In this edition...
Editor's Note |
 Reflections - on Clinton and cows |
Health |
| President Bill Clinton's weight loss secret? Plants |
| Can kids thrive on a vegetarian diet? |
| U.S. salmonella outbreak tied to factory farming |
| Cleaning the henhouse |
| Is soy safe? Busting the myths of a nutritional powerhouse |
| Dr. Ornish: Atkins diet increases all-cause mortality |
Environment |
| A fish story that's tough to believe |
| Turtles in trouble |
| Fish on drugs - Consequences of antidepressants in the water |
Lifestyles and Trends |
| Kiwi fitness model takes up raw food diet |
| Groceries on a budget |
| Farm Sanctuary vegan vacation offers food for thought |
| Talking with non-vegans about veganism: 5 principles |
| McDonald's 'death ad' causes a stir |
Animal Issues and Advocacy |
| 'But, what's wrong with milk?' |
| Fish: The forgotten victims on our plate |
| Double standards rule in our outrage over animal cruelty |
| Even bugs have personalities |
Books, Films and Perspectives |
| Tal Ronnen, a medium-rare vegan |
| The shark soup massacre and how to stop it |
| Music mogul Russell Simmons supports 'Bold Native' film |
Of Note - Recipes, Neat Stuff, Video Shorts, Events and More |
|
|
|
Don't forget to visit:
|
|
(Excerpts are included from current news stories. Click on the "Full story" link to read the full article.)
Editor's Note 
|
Reflections - on Clinton and cows
President Bill Clinton says that he is following a vegan diet because he wants to be healthy to enjoy his grandchildren. He took the time to do his own research when his health was threatened. I wonder why more grandparents don't think more about their own health, and the planet they will leave for their grandchildren, when making their food choices. Surely there is enough information out there at this point to make the connections.
In a recent issue of VegE-News, our 'one thought' for meat-eaters was to pause, for just a few seconds, to reflect that a mother once loved the meat on your plate. That thought is driven home compellingly in the heartrending article by veterinarian Dr. Holly Cheever about the dairy cow who outsmarted the farmer in an attempt to save her offspring ("Animal Issues" section below). If you read only one article this month, make it this one. If anyone, vegan or non-vegan, can read it and not be moved they are made of sterner stuff than me. This is not one special cow. This is every single cow forced to behave like a machine, delivering unnecessary and unhealthy milk for humans, while the baby she yearns to nurture with that milk is torn from her, to become veal on someone's plate. This is the answer to "But, what's wrong with milk?"
|
|
|
| Health
|
President Bill Clinton's weight loss secret? Plants
Full story: Ecorazzi
President Bill Clinton recently confirmed in an interview with journalist Willow Bay that he is indeed eating a mainly vegan diet. In the interview, the former president explains the reason behind his decision to go vegan. "I'm trying to be one of those experimenters," said Clinton. "Since 1986, several hundred people who have tried essentially a plant-based diet, not ingesting any cholesterol from any source, have seen their bodies start to heal themselves - break up the arterial blockage, break up the calcium deposits around the heart. 82 per cent of the people who have done this have had this result, so I want to see if I can be one of them." What made him go vegan [almost - he eats a "little" fish]? According to our source, Clinton has read many books on the topic, including books by T. Colin Campbell, Caldwell Esselstyn and Dr. Dean Ornish. Although losing weight was a benefit of the dietary change, the choice to go vegan was about more than just losing weight. He says he's working to stay healthy for his grandchildren. [See also President Clinton's interview on CNN with Wolf Blitzer.]
Read more... |
Can kids thrive on a vegetarian diet?
