Gpomg tp sleep

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Home relaxing tonight before spending a day off at the office

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World Public Gives China, US Low Marks on Climate Change: Hu Jin Tao, Obama Prepare to Talk Together

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As Hu Jin Tao, Obama Prepare to Meet, World Public Gives China, US Low Marks on Climate Change

November 11, 2009

Questionnaire with Findings, Methodology (PDF)

With President Barack Obama on his way to meet his Chinese counterpart in Beijing for talks on global climate change and a range of other issues, a poll by WorldPublicOpinion.org shows that publics in more than half of 20 nations disapprove of the way China and the United States are dealing with global warming.

(Photos: Pete Souza/White House Photo, Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)

The poll asked respondents to grade China and the US on several dimensions. China gets poor marks for how it handles human rights--on average 52% say China does not respect human rights while just 36% say it does. The US does better, with 50% saying it is respectful and 38% it is not.

People around the world regard both superpowers as cooperative, but they also see both countries, especially the US, as using the threat of military force to coerce other nations.

Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao are expected to focus on climate change, economic concerns, and nuclear issues related to Iran and North Korea when they meet Nov. 16 and 17. The climate change question is of particular importance in the run-up to December's conference in Copenhagen, where 192 countries will attempt to conclude a new treaty on climate change. All eyes will be on China, the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gases, and the United States, which long held that distinction.

The WPO poll, conducted during April and May, finds that people in 11 nations disapprove of how [China] is "dealing with the issue of climate change." Clear majorities in six nations -- France (74%), Britain (73%), Germany (72%), the United States (69%), South Korea (69%), and Egypt (58%) -- are disapproving, along with pluralities is five other nations. Only in Pakistan (93%), Nigeria (69%), Kenya (64%), and Indonesia (55%) do majorities approve.

Likewise, majorities in six nations disapprove of the US handling of global warming--Egypt (68%), Britain (65%), France (62%), Pakistan 62%), Turkey (56%), and Germany (56%) --, as do pluralities in five. Nigeria, Kenya, South Korea, India and Indonesia are the only countries where majorities express approval.

Across the 20 nations polled, approval of China's record on climate change is somewhat lower than for the US. On average, 34% approve of China (42% disapprove) while 39% approve of the US (41% disapprove).

WorldPublicOpinion.org conducted the poll of 20,349 respondents in 20 nations that comprise 63 percent of the world's population. This includes most of the largest nations--China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Russia--as well as Mexico, Chile, Germany, Great Britain, France, Poland, Ukraine, Kenya, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, and South Korea. Polling was also conducted in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Not all questions were asked to all nations. The margins of error range from +/-3 to 4 percentage points. The surveys were conducted across the different nations between April 4 and July 9, 2009.

WorldPublicOpinion.org, a collaborative project involving research centers from around the world, is managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland.

Throughout the poll, some groups of countries consistently favored one superpower and were critical of the other. Most notably, people in most Muslim countries gave China positive ratings and the US negative ratings. Among European countries, the US tended to rate high and China low. Kenya and Nigeria hold consistently positive views of the two superpowers, and Turkey has consistently negative views of both.

China and the United States are both seen as cooperative. Asked "if you think each is or is not generally cooperative with other countries," an average of 59% responded positively with regard to the US, and 53% for China.

On a nation-by-nation basis, the US is judged cooperative by 15 nations and not cooperative by four nations. China is seen as cooperative by eleven nations and uncooperative by seven.

At the same time many nations see these big powers as using "the threat of military force to gain advantages." This is especially true of the US: all nations polled, including the US itself, sees the US this way--on average 77%.

Views of China are less sharp: on average 46% say China does the same, while 41% say it does not. Ten nations say China uses military threats, eight say it does not. Among its neighbors majorities see China as threatening in South Korea (75%), and India (54%) and views are divided in Indonesia.

An area in which people around the world judge China considerably more harshly than the United States is respect for human rights. Majorities in nine countries say China does not respect human rights -- especially France (88%), Germany (88%), South Korea (87%), the US (86%), Britain (86%), and Poland (80%). However, seven, say China does respect human rights: especially Pakistan (91%), Nigeria (77%), and Kenya (67%).

The United States respects human rights in the view of 12 nations, especially. Majorities who disagreed were found in 6 nations, especially the Muslim nations of Pakistan (79%), Turkey (70%), Egypt (68%), and Iraq (60%), but also Mexico (61%).

Asked overall whether China or the US "is playing a mainly positive or negative role in the world" views are mixed. On average the split is dead even for the US, with 40% of respondents overall seeing a positive role and an identical number seeing a negative one. The overall positive response for China is higher, 44%, but still short of a majority, while 34% respond negatively.

Only in Kenya, Nigeria and South Korea do clear majorities say that both China and the US play a positive role in the world. A Majority in Turkey sees both superpowers playing negative roles.

Despite tense relations, Taiwanese views of China are not as negative one might expect. Large majorities believe China uses the threat of military force to gain advantages (70%) and does not respect human rights (76%). However slightly more than half (51%) say that China is playing a mostly positive role in the world. The same number agrees that China is mostly cooperative with other countries in the international arena.

Publics in China's special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau have very favorable views of Chinese policies. Overwhelmingly majorities agree that China is playing a mainly positive role in the world (81% Hong Kong, 81% Macau) and that China usually cooperates with other countries (85% Hong Kong, 89% Macau). Roughly two-thirds of both publics reject any notion that China uses its military power to intimidate other countries (68% Hong Kong, 69% Macau). A slight majority in Macau (51%) and a plurality in Hong Kong (45%) support China's actions in combating climate change.

The exception is on human rights. A large majority in Hong Kong (62%) say China is not respectful of human rights while views in Macau are mixed with many declining to answer.

Funding for this research was provided by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Calvert Foundation.

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World Public Gives China, US Low Marks on Climate Change: Hu Jin Tao, Obama Prepare to Talk Together

November 11, 2009

Questionnaire with Findings, Methodology (PDF)

With President Barack Obama on his way to meet his Chinese counterpart in Beijing for talks on global climate change and a range of other issues, a poll by WorldPublicOpinion.org shows that publics in more than half of 20 nations disapprove of the way China and the United States are dealing with global warming.

(Photos: Pete Souza/White House Photo, Office of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)

The poll asked respondents to grade China and the US on several dimensions. China gets poor marks for how it handles human rights--on average 52% say China does not respect human rights while just 36% say it does. The US does better, with 50% saying it is respectful and 38% it is not.

People around the world regard both superpowers as cooperative, but they also see both countries, especially the US, as using the threat of military force to coerce other nations.

Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao are expected to focus on climate change, economic concerns, and nuclear issues related to Iran and North Korea when they meet Nov. 16 and 17. The climate change question is of particular importance in the run-up to December's conference in Copenhagen, where 192 countries will attempt to conclude a new treaty on climate change. All eyes will be on China, the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gases, and the United States, which long held that distinction.

The WPO poll, conducted during April and May, finds that people in 11 nations disapprove of how [China] is "dealing with the issue of climate change." Clear majorities in six nations -- France (74%), Britain (73%), Germany (72%), the United States (69%), South Korea (69%), and Egypt (58%) -- are disapproving, along with pluralities is five other nations. Only in Pakistan (93%), Nigeria (69%), Kenya (64%), and Indonesia (55%) do majorities approve.

Likewise, majorities in six nations disapprove of the US handling of global warming--Egypt (68%), Britain (65%), France (62%), Pakistan 62%), Turkey (56%), and Germany (56%) --, as do pluralities in five. Nigeria, Kenya, South Korea, India and Indonesia are the only countries where majorities express approval.

Across the 20 nations polled, approval of China's record on climate change is somewhat lower than for the US. On average, 34% approve of China (42% disapprove) while 39% approve of the US (41% disapprove).

WorldPublicOpinion.org conducted the poll of 20,349 respondents in 20 nations that comprise 63 percent of the world's population. This includes most of the largest nations--China, India, the United States, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Russia--as well as Mexico, Chile, Germany, Great Britain, France, Poland, Ukraine, Kenya, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, Pakistan, and South Korea. Polling was also conducted in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau. Not all questions were asked to all nations. The margins of error range from +/-3 to 4 percentage points. The surveys were conducted across the different nations between April 4 and July 9, 2009.

WorldPublicOpinion.org, a collaborative project involving research centers from around the world, is managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of Maryland.

Throughout the poll, some groups of countries consistently favored one superpower and were critical of the other. Most notably, people in most Muslim countries gave China positive ratings and the US negative ratings. Among European countries, the US tended to rate high and China low. Kenya and Nigeria hold consistently positive views of the two superpowers, and Turkey has consistently negative views of both.

China and the United States are both seen as cooperative. Asked "if you think each is or is not generally cooperative with other countries," an average of 59% responded positively with regard to the US, and 53% for China.

On a nation-by-nation basis, the US is judged cooperative by 15 nations and not cooperative by four nations. China is seen as cooperative by eleven nations and uncooperative by seven.

At the same time many nations see these big powers as using "the threat of military force to gain advantages." This is especially true of the US: all nations polled, including the US itself, sees the US this way--on average 77%.

Views of China are less sharp: on average 46% say China does the same, while 41% say it does not. Ten nations say China uses military threats, eight say it does not. Among its neighbors majorities see China as threatening in South Korea (75%), and India (54%) and views are divided in Indonesia.

An area in which people around the world judge China considerably more harshly than the United States is respect for human rights. Majorities in nine countries say China does not respect human rights -- especially France (88%), Germany (88%), South Korea (87%), the US (86%), Britain (86%), and Poland (80%). However, seven, say China does respect human rights: especially Pakistan (91%), Nigeria (77%), and Kenya (67%).

The United States respects human rights in the view of 12 nations, especially. Majorities who disagreed were found in 6 nations, especially the Muslim nations of Pakistan (79%), Turkey (70%), Egypt (68%), and Iraq (60%), but also Mexico (61%).

Asked overall whether China or the US "is playing a mainly positive or negative role in the world" views are mixed. On average the split is dead even for the US, with 40% of respondents overall seeing a positive role and an identical number seeing a negative one. The overall positive response for China is higher, 44%, but still short of a majority, while 34% respond negatively.

Only in Kenya, Nigeria and South Korea do clear majorities say that both China and the US play a positive role in the world. A Majority in Turkey sees both superpowers playing negative roles.

Despite tense relations, Taiwanese views of China are not as negative one might expect. Large majorities believe China uses the threat of military force to gain advantages (70%) and does not respect human rights (76%). However slightly more than half (51%) say that China is playing a mostly positive role in the world. The same number agrees that China is mostly cooperative with other countries in the international arena.

Publics in China's special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau have very favorable views of Chinese policies. Overwhelmingly majorities agree that China is playing a mainly positive role in the world (81% Hong Kong, 81% Macau) and that China usually cooperates with other countries (85% Hong Kong, 89% Macau). Roughly two-thirds of both publics reject any notion that China uses its military power to intimidate other countries (68% Hong Kong, 69% Macau). A slight majority in Macau (51%) and a plurality in Hong Kong (45%) support China's actions in combating climate change.

The exception is on human rights. A large majority in Hong Kong (62%) say China is not respectful of human rights while views in Macau are mixed with many declining to answer.

David Roberts writes critically about PETA's PR: Should citizens of conscience become vegetarians?

Vegetarianism and environmentalism

On PETA’s latest campaign 256

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  Posted 11:42 PM on 16 Sep 2007
  by David Roberts

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Just 'cause I love poking the hornet's nest, I thought I'd weigh in on this brouhaha about PETA, vegetarianism, and environmentalism. As I see it, there are three core questions:
1. Should citizens of conscience become vegetarians?
To me, the answer to this question is pretty obviously yes. I don't see how it can be seriously argued.
Depending on your inclinations, you can heed the health arguments, the moral arguments, or the environmental arguments (regardless whether you agree with the UN study that meat production is the No. 1 contributor to global warming, it is obviously a very large contributor, never mind CAFOs' horrid effects on land, air, and water). Taken together, these arguments strike me as dispositive. It is not possible to participate in industrial animal farming with clean hands.
Add to all this the fact that unlike giving up a car, moving closer to work, or retrofitting a home to be more energy efficient, giving up meat involves virtually no cost or inconvenience. Eating meat is entirely an aesthetic choice, based on taste and habit. Taste and habit are not convincing counterweights to the arguments against meat.
So yes, you should eat less meat; ideally you should eat none. You ought to be a vegetarian.
Two additional notes:

• Yeah, yeah, the equation is different if you eat only humanely raised animals purchased from local farmers, or if you hunt and kill your own meat. But about 0.001% of Americans do that, and there could never be enough of that kind of meat to match current consumption levels, so it's a distraction from the real argument. At least for me, the argument for vegetarianism is not categorical; it's contingent on the actual state of industrial livestock farming.
• I'm not a vegetarian, so I'm a big fat hypocrite. I eat meat -- not nearly as much as the average American, but some. I choose local and humane when I can, but lots of times it isn't an option. My personal eating habits give me considerable incentive to justify meat consumption. But I'd rather acknowledge my hypocrisy than use a bunch of bullsh*t arguments.

