w h o a r . c o . n z

“..Following the latest letter on September, 1991, the New York Times published two rejoinders to this question.

Under the headline, “Don’t Put Hitler Among the Vegetarians,” the correspondent(Richard Schwartz, author of Judaism and Vegetarianism ) ..

.. pointed out that Hitler would occasionally go on vegetarian binges to cure himself of excessive sweatiness and flatulence ..

.. but that his main diet was meat-centered.

He also cited Robert Payne, Albert Speer, and other well-known Hitler biographers, who mentioned Hitler’s predilection for such non-vegetarian foods as Bavarian sausages, ham, liver, and game.

Furthermore, it was argued, if Hitler had been a vegetarian, he would not have banned vegetarian organizations in Germany and the occupied countries; ..

..nor would he have failed to urge a meatless diet on the German people as a way of coping with Germany’s World War II food shortage.

Under the headline, “He Loved His Squab,” another correspondent cited a passage from a cookbook that had been written by a European chef, Dione Lucas, who was an eyewitness to Hitler’s meat-eating.

In her Gourmet Cooking School Cookbook (1964), Lucas, drawing on her experiences as a hotel chef in Hamburg during the 1930s, remembered being called upon quite often to prepare Hitler’s favorite dish, which was not a vegetarian one.

“I do not mean to spoil your appetite for stuffed squab,” she writes, “but you might be interested to know that it was a great favorite with Mr. Hitler, who dined at the hotel often.

Let us not hold that against a fine recipe though.”

Not even the august New York Times has a staff large enough to verify all the facts in the letters published in the Letters to the Editor section; ..

.. so I decided to look up the specific passages in Payne’s biography of Hitler .. and Dione Lucas’s The Gourmet Cooking School Cookbook that cast doubt on Hitler’s vegetarianism.

Sure enough, Robert Payne, whose biography of Hitler, The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler, has been called definitive, scotches the rumor that Hitler might have been a vegetarian.

According to Payne, Hitler’s vegetarianism was a fiction made up by his propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels to give him the aura of a revolutionary ascetic ..

.. a Fascistic Gandhi, if you will.

It is worth quoting from Payne’s biography directly:

“Hitler’s asceticism played an important part in the image he projected over Germany.

According to the widely believed legend, he neither smoked nor drank, nor did he eat meat or have anything to do with women.

Only the first was true.

He drank beer and diluted wine frequently, had a special fondness for Bavarian sausages and kept a mistress, Eva Braun, who lived with him quietly in the Berghof.

There had been other discreet affairs with women.

His asceticism was fiction invented by Goebbels to emphasize his total dedication, his self-control, the distance that separated him from other men.

By this outward show of asceticism, he could claim that he was dedicated to the service of his people.”

“In fact, he was remarkably self-indulgent and possessed none of the instincts of the ascetic.

His cook, an enormously fat man named Willy Kanneneberg, produced exquisite meals and acted as court jester.

Although Hitler had no fondness for meat except in the form of sausages, and never ate fish, he enjoyed caviar.

He was a connoisseur of sweets, crystallized fruit and cream cakes, which he consumed in astonishing quantities.

He drank tea and coffee drowned in cream and sugar.

No dictator ever had a sweeter tooth.”

So there we have it: Hitler doted on Bavarian sausages and caviar.

Not even the loosest definition of vegetarianism could be stretched to fit these gastronomic abominations.

Yet, because non-vegetarians often have an elastic definition of what constitutes a vegetarian ..

.. they think that people like Hitler who eat fish, pigeon and sausages are vegetarians..”

go to source/story>>Why Hitler Was Not a Vegetarian - Vegsource.com

“..John McDougall MD describes a recent archeological discovery in Turkey where researchers concluded Roman gladiators ate a vegan diet.

This is a short excerpt from Dr. McDougall’s fascinating talk THE STARCH SOLUTION at the Healthy Lifestyle Expo 2009.

In his talk, Dr. McDougall gives example after example from the historical record showing that all successful cultures thrived by subsiting on a largely starch-based diet.

And he presents the biological case that humans evolved to live on starchy foods for optimal health..”

we also discover that the roman army..before going into battle..would switch to a vegan diet..(who knew..?..eh..?..)

go to source/story>>Gladiators Were Vegan (VIDEO) - Vegsource.com

“..Vegans and teetotallers are to be given the same protection against discrimination as religious groups, under legislation championed by Harriet Harman, the equalities minister.

Members of cults and “new religions” such as Scientology, whose supporters include the film stars Tom Cruise and John Travolta, would also be offered protection, as would atheists.

A code of practice explaining the legal implications of the equality bill states that religions need not be mainstream or well known for their adherents to gain protection.

“A belief need not include faith or worship of a god or gods, but must affect how a person lives their life or perceives the world.”

The code, drawn up by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, singles out vegans, who do not eat any animal products or wear leather, as meriting protection from religious discrimination.

It says: “A person who is a vegan chooses not to use or consume animal products of any kind.

That person eschews the exploitation of animals for food, clothing, accessories or any other purpose ..

.. and does so out of an ethical commitment to animal welfare.”

A spokesman from the commission explained: “This is about someone for whom being vegan or vegetarian is central to who they are.

This is not something ‘thought up by the commission’.

Parliament makes the law, the courts interpret it and the commission offers factual and proportionate guidance to organisations where necessary.

We are providing guidance on the implications of the equality bill.”

The legislation also covers “any religious belief or philosophical belief” .. and even “a lack of belief”.

Philosophical beliefs to be protected could include humanism and pacifism, but a spokesman for Harman said scientific or political beliefs such as Marxism and fascism would not be covered.