Full story: Sydney Morning Herald
It's one thing to opt for a meatless diet as an adult - but is it a healthy option for growing children too? As a dietitian who consults to the Vegetarian Network of Victoria [Australia], this is familiar territory to Mark Surdut. Clients who come to him for advice on kids and vegetarian eating generally fall into two groups. There are those whose children want to be vegetarian, and parents who are vegetarian themselves and wonder if a meat free diet will meet a growing child's needs for nutrients. The bottom line says Surdut is that vegetarian diets, including vegan diets, can be healthy for kids as long as they're well planned. That's not just his opinion either. Last year the professional association of dietitians in the U.S., the American Dietetic Association, gave the thumbs up to vegetarian [and vegan] diets at all life stages in a position paper that suggested vegetarian diets in childhood and adolescence can help establish lifelong healthy eating patterns. [See also Real Vegan Children from Vegan Health and Vegetarian kids info index from Vegetarian Resource Group.]
Read more... |
Sydney Morning Herald - September 21
|
U.S. salmonella outbreak tied to factory farming
Full story: IPS
As regulators traced the huge U.S. salmonella outbreak spread by infected eggs back to the hen feed used at two farms, many groups are pointing the blame at the factory farm system from which the eggs - and bacteria - came. Those conditions typically mean about six birds crammed together in a small "battery cage," usually about eight by eight inches (20 cm). The Iowa farms embroiled in the salmonella outbreak are not nearly the only such operations. In the U.S., 97 per cent of eggs produced are estimated to come from battery cages, and over 60 per cent of eggs worldwide.
Read more... |
Cleaning the henhouse
Full story: New York Times
The latest salmonella outbreak, underscoring the failures of industrial farming, reminds me of the small chicken flock that I tended while growing up on a family farm. Our chickens wandered freely, and one dawn we were awakened by frantic squawking. We looked out the window to see a fox rushing off with a hen in its mouth. [Luckily, she survived]... The other extreme of jamming chickens into small cages is a nightmare for the animals - and the salmonella outbreak underscores that it can be a health hazard to humans as well. Industrial operations - essentially factories of meat and eggs - excel at manufacturing cheap food for the supermarket. But there is evidence that this model is economically viable only because it passes on health costs to the public - in the form of occasional salmonella, antibiotic-resistant diseases, polluted waters, food poisoning and possibly certain cancers. That's why the president's cancer panel this year recommended that consumers turn to organic food if possible - a stunning condemnation of our food system.
Read more... |
New York Times - September 1
|
Is soy safe? Busting the myths of a nutritional powerhouse
Full story: Life Extension Magazine
Rarely has a nutritional source gained such rapid acceptance and drawn the kind of hostile scrutiny focused on soy. No sooner did the FDA [U.S. Food & Drug Administration] allow a health claim to be made for soy as a food in 1999, than it came under attack by a vocal minority of "concerned citizens" - some of whom were found to represent a narrow segment of the food industry threatened by soy's profits. Thanks to their efforts, considerable misinformation now contaminates the discussion of soy's real impact on health. The good news is that the popularity and "controversy" surrounding soy have resulted in considerable clinical study and research, giving rise to a wealth of scientific literature that validates soy's health-promoting potential... just 15-20 grams of soy per day can operate at the cellular level to provide a formidable defense against cardiovascular disease, numerous forms of cancer, osteoporosis, and menopausal symptoms.
Read more... |
Life Extension Magazine - July
|
Dr. Ornish: Atkins diet increases all-cause mortality
Full story: Huffington Post
A major study was just published in the Annals of Internal Medicine from Harvard. In approximately 85,000 women who were followed for 26 years and 45,000 men who were followed for 20 years, researchers found that all-cause mortality rates were increased in both men and women who were eating a low-carbohydrate Atkins diet based on animal protein. However, all-cause mortality rates as well as cardiovascular mortality rates were decreased in those eating a plant-based diet low in animal protein and low in refined carbohydrates. Although this plant-based diet was called an "Eco-Atkins" diet, it's essentially the same diet that I have been recommending and studying for more than 30 years.