2. Is it true that you cannot be a meat-eating environmentalist?
This is a deeply silly question. The term "environmentalist" is socially contingent and highly contested. Environmentalism has no metaphysical essence. "You aren't an environmentalist" is moral judgment masquerading as an assertion of fact.
Every discussion I've ever witnessed about who is or isn't an environmentalist, or what does or doesn't count as environmentalism -- and believe me, at this point I've seen plenty -- contains vastly more heat than light. Feelings are hurt, umbrage is taken, but nothing is ever learned, no consensus is ever reached. It's a peacock show through which everyone parades their biases and preconceptions.
What makes an environmentalist? Is it enough to care about (write about, advocate for) environmental policy, or must you also engage in activism? Must you take action to green your own life? If so, how much? Drive less, or not at all? Turn off lights, or go off grid? Eat less meat, or go vegetarian?
I don't know, or much care. There are lots and lots of things decent human beings should do. Nobody's able to do them all. We all do a little; we should all do more. Those of us on more or less the same side gain very little by furiously judging each other's personal choices in a futile attempt to define the tribal boundaries of environmentalism.
3. Is PETA's latest campaign counterproductive?
It's important when thinking about this question to disentangle your own response to the campaign from the question of its overall efficacy. I'll freely admit it bugs the crap out of me. Proclaiming who is and isn't an environmentalist bugs me. Using Al Gore as a foil bugs me. Using global warming opportunistically, as a convenient wedge, bugs me. The whole thing is irksome.
However, the campaign isn't designed to secure my moral or aesthetic approval, or yours. It's designed to spread awareness of something you and I already know: that eating meat is environmentally destructive and exacerbates global warming. A sober, fair-minded, carefully argued campaign would not achieve that goal. It would sink without a ripple.
As I've argued before (in connection to another PETA campaign), it's extremely difficult to make yourself heard over the din of pop culture and 24-hour media. There aren't many people looking around for information on the destructiveness of their most intimate habits. Virtually the only way advocacy campaigns can gain any traction is by generating some controversy. Despite what you may think, that's not all PETA does, but they do it a lot and they do it well. That's why you know who they are. That's why we're having a debate about vegetarianism and environmentalism.
As annoying as it is, I count the campaign a success, because of the hundreds of advocacy campaigns going on right now, this is the one we noticed. That's what PETA set out to achieve, and they achieved it.

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David Roberts is staff writer for Grist. You can follow his Twitter feed at twitter.com/drgrist.

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Maynard's Veggie and Boston Blog - Windows Live http://maynardclark.spaces.live.com/…fault.aspx

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Thinking of going to sleep early tonight AFTER the weekly medical mystery... HOUSE

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Maynard's Veggie and Boston Blog - Windows Live http://maynardclark.spaces.live.com/…fault.aspx

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Thinking of goiung to sleep early tonight AFTER the weekly medical mystery...

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Cheap Eats in the Area: Peace o’ Pie

Cheap Eats in the Area: Peace o’ Pie

Peace o’ Pie As we step into the tiny storefront home of Peace o’ Pie pizzeria in Allston, we are enveloped by the aromas of cheesy, tomatoey goodness. Gorgeous, bubbly-crusted pizzas occupy diners at nearly every shiny table. Walls in avocado green frame the scene. Behind the bamboo counter, a young chef scoops tantalizing pies from the oven. In short, everything about the place looks and smells like a regular, trendy pizzeria, but the ingredient list is far from standard. Peace o’ Pie is scrupulously vegan.

Read the full Globe review (Denise Taylor, Globe Staff)
Pictured, Vegan pizza at Peace o' Pie.
487 Cambridge St., Allston. 617-787-9884. www.peaceopie.com All major credit cards accepted. Entrance accessible; no restroom.
Get more information about Peace o’ Pie

The meaning of agnosticism

"I think we're really just guessing!"

"When you don't know, you don't know." - Maynard S. Clark

CORRECTION: http://en.wikipedia.org/…ynardClark

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http://en.wikipedia.org/…ynardClark

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Working into the mid-evening at his HMS office in Boston's LMA

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Today after the talking heads political talk shows, I'll be working at the HMS office

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How many dumb animals died for THAT fur coat?

But how about cruelty-free nonleather animal-free product lines?

Remember (a) Aaron Feuerstein's Malden Mills, that made PolarFleece out of recycled plastics (including soda bottles and used water and milk jugs) AND (b) the fake furs with which he had made his millions before, from millions and millions of "tiny little polyesters" (which is the rejoined vegan animal rights activist Sylvia Vitale used to give when another ARA chided her for wearing a fake fur to an animal rights protest).

Q: And how many dumb animals died for THAT fur coat?
A: Millions and millions of "tiny little polyesters"

Today is monthly vegan All-Day event at My Thai in Boston's Chinatown. I lead a group, then lead a workshop, then see vegan friends all day

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http://en.wikipedia.org/…ynardClark

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http://en.wikipedia.org/…ynardClark - Check me out on Wikipedia

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http://en.wikipedia.org/…ynardClark

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Today was a good day, but I worked diligently for it - in LMA all day. Now working late yet again.

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Today was a good day, but I worked diligently for it

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Grad school looks like a 'go' if I can get the transcripts and 4-page leadership essay in on time

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Home after 2nd great day of annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival. ALL PRESENTERS WERE OUTSTANDING

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Home preparing for 2nd great day of this weekend's annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival at Reggie Lewis Center (RLTAC.org) 10a-4p Sunday

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http://Maynard.Clark.GooglePages.com/

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LA JOURNÉE MONDIALE VEGAN - 1er NOVEMBRE

Vegan Végétalien Mondial

LA JOURNÉE MONDIALE VEGAN - 1er NOVEMBRE | LE MOIS MONDIAL VEGAN - NOVEMBRE

WORLD VEGAN DAY - 1st NOVEMBER 2009 | WORLD VEGAN MONTH - NOVEMBER 2009

Pour célébrer la création du mot 'vegan' par Donald Watson et Dorothy (Morgan) Watson et la fondation de la Vegan Society par Donald Watson, Elsie Shrigley et d'autres le 1er novembre 1944.

To celebrate the creation of the word 'vegan' by Donald Watson and Dorothy (Morgan) Watson and the foundation of the Vegan Society by Donald Watson, Elsie Shrigley and others on 1st November 1944.

The Vegan Society http://www.facebook.com/TheVeganSociety

World Vegan Day 2009
For people, animals and the planet
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=113913067294

World Vegan Day
The first of November every year
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=64142859879

VEGAN DAY / JOURNÉE VEGAN – réjouissons-nous, sans oublier les animaux !

« L'événement est partout et pour tous ! ☼
Réjouissez-vous chez vous, sans oublier les animaux ! »

[ En raison des malentendus, il fallait préciser que avec cet événement, nous souhaiterions seulement créer une communauté virtuelle afin d'élever la conscience, pas d'organiser une véritable fête.  La "Journée Mondiale du Véganisme" organisée à Paris est tout à fait un événement réel ! ;D S&C. ]

[ Paris ] 22.11.2009

Paris World Vegan Day 2009 (Journee mondiale du veganisme a Paris 2009)
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=134630658952

PARIS VEGAN DAY http://www.parisveganday.fr/
paris vegan day http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=280048595598

[ AnimaVeg ] Paris Vegan Day (Journee mondiale du veganisme a Paris 2009)
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=160693887769

[ London ] 01.11.2009

World Vegan Day London
The 65th Annual World Vegan Day
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=102387973235

[ Veracious Vegans ] World Vegan Day Dinner 1st November
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=159766178867

[ Birmingham ] 24.11.2009

Animal Remembrance Day
The Paws For Peace Campaign
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=202175974672

[ Roma ] 01.11.2009

GIORNATA MONDIALE VEGAN
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=207235866144

[ Barcelona / Sevilla / Madrid ] 01.11.2009

Igualdad Animal / Animal Equality
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Igualdad-Animal-Animal-Equality/116189118344

Actividades en España por el Día Internacional del Veganismo
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=188266594223

[ Melbourne ] 01.11.2009

World Vegan Day 2009
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=124411087967

World Vegan Day 2009 - Melbourne
Come and explore the wonderful world of veganism!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=131931908253

[ Perth ] 01.11.2009

World Vegan Day Picnic
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=194660081744


[ Montréal ] 01.11.2009

The 2009 Montreal World Vegan Day Fashion Show
COMPASSION CONQUERS THE RUNWAY! LA COMPASSION EST A LA MODE!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=146051362981

[ Oslo ] 01.11.2009

Veganuke hos Vega i Oslo!
1. november er verdens vegandag. Dagen - og hele uken etter - vil bli feiret med en ren veganmeny på spisestedet Vega i Oslo.
http://www.vegetar.com/mt/2009/10/veganuke_hos_vega_i_oslo.html

WORLD GO VEGAN WEEK 25.10.2009-31.10.2009

World Go Vegan Week
Celebrate Compassion!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=128484714727

World GO VEGAN Week
Celebrate Compassion...
http://www.worldgoveganweek.com/

VEGAN EARTH DAY 21.06.2009

Dennis Kucinich Proclaims June 21st Vegan Earth Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMt9_qgDfLE

Vegan Earth Day! June 21st 2009
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=82448973790

Félicitations de l'équipe
Vegan Végétalien Mondial,
Camille et Salim.

Vegan Végétalien Mondial
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=55331359593

We are all one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61BCB2-OmRY

Vegan Parenting (French subtitles)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtuB_KmSs8k

Support graphique en français pour annoncer la Journée Mondiale Vegan (World Vegan Day) du 1er novembre sur vos stands. Pour télécharger le PDF, cliquez ici http://www.international-campaigns.org/pdf/Vegan%20Day.pdf.

The Great Molasses Flood

Boston's Modern Must-Sees

Site of the Great Molasses Flood

On January 15, 1919, a gigantic tank filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses burst, sending a crushing, 30-foot, 14,000-ton wave along the waterfront near the North End. The accident killed 21 people and injured 150 more. Today, a plaque commerates those who died; some say that on a hot, humid day you can still smell the molasses. (Globe file photo)
Location: Lagone Park in the North End, Boston
Public Transportation: North Station (Green or Orange Line) - www.MBTA.com
Cost and Hours: Free, open 24 hours/day

Home preparing to meet with HR about further educational and work directions for ME INSIDE Harvard's LMA

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Heading home via the jeweler's, where my watch has been repeatedly brought over the past week+

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More archiving - then Harvard's President Drew Faust at 4 PM, more archiving, then my watch repaired

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Hoffmanism

Hoffmanism is a philosophy propounded by Christian vegetarian minister, Rev. Frank L. Hoffman of Athens, New York.

The three points of Hoffmanism

Hoffmanism teaches 3 points:

1.     
1 - God loves all persons unconditionally.

2.      2 - We should realize this unconditional love and love every other person unconditionally.

3.      3 - All persons should be vegan (that is, to neither eat animal products, nor consume, wear, or endorse the production of anything that involves the suffering or involuntary use of another person, particularly nonhumans, who cannot voice their unwillingness to participate in uses that compromise their freedom and/or well-being).

The 4^th point of Hoffmanism seems to be, according to his followers’ interpretations, that it matters not whether we know anything, think anything, or do anything of significant personal or historical effort because God doesn’t really care what we do.

While this sounds at some points like hyper-Calvinism, Hoffman was ordained a Methodist minister, through reared Jewish.

Frank Hoffman’s Venues

After seminary, Frank Hoffman served without compensation in the Federal Church of Athens NY for about a decade.  Early in the 20th century, he started a web-site-based e-mail list called variously Veg-Christian or VC or VCList at http://www.All-Creaturers.org

Based upon his web traffic, one might be tempted to think that he boasts millions of followers (millions of unique site visitors, and the number of daily visitors seems to be increasing progressively.  With a US population of about 306 million, he could claim several percent of the entire US population with his minimalist ‘Christian vegetarian theology’.

