Discovering the True Legacy of the Pyramids:
July 27, 2010
New Technology and a Renewed Hope
To this day, pyramids remain one of the greatest unexplained mysteries of the world. Since early civilization we have marveled at them, but why we are so drawn to them exactly, we do not know. The Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the oldest member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, as well as the only one still standing [Winston]. The Egyptian pyramids have baffled scientists for years; many theories have been projected about how they were constructed. Not only are these compositions massive, the amount of detail integrated in their creation is beyond profound. Their engineering becomes even more mind boggling when you take into consideration facts such as that the wheel had not yet been invented in Egypt. Some of the stones in the Great Pyramid are so massively heavy, that there is no modern crane today able to move them [Orcutt]. Could it be that when it was built, there was some greater awareness of their true essence? New scientific research suggests that pyramids have the ability to benefit mankind; the capability revolutionize agriculture, clean energy, and medicine. A new energy source has been found, and with the use of its conductor, the pyramid, our world can thrive in ways we could have never imagined. This discovery necessitates the attention of world governments, scientific institutions, and the public alike.
The pyramids are a gift from our ancestors. Although Egypt is home to the biggest pyramid, these marvelous structures can be found all over the world. They have been discovered in Mexico, Peru, New Zealand, China, India, Italy, Spain, France, Sudan, Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The remains of the ancient Bosnian and Herzegovinian pyramids were only identified as recently as 2006 [Khan]. But the question remains: why put forth such an incredible amount of effort to build these gigantic creations all over the world; what purpose did they serve? That is precisely what researchers all over the globe are trying to find out— and they are succeeding. Essentially, scientists have discovered that pyramids are not simply tombs, in fact, no remains of pharaohs have ever been found in any of the pyramids of Giza [Free 100]. Nor are they just aesthetically pleasing tourist attraction, but that they are in fact a functioning technology. That technology uses a force called “torsion fields [Wilcock].” These structures of the past may in fact be the key to our future.
Until recently, the concept that pyramids are anything but monumental tombs was considered pseudoscientific. These theories have begun to gain more credibility. Actually, when presented with all the facts, it becomes very difficult to dispute the idea that there is more than meets the eye.
Theories involving numerology suggest that the measurements of the Great Pyramid at Giza, and the passages contained inside, hold esoteric significance. Even Sir Isaac Newton studied the measurements, which he discussed in this work, “A Dissertation upon the Sacred Cubit of the Jews and the Cubits of several Nations: in which, from the Dimensions of the Greatest Pyramid, as taken by Mr. John Greaves, the ancient Cubit of Memphis is determined.” It was not until Newton obtained correct measurements of the pyramid, and understood the principle of the cubit, that he could complete his Theory of Gravitation [“Great Pyramid of Giza Research Association”]. It is a well-known fact that astronomy was used in the placement and construction of the Egyptian pyramids. The Mesoamerican pyramids were used for religious rituals by the Aztecs and Mayans [Moore]. For the most part, this is common knowledge.
Still, the pyramids that speckle our world are a great mystery. So when Soviet Union fell, there was an abundance of brilliant scientists who, no longer researching weaponry, had little to do. Due to the fact that many of them already had a background of knowledge on torsion wave technology, they decided they wanted to study pyramids [Free 357]. Their research has shed light on the so called “pseudoscience” that Pyramidologists spend their whole careers defending, and to the surprise of many, the Russians have given these theories credibility. They have opened the door to a new and greater understanding of this mysterious architecture, and have gotten the wheels rolling on what could be an energetic revolution.
A group of scientists from the Russian National Academy of Sciences set out to uncover what exactly pyramids are capable of. The results of their research thus far are astonishing. Since 1989, Alexander Golod has built 17 pyramids in Russia, and has lead a group of Russian and Ukrainian scientists in researching their effects [DeSalvo 117, 118]. The pyramids are made from fiberglass; they contain absolutely no metal, as predetermined by Golod due to its conductivity. Also, they are hollow inside (DeSalvo 125), and are more steeply sloping than the Great Pyramid, built at an acute 73 degree angle. The Great Pyramid was built on a 52 degree angle. Golod constructed the pyramids at this angle due to calculations he made using a mathematical principle called the Golden Section, or the Golden Ratio [DeSalvo 120]. The most recently built of Golod’s pyramids is being referred to as the New World Wonder. This 144 foot high structure was completed in 1999 [DeSalvo 119]. The 55 tons of fiberglass has attracted millions of visitors, from famous actors to cosmonauts to presidents [DeSalvo 121]. But of course, Golod’s Pyramids were not built as mere tourist attractions.