Read more... |
Huffington Post - September 7
|
More Health News:
Eco-Atkins far healthier than standard Atkins
Study co-author and Harvard nutrition expert Walter Willett explains: "Low-carb diets are neither good nor bad — it’s what we’re replacing those carbs with that’s important. It’s making choices among your protein and fat sources, and choosing to emphasize the plant sources." Healthful or not, I’m not interested in any diet that restricts my consumption of fruits and whole grains. - Vegan.com (September 10)
Canadian doctors seek curb on antibiotics in feed
Practice is creating drug-resistant superbugs and increasing threat to public health, they say. - Vancouver Sun (September 12)
Egg
inspectors failed to raise alarms
Wall Street Journal (September 10)
Response to: 'Vegan Vitamin B12 deficiency is a myth'
Scroll down - Jack Norris, RD blog (August 23)
Dr. Campbell: Is Mercola selling snake oil?
Health products salesman Joseph Mercola, D.O., has been taking shots at T. Colin Campbell, PhD, and Campbell's landmark bestseller, The China Study. Recently Mercola wrote a confused diatribe against Campbell, which, among other things, appears to show that Mercola has not actually read Campbell's book. This is Dr. Campbell's response. - VegSource (September 10)
|
|
| Environment
|
A fish story that's tough to believe
Full story: Toronto Star
The advent of genetically modified fish will be yet another example of meeting the enemy and discovering it's us. [Recently] the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began the process of approving genetically modified salmon, likely to be the first GM animal for human consumption in North America. The GM salmon grows twice as fast as wild salmon. If the FDA gives engineered North Atlantic salmon the green light, as seems likely, the product decried as "frankenfish" by critics will be on supermarket shelves within two to three years. The Earth didn't move for the global news media with the FDA's announcement, but it should have. The profit motive being what it is, pressure will intensify for approval of GM cattle, bacon, dairy products and grains, which like GM salmon will be cheaper to produce and in much greater quantity. Time and again, products approved by the FDA and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have been found to cause harmful side effects that become evident only after several years on the market. [See info in our "Of Note - Calls to Action" section to protest.]
Read more... |
Toronto Star - September 7
|
Turtles in trouble
Full story: Environmental News Network
More than a third of the world's 280 freshwater turtle species are threatened with extinction, according to a new analysis by Conservation
International (CI). CI's latest assessment explains that the catastrophic decline of the world's freshwater turtles is primarily being caused by the unsustainable harvesting of turtles and their eggs for food, and for the lucrative pet trade. Turtles are highly valued in Asia, particularly in China, due to their perceived medicinal properties, and a single turtle can fetch a high price on the market. Yet this exploitation is driving many vulnerable freshwater turtles towards extinction.
Read more... |
Environmental News Network - September 15
|
Fish on drugs - Consequences of antidepressants in the water
Full story: E/The Environmental Magazine
A new body of evidence is building. Study after study shows widely prescribed drugs such as Prozac, Effexor and Celexa disrupt the natural order when they are excreted into the water. Scientists in Mississippi discovered antidepressants are interfering with the way tadpoles develop into frogs. They also interfere with the ability of tiny minnows to escape predators. Experts say these early signs could point to long-term problems for the aquatic food chain as a whole. Once antidepressants disperse in the environment (in this case by traveling down streams in wastewater effluent), they can affect a wide range of living creatures.
Read more... |
E/The Environmental Magazine - September 3
|
More Environmental News:
Is genetically modified salmon safe?
Called AquAdvantage, the fish has revived controversies that already surround genetically modified organisms. The development also raises questions about the future of the environment, the future of evolution and the future of food. - Discovery Channel News (September 10)
Top climate skeptic reverses course, now urges bold action
Triple Pundit (September 1)
Oregano in feed reduces methane emissions from cows
Editor's note: This development points out the limitations and pitfalls of relying solely on the "environment" argument for veganism, as Matt Ball of Vegan Outreach has pointed out. Over time, technological advances will fix some of the worst environmental hazards associated with animal agribusiness. - Live Science (September 9)
|
|
| Lifestyles and Trends
|
Kiwi fitness model takes up raw food diet
Full story: 3news, NZ
As a fitness model and a pro figure competitor - Raechelle Chase has graced the covers of a dozen magazines. Her body is her business. But the strict animal protein diet followed by most body builders was leaving her sick and lethargic. So she made a radical change. Reporter Natasha Utting visits the body fitness model's kitchen. [Video coverage.]