Criticisms of Claims about Hoffmanism

(1) Critics of these presumptive claims of millions of Hoffmanites could easily point to the many pro-animal, animal rights, and vegan websites sub-hosted at www.All-Creatures.org.  However, Frank Hoffman himself does no claim any followers at all, no members, no explicit doctrine(s), and no behavioral requirements (including intellectual expectations).

(2) Other critics note that assumptions of ‘site visitors’ and occasional e-mail posters (that they’re on the right page (with the minimalist teachings) bears no resemblance to any kind of historical understanding called Christianity by any stable regularly-gathering faith community claiming to be Christian.  However, network associations with minimalist ‘consensus statements’ could, while not claiming to be ‘a church’ (as Hoffman at times claims – ‘an online church’, have some value.

(3) Further criticism is that some of Hoffman’s followers are merely emotionally needy vegetarians, but messages of love have long attracted folks with a particular spiritual need to be reassured that a culture of noninjury is socially, historically, and morally desirable.   Further, ad hominem criticisms do not address the legitimacy of a teaching.

What might emerge from Hoffman’s influence is very unclear.

At home after the 7-8 pm replacement Mass. Senatorial debate; ho-hum

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Google search/feed for 'vegan' for October 26, 2009

Google search/feed for 'vegan' for October 26, 2009

veg*an

Vegan Children's Book Signing & Ice Cream Social San Francisco Chronicle - ‎4 hours ago‎ Join Café Gratitude for a vegan ice-cream social and booksigning with Ruby Roth, author & illustrator of "That's Why We Don't Eat Animals: A Book About ... Crunching the numbers on a vegan in a Hummer Reuters Blogs (blog) - Adam Pasick - ‎6 hours ago‎ “A vegan in a Hummer has a lighter carbon footprint than a beef eater in a Prius.” Gidon Eshel and Pamela Martin of the University of Chicago published a ... Hunter College Students Demand More Vegan Options PETA (press release) - ‎5 hours ago‎ New York -- If you are a university student these days, it's easy to find top-notch vegetarian and vegan foods--unless you attend Hunter College. Ellen DeGeneres Teaches Audience How To Cook Vegan Meal Ecorazzi - ‎10 hours ago‎ If you've ever wanted to know why we gave the coveted Vegan Celebrity of 2009 first place prize to Ellen Degeneres, just watch this video. Using cancer to push a vegan diet wrongheaded Bemidji Pioneer - ‎Oct 25, 2009‎ No one in his right mind would deny the importance of cancer prevention, but Krista Haynes' cynical use of Breast Cancer Awareness Month to promote ... Ecorazzi The Green Picture: Madonna Plants A Tree At New Academy For Girls In Malawi Ecorazzi - ‎4 hours ago‎ Tracy Warner: Well, it's pretty easy to become vegan overnight if you have a sweet vegan chef like this guy. ... beforewisdom: Women are human beings => are ... PETA speaker pushes vegan diet Independent Florida Alligator - Juliana Jimenez - ‎17 hours ago‎ PETA official Bruce Friedrich speaks about the benefits of a vegan diet at the Florida Gym Saturday. The emaciated, crippled steer was teeming with ... Treehugger Vaute Couture's Vegan Winter Coats Treehugger - Emma Grady - ‎10 hours ago‎ Vaute Couture, a small fashion house in Chicago, is an "activist fashion label" known for their vegan coats. Enter to Win Two Popular Guide and Cookbooks, Go Dairy Free and My Sweet Vegan Go Dairy Free - ‎1 hour ago‎ While My Sweet Vegan provides all of the sweets you will need to create smiles throughout the season: Soy-Free Coconut Fudge, Pumpkin Pecan Pie, ... The Big List of Ghoulishly Good, Dairy-Free Halloween Recipes Go Dairy Free all 2 news articles » Email this story Galaxy Nutritional Foods Launches New Soy-Free, Vegan "Cheese" Block Go Dairy Free - ‎Oct 25, 2009‎ Until recently, Galaxy Nutritional Foods was the only option with their Vegan Rice "Cheese" Slices (keep an eye out for Daiya Foods, as they may soon give ... Ecorazzi New South Park Episode To Take On Japanese Whalers, Dolphin Hunt Ecorazzi - ‎2 hours ago‎ Tracy Warner: Well, it's pretty easy to become vegan overnight if you have a sweet vegan chef like this guy. ... beforewisdom: Women are human beings => are ... Ecorazzi Jamie Lee Curtis Is A Flower Child For AIDS Charity Halloween Event Ecorazzi - ‎5 hours ago‎ Tracy Warner: Well, it's pretty easy to become vegan overnight if you have a sweet vegan chef like this guy. ... beforewisdom: Women are human beings => are ... Woody Harrelson supports World GO VEGAN Week from October 25 to 31 Examiner.com - ‎Oct 25, 2009‎ "We encourage people to use this week to educate their community about the vegan lifestyle as a compassionate, sustainable, and healthy way of eating and ... Most choose vegetarian diet for their beliefs News-Leader.com - Jennifer Adamson - ‎15 hours ago‎ A: There are four main classes of vegetarians: vegan, lacto-ovo, ovo and lacto. - Vegans consume strictly plant sources of nutrients. Can Your Diet Make You Happy? AlterNet all 2 news articles » Email this story Ecorazzi Pictures: Village Of Sleepy Hollow Pumpkin Blaze Ecorazzi - ‎9 hours ago‎ Tracy Warner: Well, it's pretty easy to become vegan overnight if you have a sweet vegan chef like this guy. ... beforewisdom: Women are human beings => are ... Vegan recipe for the day: Chile-hot bright green soybeans with garlic Los Angeles Times - ‎Oct 23, 2009‎ But it was such a popular dish that we asked Times test kitchen manager Noelle Carter to hand down a special dispensation in honor of Vegan Month of Food. Veganism myths busted WKOW-TV.com - ‎10 hours ago‎ MADISON (WKOW) -- October 25-31 is World Go Vegan week, a time where vegans hope to share and educate about their reasons for avoiding all animal products. Propagandhi hits the road with Supporting Caste Calgary Herald - ‎6 hours ago‎ For 12 years, Hannah has been a promoter of the vegan lifestyle, which he and his entire Winnipeg-based entourage have adopted -- not so much as a ... Chipotle: Hot or Not? Motley Fool - ‎3 hours ago‎ The burrito chain helped to sponsor a documentary on our food supply, Food Inc., last summer, and I've recently noticed vegan dishes at some Chipotle ... CMG - S Restaurateur opens first all-vegan eatery in downtown Bellingham Bellingham Herald - Isabelle Dills - ‎Oct 23, 2009‎ The owner, 31-year-old Justin Bilancieri, touts it as the only vegan restaurant in Bellingham. "I had been wanting to do this for a while," Bilancieri said. More results for veg*an »

The 30% Solution

I would like to be an abolitionist also, and I think I have some pretty good reasons for wanting to do so, to think that way, to consider myself an abolitionist.

Moral status is for many ethicists independent of the claimant’s social position in the ‘hierarchy’ (phylogenic scale, in this case) or their role in socially constructing ethical theory.  In other words, moral status is not a private social product; it’s public to the extent that it is widely accorded the belief that it’s morally true (in some meaningful sense).

In other words, to claim that nonhumans ought not to be brutalized is somehow believed to be a morally true statement, and the place and status of the ‘ought’ will be thought to be correct.  Is ‘ought’ indicative of a duty that is ‘owed’ to the claimants (in this case, those for whom the claim is made)?  Yes.

To claims that animals ought NOT to be brutalized is further qualified by ‘in science’ or ‘in the name of science’.

There are at times qualifiers which modify the ‘ought’ (as in ‘just war’ theories), and I do NOT believe that science qualifies as a ‘just war’ modification of our obligation to not harm vulnerable sentient beings.  Lab animals are not individually out to harm us deliberately; if rodents were to consume our grain or other crops, we with capacity to construct our social relations with the ecological ‘others’ could be expected to do so in order to protect OUR interests without negating ours.

We have many moral illustrations of the long history of attempting to benignly address the needs of others without harming ourselves – some more gracious, some more loving, some more brilliant than others.  Consider one which many of us know: the Hebrew proscription (as in the narrative about Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz) to leave the corners of the field ungleaned so that the poor scavengers could find enough to get by with some reasonable effort.  They didn’t have a free food pantry as such, but they were given (by conscious forethought) enough to take by a modest amount of effort on their parts – and it was 100% plant-based food, too, unlike many of the free food pantries you and are asked to support, which conflicts with many of OUR deeply-held moral values about not trading off the interests of some – the animals – in order to address the interests of others – the class of persons benefitting from our exploitation and abuse and murder).


But this illustration shows how those without ready access to meeting their needs are seen as morally significant persons with interests that we ought to consider.  Short of socializing all effort and recruiting these persons (perhaps they were antisocial or uncooperative, but the narrative doesn’t paint them that way, nor even suggest as much), the social ‘solution’ seems to have been widely affirmed – at least b y those who subscribed to the moral teachings of ‘leaving the corners of the fields’ (of grain) for the outsiders to glean after the ‘main’ gleaning had been finished.

Was this a potential ‘waste’ of edible grain?  Perhaps.  Is there a risk of inefficiency?  Perhaps.  But the system was widely known.

In thinking about nonhumans in the context of our (socially constructed) ‘duties’ to care for our fellow human beings AND to provide extra for them (as a safety net when they are injured or get ill, whether because they have been personally careless or inept, or because they were vulnerable to the malice of others), one claim (the appeal to do science on behalf of future victims and potential victims) runs afoul of the prior moral claims of nonhumans to not be harmed by direct intentions, by direct interventions.

Given that there are these claims to provide a medical safety net, even those who favor those socially-constructed claims can understand that killing or harming unwilling animals because of their vulnerability is morally objectionable.  In other words, it can REASONABLY be considered objectionable based on the physical characteristics of these sentient nonhumans.

Given the ‘moral difficulty’ of solving these problem, compromise solutions are often presented, as the ‘public option’ is offered in the USA as a compromise between single-payer and what single-payer’s opponents call ‘market-driven’ solutions.  SP friends are unhappy with the compromise; free-market advocates are unhappy; whether the compromise works for the greater benefit and satisfaction of the vast majority is not yet known (and can only be reasonably predicted).

In the vegetarian (and vegan) world, we have the 10% solution, which is offered to meateaters to consider life with meatless meals.  One meatless day per week would be about 1/7 (or 14.2857%), which they TERM ‘the 10% solution) in that (THEORETICALLY) it could free about 10% of agricultural land (and presumably return it to a ‘wild’ state (though it’s likely to be exploited by real estate developers).  The term 10% is widely-known in monotheistic religious contexts when talking about ‘tithing’ (giving 10% ‘off the top’).

But I’ve long suggested the 30% solution as follows:

The overwhelming proportion of researchers in the life sciences (whether they use animals or not) are researchers only, not fund raisers.  They depend upon funding (for laboratories, salaries, supplies, and animals).  They seek funding from corporations, government grants, private foundations, individual benefactors, and some other sources.  Grant money typically has an overhead percentage that goes to the hosting institution(s).

I propose that a ‘first 30%’ be given to fund aggressive research INTO nonanimal research methods – methodological research into developing and validating nonanimal research methods.

This suggestion itself is likely to make me (in the aggregate) far MORE enemies in the vegan world than I’ve already made in my 30-35 years of veganism, but let it be discussed.

It’s not abolitionism; it’s likely to be termed ‘welfarism!

However, short of addressing the CLAIM that is widely-accepted that some things NEED to be researched and understood and that, to date, nonanimal research methods (for doing WHAT WE THINK WE NEED TO DO/RESEARCH) are not yet available with a confidence level sufficient to warrant their use instead of animal methods (not in conjunction with animal research methods), we have no quick response EXCEPT the moral argument that animals are not ours to eat, wear OR EXPERIMENT UPON.

(I accept fully that NO person is ours to eat, wear, or experiment upon, and I wish folks like Bill Maher and the ‘social deconstructionists’ we accept into our camp would understand that some interpersonal social behaviors that are widely accepted by the morally casual’ either are or lend themselves more to experimenting upon sentient beings (and as such, should be frowned upon and denounced.  But I digress.)