Along with his team of researchers from the Russian National Academy of Sciences, which includes the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Graphite Scientific Research Institute, and the Institute of Physics in Ukraine, Alexander Golod has conducted studies which have thus far have produced positively exciting results.
When asked why he continues to build and study these pyramids, Golod responds, “I have children. I have a grandson. I do it for them. These pyramids are an instrument to make the world a better place to live and benefit mankind” [DeSalvo 120]. The phenomena that have been recorded in using what is commonly referred to as “pyramid power” are undeniably some of the most groundbreaking that we, as a global society, have ever found. Pyramids are no longer just about the past; they are the future.
Pyramids have exhibited their incredible ability to conduct energy in affecting many different kinds of material. It can directly affect biological and non-biological material. Placing agricultural seeds inside one of Golod’s pyramids for one to five days resulted in 30-100% increase in yield, and plants grew one and half to three times faster than controls, and were hardier (less sensitive to drought-like environments). Organisms exposed to the pyramid showed an increased immune system, and bacteria and viruses had decreased pathogenically in strength. Certain medicines increased in potency, while at the same time their negative side effects decreased [Pyramids (Golden Section) Research in Russia].
The implications of the medical experimentation that has been conducted on mice are enormous. These studies suggest that unlocking the secrets of the pyramid may bring advancements in treating medical conditions, by utilizing and combining this energy with the body’s own natural mechanisms [DeSalvo 135].
Dr. Yegorova at the Mechnikov Vaccine Research Institute injected mice with a deadly bacterium called S.typhimurium. A control group was injected and left out of the pyramid, while the other was placed in a pyramid and observed. All the mice in the control group died within 25 days, but the survival rate of the group place inside the pyramid was approximately 40%. Another study used two groups of mice injected with carcinogens. One group was given water that was placed in the pyramid, while the control group was offered regular water. Lumps ands swellings were four times greater in the control group which drank regular water [DeSalvo 137].
Compelling evidence of pyramids’ capabilities is shown through the experiments conducted by Professor Klimento and Dr. Nosik of the Ivanovskii Institute of Virology, who studied the strength of immunoglobulins after being placed in the pyramids for several days. Venuglobulin, a type of immunoglobulin, is a molecule that fights viruses in the body. They used this venuglobulin to treat a specific virus called encephalomyocarditis, which had infected a mouse. A control was also used. This imunoglobulin mixture that was stored in the pyramid was shown to inhibit the virus over three times more [DeSalvo 136]. Further research in the medical arena, with results that are as well defined and measurable as those described above could to lead to nothing of a total revolution in the world’s healthcare systems.
However, pyramid technology is not only beneficial to our own health, but it is also a tool for improving the health of our planet as well. For the past forty years, the world has been going through an energy crisis. We continue depleting our non-renewable resources, and pay the price for it. Not just the price at the gas station— we have also damaged our environment. Greenhouse gasses have deteriorated the ozone layer and contributed to global warming. Solutions on how to fix these issues are plentiful. Unfortunately, often times though one solution may be applicable for one issue, it may worsen the next issue. Greater oil resources mean more greenhouse gasses, and more greenhouse gasses means a growing hole in the ozone layer. There is one solution, however, that can benefit every aspect. You guessed it: pyramids.