The commission added that the recently founded International Church of Jediism, ..

.. with 500,000 followers worldwide who base their philosophy on the Star Wars films ..

.. would not qualify.

Beliefs had to be heartfelt..”

(’but..!..but..!’..spluttered the assembled follwers of jedism..)

go to source/story>>Don’t mock my lentils: vegans to get discrimination rights - Times Online

“..When you get hungry, and I mean hungry, it’s your body calling out for protein.

.. many people are surprised to learn that simply cutting back on meat consumption is one of the most significant ways to help the planet.

And it doesn’t require subsistence on tofu.

(Personally, I find tofu delicious, but it’s one of those vegetarian protein sources people either really love or really don’t.)

There are so many delicious options available that slipping out of meat mode is breeze.

Try one meat-free dinner a week, and build from there:..”

go to source/story>>More Than Tofu: Delicious Meat Alternatives for Vegetarian Recipes | EcoSalon

“..It’s not meat, but it looks like meat.

It’s not meat, but it tastes like meat.

It’s not meat, but it feels like meat.

It’s not meat, but the more it looks and tastes and feels like meat, the more eating it is like having sex with rubber blow-up dolls: ..

..Both are the simulacra of primal adventures for which we are born and built.

For very different reasons, in each case we choose the version without flesh and blood.

One skill that sets apart our species from all others is counterfeiture: ..

.. We excel at fashioning imitations, simulations, analogues.

Whatever we don’t or can’t — or tell ourselves that we don’t or can’t — possess, we make a fake to replicate.

We are so good at this as to have changed the very meaning of reality.

So just as sex with blow-up dolls — and, to be all-inclusive, latex rods — is sex, and sounds and feels and looks (just squint) like sex, fake meat is real.

It’s real fake meat.

When we quit eating animals, why keep eating what looks/tastes/feels like animals?

What is it that we still yearn for from meat, about meat, in fake meat?

Lifetimes of barbecues and baseball games and beach parties and holidays have programmed our nostrils to flare at the sweet-salt smell of seared fat before our consciences kick into gear and holler No.

When bacon curls, our salivary glands perk up unbidden, just like being publicly aroused in middle school.

When we choose fakes, what battles rage inside our bodies and our heads?

What of sex with live partners is absent when we have it with lifelike replicas?

Let’s see: Emotions. Microbes. A response.

What of eating animals is missing when we eat Tofu Pups?

Gristle.

Guilt over farms and slaughter.

Fear of cancer, heart disease, global ruin..”

go to source/story>>Why Eating Meat-Shaped Vegetarian Food Is Like Having Sex with a Blow-up Doll | | AlterNet

“.. What is a vegan?

What is veganism?

Veganism is a type of vegetarian diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products and all other animal-derived ingredients.

Many vegans also do not eat foods that are processed using animal products, such as refined white sugar and some wines.

Most vegans also avoid the use of all products tested on animals, as well as animal-derived non-food products, such as leather, fur and wool.

Vegan refers to either a person who follows this way of eating, or to the diet itself.

See also: Types of Vegetarians

Although there is some debate as to whether certain foods, such as honey, fit into a vegan diet ..

.. if you are cooking for other vegans, it is best to err on the side of caution and avoid these foods.

What do vegans eat?

This is perhaps the most common question about veganism.

A vegan diet includes all grains, beans, legumes, vegetables and fruits and the nearly infinite number of foods made by combining them.

Many vegan versions of familiar foods are available, so you can eat vegan hot dogs, ice cream, cheese and vegan mayonnaise.

How can I become vegan?

So you’ve decided to become vegan.

But now what?

Some people easily go from eating meat to vegan right away .. while others struggle with their new commitment ..

.. or choose to go vegetarian first and then slowly omit eggs and dairy.

There’s no right or wrong way to do it, but you may want to learn about what’s worked for other people.

However you do it .. keep your goals in mind ..

.. and remember why you are choosing to adopt a vegan diet..”

go to source/story>>Vegan - What is a vegan? - What do vegans eat?

“..In 2007, New York Times writer Mark Bittman likened the cow to the atom bomb .. when speaking on the demands of our meaty diets on the planet…”

go to source/story>>Three TED Talks That Will Change How You Think About Food

“.. Having your own vegetable garden is now trendy, 38 percent of people planted a vegetable garden in 2009, but there are a host of other reasons, too.

Not that being part of a trend is ever a good reason to start or learn something new ..

.. but if it helps you move forward by being part of the “in” crowd ..

.. then you really need to plant your own edible garden this year..”

go to source/story>>7 Reasons Why You Should Grow Your Own Food | | AlterNet

“.. The Obamas are taking on childhood obesity by tackling problems with the National School Lunch Program.

But will their fixes be enough?

Michelle Obama launched her “Let’s Move” campaign to fight obesity with a flood of media attention and a Presidential Memorandum, signed by her husband, establishing a new Task Force on Childhood Obesity.

But how does the rhetoric of the Let’s Move campaign stack up against what President Obama’s administration is actually doing to address childhood obesity?

While many of the president’s priorities have lost steam in Congress, tackling childhood obesity is thankfully not one of them.

But are the administration’s efforts on the right track?

While the First Lady has been a champion for healthy, sustainable food since the creation of her historic garden in her first days in the White House ..

.. the title of her campaign, Let’s Move, rings of food industry influence.

After all, junk food manufacturers have long advocated that Americans can eat whatever they want, so long as they work out afterward.

(The industry-favored term for this is “energy balance.”)

Such an outlook carelessly ignores nutrients that contribute to good health, putting 100 calories of French fries on par with 100 calories of fruit.