But let’s do a little analysis here of my suggested “30% solution” that would fund the development and validation of nonanimal research methods in the same way that tobacco taxes and penalties on tobacco companies fund aggressive health education about the risks and harmful effects of tobacco use.  In a libertarian political context (and more and more dietary vegans are TERMING themselves libertarians; I’ll see HUNDREDS of such ‘libertarian vegans’ at the upcoming Boston Vegetarian Food Festival), what else can we do?  Yes, it’s a political and moral compromise, and we’re not coming back to the animals OR ‘the district’ with the solutions we had wanted.  But in the same spirit that we send elected representatives to our democratic legislative bodies and expect them to bring SOMETHING back that is better than no representation at all, is the 30% solution a totally contemptible half-way ‘solution ‘ in light of the historical hope that we WILL – with the intelligence, ingenuity, collaboration, funding, and moral will to do so – be able to develop somehow the social consensus that replacing animal models in ALL basic science (as in toxicology and other research, including military wound research) is both desirable AND feasible, and we offer a provisional means to help our societies get to that point of total abolition of animal research?

Here’s the current downside of NOT replacing animal models:

Not only are animals sacrificed in research facilities, but the credibility of the moral claim that NO animals are ours to eat, wear OR EXPERIMENT UPON is diminished BECAUSE we’ve already consented to let them be experimented upon BECAUSE of the moral gravity of the moral claim that our fellow humans need a medical ‘safety net’ that is perpetually improved.

Yes, we are being asked to trade off our abolitionism for two things: (a) funding (finite) and (b) widespread public support for the belief – consensus – that research on animals is something that is morally objectionable, needs to be replaced, and MUST be replaced within the foreseeable future.  The ‘win’ here is that we work for the public agreement on the 3 Rs agenda, which they don’t FORMALLY approve or support AT THIS TIME.

This suggestion MAY be all wrong, but I’d like to see us incubate a discussion.

I further suggest that CLAIMS by researchers to love their animals because we can see that they love their dog(s) and/or cat(s) cannot be trusted BECAUSE they are not signing on to the replacement agenda in the 3Rs: reduce, refine, and replace.

For nearly 3 decades of street outreach, particularly at Harvard, when I see that I can make NO headway with researchers (some really DO want to see some possible consensus, perhaps because they tend to like me – as a bright person, accepted collegially), I suggest that the ACID TEST of whether or not they ARE talking in good faith is their public and wholehearted acceptance of the 3 Rs standard and THEIR willingness to fund and support replacement research.  Short of that WHOLEHEARTED acceptance of the 3 Rs to the point of sharing funding, I call their ‘moral pleas’ (of innocence and good will in a morally difficult context) ‘mere huff’ (and something to be publicly protested).

Of course, if NO experiments on nonhumans have ANY applicability to human beings [http://www.safermedicines.org/faqs/faq16.shtml], then the 3Rs is moot and we should reject all medical experiments on animals (for human interventions) as unscientific .  However, the 3 Rs seems to suggest that (a) some experiments on nonhumans are less than optimal and should be replaced; (b) some experiments on nonhumans are less than optimal and should be refined, and (c) some experiments on animals are morally objectionable but AT THIS TIME are scientifically necessary to get WHAT WE THINK  we need to know (and we may find that there are other ways to reach the goal of health populations without pharmaceutical or surgical interventions.

That’s not how the 3 RS is always read, but closer study of the 3 Rs does seem to suggest that as a valid reading.

At the Longwood Medical Area’s annual lab equipment 2-day exhibition, a number of research facilities DO offer nonanimal research methods, but in that context there’s a certain anxiety about billing themselves as nonanimal research method developers.  But here are some of the non-ethical ‘drivers’ or forces moving less-than-concerned animal researchers towards replacement of animal models wherever possible:

(a)    Cost – experimental animals are VERY expensive to (i) purchase, (ii) house, and (iii) maintain, and (iv) hygienically and safely dispose of

(b)   Contagion – working with experimental animals poses some health risk to human researchers AND to those (i) associated with those human researchers [cleaning cages, cleaning labs, in the department, traveling with them on public transportation, family members and friends, other colleagues] AND (b) those who deal in animals [hopefully HIPAA-compliance in the USA reduces some of this concern, but it’s still there].

(c)    Ethical discord among researchers and their communities

(d)   Risk of violence developing among researchers who work with animals (a recent study, I believe at Cornell, showed that interpersonal violence among researchers who deal with animals is potentially volatile).

(e)   Potentially better results from nonanimal research methods

(f)     Repeatability of experiments is easier and cheaper, and science is nothing if not repeatable.

(g)    Training (surgical training specifically) needs to be done FAR more times than is affordable using animal-based models for surgical training; healthcare is plagued with medical errors, and systems- research, including work offered by Dr. Donald Berwick of Cambridge-based IHI – the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, suggests that we need to require much higher levels of surgical practice and that is not affordable without shifting to simulation modules, as offered by SimuLab and a few other providers (in the USA).

So let’s think NOW about the 30% solution and, as we near the tipping point for shifts in research paradigms, perhaps th entire house of cards (or most of it) will fall IN OUR LIFETIMES.

Vigorous debate is encouraged!

Celebrate October 25 - 31 - World Go Vegan Week, by sharing it with others enthusiastically - and go vegan, if you haven't already

I'm celebrating October 25 - 31 - which is World Go Vegan Week, by sharing it with others enthusiastically.

Please join us in the celebration... and go vegan, if you haven't already


http://www.worldgoveganweek.com/

“I chose to be vegan initially as an energetic pursuit, as meat and dairy slowed me down, but have since become convinced that it is not only the most healthy way to live, but also the most compassionate and ecologically responsible way.” -Woody Harrelson, World Go Vegan Week Supporter World GO VEGAN Week Celebrate Compassion... The 4th annual World GO VEGAN Week is taking place this year from October 25 through 31. This week is a celebration of compassion and a time to take action for animals, the environment and everyone’s well-being. We encourage people to use this week to use this week to educate their community about the vegan lifestyle as a compassionate, sustainable, and healthy way of eating and living. Promoting veganism through outreach events and the media, we know that our annual World GO VEGAN Week is helping make the word "vegan" a household word, universally recognized as meaning love and compassion for all living beings. World GO VEGAN Week is also about celebrating what it means to be vegan. Veganism enables people to live in balance with all of Earth's creatures and promote freedom from exploitation for animals as part of their everyday lives. Modern animal agriculture is cruel and violent toward the chickens, cows, pigs and other creatures used to make meat, milk and eggs. During World GO VEGAN Week, we encourage people to become conscious of what - and who - they are eating, the effect it has on the world, and that a non-violent alternative exists. We urge people to recognize the effects their actions have on the world, and our ability to actually avert some impending disasters such as global warming. For the health of people, the environment, and farmed animals, veganism is the best choice. World GO VEGAN Week embodies this idea. As an international campaign, it encourages people around the world to experience the benefits and joys of a more compassionate way of life. Here are some ways you can celebrate World GO VEGAN Week: Be sure to register your event with us so we can send you flyers, posters and other materials to make you event a success. Contact Hope Bohanec: hope@idausa.org (415)448-0048 ex. 208. Plan an event or activity to get people interested in veganism, such as a public lecture, cooking demonstration, feed-in with vegan food samples, leafleting, tabling, library exhibit, or street theater performance. If you serve vegan food at your event, you can get refunded for the cost through the VegFund. Contact your local paper and encourage them to publish vegan recipes or a vegan article. We have a “editor’s pack” that you can send to your local newspaper with information and vegan recipes. Contact Hope Bohanec, hope@idausa.org, to have it sent to you. Order Vegan Starter Kits to distribute. Host a vegan potluck dinner or restaurant outing to show your family and friends that they don't have to sacrifice taste to save animals' lives. Sharing delicious vegan food with others is a fun and easy way to make a difference in the lives of animals and the people you care about. Ask your local natural foods store to offer vegan samples for the week. Ask your favorite local food store to offer vegan samples or specials for the last week of October. Let them know that we can send information, posters and materials to help them celebrate World Go Vegan Week. Ask veg-friendly restaurants to offer discounts or specials on their vegan food. Encourage restaurants to have vegan specials for the week or to offer a discount for bringing in a veg-curious customer. Host a screening of Fowl Play, an eye-opening documentary about the egg-industry, at your local library or another venue. Fowl Play illuminates the plight of factory-farmed laying hens through interviews with people who are fighting diligently to save them. Invite To get a copy of Fowl Play, contact IDA at (415) 448-0048 ext. 208 or hope@idausa.org. Show a powerful, short vegan video at your next potluck or social gathering. Here's one of our favorites: Vegan video by NonViolenceUnited.org. Host a vegan pie-baking contest. You can do this in your own home in a public place. Offer prizes like gift certificates to veggie restaurants or IDA T-shirts. Don't you want to be a judge? Yum! Host a Vegan Halloween Party. Have a costume party and have prizes for the best animal costume, most compassionate, and the most vegan creative! Have vegan Halloween candy and treats on hand and go trick-or-treating, offering folks at the door vegan candy and brochures. Students: join or start a vegan club in your school and plan an event with your friends that will educate people about the benefits of a vegan diet to human health, animals, and the environment. Write a paper on veganism, hand out vegan literature at a college campus or help get vegan meals into your school's cafeteria. Visit Choice to learn how. Have a well-known vegan author or athlete come speak in your community. Host an event where a famous vegan offers an inspiring presentation. Have vegan treats for folks to try. IDA can help you contact the person. Send a friend or family member who lives far away a gift certificate to a restaurant in their own town. Visit Happy Cow for reviews of vegetarian restaurants around the country. Encourage meat-eating family and friends to try Meat Out Monday and give meatless meals a try for one day a week. If they sign up for the newsletter, they get reminders, recipes and inspriation in a weekly newsletter. Go to: www.meatoutmonday.org. Write a letter to the editor about the benefits of a vegan diet or the cruelties of factory farming, or ask your local newspaper to write a story on the subject. If you are religious, or participate in spiritual services or gatherings, look for opportunities to incorporate the vegan message into the discussions. If you participate in study groups, suggest discussion fo the vegan message. Enter cooking competitions and bake sales using vegan recipes. Emphasize the fact that you didn't use any animal ingredients to make your delicious dishes. Attend cooking competitions and support the vegan entries. Visit a farmed animal sanctuary and take a friend who still eats meat. There are a number of farmed animal sanctuaries where you can visit rescued cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens, ducks, goats, sheep and rabbits live naturally in peace and harmony without fear of abuse or slaughter. Check out Animal Acres, Animal Place, Farm Sanctuary, Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary, or IDA's Project Hope. Order t-shirts, bumper stickers, posters, pins and other fun stuff to have for the day of your event from IDA and other vegan merchants. Join or start a vegan dinner club. Find veg-friendly restaurants and invite the community for dinner. Try a different restaurant every month. Encourage a Compassionate Thanksgiving. Since Thanksgiving is coming up in a few weeks, talk to your community food banks about providing vegan options such as Tofurkys. Consider buying a few Tofurkys, preparing them, and bringing them to your food bank or other similar community dinner. Be sure to check out Gentle Thanksgiving which offers a lot of information and guidance on this special observance. Share the ideals of veganism with your community of friends and colleagues by adding this quote to your email signature: "Veganism gives us all the opportunity to say what we 'stand for' iin life -- the ideal of healthy, humane living. Add decades of health to your life, with a clear conscience as a bonus." - Donald Watson If you are a part of an animal protection organization, become a presenter of World GO VEGAN Week. There are no costs to you for joining us as a co-presenter. All you need is to post the World GO VEGAN Days banner on your web site, which links to the World GO VEGAN Days web page. Contact Hope Bohanec, for more information: hope@idausa.org or call (415) 448-0048 ext. 208. Adopt an activist. Add a link to IDA's World GO VEGAN Week Web site from your web site. Create a plan to promote veganism all year. Click here to download the banner in .pdf format. Celebrating the power and compassion of veganism. Watch Kenneth Williams' PSA! Presented by:	Event Registration Why Go Vegan? Muscle Power Vegan Cooking Action Center Outreach Vegan Bodies Vegan Resources FAQ Vegan Quotes Events Home Recent undercover investigation of egg hatchery horrors; the egg industries tiniest victims. Click here to learn more. Click here for more resources, links and recommended reading
For more great ideas, visit our Action Center.

PCRM (Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine)

PCRM (Physicians' Committee for Responsible Medicine) does two things for our vegetarian community:
(1) Educates US about proper scientific-evidence-based vegan nutrition
(2) Educates the medical world about proper scientific-evidence-based alternatives to the exploitation and use of animals in research and education.