Read more... |
Groceries on a budget
Full story: VegNews
The rumor on the street is that veganism is too expensive for the average American to afford. Healthy, affordable food is easily found with these tips... Respect the Farmer - Buying fresh produce from a local farmers' market is a great way to improve your community, health, and personal finances; Bulk Up - buy staples in bulk; Love the Leftovers; Can the Man - Well maybe not the man, but at least the legumes. Purchasing canned beans (and some vegetables) is a delicious way to save a bundle; Keep an Open Mind - Instead of hitting the grocery store with a definitive list of must-haves, try shopping with a loose list and an open mind.
Read more... |
Farm Sanctuary vegan vacation offers food for thought
Full story: Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, NY, U.S.
It shelters more animals than some zoos. It spans 175 breathtaking acres bordering a state forest. It draws thousands of tourists each year. And its co-founder and president is a national figure in the fight to change the way industry and the public think about and treat farm animals. Since 1989, the Farm Sanctuary has called this hilly, pastoral stretch its headquarters and home [in New York - there's one in California too]. As a meat-lite, ice cream-heavy omnivore, I'm here for a 24-hour vegan vacation, pledging during that time to forego animal-derived foods of all kinds and willing to subject myself to information that may give me pause the next time I sit down for a cheeseburger or even some chocolate milk... This is hardly the gourmet getaway to brag about with my foodie friends. But it has served me, as it does others, plenty of food for thought.
Read more... |
Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, NY, U.S. - August 22
|
Talking with non-vegans about veganism: 5 principles
Full story: Opposing Views
How do we talk with non-vegans about veganism? I present five general principles: Principle #1: People are good at heart. #2: People are not stupid. #3: Do not get defensive; respond, don't react. #4: Do not get frustrated. Education is hard work. #5: Learn the basics. You have to be a student first before you become a teacher. Read more... |
Opposing Views - September 17
|
McDonald's 'death ad' causes a stir
Full story: Softpedia
McDonald's and other giant fast food restaurants have often come under fire for the health risk they present to the general population because of their products. A new television spot targets McDonald's by showing just how dangerous junk food is. Known as the McDonald's death ad or the "Consequences" clip, the 39-second video doesn't beat around the bush. Designed by the non-profit organization Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, the ad shows that junk food leads to obesity and other serious health problems, which can lead to death. [View the ad at the link.]
Read more... |
More Lifestyles and Trends News:
The Men's Journal guide to going vegan
All it takes is three weeks of eating vegan before you start to feel positive effects. But it isn’t easy changing lifelong eating habits. Here’s all you need to know at the grocery store and in the kitchen. - Men's Journal (September 15)
Good news!
Study: Media attention to animal welfare has significant, negative effects on U.S. meat demand
U.S. consumers are expressing increasing interest in the production practices used in modern food production. An issue rapidly increasing in importance to consumers is the treatment of farm animals raised for meat, milk, and eggs destined for human consumption. - Kansas State University (pdf, September)
|
|
| Animal Issues and Advocacy
|
'But, what's wrong with milk?'
Full story: Albany Times Union, NY, U.S.
Dairy cows are intensely nurturing and maternal beings. I would like to tell you a story that is as true as it is heartbreaking. When I first graduated from Cornell's School of Veterinary Medicine, I went into a busy dairy practice. One of my clients called me one day with a puzzling mystery: his Brown Swiss cow, having delivered her fifth calf naturally on pasture the night before, brought the new baby to the barn and was put into the milking line, while her calf was once again removed from her. Her udder, though, was completely empty, and remained so for several days. As a new mother, she would normally be producing close to one hundred pounds of milk daily... Finally, on the eleventh day post calving, the farmer called me with the solution: he had followed the cow out to her pasture after her morning milking, and discovered the cause: she had delivered twins, and in a bovine's "Sophie's Choice," she had brought one to the farmer and kept one hidden in the woods at the edge of her pasture. Though I pleaded for the farmer to keep her and her bull calf together, she lost this baby, too - off to the hell of the veal crate.