It also ignores the simple fact that, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture numbers, Americans today eat more than they did in the past —

– over 500 calories more per day, if you compare 1970 with 2006.

So, just moving is not going to solve our obesity epidemic, especially in kids.

While there are many factors that contribute to children being overweight ..

.. the big kahuna of the child obesity debate is our National School Lunch Program..”

go to source/story>>Are School Lunches Setting Kids Up for Obesity and Poor Nutrition? | | AlterNet

“..A new study coming out of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows that when it comes to the net contribution to climate change on-road transportation, burning biomass for cooking, and raising animals for food are the biggest culprits.

Since most of us don’t regularly use biomass stoves to cook, as do millions of people in developing nations ..

.. that leaves us with your car and your diet to tackle.

Rather than looking at the sources of different chemicals linked with global warming, the GISS study looked at net climate impact from different economic sectors.

By net impact, we’re talking about emissions than contribute to warming (the usual suspects CO2, methane, black carbon, etc) ..

.. minus those emissions that actually slow warming (some aerosols, sulfates, etc) by reflecting light and altering clouds..”

go to source/story>>Your car and your meat-eating: the biggest causes of climate change | Grist

“..At a recent gathering of farmers for a program sponsored by Farm Credit Services of Mid-America, Dr. Wes Jamison, Associate Professor of Communication at Palm Beach Atlantic University, suggested that the Agriculture industry fight back with a new slogan:

“Happiness is a Dead Animal”

He told Hoosier Ag Today that vilifying groups like PETA and the HSUS isn’t enough —

- and that it’s time to make consumers “feel good” about the choices they made with food.

(From the article..)

‘He suggested printing T-shirts with a photo of a juicy steak or pork chop with the phrase, “Happiness is a dead animal” written on it.

He would start by passing these out on college campuses where young people love to wear provocative shirts.

We could then move up to bumper stickers and onto billboards.

It is a simple yet effective message that would help consumers feel good about their meat choices.

It would also be fun to watch the leadership of HSUS and PETA come completely unglued when people started responding to this approach’..”

go to source/story>>Agriculture Industry Encouraged To Adopt ‘Happiness Is A Dead Animal’ Slogan | VEGdaily

“..For anyone who’s paying attention, this New York Times article might contain the single biggest piece of vegan news this decade:..

.. vegan advocate Ellen DeGeneres is poised to become the next queen of daytime TV.

We’ve already seen here, here, here, and here what Ellen can do with her platform.

And, while Oprah was willing to go vegan for 21 days ..

.. Ellen seems to have made a lifetime commitment..”

go to source/story>>Vegan Ellen DeGeneres Poised to Become Next Queen of Daytime TV

“..Great blog entry from food safety lawyer Bill Marler about meat recalls that have occurred since President Obama took office.

Looking just at E. Coli and antibiotic-resistant salmonella ..

.. already in 2010 there has been a staggering 7,176,563 pounds of meat recalled.

Meat Industry Hall of Fame President Chuck Jolley has tweeted in response:

Is the meat industry trying to put itself out of business?..”

go to source/story>>Meat Recalls Under Obama

this is good news..!

it is in newmarket..

(here is the message i received:..’

please spread the word..)

“..Hey there,

I had a message that ‘Wise Cicada’ on Crowhurst St, Newmarket is having a big celebration on the 28/02 - where they are launching their vege, vegan and raw food cafe.

From 10-4PM

10AM - Commmunity Breakfast

1PM - Live Music

3PM - Arts and Tarts

Not sure if this is something that you want to promote but it could go on the website?

Cheers..”

(yes..!..yes it could..!..)

“..Get Ready to Kickstart Your Health on March 1!

Based on research by Neal Barnard, M.D., one of America’s leading health advocates ..

.. this program is designed for anyone who wants to explore and experience the health benefits of a vegan diet..”

(recipies delivered daily to yr in-boxes..and so much more..!

what’s not to like about that..?..eh..?..)

(recommended-read/course of action..)

go to source/story>>PCRM 21-Day Vegan Kickstart Program: Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine 21-Day Vegan Kickstart

“..Mark Twain wasn’t just a riverboat pilot, a raconteur, a mustache pioneer, and one of the great early American celebrity-authors:..

.. He was also an animal rights activist.

The new Twain compilation Mark Twain’s Book of Animals (University of California Press) explores Twain’s treatment of animals —

- in literature and in life—throughout his career ..

.. and arrives at an inescapable conclusion: He was a softie when it came to the beasts.

Twain may have come to largely despise what he famously called “the damned human race,”..

.. yet he turned into a puddle of mush at the sight of a kitten.

In her introduction, editor Shelley Fisher Fishkin traces Twain’s sympathy for animals to his youth ..

.. and especially to his mother, who kept a house full of cats with names like Blatherskite and Belchazar ..

.. and once soundly berated a man in the street for beating his horse.

Fisher Fishkin also digs up evidence that a formative experience for Twain was his shooting of a bird as a child ..

.. an act he deeply regretted.

In the previously unpublished “Family Sketch,” he writes:

. . . ‘I shot a bird that sat in a high tree, with its head tilted back, and pouring out a grateful song from an innocent heart.

It toppled from its perch and came floating down limp and forlorn and fell at my feet, its song quenched and its unoffending life extinguished.

I had not needed that harmless creature, I had destroyed it wantonly..

.. and I felt all that an assassin feels, of grief and remorse when his deed comes home to him ..

.. and he wishes he could undo it .. and have his hands and his soul clean again from accusing blood’.

Fisher Fishkin goes on to follow the threads of Twain’s animal fascinations and sympathies in his writings ..

.. from his early celebrated story “Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog” ..