Some see these two points as morally incompatible - but only because they think that there is or should be a strong firewall between science used for humans and science used for nonhumans.

Check out PCRM, and 'friend' me on social media everywhere - and e-mail me... and 'friend' or join THIS particular blog...

Any thoughts on upgrading to Windows 7?

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zzzzzzz - it's been a day -zzzzzzz

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Ready to go to sleep. WHY am I SO tired these days with the changing of the seasons??

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#Flaherty asks for different #Boston #Mayor by #spelling out his #website #URL for more #information

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#Boston #Mayor #Menino ends debate with closing #statement on #green #safe #stable city for #everyone

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#Boston #Mayor #Menino notes #colleges & #universities do good things for Boston

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#Flaheerty calls fro #colleges and #univerities to pay #taxes

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#Boston #Mayor #Menino talks about #CORI #reform

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#Flaherty says #Boston needs #treatment #hospital beds on demand for #drug #addicts and #alcoholics

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#Flaherty hopes to bring #rails to #Boston and emphasize #rails

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#Boston #Mayor #Menino talks about #P&G #Hancock #business

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#Boston #Mayor #Menino tells of new #business he brought to #downtown

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#Boston #Mayor #Menino asked #Flaherty about #Downtown-Crossing #feng-shui -

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#Boston #Mayor #Menino asked about #Downtown-Crossing #feng-shui - note new #THEATERS

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Scott blames Boston #Mayor #Menino for #ugly #Rose-Kennedy #greenway near #waterfront - #feng-

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#Flaherty says #Boston #Mayor #Menino not a good #educational #leader - despite much attention to it

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino notesd #Boston #school #dropout rate down one-third - 75% go to #college

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino blamed for #Boston #school #dropouts

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino worked with #Boston #black #ministers though some backed #Flaherty

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#Flaherty claims Boston's #Mayor #Menino not a #diverse enough #Boston #Mayor

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino boasts of #leading #Boston in #heaslthcare #diversity

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino not doing enough for #Boston #JobCorps or #green-jobs, charges #Flaherty

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino wants ALL utilities to pay for using #Boston #telephone poles

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino pushed #Boston #telecom bill; #Flaherty blcoked itas a hidden #cost

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino agrees #Boston #Longwood #Medical Area too #expensive

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino talks of building #Boston #housing stock

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino told by #Boston Councillor #Flaherty that he'd make the #greenest #building

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino talks of #Boston BRA; #Flaherty doesn't like the BRA

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino offers financial reserve to keep #Boston #police

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino says #Boston crime down; #Flaherty says #victims still dying neeedlessly

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino noters that he listens to #Boston residents; #ex-cons need #jobs

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino notes lower #Boston #crime rate

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Boston's #Counciller #Flaherty calls for more #Boston #construction #jobs

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino calls for new economy for #Boston; still talks of #waterfront feng shui

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino and Councillor #Flaherty agree more important issues than #email.

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Boston's #Mayor #Menino and Councillor #Flaherty talking about #schools and #educaton

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Tonight's questions to Boston's #Mayor #Menino and Councillor #Flaherty are very good

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Heading home in SNOW after working ALL weekend on library archiving project on earliest days of child psychiatry after autism discovered

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It's SNOWING in Boston - on October 18th, and I'm working at Harvard all weekend

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Barbara's Buddhism Blog

By Barbara O'Brien, - About.com Guide to Buddhism

• Barbara O'Brien's Bio
• Barbara O'Brien's Blog
• Barbara O'Brien's Forum

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Aversion to Religion and Phony Buddhism

Sunday October 18, 2009

One of the first articles I wrote for this site was "Buddhism: Philosophy or Religion?" I tried to make a case that whether Buddhism is a religion or philosophy is an artificial distinction, either way. Further, "arguing about whether Buddhism is a philosophy or a religion isn't an argument about Buddhism. It's an argument about our biases regarding philosophy and religion. Buddhism is what it is."

Still, one cannot use the words "Buddhism" and "religion" in the same sentence without somebody showing up and declaring, stoutly, that Buddhism is not a religion. To which my response has evolved into "Is too, nyah nyah nyah."

A comment to this blog post on prison Buddhism (the video with the post is interesting, btw) says, "Buddhism was never meant to be a religion. It's a mystic philosophy that fosters a certain path and practices. It's not meant to be organized." Let's take this claim apart and examine it.

Read more »

Friday, October 16, 2009

Google search/feed for 'vegan' for October 16, 2009

Images MyFox Los Angel... Examiner.com KOMO News New York Times Globe and Mail Ecorazzi Ecorazzi Ecorazzi SuperVegan (blo... All related images » veg*an A vegan and a carnivore find common ground around Studio City Los Angeles Times - Mark Sachs - ‎19 hours ago‎ Ed Begley Jr.: Our favorite restaurant is probably the Vegan Plate right here in Studio City. I live at that place. Also the Outtake Cafe. KOMO News Go Eat! Yes, vegan food can have flavor KOMO News - Julien Perry - ‎10 hours ago‎ With barbecue season over, there's no better time to take a break from steak and try Seattle's newest vegan bistro - Plum. New York Times The Insider | Yacht's Claire Evans New York Times - Elizabeth Spiridakis - ‎4 hours ago‎ Restaurant: I'ma vegan tourist. In Portland, Blossoming Lotus for raw vegan cheesecake. In New York, Blossom for celebrity drag-king sighting and seitan, ... Just Jared (blog) Alicia Silverstone Is On A Kind Diet Just Jared (blog) - ‎14 hours ago‎ The 33-year-old vegan actress was supported by her rocker husband Christopher Jarecki at the event. The book includes 75 natural vegan recipes and a ... Alicia Silverstone's Vegan Feast MyFox Los Angeles Alicia Silverstone Quit Counting Calories - With Her "Kind Diet" That's Fit LAist (blog) all 6 news articles » Email this story Eat Vegan Food to Help Local Endangered Gibbons LAist (blog) - Zach Behrens - ‎8 hours ago‎ For $35 or $40 (depending if you pre-pay and cheaper for the kids), people will enjoy a vegan breakfast on Sunday morning surrounded by Gibbons. Daily Green Alicia Silverstone Brings The Vegan Message To The MTV Newsroom MTV.com - Holly Lunn - ‎Oct 13, 2009‎ Silverstone described a "flirt" as a beginning-level vegan, a person who still eats meat and diary but has started to gradually cut down. Silverstone's Vegan Diet Kind To The Planet, Promotes Health eMaxHealth Alicia Silverstone releases The Kind Diet Examiner.com Socialite Life (blog) - OK! Magazine - Tonic - Sustainability Ninja all 18 news articles » Email this story Is It 'Eco-Atkins' Or Echo Atkins? Vegans Attempting To Co-Opt Low-Carb For ... CarbWire.com - ‎Oct 15, 2009‎ But that's exactly what has been done to the original Atkins low-carb approach by a very aggressive group pushing a vegan-styled diet they call “Eco-Atkins” ... Top Ten Cutest and Tastiest Dairy-Free (and Vegan) Halloween Treats for 2009 Go Dairy Free - ‎Oct 15, 2009‎ But when it comes to special diets (dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, etc, etc, etc), which seem to be scarily common these days, Halloween treats ... Globe and Mail Vegan Georges Laraque makes a convert The Gazette (Montreal) - ‎Oct 15, 2009‎ If it weren't for this article, which explained that Laraque went vegan after watching the Earthlings documentary on the abuse of animals, my friend would ... Laraque shoots ad, scores controversy Globe and Mail Battling vegan eats crow TheChronicleHerald.ca Vancouver Sun - SportsBusiness Daily (subscription) all 144 news articles » Email this story V is for vegan, and very well-fed Douglas Daily Dispatch - ‎Oct 15, 2009‎ And many may be vegan as well - think of a salad, a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich or spaghetti with tomato sauce. Most of us are occasional vegetarians ... Ecorazzi 2009 VegNews Veggie Awards: We Steal A Sneak Peek At 12 Winners! Ecorazzi - ‎12 hours ago‎ Of course, the real world is just to slow for us - so we managed to pull some strings, send in some vegan-powered ninjas, and sneak away with a partial list ... Top Crist Supporters Openly Speculate Crist May Drop Out RedState (blog) - Erick Erickson - ‎8 hours ago‎ It's akin to Dracula saying that despite his fangs, he really is a vegan. So strong has Marco Rubio's support gotten in the GOP - Crist has yet to win a ... Orlando's Loch Haven park is a no meat zone at the Veg Fest Osceola News-Gazette - Peter Covino - ‎11 hours ago‎ All food served at Veg Fest will be vegan (containing no animal products), and there will be plenty of raw food options. The list of restaurants, ... Ecorazzi Natalie Portman Back To Vegan After Reading “Eating Animals” Ecorazzi - ‎Oct 15, 2009‎ Is she vegan? Get ready for some more “What's Natalie Portman eating?!” news! The LA Times recently interviewed the 28-year-old actress in a vegan ... Ecorazzi Vegetarian Awareness Month Exclusive: “Bones” Star Emily Deschanel Ecorazzi - ‎4 hours ago‎ Ecorazzi: How long have you been vegetarian/vegan? E: What first inspired you to adopt this diet? E: In three words tell me why you're a vegetarian/vegan. SuperVegan (blog) peta's Sexiest Vegetarian Tells supervegan Where to Find the Fountain of Youth SuperVegan (blog) - Samantha Cohen - ‎3 hours ago‎ She's been a vegetarian for the last 40 of her 70 years and a raw vegan for a year and a half. An active lady who travels often, most recently around the US ... Calvin College - Chimes The vegetable movement Calvin College - Chimes - ‎11 hours ago‎ Many members of the Calvin community are vegetarian or vegan and most of them are more than happy to share their stories. Here are just a handful! Help! My Daughter's a Vegan Huffington Post (blog) - ‎Oct 14, 2009‎ Am I supposed to be happy about this? For the first time as a parent, I find myself almost getting into fights about food. I know it pushes my buttons, ... Free Tibet Vegan Sneakers Green Muze - ‎Oct 14, 2009‎ Enter KOMODO Free Tibet Royal vegan sneakers. These trendy and green canvas running shoes feature the Tibetan flag emblem to show your support with every ... Veni, Vidi, Vegan: Going animal product-free in San Diego SDNN: San Diego News Network - Chris Nixon - ‎Oct 13, 2009‎ Here are a couple of vegan pizzas I made last week. Pretty tasty. (Photo by Chris Nixon) First you smell it, and then you see it: The ... Very vegetarian Lihue Garden Island Veganism for TEENs Jamaica Observer all 3 news articles » Email this story More results for veg*an »

Resting between days 2-3 of long weekend@LMA office to complete 5+-year archive project this weekend

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

My decade in social medicine at HMS has consistently pointed to public health, as has my veganism.

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Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Ate lots of vegetables today. The fiber is really moving me.

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"Born in the USA..."

Barack Hussein Obama Birth Certificate - 8/04/1961 - Oahu

His mother was a US citizen

"Born in the USA..."

Barack Hussein Obama Birth Certificate - 8/04/1961 - Oahu

His mother was a US citizen

"Born in the USA..."

Barack Hussein Obama Birth Certificate - 8/04/1961 - Oahu

His mother was a US citizen

Monday, October 12, 2009

PDT - Pretty darned tired. May SLEEP the rest of the evening

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NPR's quality is variable, but THIS Sunday afternoon it's REALLY GOOD !! I'm listening in carefully!

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I see a David D'Arcangelo for city councilor at large yard sign on a neighbor's nice trim house - a very nice, trim house

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I see a David D'Arcangelo yard sign on a neighbor's nice trim house

on a very nice, trim house

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30 Scientists Accuse Tufts University Global Nutrition Researchers of Nuremberg Code Ethical Violations -- http://tl.gd/l3t7

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Dan Kim has posted his travel tips for geeks on his blog:

http://www.geekyasianguy.com/

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Trying to TIME my departure for optimal MBTA transit efficiency.

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Thinking of heading home early; I've accomplished a MAJOR lot of work this afternoon! Whew!!

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Preparing to head for Harvard's Countway Medical Library in the LMA.

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Thinking about HOW NICE a Department of Social Gerontology would be @Harvard School of Public Health

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Feeding Ourselves the Vegetarian Way

Feeding Ourselves the Vegetarian Way

How to eat like a vegetarian
By MELISSA NANN BURKE
Daily Record/Sunday News
Updated:10/12/2009 05:11:32 PM EDT


The new buzzword in healthy eating is plant-based diets.