Think for a moment of the complex reasoning this mama exhibited: first, she had memory - memory of her four previous losses, in which bringing her new calf to the barn resulted in her never seeing him/her again (heartbreaking for any mammalian mother). Second, she could formulate and then execute a plan. Third, instead of hiding both, which would have aroused the farmer's suspicion, she gave him one and kept one herself. I cannot tell you how she knew to do this - it would seem more likely that a desperate mother would hide both. All I know is this: there is a lot more going on behind those beautiful eyes than we humans have ever given them credit for, and as a mother who was able to nurse all four of my babies and did not have to suffer the agonies of losing my beloved offspring, I feel her pain.
[Note: TAs the original link in the newspaper has disappeared - big dairy influence? - an alternative "full story" link has been provided.]
Read more... |
Albany Times Union, NY, U.S. - August 23
|
Fish: The forgotten victims on our plate
Full story: Guardian, UK
[By Peter Singer.] There is no humane slaughter requirement for wild fish caught and killed at sea, nor, in most places, for farmed fish... The most startling revelation in the [recent report from fishcount.org.uk], however, is the staggering number of fish on which humans inflict these deaths. It is in the order of one trillion, although it could be as high as 2.7tn. To put this in perspective, the United Nations estimates that 60 billion animals are killed each year for human consumption - the equivalent of about nine animals for each human being on the planet. If we take [the] lower estimate of one trillion, the comparable figure for fish is 150... Let's assume that all this fishing is sustainable, though of course it is not. It would then be reassuring to believe that killing on such a vast scale does not matter, because fish do not feel pain. But the evidence is now accumulating that commercial fishing inflicts an unimaginable amount of pain and suffering.
Read more... |
Guardian, UK - September 14
|
Double standards rule in our outrage over animal cruelty
Full story: Vancouver Sun
Last month, a woman in England sparked world-wide outrage when she was caught on video dropping a cat into a garbage bin. The cat spent 15 hours in the bin before being rescued by her owners. One can't help wondering why such outrage is absent when other, less "attractive" animals, face routine cruelty on a much wider scale. Take, for example, chickens raised for meat. Most of them live short, miserable lives in appallingly inhumane conditions on factory farms... Each one of these birds suffers infinitely more than the cat who spent 15 hours in the garbage bin, yet where is the moral outrage? Does labelling an animal as food automatically diminish its moral value - and who gets to do the labelling? Even if you believe that it is morally acceptable to eat chickens, is it acceptable that they should be treated so inhumanely before slaughter? It is hard for most people to accept that each one of the billions of chickens killed for meat every year has an individual personality, just like their beloved pet's. And, just like their pets, they can feel fear, pain and distress. Capacity for suffering is something all animals share. For the unlucky chicken, suffering has become an integral part of life. And it appears that, for most of us, that is acceptable.
Read more... |
Vancouver Sun - September 10
|
Even bugs have personalities
Full story: Discovery Channel News
Individual insects and bugs may all look alike to human eyes, but each and every one is unique and possesses its own personality, suggests new research that also helps to explain how personality arises in virtually all organisms. Some individual bugs, like humans, turn out to be shy, while others are very forceful, determined the study, published in the latest Proceedings of the Royal Society B. The scientists believe their findings carry over to other bugs and animals, with genes, gender, life experiences, environmental conditions and other factors shaping personality.