When Golod installed a complex of pyramids on an oil field in Bashkiriya, Russia [DeSalvo 125], what he found was that within a few days the oil wells produced oil that was 30% less viscous (meaning it flowed more easily), and therefore increased yield of the same percentage. The structure of the oil actually began to change, enhancing its quality; Moscow Academy of Oil and Gas has confirmed this [Pyramids (Golden Section) Research in Russia]. Fossil fuels still take millions of years to form, but integrating pyramids into the production of the oil that remains will increase efficiency. However, as great as this capability is, even greater is the fact that with “pyramid power,” the need for dirty oil will diminish. At a time when wars are being waged over oil drilling rights, gas prices remain painfully high, and there is outrage over the enormous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the need for a clean, renewable energy source is in dire need. Pyramids, astonishingly, have the capacity to not only offer this energy, but also to repair the damage of the fuel we have relied on for so long.
Indeed, the same structure which has the ability to increase production in oil can also revert the ill effects of the substance. It has been hypothesized that the energy field that radiates from Golod’s largest pyramid is actually mending the ozone layer of that local area in Russia [Pyramids (Golden Section) Research in Russia]. This energy column ascends above the pyramid and can be detected by military radar equipment. This energy has been estimated to be 500 meters in width, and 2000 meters in height [DeSalvo 139]. Golod and his team determined that the scale of this energy was so great, that if it was being produced electromagnetically, it would match the energy of all the power plants in Russia combined. Merely two months after the pyramid was complete, the ozone layer over that part of Russia had somehow repaired itself [Pyramids (Golden Section) Research in Russia]. The scientists studying Golod’s pyramids believe that this radar-detectable energy is responsible for the reparation; this energy, they say, is a torsion field [Wilcock].
If torsion wave energy could be harnessed, the need to deplete the world’s remaining oil, dirty the air with coal, or use any of the harmful substances we use to fuel our modern day world, will no longer exist. We will have conquered the energy crisis, and with this new energy abounds new and exciting possibilities for technology and every day life. Torsion fields are the source, and pyramids are the tool we need to harness it.
One might wonder, why is it that the specific pyramid shape has the ability to create, and/or channel this energy that scientists are calling torsion fields? As of yet, it is unknown. There is one possibility, which involves a concept called “sacred geometry.” Despite the name, it has a substantial scientific foundation, as geometry is found in the most basic life functions and forms. “Sacred geometry involves sacred universal patterns used in the design of everything in our reality, most often seen in sacred architecture and sacred art. The basic belief is that geometry and mathematical ratios, harmonics and proportion are also found in music, light, cosmology. This value system is seen as widespread even in prehistory, a cultural universal of the human condition [Crystal].”
The term torsion field was first introduced by a distinguished French mathematician in 1993. This mathematician, Élie Cartan, proposed a hypothetical field generated by rotation [Megre 6]. It is difficult to define, as it is a brand new conception of energy. It can be likened to what it must have been like to conceptualize gravity after Sir Isaac Newton first discovered gravity. Unlike gravity, though, the idea that the physical universe was birthed from a spinning void, a torsion field, is one of the oldest notions of any culture in world.
Modern science has recognized dark energy, but the concept of the spiraling torsion field inside of dark energy is a relatively unexplored avenue currently. Consequently, the definition of what a torsion field truly is, is lacking. In the footnotes of his book The Ringing Cedars of Russia, Vladimir Megre presents one simplified definition: “If matter can be thought of as ‘frozen energy,’ then energy can be equated to ‘frozen torsion fields [Megre 6].’” Wynn Free also offers a more in depth, although still elementary, explanation of torsion waves, attesting to David Wilcock’s research on the subject:
“. . .[R]esearchers across the globe are discovering a new source of energy, different from any known electromagnetic, gravitational, or atomic forces, which travels in a spiraling, wavelike pattern… The word torsion essentially has the same mean as words like “spiralling” or “twisting”… Everyone who discovers this energy tends to come up with a new name for it, and New Agers often simply call it “spiritual energy…” [There is] some form of energy that exists in apparently “empty space.”
…Those in the alternative science community have brought back the ancient Greek term “aether” for this hidden, non-physical energy source… Modern scientists acknowledge its existence by calling it such things as the “quantum medium” or “dark energy,” but they are unaware of… the full nature of its behavior. Suffice it to say that in our new model, all of physical matter is “breathing.” In each moment, atoms are inhaling “clean” aetheric energy and exhaling energy that has been temporarily devitalized.