..to his “Letter to the London Anti-Vivisection Society,” which is perhaps the best known expression of his views on animal cruelty.

“From 1899 until his death in 1910,” writes Fisher Fishkin,

“Mark Twain lent his pen to reform efforts on both sides of the Atlantic and became the best-known American author—

- and, indeed, the most famous American celebrity in any field—

- to give outspoken, public support to agitation for animal welfare.”

(recommended-read..)

go to source/story>>Mark Twain, Animal Rights Activist

“..I want to introduce you to a brave woman at the hospital where I work.

Her name is Laureen.

At 34 years old, she was an active nurse — vibrant, full of life and a volunteer EMT.

But now, 10 years later, she spends three days a week tethered to a dialysis machine to rid her blood of impurities that her failed kidneys can no longer process.

She has lost parts of both her legs.

Her body is slowly turning on itself .. and each and every day revolves around managing the disease that ravages and scrapes away at her insides:

diabetes.

Laureen was on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” last Thursday, courageously sharing her story.

Even though it’s very personal, Laureen told her story because she doesn’t want others to go through what she has gone through.

And there are almost 60 million potential diabetics who can watch and benefit from her experience — though it doesn’t have to be this way.

One of the most painful things about her situation is that it could have been prevented.

That’s right — Laureen’s disease trajectory could have been slowed, stopped or even reversed ..

.. through lifestyle and diet choices.

As a surgeon I have operated on thousands of people whose hearts were destroyed by diabetes -

- about 25 percent of all the patients I see are diabetic.

Most of them could have prevented their fate.

But as the tragedy of this news sinks in, the alarm bells are ringing.

Here are the statistics: there are 24 million diabetics in this country .. and about six million of them don’t even know it yet.

These are people whose blood sugar is over 125.

They will most likely find out when other complications arise such as impaired kidney function, vision problems and, of course, heart disease.

Even scarier is that there are 57 million pre-diabetics who are at a crucial fork in the road.

Their blood sugar is between 100 and 125 ..

.. and they stand at a juncture where some simple lifestyle changes and mindful diet choices will lengthen their lives .. and save them a world of suffering.

Nearly half of Hispanic and African American children born this decade are projected to get diabetes.

The CDC estimates one third of all Americans will develop diabetes and live 15 years less while losing immeasurable quality of life.

No public health problem compares in scale.

Diabetes will bankrupt our healthcare budget if left unchecked.

It costs us $175 billion now to treat this killer and its complications, and that’s expected to double in 25 years.

Despite the best devised policy plans to manage the economics of healthcare ..

.. all solutions will fail unless we address the root causes and engage in widespread awareness and prevention.

It starts with education — you must know what this disease is, who is at risk and how to prevent it.

There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 is also called juvenile diabetes and you are born with it.

It can’t be reversed but it can be managed. Only 10 percent of diabetics are Type 1.

Type 2 is the culprit in 90 percent of those 24 million cases .. and 57 million pre diabetics in danger of slipping into full blown disease.

Type 2 takes root when fat stored in the abdomen — belly fat called omentum — poisons the pancreas ..

.. and causes it to stop producing insulin .. or the insulin in your blood cannot deliver glucose into your cells.

Without insulin you cannot process sugar and without glucose your cells have no power supply.

Belly fat is a huge problem in America, with 60 percent of our population overweight.

Any casual stroll down the street will reveal the prevalence of omentum in our society.

The reason for the drastic increase is a perfect storm of poor diet and sedentary lifestyle.

Our ancestors usually had little food and had to work very hard to catch or kill what food they could.

As a result our bodies are designed to survive scarcity and famine.

Now with food available virtually unrestricted our biology is outpaced by this abundance ..

.. and overeating creates disease.

It happened incredibly fast..”

go to source/story>>Mehmet Oz, M.D.: The Consequence Of Sweetness: There’s No Such Thing As ‘Just A Little Sugar’

“..Well, ick.

That was my first reaction, anyway, to news that the search to produce animal-less sources for meat are moving, if not right along, at least in the direction of progress.

The story I read is actually an editorial in Capital Press, an agricultural newspaper published for farmers in the western United States.

“[T]he landmark experiments Dutch scientists are undertaking could open the door to a brave new world of food production,” the editorial states.

In other words, test-tube meat: it could soon be what’s for dinner.

As someone who likes food and frequently eats it, I’m not sure this is a direction about which I’m particularly enthusiastic.

As it happens, I was discussing this very thing with another cook a couple of days ago at a catering function we were working just outside Berkeley.

“It certainly puts the matter of veganism into a different perspective,” or something to that effect, said Jay, slicing dried figs into quarters to be added to salad.

I was slicing kumquats into eighths, and then seeding them.

Really.

Already, he continued, the growth of the grass-fed cattle industry—free from many of the blights that plague Big Agriculture meat production—

– undermines many of the arguments vegans and vegetarians (but mostly vegans) use against consuming meat.

Of course, those grass-fed cows—lolling happily on green fields and given only the occasional antibiotic should they actually become ill—

- are still doomed .. and will eventually end up as the main course on someone’s barbecue grill, charring next to a chicken leg or hot dog, I assume.

That, of course, does little to dissuade very many vegans..”

go to source/story>>An omnivorous chef ponders test-tube meat | Grist

“..In 2010, at the turn of a new decade, there is a great deal of confusion around the issue of animal rights..

.. especially in regard to the movement’s relationship with a much older and more established institution – animal welfare.

Unfortunately, many advocates are not familiar with the history or basic theory that underlies each of these movements ..

.. and perhaps do not completely understand the differences in philosophy between the two.

As a result, animal rights and animal welfare tend to be mistakenly perceived as two sides of the same coin; ..