Read more... |
Discovery Channel News - September 7
|
More Animal Issues and Advocacy News:
Update on Jay the brave bull recovering at Farm Sanctuary after a fiery crash
He's doing well - Farm Sanctuary website
Interview with Farm Sanctuary's Gene Baur
"Farm animals, like all animals, have feelings and they deserve to be treated with respect and compassion." - Guitar International (August 11)
Vietnam's illegal wildlife trade exposed
The seized items included meat from wild pigs, civets, pangolins, porcupine, mouse deer, monitor lizards, bear paws, bamboo rats, snakes, and sambar deer. Skins from black-shanked duoc langurs, clouded leopard, short-clawed otter, serow, muntjac, leopard cat, flying squirrel, common palm civet, binturong, and the small Indian civet were also seized. Over a dozen restaurant owners have been arrested and fined. - Discovery Channel News (September 2)
|
|
| Books, Films and Perspectives
|
Tal Ronnen, a medium-rare vegan
Full story: Huffington Post
Rare is the vegan who bemoans the closing of an old-school Jewish deli with its mile-high pastrami sandwiches. But then again Tal Ronnen, vegan chef to the stars, is a rarity to begin with. While many vegans and vegan groups seem to vie for your heart and soul, Ronnen has not forgotten about your stomach. As a kid, he was an avid steak-eater with two vegetarian sisters. "I used to make fun of both my sisters," he recalls. "It's ironic. Now I'm leading that lifestyle." Not just leading it, he's the chef who cooked for Oprah's famed 21-day vegan cleanse and did the fab food for Ellen deGeneres and Portia de Rossi's wedding. These folks aren't going to put up with sprouts and slop. Neither will Ronnen. As he writes in his vegan cookbook The Conscious Cook, "There are no sprouts in this book, or in my refrigerator." The book has been named one of the top 10 cookbooks of the year by Epicurious.
Read more... |
Huffington Post - June 21
|
The shark soup massacre and how to stop it
Full story: New Scientist
Sharks attacking humans is big news; humans attacking sharks, not so much. Conservation photographers Paul Hilton and Alex Hofford are trying to redress this imbalance. In revealing the extent of the bloody trade in shark fins, their book [and short film] Man and Shark is a testament of our cruelty towards these majestic creatures. "Seeing it in Japan shocked me beyond all belief," he says. "I thought Yemen was bad, but then I walked into this warehouse and saw 75 tonnes of blue shark laid out across the dock at 8:30 in the morning, with workers silently moving among them, cutting off their fins." Hilton calls it "shark genocide." "At the rate sharks are declining, they could all be wiped out in 10 to 15 years," claims Hofford. Tiger, bull and dusky sharks are particularly at risk, with populations down to just 5 per cent of 1970s levels. The reason for this decline? A lust for shark-fin soup.
Read more... |
New Scientist - September
|
Music mogul Russell Simmons supports 'Bold Native' film
Full story: Ecorazzi
Music mogul and animal activist Russell Simmons has given his endorsement to Bold Native - a fiction feature film about the underground Animal Liberation Front. In [a video filmed at the film's launch], Russell talks about his choice to go vegan, saying: "You know the greatest cause of global warming by almost twice as much as all forms of transportation put together? Cows. Farting. You know that, right? It's the UN report. And you know that the greatest cause of cancer, and you know that the worst karmic thing we can do is have those nine billion [actually it's closer to 60 billion worldwide] suffering farm animals as human beings. So with all those things, with all that weight, I don't want to carry it... It's a no win situation. I want to be one of the people that have a big enough voice, and use my voice to make a change." [Video at the link.]
Read more... |
Related/more book news:
The trouble with factory farms
Time interview with David Kirby, author of "Animal Factory" - "One time I [stayed near a factory farm]. At night, all I'd hear as I was trying to fall asleep was the sound of the pigs fighting each other, biting each other, squealing, screeching all night long. It was like nothing I've ever heard before in my life, and it just didn't stop. It sounded like kids being tortured over there. I'll never forget that sound. It was very sad." - Time Magazine (April 23)
Visit our VegE-Store for books and more
Thanks for your support!
|
| Of Note - Recipes, Neat Stuff, Video Shorts, Events and More
|
Tips for healthy baking, a vegetarian Thanksgiving, more
The Toronto Vegetarian Association has some excellent tips for faster and healthier baking and for a Vegetarian Thanksgiving. Plus, be sure to check out VegE-News' recipe pages for our own tips for making the transition to a vegan diet - or staying on one, along with lots of recipes of course.