This is what allows atoms to continue to act as “perpetual motion” machines, maintaining their structure despite all their internal activity… (Please understand that we are being very friendly to the lay reader by not bringing in complicated physics discussion to prove these points, though we certainly could.) This information also suggests that atoms behave similarly to what we call living organisms, thus hinting that life is the rule, not the exception, of the laws of the universe.
So again, when we talk about torsion waves, we are simply talking about something that creates “waves” in the aether, similar to waves on the surface of a lake. Now obviously you can’t remove a wave from a lake and have anything left to study—the wave only exists as a movement, a pressure current, in the water. Similarly, torsion waves are simply pressure currents moving through the “sea” of aether energy that is all around us. Eventually, if a whirlpool or a vortex is created in the aether with sufficient rotational speed, physical matter will emerge, initially as visible light (electromagnetic energy). This is how the physical universe appears to have been created [Free 350, 351, 352].”
There are four steps to harvesting the plentiful benefits of torsion wave energy through pyramids. We must obtain a better understanding of torsion fields and how they work. We must begin to delve deeper into the science of sacred geometry, and find the key to the pyramidical shape. And, we must continue to experiment with the two in combination. What is the final step? Education. The world needs to become aware of the effects of this conduction.
Currently, Russia is leading the way in developing this technology, and it is the responsibility of the rest of the world to investigate it as well. The significance of the discovery of torsion fields outweighs most of the biggest scientific breakthroughs ever made. It deserves our attention. With this amazing legacy left to us by our ancestors in Egypt and all across the world, we have the ability to better the world for ourselves and future generations.
When You’re In Love, Everything’s Peachy
February 28, 2010
When you’re in love, everything is peachy. Your world seems a little bit brighter, and even the darkness seems a little less cloudy. Why? Because we create our own realities. We choose what how to feel, and thus we choose what we experience. Eventually we start hiding from this reality by saying “I’m not choosing unhappiness, I’m just reacting to my environment.” No, everything starts with you, and spreads out from there. When one chooses to be angry, the world seems like a hateful, angry place. When one chooses to be sad, everything seems meaningless and empty, and you tend to pull depressed people and situations into your life. This is the law of attraction. Every thought, expectation, idea, and intention will play itself out in your life. Ironically enough, this is only a curse if you choose it to be. This is free will.
Free will and the law of attraction can be the most generous blessings if we only allow them to be.
I’ve been getting a lot of comments lately with people say “The world is an ugly place,” and the like. For the most part, their intentions are good. They are shocked by the cruelty of the world, and want to help it to come to an end. But what we don’t always realize when we say things like that, is we are contributing ourselves to the worlds ugliness. If you can learn to love the world, all of it, even the ugly parts, with all your heart, the ugliness has no choice but to relent. There are basically two causes for this: the domino effect, and perspective.
We see examples of these every day. The domino effect is quite simple: if one person expresses love, it spreads. Unfortunately, disdain can spread as well, but think about it… Having disdain for disdain is a bit counterproductive, don’t you think? Sure, it seems illogical at first to love hate. But then, when you’re trying to put out a flame, you wouldn’t douse it with more flame, would you? No. Your love is like a limitless cask of water, and through your chosen perspective of the world, you can put out the destructive fire that is hate. So don’t keep spinning your wheels, end the vicious cycle. Allow yourself to let go of that which you find upsetting, there is absolutely no reason for you to hold onto it. If you wake up every morning expecting to see a despicable place, that is what you will see. Your expectations are like requests, and the universe will always provide you with what you ask for. So if instead, you wake up, and allow yourself to soak up every lovely thing, the world around you will quickly fade into a magnificent place. So don’t fear fear. Embrace it. Don’t hate hate. Love it. Life is only as perfect as you allow it to be.
There is a poster on my wall that hangs directly across from my bed, so that every morning when I wake up I see it. It is a passage from the Tao Te Ching, and it reads:
“The highest good is like water.
Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive.
It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao.
In dwelling, be close to the land.
In meditation, go deep in the heart.
In dealing with others, be gentle and kind.
In speech, be true.
In ruling, be just.
In business, be competent.
In action, study the timing.
