LadyFreeThinker Says ReThink Trendy Coffee Called Kopi Luwak,
February 17, 2020
Hosted by Jane Velez-Mitchell
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Guest Information
Episode Description
Coffee lovers who indulge in the world’s priciest brew may have no idea they’re sipping on a cup of animal cruelty. An investigator from Los-Angeles based animal rights organization Lady Freethinker visited multiple locations in Bali, Indonesia selling kopi luwak – coffee made by feeding civet cats, also called luwaks, coffee cherries and collecting their excrement – and documented the filthy, miserable conditions of the captive animals. LFT’s investigator found: Dozens of tourist attractions in Bali forcing these wild, solitary and nocturnal animals together in cages for noisy tourists to gawk at all day long. These tourist traps cage civets purely for display, then sell luwak coffee sourced from deplorable, factory-style farms where conditions are even worse. One local Luwak coffee farm held civets in tiny, filthy, barren wire cages, stacked on top of one another with no visible food or water. The rows of cages also held roosters and dogs – likely to slaughter.
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UnchainedTV offers you a new way of living. It’s like being born again, but it’s not religious. Our host, New York Times bestselling author as well as TV and social media journalist who heads UnchainedTV.com, Jane Velez-Mitchell, helps you turn on the lightbulb and jump to the next phase of human evolution. There is a peaceful, joyous way of living out there. The secret is simple: don’t look for peace, practice it in your daily choices. You might say, peace begins right on your plate. Tune in to UnchainedTV, live every Monday at 10 AM Pacific Time on the VoiceAmerica Influencers Channel.
Jane Velez-Mitchell
Jane Velez-Mitchell is the founder and editor of JaneUnChained.com, a digital news network focusing on animal rights and the vegan/compassionate lifestyle. Jane has won four Genesis Awards from the Humane Society for her reporting on animal issues. VegNews named her Media Maven of the Year in 2010. In 2013, Mercy for Animals awarded her their Compassionate Leadership Award. In 2014, Jane was honored for fighting animal abuse by the Animal Legal Defense Fund. In 2015, she received the Nanci Alexander Award at PETA's 35th anniversary. In 2017, she received Last Chance for Animals’ Sam Simon Award and Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary’s Woodstock Warrior award.
For six years, Jane hosted her own show on CNN Headline News, where she ran a weekly segment on animal issues. Before that, she reported for the nationally syndicated Warner Brothers/Telepictures show Celebrity Justice, where she did numerous stories on animal issues championed by celebrities, and was also a news anchor/reporter at KCAL-TV in Los Angeles and WCBS-TV in New York. Velez-Mitchell is a graduate of New York University and began her career with reporting stints in Ft. Myers, Florida, Minneapolis and Philadelphia.
Velez-Mitchell is the author of four books, including two New York Times bestsellers, and directed and produced the documentary Anita Velez: Dancing Through Life which won a Gracie award in 2001. She lives with her partner, Donna Dennison, and their 4 companion animals in Los Angeles.