Tips for healthier and faster baking
Vegetarian Thanksgiving
VegE-News recipes and tips
Join President Clinton - Go vegan and kickstart your health
The Physician Committee for Responsible Medicine's 21-day vegan kickstart program is for everyone, including those already vegans!, who want to learn more about the health benefits of a vegan diet. Didn't get around to signing up for the current program? You can catch up on all the great info and daily menus at the archive. You can also take the Vegan Pledge at the Vegan Society's website and get your own mentor to help you along. (Or you can offer to be a mentor.) The Toronto Vegetarian Association's Veggie Challenge offers lots of help plus prizes!
21-Day Vegan Kickstart Archive
Vegan Society Pledge
TVA Veggie Challenge
We want readers!
Do you know someone who would enjoy and benefit from reading VegE-News? Open-minded carnivores? Please tell them about it and help us spread the good word to veggies and non-veggies alike. If every subscriber adds just one name, we'll have twice as many people reading and talking about the issues! They can sign up at the direct link below.
Subscribe to VegE-News
Video shorts
Lots of good viewing this month: Gary Yourofsky, founder of ADAPTT (Animals Deserve Absolute Protection Today and Tomorrow) delivers a powerful speech - laced with humor (longer than our usual "shorts" but well-worth it); Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Eating Animals, talks on factory farming (again, not short, but worthwhile); Actor Michael Dorn (Star Trek TNG) relates how he lost 40 pounds after going vegan and doesn't miss meat at all since he feels so good; the new Reel Life at Farm Sanctuary "Sanctuary Tails" series gives a sneak peek behind the barn doors; vegan Ellen Degeneres keeps her cool speaking with Lady Gaga about her meat dress, making an effective advocacy statement with grace and humor; President Obama makes a surprise phone call to a cancer patient (ok, it's not about being veggie, but we think it's cool); and, last, but far from least, a video from a young woman who received a Vegan Outreach pamphlet at a Warped Tour concert.
Gary Yourofsky at Georgia Tech
Jonathan Safran Foer
Michael Dorn on being vegan
Reel Life at Farm Sanctuary - Episode 1
Reel Life at Farm Sanctuary - Episode 2
Ellen Degeneras with Lady Gaga
President Obama makes a phone call - cool
Warped Tour Opened My Eyes - we really recommend this!
Neat stuff
Hand made baby blankets and accessories; fun, unique bags and totes; beautiful fair trade items to help people in the developing world....
Good Baby
Patchwork Place
Ten Thousand Villages
Podcasts/Blogs
The Kind Life with Alicia Silverstone is an extension of her book The Kind Diet, which is about living your healthiest and happiest life to the fullest, while taking care of the Earth - we particularly like her "animal" and "food" category posts.
The Kind Life
Modern Hippie Mag has a podcast interview with Matt Ball of Vegan Outreach, one of our favorite inspirational activists, on "Maximizing Our Positive Impact in Today's World" and on his recent book, The Animal Activist's Handbook, co-authored with Jack Norris.
Interview with Matt Ball
Matt Ball's own blog is always interesting and helpful. In a recent entry "Doing Our Best with the World as It Is" he makes the point "The question is never, 'Is this vegan / Am I vegan?' Rather, we ask, 'Will this help reduce suffering as much as possible?'"
Your Daily Dose of Vegan Outreach
Calls to action
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on August 25 that it will potentially approve the long-shelved AquAdvantage transgenic salmon as the first genetically engineered (GE) animal intended for human consumption. If approved, this has the potential to impact the health and environment not only of the U.S. but around the world. The Centre for Food Safety in the U.S. is collecting comments to present at the hearing but there is a short period to act so time is of the essence.
Say no to frankenfish
A recent proposal prepared for the Government of Canada would see 220,000 grey seals killed and incinerated in their protected Sable Island nursery. IFAW has a petition to stop the horror.
Stop the Sable Island seal slaughter
Veggie organizations - Want your own version of VegE-News for your members?