No fight.
No blame.”
These words are saturated with wisdom. Every morning, when I read them, I gain a fresh perspective, and a motivation find a way to love that day. Every time you look at something, if you can, for however brief a moment, find a piece yourself inside of it, you will see how easy it is to love. Take a step outside of yourself. This is why when we give a little, it always comes back to us. Let your love flow. Yeah.
“Just let your love flow like a mountain stream
And let your love grow with the smallest of dreams
And let your love show and you’ll know what I mean it’s the season
Let your love fly like a bird on the wind
And let your love find you to all living things
And let your love shine and you’ll know what I mean that’s the reason”
When you’re in love, everything is peachy. But there’s no reason not to feel that bliss even when its not revolving around a romantic relationship. Life IS peachy. =) Love flows in all different directions. And unique as those directions may be, they can all only do good for the heart.
Peace <3
k·a·l
Now is here
August 17, 2009
The passing of time… Its astonishing when you think about it. It doesn’t feel real, and yet its quite possibly one of the most reliable things in the universe. Its one of those things scientists never found much need to “prove.” Yesterday was yesterday, now is now, tomorrow is tomorrow, and the moment you read the word “tomorrow” has already passed.
It hurts like hell sometimes, but sometimes its the most liberating feeling. Because even though time isn’t something you can grab onto and claim, its all yours to do whatever you want with. So often we get caught up in the game of life, racing against the clock, and ourselves… one can only wonder if there is a way to escape it. No, I’m talking about time travel… though I’m not ruling it out as a possibility. But there is a practice that many of the wisest souls on earth have come to understand: mindfulness. By living life in each and every moment as it passes, instead of trying to make it to the next before its time, we can go from hopelessly trying to outrun time. Tomorrow is still imminent, but it begins to look a lost less dreary when you realize you have your whole life of today to live before that time gets here, and then when it does, every moment is still yours to do as you choose.
That is free will. That is freedom, and its terrifying. But then again, all the great things in life are.
k·a·l
Nonsynonymous
November 2, 2008
Pro-life means more than just anti-abortion. I don’t know how they came to be known as one in the same, but they aren’t synonymous. Anti-abortion is just that: the opinion that abortion should be abolished. Pro-life much more broad spectrum. When I say I am Pro-life, I’m saying that all life is precious. It encompasses more than fetuses. Its about young men and women in combat, its about animals in slaughterhouses, and its about starving children in Niger.
In my opinion, the terms coined for these issues are inconclusive. Pro-choice and pro-life mean so much more than pro-abortion anti-abortion.
Words are powerful. Say what you mean, not what society wants you to think is what you mean.
k·a·l
Rediscovering Your World
November 2, 2008
If you could step into another world, and meet its inhabitants, eat its food, hear its music, breathe its air, you would return to your own world with a different respect. A wider horizon, if you will.
Or, imagine your own world as a foreign place. Treat everything you experience as fresh. Monotony makes even the most incredible things seem dull. But you can revive the human experience.
Try to humble yourself for a moment, and realize that you are only a tiny speck in the whole of your world. When you begin to understand that, and then you look up into the sky and realize that your world is only a tiny speck in the whole of the universe, you become really humble. The amount of detail in every aspect of our universe is nearly incomprehensible.
Recently I began reading a book on this subject called The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life by Thomas Moore. So far I’m enjoying it thoroughly.
k·a·l
Favorite of the Week: Musician
July 7, 2008
Beginning today I will be posting one thing that has caught my eye in the past week from. I always love stumbling upon new things, from interesting books to exotic fruit. What I really enjoy finding are new musicians and artists, so I’m kicking off the weekly highlight with a musician I just found today.