.. two parallel roads, each leading toward the same goal of ending animal suffering.

While it may appear on the surface that these two approaches can work side by side, they are, in fact, so remarkably divergent in basic philosophy that one must conclude that they are mutually exclusive.

To some, that conclusion might seem counter-intuitive, but it is a notion that ought to be examined carefully by any serious animal advocate..

.. as this divergence is the cause of much of the in-fighting that we witness in the movement today.

Most important is that this issue should not be brushed off, as it so often is ..

.. as simply a matter of ‘divisive commentary’ about tactics or semantics..”

go to source/story>>Rights or Wrongs

“..Watching the American Kennel Club/Eukanuba National Championship on TV two nights ago, my husband and I marveled at the beautiful dogs striding and sleeking around the stadium.

“Look how happy that guy looks,” my husband said of the Siberian husky.

“He looks like he’s laughing.”

The standard poodle looked snooty.

The Irish setter looked proud.

But were they, really?

Were what looked like smiles and smirks just functions of each species’ particular anatomy —

– or were we actually discerning the dogs’ emotions in their eyes?

Not long ago, I interviewed Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson about animal emotions.

He used to own dogs.

But not anymore.

And never again, he said.

In the late ’90s, this noted ex-psychoanalyst, Sanskrit professor and author of nearly two dozen books adopted three mixed-breeds.

He ran with them, took them on vacations, and wrote about them in his book Dogs Never Lie About Love.

But in the years since, Masson — whose 1981 dismissal from the directorship of the Freud Archives sparked volcanic intellectual debate —

– has come to view dog ownership as a form of animal cruelty.

“I still love dogs,” Masson told me.

“I think they’re amazing.”

But we aren’t fit to be their companions, because “I don’t believe we can give them the ideal life.

Living with us, they’re not living the life they were meant to live .. which among other things would mean our spending the whole day with them.

“Dogs are too social, too loyal, too energetic, too eager for physical attention and bonding to be confined in solitude for as long as we typically leave them..

.. while pursuing our own human priorities.

Masson looks just as harshly at keeping cats indoors — or, as he put it, “confined.”

“To argue that a cat in an apartment is leading a happy life is to restrict our sense of the word ‘happy.’”

Allowing that cats and dogs have emotions is one thing.

Masson’s 2003 book The Pig Who Sang to the Moon goes one step farther, examining farm animals’ feelings —

– and exposing possibilities that a mostly carnivorous public would rather not see.

While researching that book, Masson stopped eating eggs.

Eventually, he became a vegan..”

go to source/story>>Can Animals Cry? - Vegsource.com

“..On last night’s Colbert Report, Stephen interviewed author Jonathan Safran Foer..

.. whose new book, Eating Animals .. is a startling exposé of the factory-farmed meat industry..”

go to source/story>>Stephen Colbert Talks Meat with Jonathan Safran Foer (VIDEO) - Vegsource.com

“..If you’re new to a vegan diet, do you need to get rid of your favorite cookbooks?

Not necessarily.

On this week’s episode, “Favorite Cookbooks Turned Vegan: Martha Stewart Put to the Test,” Food for Life TV co-hosts Susan Levin, M.S., R.D., and Jill Eckart, C.H.H.C., give you simple tips to transform old favorite recipes into low-fat vegan meals.

They also look to Rip Esselstyn’s vegan Engine 2 Diet cookbook for guidance on how to transform your favorite recipes..”

(recommended-watch..)

go to source/story>>PCRM >> Health >> Dr. Neal Barnard’s Program for Reversing Diabetes >> Food for Life TV: Interactive Wecasts for Anyone Who Wants a Healthier Diet

(this is from a comment on a vegan chat-group..)

“..A good case study on this is when a whole country went vegan!

It was my land, New Zealand.

During World War I, all the boys were away fighting our “official enemies” - the Turks, Austrians, Germans, etc.

So the government took all the meat and dairy products, froze them, and exported them to feed the “brave soldiers”.

Those left at home became vegan (by necessity, as that was all there was left.)

The unexpected side-effect was a HUGE falloff in bed-occupancy rates at the hospitals —

– so much so that doctors and nurses thought they’d be unemployed soon.

(I was told this story by my GP, who said he was told it by a lecturing doctor at medical school..)..”

“..Austin Texas firefighter, Rip Esselstyn, made a bet with a fellow firefighter, JR:..

.. if JR would just eat the (vegan) way Rip ate for 28 days..

.. then at the end of 28 days JR’s cholesterol would come down from 344 to 196.

JR’s father and grandfather had both died in their 50s from heart attacks, so bringing JR’s cholesterol down was crucial.

Rip won the bet — and saved JR’s life..”

(and will be repeating the exercise with some other obese/unhealthy firefighters..on a dr oz show screening in u.s. on feb 11..)

go to source/story>>The Engine 2 Diet - Vegsource.com

“..Here is part 1 of the Katie Couric’s CBS Evening News report on antibiotic use in livestock.

She pulled no punches.

This first segment focused on poultry processing facilities in Batesville, Ark. and drug-resistant MRSA.

As in the preview, Couric explicitly discussed the possibility of transmitting disease through the handling of meat.

Couric, managing the feat of getting herself inside a pig factory farm, also spoke to the head vet at the National Pork Board who denied outright that antibiotics are routinely given to livestock as she suggested the “vast majority” of farmers use antibiotics responsibiy.

The FDA’s number two official Joshua Sharfstein made a cameo appearance suggesting a need for tracking the use of antibiotics in livestock..

.. but not calling for an outright ban, as he did in Congressional testimony earlier this year.

The report concluded with an explicit linkage between use of antibiotics and cheap meat along with instructions from Couric on how to ensure the meat you buy has been raised without antibiotics.