For many, that means a form of vegetarianism or generally eating more fruits and vegetables -- something that can help reduce heart disease, even girth.

"It definitely reduces the risk of high cholesterol and can reduce the risk of diabetes," said Siri Khalsa, a dietitian at York Hospital who is vegetarian.

Some people choose a vegetarian lifestyle for religious or moral reasons. For others, it's a matter of taste, health or the environment. No matter the motivation, Khalsa says, the health benefits remain.

While switching to a plant-based diet can seem intimidating, starting out can be as simple as eating one or two meatless meals a week, nutritionists say.

"Try a new vegetarian recipe or modify a recipe you already use to make it vegetarian," said Reed Mangels, nutrition adviser for Vegetarian Journal. "Make chili with beans instead of hamburger."

Thirteen years ago, Nicole Montanarelli, 28, of Fawn Township, went from a meat-and-potatoes teenager to vegetarian after a particularly graphic dream about a slaughtered chicken.

"At the beginning, it was hard for me to get used to not having so many options around for me to eat," she said.

"It was hard to not just indulge in sweets, snack foods and carbs since they were so abundant and meat-free."

Kimberley Heidler, who manages the organic and natural food section at Saubel's Market in Shrewsbury, said it's common for new vegetarians to overdose

Advertisement on carbohydrate-laden foods.

"Folks have to remember they are veg-etarian, not carbo-tarian," said Heidler, who was a vegetarian for many years.

"The focus really ought to be on consuming more vegetables."

Montanarelli initially bought a lot of processed, "fake meat" foods, such as veggie burgers. She gradually learned to cook with fresh, non-processed ingredients -- including beans and lentils for protein and whole grains such as quinoa, millet and couscous.

She cut her grocery spending three years ago by joining a food-share co-op and growing veggies in a garden.

Some would-be vegetarians worry about not consuming enough protein. That's generally not a problem if one eats a variety of foods and consumes enough calories to maintain body weight, Mangels said.

"People who are eating a healthy diet with fruits and vegetables, beans and dairy products are probably going to be fine," she said. "Whether you take a multivitamin is up to you."

The only outlier for vegans -- those who don't consume meat, eggs or dairy foods -- is vitamin B12, which is only found naturally in animal products. Today, many breakfast cereals and soy milks are fortified with B12, as well as some fake-meat products, Mangels said.

Tina Adams, 26, of York Township, attributes her largely vegan diet with curing her migraine headaches, for which she used to take four different medications since childhood. Since changing her diet in January, she has more energy and is no longer lethargic with drug-induced side effects.

"Grocery shopping takes a little longer now because you have to be more careful," Adams said. "You pick up a can of vegetable soup and if you don't read closely, it might be made with beef broth."

Shoppers said Wegman's in Hunt Valley, Md., Saubel's in Shrewsbury and Sonnewald's near Stewartstown carry the widest selections of vegetarian and vegan foods. Adams recommends buying items in bulk such as pastas and beans to cut down on cost. For fresh produce, hit your local farmers market, she said.

Monica Johnson of Stewartstown, a vegan studying holistic nutrition with the online Clayton College of Natural Health, only shops in the produce and natural food sections of grocery stores.

"The other aisles I rarely go down. I may get some spaghetti sauce or whole grain tortillas," she said.

"When I read the label, it's the ingredients I take note of. The less ingredients the better, and certainly if I can't pronounce it, I don't buy it."

Not everyone has time to cook at home every night. The most popular vegetarian items at Saubel's are prepared frozen dinners such as those made by Tandoor Chef (Indian food) or Amy's (mostly American-style foods), Heidler said.

Frozen vegetables (those packaged without added butter, salt or cheese sauces) are quick and healthy options that require minimal preparation, Mangels said.

Grocers and many restaurants have made it easier to eat more vegetables or totally meat-free at every meal, she said.

"Make these changes for a good three weeks," she said. "Stick with it, and see if you're feeling better or not. I think a lot of people will find that they are."

mburke@ydr.com; 771-2024

The veggie table

Flexitarian: Follows the vegetarian lifestyle but occasionally includes meat or meat byproducts in their diet

Fruitarian: Eats only fruit, fruit-like vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.), seeds and nuts

Lacto-ovo vegetarian: The most common type of vegetarian, who does not eat animals but consumes eggs and dairy products

Lacto-vegetarian: Includes dairy products in their diet but no meat

Pescitarian: Includes fish and other seafood in their diet but not other meats. Often a stepping stone to full vegetarianism.

Raw or living foodist: Eats only unprocessed, uncooked foods because of the believed health benefits

Vegan: Consumes no animal-derived foods and uses no animal products, such as leather, wool or silk

Vegetarian: Eats no animal products, including fish, eggs or dairy foods

Celebrity vegetarians

Russell Simmons

Joan Jett

Pamela Anderson

Alicia Silverstone

Paul McCartney

Carrie Underwood

Kristen Bell

Joaquin Phoenix

Forest Whitaker

Casey Affleck

Natalie Portman

Albert Einstein

Brad Pitt

Johnny Cash

Lisa Simpson (of "The Simpsons")

Mary Tyler Moore

Thom Yorke

Prince Fielder (first baseman, Milwaukee Brewers)

Zooey Deschanel

Meat alternatives

Meat alternatives are vegetable- and grain-based foods with a meat-like texture that can replace meat in many recipes.

Seitan

Also called wheat meat, seitan (pronounced say-TAN) is derived from the protein portion of wheat and can be made from scratch using whole wheat flour.

If you've tasted mock chicken, beef or pork in an Asian vegetarian restaurant, you've eaten seitan.

Seitan can be sliced for saut�s or stir-fry, diced into stews, soups or casseroles or formed into roasts.

Tempeh

Tempeh is made from de-hulled, cooked soybeans that have been fermented and pressed into cakes.

It must be consumed cooked because it's a perishable product containing a live, active culture.

Tempeh can be steamed and then marinated in barbecue sauce or lemon marinade and grilled until brown; cut into chunks, saut�ed and added to chili or spaghetti sauce; and stir-fried with vegetables and a stir-fry sauce.

Tempeh is a good source of iron, magnesium, zinc and vitamin B6.

Textured Vegetable Protein

Known as TVP, textured vegetable protein is usually sold as a dehydrated product that must be rehydrated before using.

TVP granules can be used as a substitute for ground beef in recipes such as chili, spaghetti sauce, and tacos. TVP is also available in chunks that can be used to replace meat in stews and soups.

TVP is a good source of iron.

Tofu

Tofu is made by coagulating soy milk and pressing the resulting curds into blocks.

Tofu is sold in four textures, and it's best to use it as you buy it.

"Silken" style is best for soups, sauces or to fry; "soft" is as soft as silken but can be pressed, frozen or marinated and cooked on its own; "firm" is good for stir-fry and can also be pressed, frozen or marinated; "extra-firm" is best for stir-fry.

Tofu is a good source of calcium, iron, magnesium, selenium and folate.

Source: PCC Natural Markets, "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" by Mark Bittman

Pantry picks

The following aren't essential to a vegetarian pantry but helpful to digestion and generally handy when cooking from vegetarian or vegan recipes:

� fresh herbs

� citrus

� miso (fermented soy product)

� dried sea vegetables

� mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)

� soy sauce

� extra-virgin olive oil

� coarse, unrefined sea salt

� spices (have better flavor if bought whole, not ground)

� vinegars, such as red and white wine, unpasteurized cider vinegar and high-quality balsamic vinegar

Source: "The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen" by Peter Berley

That's not vegetarian

Some ingredients you find on a product's nutrition panel aren't vegetarian or vegan:

Albumen (derived from eggs)

Bone phosphate (made from the degreased steam-extract from animal bones)

Casein (a milk protein)

Cochineal/carminic acid (made from insect scales)

Collagen (connective tissue from meat)

Disodium inosinate (prepared from meat extract and dried sardines)

Gelatin (derived from animal ligaments, skins, tendons and bones)

Glycerine/glycerol (might be produced from animal fats)

Lactic acid (sometimes made from whey, a milk protein)

Lactitol (a sweetener derived from lactose)

Lactose (milk sugar)

Lecithin (can be produced from eggs)

Potassium nitrate (sometimes made from animal waste)

Sodium caseinate (derived from cows' milk)

Whey (byproducts of the cheese-making process)

Useful substitutions

� instead of butter (for baking) use margarine that contains at least 60 percent fat

� instead of buttermilk use curdled soy milk (1 cup soy milk plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice or white vinegar)

� instead of eggs use an egg substitute

� instead of beef or chicken stock use vegetable stock

� instead of yogurt use soy yogurt

� instead of lard use olive or vegetable oils

� instead of gelatin use agar agar, arrowroot, corn starch, guar gum or xanthan gum

� instead of mayonnaise use tofu mayonnaise

� instead of milk use soy, rice or almond milks

� instead of honey use maple syrup or another natural sweetener

Online

Meatless Mondays, www.meatlessmonday.com

Vegetarianism in a Nutshell, www.vrg.org/nutshell/nutshell.htm

Feeding Vegan Kids, www.vrg.org/nutshell/kids.htm

Meat Alternatives, www.meatalternatives.org

Friending Maynard Clark on ALL social media

Maynard S. Clark

Vegetarian to the World

From September 8-21, 2006, I enjoyed IVU's 37th World Vegetarian Congress in Goa, India.
My photos of my India journeyings are now available, separated by dates the photos have been taken:

10 September 2006 in Varca, Goa, India - 37th World Vegetarian Congress in Radisson White Sands Hotel
11 September 2006 in Varca, Goa, India - 37th World Vegetarian Congress in Radisson White Sands Hotel
12 September 2006 in Varca, Goa, India - 37th World Vegetarian Congress in Radisson White Sands Hotel
13 September 2006 in Goa, India - 37th World Vegetarian Congress in Radisson White Sands AND full day touring sites in Goa
14 September 2006 in Varca, Goa, India - 37th World Vegetarian Congress in Radisson White Sands Hotel
15 September 2006 in Varca, Goa, India - 37th World Vegetarian Congress in Radisson White Sands Hotel
16 September 2006 in Varca, Goa, India - 37th World Vegetarian Congress in Radisson White Sands Hotel AND half-day trip of Goan state
18 September 2006 touring Karnataka, India as a vegan group in a bus
19 September 2006 touring Karnataka, India as a vegan group in a bus
20 September 2006 touring Mumbai, Maharashtra, India (Mani Bhawan and other sites)
21 September 2006 touring Mumbai, Maharashtra, India (Elephanta Caves, Museums, dinner)
More are uploaded to my Picasaweb site, which you will find there by navigating.
The 38th IVU World Vegetarian Congress was in Dresden, German.
www.IVU.org
I have since lost that Kodak 3.2 megapixel digital camera and replaced it with one, a second, and now a third digital camera that isn't quite so good, though now i'm working with an 8.0 megapixel camera.  I think i need a Canon PowerShot, so photographers - share your thoughts and insights with me. 
The 39th IVU World Vegetarian Congress is expected to be again in SE Asia.
After quite a few very interesting years working (and learning) at TTC, I left.
Now I'm working again entirely in Boston's Longwood Medical Area. 
I have been work for Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health off and on since the early 1990s.
I'm active in several local Meetups, but three are vegetarian-related:
Boston Vegan Meetup        Boston Vegetarian Meetup      Boston Veggie Meetup

My Yahoo 360 BLOGS were under maynardclark and maynardsclark.
When Yahoo! CLOSED the 360 blogging platform and allowed us to migrate our content to the Yahoo! profiles, the first of those two blogs had brought me about 1.3 million different readers who joined one or both of these blogs and stay in touch with me.My MSN/Microsoft Live Spaces blogs are found at

I continue to blog on a Yahoo! platform at my two Yahoo! profiles (maynardclark and maynardsclark), and if you try to access the earlier 360 blogs, you will be redirected to the Yahoo! profile corresponding to that profile/360 blog.

http://maynardclark.spaces.live.com/   and   http://maynardsclark.spaces.live.com/ 

My nine (9) Google Blogspot blogs are at

http://maynardsclark.blogspot.com/ (VegetarianInBoston) and
http://maynardclark.blogspot.com/ (Maynard S. Clark)
http://bostongoveg.blogspot.com/ (BostonGoVeg)
http://bostongoveggie.blogspot.com/ (BostonGoVeggie)
http://bostonveggie.blogspot.com/ (BostonVeggie)
http://bostonvegan.blogspot.com/ (BostonVegan)
http://veganinboston.blogspot.com/ (VeganInBoston)
http://veganboston.blogspot.com/ (VeganBoston)
http://veggieboston.blogspot.com/ (VeggieBoston)

Other current photos of me will be found with my current writings on my various blogs.  Join them all!!