Her name is Irma, she lives in France, and her voice is heavenly. Her original songs are excellent, and most of her covers are better than the originals. I hope you’ll check her out, I’m sure glad I did: http://www.youtube.com/user/nevermind150788
k·a·l
Section V – Conclusion
Vegetarianism, or at least a major change in the food industry and the way we perceive what we eat, is not foolish – it’s a solution. It can mean healthy people, a healthy earth, happy animals, an end to world hunger, and a step towards a more peaceful planet. We are meant to be the stewards of the earth, and protect its inhabitants. For those still unable to become full-fledged vegetarians, a step in the right direction would be to at least drastically reducing the amount of meat consumed. Any meat that is produced by an animal that is drugged with chemicals, raised in an unnatural and gross habitat, or brutally slaughtered should not be available to consumers. Many Christians believe that God gave us animals for food, which is difficult to argue. But how is it holy to consume the meat produced in such a way that causes such suffering, and how many would be willing to slaughter that animal themselves, or even witness the gruesome process of mass slaughter, and then eat that meat. “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.”-Proverbs 12:10. And would God condone widespread destruction of his creation caused in order for these mass-killings to take place. Mass production is not an option – not if the human race wishes to sustain an liveable environment on this planet.
So, what can be done to transition our culture into a more suitable diet for ourselves and our planet, and what can be done to decrease the amount of destruction caused by the production of food animal products? We can create laws that enforce natural, clean living conditions for food animals to reduce suffering, as well as the amount of chemicals used to keep animals alive. We can require humane methods of slaughter, as Sweden has. We can reduce the amount of meat produced, and practice soil fertility management instead of wastefully over exerting land until it is barren. We can make a difference, and we must.
We are meant to be stewards of the earth, and protect its inhabitants. Are you doing your part?
Albert Einstein summed it up brilliantly when he said “Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”
Section IV – Animal Cruelty
All of these issues are profound, but one that has always rested heavily upon the hearts of many vegetarians, even before global warming or E. Coli were discovered, was that of animal rights. Maybe if they had tears, people would care more, pay more attention. But the truth is, they do have tears – people are just too blind to see them. Recent studies show that elephants demonstrate signs of empathy, but one has to wonder, are humans losing their own grasp on empathy? Every year 15,000,000,000 land animals are brutally slaughtered for food. Ten times the amount of intentionally caught fish are killed in fishermen’s nets accidentally, including thousands of dolphins. “So what?” you might say. “Animals are lower on the food chain, less intelligent, and weaker.” Perhaps, but if that is the case, why do we not feed on the flesh of infants, mentally ill, or debilitated humans? Though animals are less intelligent, most truly underestimate the intelligence of their dinners. Leading animal behaviorists all around the globe tell us about new studies that show chickens have abilities some more advanced than those of cats, dogs, and some primates. Even pigs are smarter than most 3 year old children, and are often compared to dogs by behaviorists because they are so friendly and loyal. Most Americans mourn over lost pets, but do not think twice about sitting down to a steak dinner.
In some countries, dog meat is considered common. Most Americans recoil at the idea of eating dog, but they have no problem eating other meats because do not see those animals as individuals. How would you feel about sitting down to a nice plate of Fido?
They say that if slaughterhouses had windows, no one would eat meat.
The traveling and living conditions and slaughter process are all grotesque, but the living conditions of animals being prepared for slaughter are almost vile enough to make death seem welcome. Modern animal food farmers use growth hormones and artificial lighting, which results in chickens and other poultry that outgrow their internal structure, resulting in crippled or broken legs and necks. 95% of poultry suffer injuries before being killed, 30% suffer broken bones. Cattle on feedlots are fed unnatural diets to fatten them up as quickly as possible. These diets cause numerous problems for their digestive systems and other organs leading to a great deal of pain. Food animals are given numerous amounts of drugs to keep them alive in conditions they would not normally be able to survive. The air wreaks of ammonia and feces. Chickens raised for meat, live in filthy sheds, along with tens of thousands of other birds. Such extreme crowding quickly leads to spreading diseases.
Food animals are forced (often thrown) onto cramped transport trucks, where they will spend a great many miles in all weather conditions. Industry reports say that more than a million pigs die in transport each year, and 420,000 become crippled before they even arrive at the slaughterhouse. Many animals die of heat exhaustion in the summer and in the winter become frozen solid. Even the most docile animals go mad and attack their crate-mates, some even become cannibalistic. To prevent birds from injuring each other they are mutilated. Their beaks and toes are seared off without anaesthetic, which is equivalent to having your fingernails pulled out. Pigs’ tails are cut off, and sometimes their teeth as well, without any pain relief.