Part 2 is tonight..”

go to source/story>>CBS Evening News report on antibiotics in livestock, part 1 | Grist

“.. ‘Keep it simple, stupid’ applies to geniuses, too

Albert Einstein once said: “If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor.”

Okay then, no need to complicate what’s simple.

Out of respect for Einstein’s tailor .. here’s some truth for ya:

Ninety percent of the large fish in the ocean and 80 percent of the world’s forests are gone.

Eighty-one tons of mercury are emitted into the atmosphere each year as a result of electric power generation.

Every square mile of ocean hosts 46,000 pieces of floating plastic.

Each day, 200,000 acres of rain forest are destroyed; 100 plant and animal species go extinct; ..

.. and 13 million tons of toxic chemicals released across the globe.

Ludwig Wittgenstein once said: “Let’s cut out the transcendental twaddle .. when the whole thing is as plain as a sock on the jaw.”

Get ready to duck because the “whole thing” is mostly caused by our beloved way of life .. and here’s the inelegant truth: ..

..The simple path towards a cleaner, greener planet begins with the simple choice to change how we live ..

.. and what we allow the biggest polluters to do..”

go to source/story>>What Would Einstein’s Tailor Do? Choosing Simplicity in Your Lifestyle and Your Activism : Planet Green

“..Indeed, the history of American popular music, in its entirety, may be traced through beef, poultry, and pork.

The history of rock ‘n’ roll bears out my claim.

Scholars have yet to ascertain the precise number of songs about meat recorded in the 1950s and early 1960s..

.. but a safe estimate would run into the hundreds and perhaps thousands.

Any complete repertoire needed at least one song about hot dogs, pulkes, fatback, or ribs.

A crowing achievement of the early rock ‘n’ roll era was the Starliters’ hit “Hot Pastrami with Mashed Potatoes,” arguably the most eloquent paean to smoked meats ever performed.

Pigmeat Markham and Sleepy LaBeef, who were among the earliest singers to adopt meat-themed monikers..

.. further consolidated the alliance between meat and music.

Alas, meat, like all things, is cyclical.

With the rise of the counterculture in the late 1960s, animal flesh temporarily lost its appeal.

Mind-bending sounds were in..

.. sausages and tube steaks were out..”

go to source/story>>Meat on the Radio

“..“There is something almost primal about it,” gushes the former vegetarian..

.. as though the word ‘primal’ is a noble quality to be embraced by virtuous people.

It seems more likely though that the directors of the puppet show are aware that ‘primal’ is simply a concept that plays to the desires of the lowest parts of our selves, to our lust for blood.

Let’s not forget that the word is almost synonymous with ‘primitive’ ..

.. and could just as easily be used to describe cannibalism or rape..”

go to source/story>>Something almost Primal: Selling Meat to Vegetarians « The Vegan Solution

“.. Whether you call it the Hallelujah Diet, the Maker’s Diet or the Lord’s Diet, the holy spirit is driving one of America’s biggest weight-loss fads.

God cries when you eat Pop-Tarts.

But He smiles when you drink carrot juice, and when you do a colon cleanse, He beams.

That’s the spirit driving one of America’s biggest current diet fads.

Granted, you’ve probably never heard of it unless you hang with Bible-believing Christians .. but it goes by many names: ..

.. the Hallelujah Diet, the Maker’s Diet, the Lord’s Diet, the Genesis 1:29 Diet.

Some versions are vegan, some largely raw; all include organic whole grains —

– and some of their kingpins have piously channeled this fad into multimillion-dollar enterprises, hawking must-have supplements at hefty prices.

An eight-ounce bottle of phosphatidylcholine (a membrane extracted from soybeans or egg yolks) for $124.99?

Sure, when its brand name reads like a promise: Divine Health.

Christians are fatter than other Americans.

One of several studies revealing this, published by a Purdue University team in 2006, found that 30 percent of Baptists are obese, followed by 22 percent of Pentecostals and 17 percent of Catholics..

.. compared to only 1 percent of Jews and 0.7 percent of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists.

According to the Journal of the Southern Baptist Convention, health screenings were given at the SBC’s 2005 annual meeting:..

.. Over 75 percent of its 1,472 participants were found to be significantly overweight.

It makes sense that some within the movement would want to restore health to the flock.

Gluttony, after all, is a sin.

But how do you persuade religious Christians to adopt a dietary regimen that has been beloved by hippies for 30-plus years ..

.. and by polytheists for thousands?

The very fact that “health food” is an alt-culture staple is enough to taint it in the eyes of some.

How do you convince them to switch their Sunday hams for lettuce-lentil roll-ups?

By telling them the Bible says they must..”

go to source/story>>The Newest Diet Trend: What Would Jesus Eat? | | AlterNet

“..Some people go vegan after looking an animal in the eye and realizing that there’s a “who,” not a “what,” looking back.

Others avoid meat, eggs, and dairy foods to ditch unwanted pounds .. or because they want to help the environment.

Christians must agree that there’s never been a better time to cut the meat and other animal-derived products out of their diet than during Lent.

Honor the following three traditional Lenten practices:

* Prayer—honor God by showing mercy to all of His creatures.

* Fasting—honor God by improving your health.

* Almsgiving—renew justice toward thy neighbor .. both human and nonhuman..”

go to source/story>>Pledge to Be Vegan for Lent! | PETA.org

“.. “Wearing fur may be more viscerally offensive, but I don’t think it’s any worse than strapping yourself into a leather belt. In fact, it’s possibly better.”

“..Confession: On a trip to Venice some years back, I literally slept naked in an ankle-length black mink coat a Republican friend had lent me for the week-long trip.