All of us should live as vegetarians -- vegans -- because we ARE vegetarians (vegans) anatomically.
Social behavior contradicts this anatomical reality because that fact isn't widely recognized by our species.
The Vegetarian Resource Center's byline has been "Making Connections for Plant-Based Diets since 1993"



















Summerfest Photos

 
Every year, the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) holds an annual NAVS Vegetarian Summerfest (often in Johnstown PA).  Chef Ken Bergeron, CEC, holder of gold, silver, and bronze medals in the International Culinary Olympics and author of Professional Vegetarian Cooking, organizes the kitchen and makes possible three (3) vegan buffet meals daily AND vegan snacks throughout the evenings (dfuring socializing and evening entertainment after the evening plenaries).

Social Media (please friend me on ALL social media):
Bebo                                        Blogger - Blogspot - 9 active blogs
del.icio.us                                 digg
Facebook
Flickr                                        Flickr
FriendFeed
last.fm                                      last.fm
LinkedIn
LiveSpaces - MaynardClark         LiveSpaces - MaynardSClark
MyBlogLog (Yahoo!)
MySpace                                  My Space
Plaxo                                       Twitter

Friending Maynard Clark on ALL social media

http://Maynard.Clark.GooglePages.com

Click on EACH of tghe links and 'friend' me.

Tell me you came from THIS site, this app, and tell me a little about yourself.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

30 Scientists Accuse Tufts Researchers of Ethical Violations-- Nuremberg Code

30 Scientists Accuse Tufts Researchers of Ethical Violations-- Nuremberg Code



ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION
A Catalyst for Public Debate: Promoting Openness, Full Disclosure, and Accountability
http://www.ahrp.org



FYI
A report in the business forum, Zikkir, "Out of Sight" was prompted by the publicity surrounding the $79 million settlement of Pfizer's unethical Trovan experiment conducted on Nigerian infants.
http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/571/72/.



The Zikkir article touches on the problems related to the US pharmaceutical industry's increased outsourcing of clinical trials to off-shore locations, mostly in underdeveloped countries including Eastern Europe and Russia which do not conform to ethical restraints mandated by the Nuremberg Code or the Declaration of Helsinki. http://zikkir.com/business/6259?wscr=1024x768.



An in-depth report by the Institute of Science in Society, "The Golden Rice
Scandal Unfolds," demonstrates that academics who are shielded by the US
government seal of approval, have been conducting medical experiments that
are clearly prohibited by the Nuremberg Code. The article focuses on a
series of recent unethical Phase II trials conducted by Tufts University
researchers, who tested genetically modified "Golden Rice' (GR2) on children
in the U.S. exposing them to "an unapproved experimental genetically
modified rice enhanced in pro-Vitamin A that has the potential to cause
birth defects and developmental abnormalities."

The questionable experiments-which ISIS described as "an exercise in how not to do science"--are:

1. Project NCT 00680355.(10) Bioavailability of Golden Rice Carotenoids in Humans.
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT00680355?term=golden



2. Project NCT 00082420. Retinol Equivalence of Plant Carotenoids in Children.
http://clinicaltrials.gov/archive/NCT00082420

The experiment compared the vitamin A value of b-carotene in oil capsule, spinach and Golden Rice - recruited 72 children 7 to 9 years of age. The starting date of the experiment was September 2004, it ended November 2005.

3. Project NCT 00680212. Vitamin A Equivalence of Plant Carotenoids in Children.
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/record/NCT00680212?term=golden


In this experiment, researchers recruited 72 children 6 to 8 years of age and registered start and finish dates July 2008 and January 2009.

The ISIS report (submitted to the FDA in March, 2009) states:
"The Golden Rice Project website [6] (accessed 17 March 2009), stated that "Golden Rice has gone through many tests since it was first obtained" Nine items are listed; but no feeding trial on animals among them." See: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/goldenRiceScandal.php



"Golden Rice" has been touted as a humanitarian effort to resolve vitamin A deficiency. However, it has met with significant opposition from environmental and anti-globalization activists who view it as a commercial threat.

For example, Dr. Vandana Shiva called it "a hoax:"

"Unfortunately, Vitamin A rice is a hoax, and will bring further dispute to plant genetic engineering where public relations exercises seem to have replaced science in promotion of untested, unproven and unnecessary technology."

"The problem is that vitamin A rice will not remove vitamin A deficiency (VAD). It will seriously aggravate it. It is a technology that fails in its promise.

Since the daily average requirement of vitamin A is 750 micrograms of vitamin A and 1 serving contains 30g of rice according to dry weight basis, vitamin A rice would only provide 9.9 micrograms which is 1.32% of the required allowance. Even taking the 100g figure of daily consumption of rice used in the technology transfer paper would only provide 4.4% of the RDA."

"In order to meet the full needs of 750 micrograms of vitamin A from rice, an adult would have to consume 2 kg 272g of rice per day. This implies that one family member would consume the entire family ration of 10 kg. from the PDS in 4 days to meet vitaminA needs through "Golden rice".

"This is a recipe for creating hunger and malnutrition, not solving it."

"Even the World Bank has admitted that rediscovering and use of local plants and conservation of vitamin A rich green leafy vegetables and fruits have dramatically reduced VAD threatened children over the past 20 years in very cheap and efficient ways."
See: THE "GOLDEN RICE" HOAX -When Public Relations replaces Science
http://online.sfsu.edu/~rone/GEessays/goldenricehoax.html



The ISIS report calls the Tufts experiments "morally inexcusable:"

"The phase II clinical trials of uncharacterized, unapproved, experimental GR2 events on children, some of whom may indeed be suffering from vitamin A deficiency, is morally inexcusable. GR2 has not been assessed for safety, and there are reasons to suspect it is unsafe."
See: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/goldenRiceScandal.php



In February, 2009, an open letter addressed to Professor Robert Russell, Professor Emeritus, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University School of Medicine (Email: rob.russell@tufts.edu) was signed by 30 senior scientists who protested the unethical testing of a possibly hazardous substance--"Golden Rice" (GR2) in children.

The letter states that the trials

"appear to be an experimental collection of transgenic events still in the laboratory, uncharacterized in terms of basic molecular genetics or biological and biochemical properties, not tested pre-clinically on animals, or subjected to any other safety assessment."

"The variety of Golden Rice used in these experiments (GR2) is inadequately described in terms of biological and biochemical characterization. anywhere else in the publicly available literature, and has woefully inadequate pre-clinical evaluation."

" It is a genetically modified product which has not been shown to be distinctive, uniform and stable over time. It has never been through a regulatory /approvals process anywhere in the world. There is now a large body of evidence that shows that GM crop/food production is highly prone to inadvertent and unpredictable pleiotropic effects, which can result in health damaging effects when GM food products are fed to animals (for reviews see Pusztai and Bardocz , 2006; Schubert, 2008; Dona and
Arvanitoyannis, 2009)."

"More specifically, our greatest concern is that this rice, which is engineered to overproduce beta carotene, has never been tested in animals, and there is an extensive medical literature showing that retinoids that can be derived from beta carotene are both toxic and cause birth defects."

No results have been made available for either of the pediatric studies (as of 17 March 2009).

The scientists noted that the three Tufts Projects breached the Nuremberg Code / medical ethics code "on a number of counts, and we urge you to call them to a halt immediately."

"They should not be resumed unless and until the researchers can demonstrate that a full range of laboratory and animal feeding trials have been completed and published for the Golden Rice strain being used, and unless and until appropriate regulatory bodies have had an opportunity to come to a view on the health and safety issues about which we are very concerned."

"We can assure you that such trials would not have been approved within the European Union in the absence of safety information, which highlights yet again the flaw of the USDA and FDA regulatory system in considering GM crops/foods as hypothetically "generally recognised as safe - GRAS" in the
absence of hard experimental data."

Further underscoring the U.S. academics' and government agency disregard for medical ethics, the ISIS report notes that an Indian newspaper reported that a clinical trial was cut short in China in July 2008, when the government found that 24 children 6-8 years of age at a primary school in Henyan, Hunan, were to be used as guinea pigs for a trial with Golden Rice."

That trial was also sponsored by Tufts University and approved by the US National Institute of Health--though not from the Chinese government, which was alerted by Greenpeace. Greenpeace has also warned the governments of Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam against the risky trials.

It would appear that the Chinese government conforms to higher medical ethics standards than the US National Institute of Health.

So, why has the media failed to pay any attention to these morally deplorable human experiments on American children ?

Contact: Vera Hassner Sharav
veracare@ahrp.org
212-595-8974

http://www.i-sis.org.uk/goldenRiceScandal.php


ISIS Report 18/03/09

The Golden Rice Scandal Unfolds

Phase II clinical trials on children have been conducted with unapproved experimental GM rice enhanced in pro-Vitamin A that has the potential to cause birth defects and developmental abnormalities Dr. Mae-Wan Ho and Prof. Joe Cummins

This report has been sent to the United States Food and Drug Administration on behalf of ISIS

Clinical trials of unapproved, uncharacterized GM rice on children

EXCERPT:
According to a recent report [9], a sample of the Golden Rice grains was sent to Germany in 2001 for a feeding trial with mice. But when the grains were tested for carotenoid content, the scientists were "surprised to find it contained less than one percent of the amount expected." After the rice was cooked, this was reduced by another 50 percent, so the trial was abandoned.

In 2005, Syngenta made GR2 [10] using the maize version of the enzyme phytoene synthase that was transferred from daffodil. GR2 produced up to 23 times the amount of carotenoids in the original Golden Rice, GR1.

But GR2 was not a transgenic variety based on a single transformation event.  On the contrary, it was explicitly stated that [10]: "The reported transgenic rice events [emphasis added] are experimental." There is no telling whether all the children or adults taking part in any of the trials
were given Golden Rice from the same GR2 event.  The results of the trials, as yet unreleased, could well be utterly worthless.

Syngenta was donating these GR2 events, via the Humanitarian Project for Golden Rice, for further research and development (to institutes across China, India, Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Vietnam) "through license under certain conditions", which include "being governed by the
strategic direction of the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board" Requests were to be directed to Adrian Dubock, a previous employee of Syngenta.

Dubock helped Potrykus and Beyer work out a deal in which Syngenta could develop Golden Rice commercially, but farmers in developing countries who make less than US$10 000 a year could get it for free [5]. Dubock retired from Syngenta in 2007, but remains a member of the Golden Rice Humanitarian Board, chaired by Potykus.

Golden Rice, an exercise in how not to do science

Golden Rice, genetically modified to make pro-vitamin A in the endosperm (the grain remaining after polishing), was announced with great fanfare in 2000 as a cure for widespread vitamin A deficiency in developing countries.

The project had already cost US$100 million, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, the European Community Biotech Programme and the Swiss Federal Office for Education and Science, and could cost as much again to develop. It was tied up in at least 70 patent claims on genes, DNA sequences and constructs, a problem only partly solved in the "ground-breaking deal" worked out by Dubock (see above)..

Condemnation was swift and widespread, not least because it was absurd to offer Golden Rice as the cure for vitamin A deficiency when there are plenty of alternative, infinitely cheaper sources of vitamin A or pro-Vitamin A, such as green vegetables and unpolished coloured rice (especially black and purple varieties [11], which would be rich in other essential vitamins and minerals, and hence much more nutritious. The UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) started a project in 1985 to deal with vitamin A deficiency using a combination of food fortification, food supplements and general improvements in diets by encouraging people to grow and eat a variety of green leafy vegetables. One main discovery from the project was that the absorption of pro-vitamin A depends on the overall nutritional status, which in turn depends on the diversity of the food consumed [12].

The main cause of hunger and malnutrition in the Third World is the industrial monocultures of the Green Revolution, which obliterated agricultural biodiversity and soil fertility, resulting in ever-worsening mineral and micronutrient deficiencies in our food. Golden Rice, like other GM crops, is industrial monoculture only worse, and will exacerbate this trend, as well as the destruction of agricultural land, and the impoverishment of family farmers that also accompanied the Green Revolution [13] (see Beware the New "Doubly Green Revolution", SiS 37).