After arriving for slaughter, chickens’ legs are shackled, while other animals are stunned. Their throats are then slit, and they are immersed in scalding hot water to remove feathers and hair. Many animals are still awake when their throats are cut open (usually due to problems with stunning), and many are scalded to death in feather and hair removal tanks. Roughly 200,000 cattle per year are still conscious by the time they get to the water tanks. Some are even still conscious during the skinning process. Birds are exempt from the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, so they are not stunned, and often skip the throat slitter.
For some, “being put out of their misery” does not come until after a brutal life of serving the food industry. Though the consumer is not eating “animal flesh,” the lives of those supplying them with eggs and dairy is not far from their brothers and sisters who are being slaughtered for their flesh. Commercial laying hens are crammed into battery cages with up to 3 other birds, unable to spread their wings or stand up. These battery cages are stacked on top of each other so feces and urine from the upper cages fall through to the ones on the bottom. These chickens also have their beaks cut off to prevent injury to other birds. Commercial hens are kept for two to three years (less than half their average life span), until their production begins to fall. At this point they will be sent for pet food, since their bodies are too beat up to be used for much else. Male chicks are gassed, suffocated in plastic bags, or ground alive because they are unable to lay eggs and were not bred for their meat.
Commercially farmed dairy cows live a bitter life also. Their lives are spent in muddy and manure-caked lots. Cows lactate for 10 months after they have given birth to a calf, so they are routinely artificially inseminated to keep them lactating. Cows naturally produce 10 and a half pints of milk each day for their offspring, but the intense commercial farming exhaust their systems to the point that they produce up to 10 and a half gallons per day. In a natural environment, cows can live up to 20 years, but dairy cows are slaughtered for ground beef after as little as five to seven years, as soon as their milk production begins to decrease. Their calves are taken away usually at a mere 12 hours old to be sent for veal production. Veal calves are squeezed into small, dark crates, destined to live only a few months. These crates are designed to be so tight that the calves are almost completely immobilized, to keep their flesh tender. The majority are fed a mostly liquid diet of milk-replacer, but some are forced to live on pigs blood, chocolate, and dried milk, while humans enjoy their mothers’ fresh milk. Their diet is low in nutritional value in order to keep their flesh white, so they often suffer from diseases like pneumonia and anemia. So even for those who eat dairy but do not eat meat, they contribute to the suffering and slaughter of both dairy cows and their offspring.
If a person is not part of solution, that person is part of the problem. But for those who disagree this saying, consider this: it is not as if people are simply turning a blind eye and walking away. They are taking part in the problem actively if they are eating commercially processed meat, or even dairy and eggs. Just because a person does not do the dirty work, that does not mean they are not responsible. One has to question, how can an entire society accept the travesty of our methods of food animal agriculture, simply because it is our culture? Or is the lack of awareness really that widespread? Theodor Adorno once said “Auschwitz begins wherever someone looks at a slaughterhouse and thinks: they’re only animals.”
Mad cow disease, ironically, was caused because cows were being fed animal by-products, such as ground up slaughterhouse waste (such as meat from sick animals that survive long enough to be slaughtered, cows blood, and poultry feathers) became infected and were packaged and sold anyways. This, as well as many other gross and unnatural practices, was what led to 188,000+ cases world-wide. This demonstrates that in the case of meat, one really is what one eats; our consumption of the ill-treated creatures led to our own suffering.
The Environment – Previous <<< | >>> Next – Conclusion
Section III – The Environment
The environment has been impacted greatly by the meat, egg, and dairy industry. In 2007 the scientists of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the U.N. published a report titled “Livestock’s Long Shadow” on the devastating environmental damage it has caused. This report shows that the greenhouse gas emission from the production of meat is far worse than that of all the vehicles (including planes and ships) on Earth combined. Scientists at the University of Chicago say that a typical American omnivore is responsible for almost 1.5 tons more carbon dioxide per year than a vegan, and that it is 50% more effective to become vegan to reduce pollution than it is it drive a hybrid car. That is because greenhouse gas emissions from driving a Hummer 40 miles is equivalent to eating just 1 pound of meat. But 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide is nitrous oxide, 65% of its emissions come from the food animal farming. And what is the number one source of methane emissions? You guessed it – the food animal industry. All of this is why becoming vegetarian is the single most beneficial act for greenhouse gas emissions.