Diddy hasn’t had it so good.

Talk about texture porn.

There’s a reasonable explanation for how this happened.

I accidentally nodded off in the thing the first night, as I am wont to do, and what can I say?

I never slept so well, and decided to keep it up for the whole vacation.

Why we don’t sleep naked in fur as a matter of nightly course is beyond me.

Just try it sometime.

No?

Oh, well.

One woman’s decadent is my yes, please.

Before you comment in horror, consider, my eco babes: why is the knee-jerk reaction to fur one of disgust ..

.. while the vast majority of us are rocking leather boots this winter?

Like most people, I can deftly rationalize just about anything if it fills an ego need.

As a teen I read Diet for a New America, by John Robbins, and promptly gave up meat/began lecturing my parents daily.

Only, I still wore leather all through high school and college, knowing full well that my Steve Maddens were not exactly “making use” of the byproducts of the meat industry ..

.. but rather fueling its factory-farming splendor..”

go to source/story>>Fur Is Now Pretty Much Taboo, But Leather Is Still Everywhere — Is That Hypocritical? | | AlterNet

(here is the evidence..)

“.. There are three things I acknowledge, and accept that they exist, but which I have never been able, for the life of me, to get my head around. They have always remained far beyond my understanding, no matter how much I ponder them or how old I get.

The first is child abuse, paedophilia and cruelty to domestic animals; the second is male homosexuality; and the third is vegetarianism.

I have written often about child abuse and paedophilia, have touched on male homosexuality ..”..(heh..!..’touched on’..)

“.. but find it expedient these days simply to ignore such an infinitesimal minority, and every time I encounter a vegan or vegetarian (I’m told there’s a difference) I simply shake my head in wonder..”

(wot..?..’in wonder’ at how fit/healthy they are..?

as opposed/compared to one who has spent a long life ‘knecking’ animal bits/fats..such as yrself..?

..and where has it got you..?

..ripped off yr gear and looked in a mirror lately..?

do that..then go look at some vegans/vegetarians of yr advanced age..then get back to me..eh..?

(now..we have homophobia to explain georges’ mental-condition around homosexuality..

..but we don’t have (yet) a word to explain such a ‘mental-condition’ as george also has..

..his irrational/phobic attitudes to vegans/vegetarians..

..perhaps it is his role to be the stimulus for the creation of the appropriate labelling of this display of blatant ignorance..

..i mean..vege-phobia comes to mind..?

..but perhaps ’silly old bastard’ will have to fit for now..?

..eh..?

..garth..?..)

go to source/story>>Garth George: Animal cruelty the realm of psychopaths - Opinion - NZ Herald News

“..An animal-rights group released a video Tuesday showing an upstate New York farm worker lopping off a calf’s tail and burning off its budding horns as the animal moans and struggles frantically to escape ..

.. prompting a state lawmaker to propose that New York follow California’s lead in banning tail-docking for dairy cows.

The video was recorded in an undercover investigation at one of New York’s largest dairy farms, according to Chicago-based Mercy For Animals ..

.. a not-for-profit group that publicizes what it calls cruel practices in the dairy, meat and egg industries ..

.. and promotes a vegan diet..”

go to source/story>>Cow Torture Video: Willet Dairy Caught Burning Off Cows’ Horns, Chopping Calf’s Tail In Mercy For Animals Expose

“..It’s clear from the outcome of the Copenhagen talks that the world’s political leaders are not going to lead the way in fighting climate change.

What is needed instead, Fred Branfman writes in Sacramento News & Review, is a broad-based “human movement” ..

.. in which ordinary people recognize the urgency of acting now to avert catastrophe.

Branfman’s essay, “Do Our Children Deserve to Live?,” was in fact written and published in early December, before the Copenhagen summit began ..

.. yet the writer boldly—and correctly—predicted the talks would fail.

He already recognized that there simply wasn’t enough societal pressure and self-awareness of our grim predicament to effect broad change:

Our basic problem is that the sudden advent of the human climate crisis invalidates our basic beliefs about humanity built up over millennia.

We cannot yet see that we are no longer who we think we are.

That today:..though we believe we care for our offspring .. we do not;

though we wish to be remembered well .. we will be cursed;

though we believe we love life .. we embrace death;

though we hope to make history .. we are annihilating it;

.. and

though we seek to contribute to our communities .. we are destroying them.

Our greatest challenge is to adjust ancient belief systems to the new climate realities that have undone them.

If we can break through our fog .. and clearly see the existential threat we pose to our children ..

.. presently unthinkable actions to save them may become possible.

But if not, we will remain locked in our cognitive cattle cars ..

.. moving inexorably toward the loss of everything we hold dear..”

(recommended-read..)

go to source/story>>A Human Movement Against Climate Change

“..Peter Singer wrote Animal Liberation, the book credited with starting the animal rights movement in 1975.

Here he talks to Grist about the connection between eating animals and climate change ..

.. and what every eater can do to turn down the heat of meat..”

go to source/story>>Turning down the heat caused by meat with Peter Singer | Grist

“.. Over 70,000 Americans die each year because of antibiotic resistance ..

.. thanks to the overuse of antibiotics in medical treatments, factory farming and soaps.

The 2000s were go-go years for antibiotic resistance.

Thanks to the overprescription of antibiotics in medical settings .. and the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in concentrated animal feeding operations (or CAFOs)..

.. we’ve aided the emergence of ’superbugs’ — or drug resistance microorganisms.

Antibiotic resistance (AR) has led to the deaths of 70,000 Americans a year.

You’d think this would elicit some immediate action to prevent this public health nightmare from growing.