If you are a vegetarian organization that would like your own customized version of VegE-News, let us know. We are pleased to produce customized versions of VegE-News for the Australian Vegetarian Society, the New Zealand Vegetarian Society, Vegans & Vegetarians of Alberta, and the Toronto Vegetarian Association. Members receive the regular VegE-News PLUS listings of their local events. If you are a member of one of those organizations, but not receiving the customized version, just drop us an email and ask us to switch you to the specific list.
Email VegE-News
Donations always helpful - and appreciated!
We sincerely appreciate donations of any amount to assist us with production and distribution expenses. If you would like to help, please click below. You can also help by sponsoring an issue and by making your book purchases through the Amazon link in our VegE-Store.
Support VegE-News
The VegE-Store
Events
Farm Sanctuary Walk for Farm Animals 2010, September/October - throughout North America
Walk for Farm Animals is an annual event that helps spread the word about the treatment of animals on factory farms and raises vital funds for Farm Sanctuary's rescue, education and advocacy work. Walks occur across the U.S. and in Canada in September and October. Find a local walk or info on how to organize one at the link. You can also sign up for the "No Walk Walk" to offer support.
Walk for Farm Animals
The 39th IVU World Vegetarian Congress 2010, Jakarta, October 1-6, 2010 and Bali,
October 7-9, 2010
The Congress is a bi-annual program of the International Vegetarian Union. Theme: Save Our Life, Save Our Planet. If you've ever attended an international Vegetarian Congress, you know what an inspiring and recharging experience it is. More details and online registration at the website below.
World Vegetarian Congress 2010
World Farm Animals Day, October 2
World Farm Animals Day (WFAD), observed on (or around) October 2nd, is dedicated to exposing, mourning, and memorializing the more than 58 billion cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens, and other land animals who needlessly suffer and die every year in the world's factory farms and slaughterhouses. Check out events around the world at the link below.
World Farm Animals Day
The San Francisco Vegetarian Society presents The World Veg Festival , October 2 and 3
The festival will feature outstanding speakers all day long, international vegan cuisine, food demos, live entertainment, organic athletes, children's corner, and more. An organic vegan dinner will be served on Saturday night. Location: Golden Gate Park, San Francisco Fair Building, between 9th Avenue and Lincoln, from 10 am to 6 pm.
World Veg Festival
Canada-Wide Anti Horse Slaughter Protest October 4, 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
Protest demonstrations against horse slaughter will be held at BeerBistro, 18 King St. E., Toronto (horse meat is on its dinner menu) as well as in Vancouver, Charlottetown, Winnipeg, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, and Halifax. There will also be a protest at Bouvry Exports Horse Slaughterhouse in Fort Macleod, AB, in support of Bill C-544 - a bill tabled in the House to end house slaughter in Canada.
Anti Horse Slaughter Protest
10/10/10 Global Work Party from 350.org, October 10
This is a chance to get out and do something practical for the environment. 350.org is calling it "A Day to Celebrate Climate Solutions" - saying together we'll get to work in our communities on projects that can cut carbon and build the clean energy future. But we won't stop there - we'll be using the day to pressure our leaders to Get To Work themselves by passing strong climate policies promoting clean energy and reducing emissions. Thousands of people around the world have already registered their plans, including river valley clean up in Edmonton, launching of community gardens in Brisbane, waste-land-to-veggies-gardeners in New Zealand, and solar panel installers in Kenya.
10/10/10 Global Work Party
VegSource Healthy Lifestyle Expo, October 15-17, 2010
Get ready to learn the latest health info. Get ready to reconnect with like-minded friends. Get ready to be re-energized by spending a dynamic weekend with the top health experts in the world. It will all be at this annual VegSource event in California.
VegSource Healthy Lifestyle Expo 2010
|
|
|
Note:
|
Whenever possible, stories are linked to the original source. Some sites may require registration, and/or not archive the stories. All links were active at the time of publication.
|
|
|
|
|
Prepared as a public service by:
|
|
|
|
|
To ensure that you continue to receive the VegE-News, please add the sender to your address book or safe list. This will help ensure that it doesn't get zapped by your spam filter and wind up in your JUNK or TRASH folder.
|
|
