales to ARC. The ice cream has no added sugar, and it’s also gluten free and soy free. See photos from the waffle party and vegan ice cream sampling.

Many people asked for the waffle recipe we used so here it is for your waffle enjoyment:

Easy, Basic Waffles

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat/pastry flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups almond milk
1 cup applesauce
2 tbsp canola oil

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the World Laboratory Animal Liberation Week protest at WuXi AppTec on Friday, April 26 from 11:00am to 2:00pm at 2540 Executive Drive in Mendota Heights.

WuXi AppTec has the dubious distinction of being considered the number one “Most Painful” research lab in the country in terms of the percentage of animals who are tested on at this facility without pain relief. The Mendota Heights location’s 2011 USDA Annual Report showed that the company tested on 5,290 rabbits and 23,778 guinea pigs. 20,769 of the guinea pigs and 7 of the rabbits were subjected to testing involving “accompanying pain or distress to the animals” without being given an appropriate anesthetic, pain reliever, or tranquilizer. In just one example, a rabbit was placed in a “rabbit stock” and a rectal probe was inserted into the rabbit, who was then injected with a test material to which the rabbit had a “severe reaction.” The rabbit was found dead the following morning, having experienced a “significant electrolyte imbalance” due to a “sample preparation error.”

With nine facilities in China and six in the U.S., this Chinese company tortures hundreds of thosands of dogs, cats, primates, rabbits, guinea pigs, and other species of animal annually.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Twin Cities version of the World Wide Vegan Bake Sale on Saturday, April 20 at Ethique Nouveau, 317 W. 48th St. in Minneapolis. The sale was a smashing success and we nearly doubled the amount raised for animal advocacy programs from the previous year. Special thanks go to Celeste, Betsy, and Troy for organizing the event and to Pizza Luce for donating several gift certificates as giveaways.

The World Wide Vegan Bake Sale was started in 2009 to raise awareness about the joys of vegan baking. It’s always a delicious and fun way to introduce the public to vegan baked goods and let them know that animal suffering doesn’t have to be part of the recipe. Inspired to learn more about vegan baking? Here’s links to lots of recipes.

Twenty-three years after Carol Adams published “The Sexual Politics of Meat,” a new collection of essays, “Defiant Daughters: 21 Women on Art, Activism, Animals, and the Sexual Politics of Meat” showcases the influence Adams’s book has had on subsequent generations of women. Come hear two of those women read selections from their essays on Monday, March 25 at 6:30 pm at Ethique Nouveau, 317 W 48th St. in south Minneapolis. ARC Program Director Dallas Rising and Kim Socha will lead an evening of powerful ideas, conversation, and a continued discussion of patriarchy and speciesism. Books will be available for signing and purchase. “Defiant Daughters” is also the selection for ARC’s April Book Club meeting on Sunday, April 28, 6:30pm at Common Roots, 2558 Lyndale Ave S in Minneapolis.

We are occasionally asked why the Animal Rights Coalition is a “multi-issue” organization, instead of working solely on improving the lives of farmed animals.

Our mission states that ARC is “dedicated to ending the suffering, abuse, and exploitation of non-human animals through information, education, and advocacy.” One of the most important things about ARC is the consistency of our message and actions. ARC started out as, and has firmly remained, an abolitionist animal rights organization – which means that we challenge the dominant conversation that humans have about our relationships with other species. Most people view other animals as commodities for humans to use and own, and we view other animals as persons who are here for their own reasons and deserving of personal and bodily integrity.

So, while some may consider us a multi-issue organization, the reality is that there is only one issue – animal liberation – and no matter what subject we’re talking about, we’re having essentially the same conversation again and again – emphasizing that animals matter in their own right, outside of what they can provide for humans, and that it is not justifiable for us to exploit or abuse them for any reason.

As one facet of the conversations we have with people, we encourage them to adopt a plant-based (vegan) diet. However, we believe that veganism is about more than what one does and doesn’t eat. Veganism rejects the commodity status of animals, and with animals as commodities in more than just the food production system, we have a moral imperative to protest the use of animals in labs, circuses, the clothing industry, etc.
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Thank you to all of you who made donations to ARC in 2012. If you meant to make a contribution before the end of the year, but time got away from you, no worries. Make your donation to ARC now and feel good about starting the New Year off right!

The start of a new year is often a time for reflection. I was thinking about what makes the Animal Rights Coalition so unique and why the work we do for animals continues to inspire me daily. Here are five things that make me proud to be part of an organization like ARC:

• • We made a significant dent in the culture of violence that is animal research by working to ban pound seizure in Minnesota (signed into law and banned in April 2012!), by exposing Marilyn Carroll’s primate addiction experiments at the U of M, and by bringing unwanted attention to the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science’s national convention with a demonstration attended by over 100 people.

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ARC volunteers Troy, Derek, and Jenna, along with ARC Program Director Dallas Rising traveled to Minnesota State University in Mankato on 11/27 to do Pay Per View outreach. They had 68 powerful conversations about animal liberation and plant-based eating in one day – a great success!

Our Pay Per View program offers people one dollar to view a short video on practices in the animal agriculture industry, which includes footage taken in slaughterhouses and on farms. Then our trained volunteers have debrief conversations with viewers and provide them with info about how changing their eating habits can make a huge difference for animals, the earth, and themselves.

Join us in protesting Ribnick Fur and Leather, 224 N 1st Street in Minneapolis, on Fur Free Friday, November 23 from 11am to 1pm. If you agree that the fur industry is cruel and unnecessary, we want you there!

New this year will be anti-fur caroling, with a short, on-the-street rehearsal for those who want to sing during the event. Lyrics will be provided on site, so come ready to sing. You can make a personalized sign if you’d like, but we’ll also have signs and literature available, so feel free to just show up.

If you’re still wearing fur coats and fur-lined hats and gloves, did you know that through our Cuddle Coats program those fashion faux pas can be donated to ARC for a tax deduction? Donated furs offer comfort to orphaned, injured, and abused wild animals and aid them in their recovery at our 14 partner wildlife rehabilitation organizations.

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Over 150 people attended the 19th Annual Healthy Harvest Turkey-free Thanksgiving Potluck and Silent Auction sponsored by ARC, EarthSave Twin Cities, and the Alliance for Sustainability on Sunday, November 18 at Lake Harriet United Methodist Church in Minneapolis. The buffet tables were overflowing with delicious, cruelty-free dishes and we almost ran out of tables. We were thrilled to see so many new faces! For other Thanksgiving events you may be attending, check out Episode 2, the Thanksgiving episode of Rhymes With Vegan for recipe ideas.