But in 2007 when the (now) late Sen. Edward Kennedy introduced legislation to discourage the overuse of the antibiotics responsible for AR ..

.. it gained no traction.

The reason?

Kennedy stepped directly on the toes of two of the country’s most powerful lobbying interests —

– Big Ag and Big Pharma..”

go to source/story>>The Overuse of Antibiotics in Lifestock Feed Is Killing Us | | AlterNet

“.. Most dairy enthusiasts would be horrified to know the conditions cows endure ..

.. and how closely dairies are tied to veal operations .. and the rest of the meat industry.

The bucolic scene of Holsteins grazing on a grassy hill that adorns milk cartons and cheese wrappers is nothing more than fantasy these days.

While the meat industry has come under intensive scrutiny (and with good reason) for the massive factory farm system of raising cattle in confinement..

.. animals in the dairy industry are arguably worse off.

Eating milk, cheese, sour cream, ice cream, and other dairy yumminess is impossible to do with a clear conscience —

– and I’m not referring to the fat or cholesterol.

Calves born into the industrial grip of today’s dairy industry have a road ahead of them that is short .. but not merciful.

Dairy cows are subject to brutal conditions before being sent to slaughter for beef ..

..and male calves are worth next to nothing in the dairy business.

Some are simply left to die after birth.

Many are slaughtered for low-grade “bob veal” a few days after they are born .. and will end up as cheap hot dogs or dog food.

While a small number of dairies are bucking the industrial tren ..

.. the vast majority of dairy products we eat come from factories that are nothing short of horrific in many cases..”

go to source/story>>Got Milk? A Disturbing Look at the Dairy Industry | | AlterNet

“..Just about everything you’ll need to start appreciating the plant-based life

If it seems like veganism is catching on .. maybe that’s because it is.

Hey, when a writer at Forbes.com declares, “My health care plan is a vegan diet,” .. it’s time to wake up and smell the tempeh.

After all, it’s not like the basic four food groups scheme was carved in stone on Mount Sinai ..

.. (in fact, it was invented by the USDA in 1956 .. under the watchful eyes of the meat and dairy industries).

In other words, there are plenty of excellent reasons to choose the vegan lifestyle…

.. at least 101 of ‘em, for sure.

Plus, for those of you who go for that sort of stuff, there’s also the celebrity appeal:

* Natalie Portman
* Alicia Silverstone
* Woody Harrelson

Jocks, take note:

* A vegan football player
* A vegan hockey player

Bible Thumpers?

* Maybe one day, The Pope

WATCH VIDEO: Whale Wars: Vegans on Board

You may already know that factory farming sucks while Isa’s cookies rock.

But just in case, here’s a comprehensive list to aim you in the direction of vegan bliss.

7 Core Reasons to Go Vegan..”

(recommended-read..)

(ed note/disclaimer:..i am vegan..have been for ten+ years..

..and i have vegan dogs..one of them a second-generation vegan dog..

so..y’know..!..)

go to source/story>>Vegan 2010: Cookie Recipes, Protein Myths, Non-Leather Boots, & a Darker Shade of Green : Planet Green

“..High levels of vitamin D are linked with a lower risk of colon cancer, according to a comparison of more than half a million Europeans, published online Friday by the British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Patients with the highest levels of vitamin D in their blood had a nearly 40 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer compared to those with the lowest levels.

Vitamin D, derived mainly from sunlight but also found in foods, plays a key role in bone strength by increasing levels of calcium in the blood.

Whether it affects incidence of cancer has been hotly debated and the evidence is sketchy.

The paper draws on a very large study, the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC) project, carried out in 10 Western European countries.

The authors sound a note of caution, saying it is unclear whether vitamin D supplements are any more effective than a balanced diet or getting regular exposure to sunlight.

Further work is needed, they add, to show whether the statistical link in this investigation is born out -

- and whether there could be any side effects from taking supplements .. or eating food fortified with vitamin D.

Smoking, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, alcohol and eating red and processed meats have previously been established as factors in cancer of the colon and rectum..”

go to source/story>>High levels of vitamin D cut risk of colon cancer: study - Health News, Health & Families - The Independent

“..The environmental impact of shrimp can be horrific.

But most Americans don’t know where their shrimp comes from .. or what’s in it.

Americans love their shrimp.

It’s the most popular seafood in the country, but unfortunately much of the shrimp we eat are a cocktail of chemicals ..

.. harvested at the expense of one of the world’s productive ecosystems.

Worse, guidelines for finding some kind of “sustainable shrimp” .. are so far nonexistent.

In his book, Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood ..

.. Taras Grescoe paints a repulsive picture of how shrimp are farmed in one region of India.

The shrimp pond preparation begins with urea, superphosphate, and diesel ..

.. then progresses to the use of piscicides (fish-killing chemicals like chlorine and rotenone), pesticides and antibiotics..

.. (including some that are banned in the U.S.) ..

.. and ends by treating the shrimp with sodium tripolyphosphate (a suspected neurotoxicant), Borax, and occasionally caustic soda.

Upon arrival in the U.S., few if any, are inspected by the FDA..

.. and when researchers have examined imported ready-to-eat shrimp, they found 162 separate species of bacteria with resistance to 10 different antibiotics.

And yet, as of 2008, Americans are eating 4.1 pounds of shrimp apiece each year — significantly more than the 2.8 pounds per year we each ate of the second most popular seafood, canned tuna.

But what are we actually eating without knowing it?

And is it worth the price — both to our health and the environment?..”

(recommended-read..)

go to source/story>>Shrimp’s Dirty Secrets: Why America’s Favorite Seafood Is a Health and Environmental Nightmare | | AlterNet