But there are more environmental concerns than just greenhouse gasses. What about energy, land, and water conservation? Vegetarianism is the way to go to help all of these issues and more. Consider the amount of energy it takes to produce meat. Feed mills require a large amount of energy to operate, as do the farms the where animals live and the slaughterhouses where they die. Grain takes a relatively direct route in travel, whereas meat must be transported from farms to slaughterhouses, the meat to meat-processing plants, and then transport the processed meat to grocery stores. There is also a large amount of energy used to freeze that meat in stores, as well as while being transported.
Our earth’s resources are being depleted so quickly that we cannot even keep up. Continuing to clear forests for raising cattle in the U.S. at the current rate would result in complete deforestation of the country within 50 years. 2.9 million acres of rainforest (and its inhabitants) were destroyed in the 2004-2005 crop season in order to feed food animals, especially chickens. One of the most common crops grown in the rainforest is soy, most of the United States’ food animals are fed soy that was grown in the Amazon and other rainforests. 80% of the world’s soy is fed to factory animals, but almost all of the soy that is used to make vegetarian products, is gown in the U.S. domestically, not in the Amazon. Due to animal farming, the UK has lost 95% of flower meadows, 50% of ancient woodlands, 40% of heath lands and 50% of wet lands since 1945. Due to animal farming, America has lost roughly 1/3 of it’s prime topsoil in the past 200 years (around 7 inches), but it takes 200-1000 years to develop one inch of topsoil. 85% of U.S. topsoil loss is directly associated with raising livestock. These figures mean that the planet is heading downhill fast. So fast, in fact, that if something is not done to conserve precious farmland soon, all we will be left with is barren land and hungry children.
Almost half of all the water used in the United States goes to raising animals for food. According to Frances Moore Lappé’s book, Diet for a Small Planet, you can save more water by refusing a single pound of meat than you can by not showering for an entire year. Blood and excrement from slaughterhouses flow into our rivers and pollute our seas.
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Section II – World Hunger
Meat is not only detrimental to our own health, but it can also mean that a large amount of people are shorted, and are unable to meet even basic dietary needs. In an age of ipods, hybrid cars, and high speed internet, one would think the earth’s inhabitants would be pretty well off as far as basic needs for survival go. But that is far from the case – 840,000,000 people are going hungry. In third world countries, 10% of babies die before they even reach their first birthday. The appalling thing is – there are people more interested in if there ever was life on Mars than they are about keeping much of the fragile life sustained on our own planet. Meat is a luxury, and there is nothing unethical about luxury. But it has gone too far – the current rate of production and consumption of meat is starving the less fortunate. It spreads the gap between social classes even farther; it robs the poor to feed the rich. 80% of starving children reside in countries with food surpluses. Yes, surpluses. But because food animal farmers use the surplus grain to feed their animals (most of which is exported to wealthier counties like the US and Europe), the children go hungry. The US imports 40 million pounds of meat to the U.S. every year from Guatemala, yet 75% of children there under the age of 5 are malnourished.
There is plenty of food to feed the planet, so why are countries like these still dealing with starving children? The answer shows that we, as a species, simply cannot continue to live the way we do. The average human requires 2,000 calories to live each day. If every person on the planet receive 25% percent of those calories came from meat or other animal products, only about 4 billion people could be nourished. If every person on the planet received 0% of their calories from animal products (veganism), over 6 billion people could be nourished. So, still worried about getting your protein? Not to worry. According to the USDA, one acre of land will produce 20 pounds of usable protein if used raising beef. That same acre would produce 356 pounds of protein if the cows were replaced with soybean crops. Or maybe you are worried about getting that full feeling you get after eating meat. Consider this: one acre yields 165 pounds of beef or 20,000 pounds of potatoes. The comparison is astonishing, but even more so is the effect on the land.