GR1 was made with the standard 'first generation' genetic modification techniques, using GM constructs that cause uncontrollable mutations and other collateral damage to the host plant genome, with many unintended, uncharacterized effects [14]. In addition, the viral and bacterial sequences, including antibiotic resistance marker genes, in the construct and in the vectors created for gene transfer enhance horizontal gene transfer and recombination, the main route to creating new pathogens and spreading antibiotic resistance.

GR2 represents an improvement in so far as antibiotic resistance markers were no longer used, but still includes a medley combination of sequences\ from plant pathogens Agrobacterium (used in a binary vector system) and Erwinia uredovor, and from E. coli, inhabitant of the human gut, which also contains pathogenic strains. We have highlighted the special hazards of the Agrobacterium vector system since 2003 [15] (Agrobacterium & Morgellons Disease, A GM Connection?, SiS 38) (see below).  The main reason for Golden Rice was revealed in the unusually long news feature article [16] accompanying the scientific publication [8] which stated: "One can only hope that this application of plant genetic engineering to ameliorate human misery without regard to short-term profit will restore this technology to political acceptability."

A detailed audit on the project [14] (The 'Golden Rice', An Exercise in How Not to Do Science, ISIS Report) uncovered "fundamental deficiencies" from the scientific and social rationale to the science and technology involved.  It was being promoted "to salvage a morally as well as financially bankrupt agricultural biotech industry." The situation has changed little since.

The phase II clinical trials of uncharacterized, unapproved, experimental GR2 events on children, some of whom may indeed be suffering from vitamin A deficiency, is morally inexcusable. GR2 has not been assessed for safety, and there are reasons to suspect it is unsafe.  GMO safety in question

The biotech industry has consistently found genetically modified food and feed 'as safe as their conventional counterparts', and regulators in the United States and European Union have accepted this assertion overwhelmingly based on studies carried out and interpreted by the industry [17] (GM Food Nightmare Unfolding in the Regulatory Sham, ISIS scientific publication).

There is now a string of evidence that exposure of many species of animals to a variety of genetically modified crops, and food and feed derived from them, can cause illnesses and death, raising the distinct possibility that genetic modification is inherently dangerous [18] (GM is Dangerous and Futile, SiS 40). This is reinforced in results obtained in the most recent studies.
....
Golden Rice particularly dangerous

In addition, the unbalanced enhancement of single nutrients in GM crops may do more harm than good [27] (GM Crops and Microbes for Health or Public Health Hazards? SiS 32). As David Schubert at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences La Jolla, California, in the United States points out [28], plants possess the ability to synthesize between 90,000 and 200,000 nonessential small molecules, with up to 500 in one species. The enormous repertoire is due in part to enzymes with very low substrate specificity, which are unpredictably altered by mutations and pleiotropic effects associated with GM technology. Furthermore, overdose of many single nutrients are known to be toxic, vitamin A being a case in point. Schubert highlights the toxic effects of retinoic acid and other metabolites of b-carotene, only a few of them can be identified and measured in the current state of technology.

Golden Rice is enhanced in b-carotene, which on ingestion, is cleaved in half to generate retinal for use in the visual cycle. Retinal is also reduced to retinol, or oxidized to retinoic acid (RA), which interacts with highly specific nuclear receptors. Essentially all of the biological activity of retinoids, apart from vision, involves RA. While high concentrations of retinol are toxic, RA is biologically active at concentrations several orders of magnitude lower than retinol. Hence, Schubert states [28]: "excess RA or RA derivatives are exceedingly dangerous, particularly to infants and during pregnancy." RA is required for the development of the nervous system, both by directly controlling nerve differentiation and by generating concentration gradients that direct cell migration, embryonic segmentation, and development. Therefore, RA and synthetic derivative of RA are teratogenic (able to cause birth defects).  They can accumulate in fat and plasma, becoming a risk factor for pregnancy for up to 2 years following ingestion, and multiple low doses of retinoids have greater toxicity than a single high dose.

Because of the type of biological functions controlled by low levels of RA, any perturbation of its signalling pathways by plant-derived RA receptor agonists or antagonists will have clinical consequences. "Could the GM modifications used to enhance b-carotene synthesis create such compounds?"
(This question remains unanswered to this day.) Six hundred naturally occurring compounds exist in the carotene family, and at least 60 can be precursors to retinoids. "Therefore, plants have the potential to make many potentially harmful retinoid-like compounds when there are increased levels of synthetic intermediates to b-carotene as in golden rice."

While all retinoids and derivatives are likely to be teratogenic, good assays and information regarding the behaviour and teralogic activity are available for only three: retinol, RA, and retinal. Therefore, at the very least, "extensive safety testing should be required before the introduction of golden rice as a food."

See complete ISIS report with copious references at:
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/goldenRiceScandal.php



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RAW Vegans in America's Entertainment 'Capital' (emphasize CAPITAL !)

Hollywood's Coolest Vegans

By Wynter Mitchell | Saturday, October 10, 2009 8:00 AM ET

Investigation of the benefits of a vegan lifestyle may for some deep doubters need to come from someone incredibly hip and stylish.  I don't care much for Woody Harrelson, and when he appeared on a late night comedy TV show this past week, I had no idea he was and is consistently vegan, but I learned that the next day from online postings the next day.  Could he persuade anyone to tumble head over heels for tofurkey?
Here's what Wynter Mitchell says in his blog (these are NOT my words):

In this month's Maxim, actor Woody  , who stars in next month's "Zombieland," discusses how a chance meeting with a girl made him become a vegan. When the stranger promised him it would cure his chronic acne, he claims the decision turned his life around.
The actor claims a meat and dairy diet ruined his skin and left him lethargic and sluggish. He's been on a raw food diet for 25 years. He tells the monthly, "I used to eat burgers and steak, and I would just be knocked out afterward; I had to give it up."
"The first thing was dairy.  I was about 24 years old and I had tons of acne and mucus. I met some random girl on a bus who told me to quit dairy and all those symptoms would go away three days later. By God she was right."
Recently on "Top Chef Masters," the chefs were challenged to provide a vegan lunch for charming and Zooey Deschanel and about 20 of her friends. Simple right? Except she's gluten intolerant and doesn't eat soy. In other words, everything on her plate has to be totally raw. Explains her dewy skin and cheery outlook.
It got me thinking, who are some of the coolest vegans in Hollywood?  And more important, will they have any impact on my rather bad eating habits?
Here are Hollywood Top Ten Coolest Vegans That Could Talk Me Into A Raw Food Diet:
10. Prince (especially if he put it into song)
9. Alec Baldwin
8. Olivia Wilde
7. Lenny Kravitz (see Prince)
6. Shania Twain
5. Fiona Apple
4. Kathy Freston
3. Zooey Deschanel
2. Casey Affleck
1. Ginnifer Goodwin
So, if anyone is interested in giving me a lesson in converting my junk-only diet into something of value and worth, and you are one of the top listed above, I'm available.
photo courtesy of veganbenalaru.files.wordpress.com

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

Meeting archivists at HSPH re archives of ORT discovery by Richard Cash, David Nalin, et al

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Monday, October 05, 2009

Vegan Food Professionals Can Promote Veganism for Fun and Profit

Veganizing Standard Menus; and Normalizing and Publicizing the IDEA of all-Vegan Restaurants More and more diners either want meatless meals themselves (whether or not THEY are actually FT vegetarians) when they dine out, or diners want those meals for others - vegetarians or vegans who dine out with them (business colleagues, friends, family members, coworkers, et al.). Restaurants can save money by using fewer animal ingredients because plant-based items spoil less quickly.  Less spoilage means less waste or 'shrinkage' of food supplies (and that saves money).  Attracting vegetarian diners and selling meatless items (with the same profit margin calculated for their other food) to current and drop-in diners is a socially conscious way to make money while doing the right thing. Vegan dietitians, nutrition educators, nutritionists, culinary gurus, and others who are vegans who have dared to commit their scientific and educational careers to empowering the food side of veganism often are often Under-employed stay-at-home moms, and thus they are short of cash, but these under-employed vegan SAHMs can earn money while doing effective outreach to modify prevailing food habits at the 'supply chain' level. You will need or should have: *  good working relationship with local vegetarian group(s) *  basic business clothing *  comfortable clothing for working with 'back of the house' (restaurant kitchen) *  computer with Internet connection *  stable Internet connection *  commitment to veganism and its broad public desirability *  good understanding of vegan food and vegan nutrition *  broad vegan menu design skill and experience *  web design skill or a partner wish with someone with wed design experience *  good business sense *  good selling and other persuasion skills *  flexible daytime work hours without a need to haul a child around at the same time *  restaurant or food service experience   © Maynard S. Clark - http:// Maynard.Clark.GooglePages.com - Maynard.Clark@GMail.com Veganizing Standard Restaurant Menus Under-employed dietitians, nutrition educators, nutritionists, culinary gurus, and others who are vegans who have dared to commit their scientific and educational careers to empowering the food side of veganism often are short of cash. Such vegan food professional go out to restaurants that are not vegetarian - and offer to VEGAN-ize the menus as follows (a modest fee – oh, perhaps $150 per restaurant - is charged): The vegan food professional understands food and looks at the pre-existing menu, comprehends the SORTS of things that could QUICKLY be 'veganized' by substituting one, two, or three vegan items for animal products, then types out that recipe.  Ingredients chosen should be inexpensive, health-supporting, common (easy to find), versatile, and not distasteful. This process is repeated for each of the menu items which could be 'veganized', and the collection of all 'veganized' menu options is listed in a reasonable order, then the list is word-processed into a simple format (usually with the restaurant's contact information, logo, hours, and more.  The electronic template is e-mailed to the management, and the vegan food professional keeps a copy and retains (unlimited non-exclusive) IP or intellectual property rights to the ideas, the menu, the menu (food) items, etc,. (so that s/he can use these identical ideas again (and the restaurant) is free to customize the items in their way.  The vegan food professional’s (e-mail?) contact info is visible in small print on the menu. Then, when vegetarian or vegan diners (or diners with a vegan friend) arrive and ask about vegetarian options, the serving person brings out the 'very special menu' (the vegan menu), and the vegan diner is made to feel 'very special' with an all-vegan menu in a nonvegetarian restaurant. The vegan food professional also offers to coach the kitchen staff ('back of the house') on vegan food substitutions and to coach the serving personnel and host(s)/ess(es) and managers on how to attract, support, please, and retain veg(etari)an diners. The restaurant management is taught how more vegan items can be more profitable (less spoilage, thus less shrinkage or food loss). A possible synergy could be a two-fold advertising program. A website is maintained for the local vegetarian group(s), which feature these ‘veganized’ menu clients prominently but appropriately on the local vegetarian society’s website.  The link opens NOT to the restaurant’s website, but to a CUSTOMIZED all-vegan-appropriate PAGE with (a) the restaurant’s all-vegan menu AND the restaurant’s appropriate contact information and hours, and a pop-up MAP (perhaps with travel directions from a typed in location).  Also, the restaurant could offer a 10% discount on vegetarian (vegan) items ONLY to veg society members (when their show their vegetarian society or vegan association cards). © Maynard S. Clark - http:// Maynard.Clark.GooglePages.com - Maynard.Clark@GMail.com Second Idea: no additional charge. Exciting Vegan Advocates about Vegan Restaurants Normalizing and Publicizing the IDEA of all-Vegan Restaurants (1) Humorous vegan restaurant business plans are written out and posted widely around the Internet, including 'themed' vegan items: e.g. The Boston Bean (either a vegan legume-based restaurant in Greater Boston, or else a global chain, as in SBC - Seattle's Best Coffee - need not be in Seattle), etc.  Vegan laugh at the concept.  SOME concepts 'catch on' and some ideas 'germinate' in the vegetarian and vegan online communities, and ideas happen, and more clever vegetarian and vegan restaurants emerge as clever veg(etari)ans who can get funding start opening such clever veg(etari)an restaurants. (2) Writers include vegan restaurants in their short stories, novels and novellas, radio and TV scripts, jokes and anecdotes, etc.  Vegan dining is culturally 'normalized' (3) Songs – fun, humorous singable songs – are composed that have lyrics about ‘going to the vegan diner’ or dining out in a veggie eatery, etc. (4) Local vegetarian societies are encouraged to develop dining guides that include (i) all-vegan, (ii) all-vegetarian), and (iii) vegan-friendly eateries.  The local vegetarian (or vegan) dining guide is put online.  What’s missing with MOST online vegetarian dining guides is a list of WHAT vegan diners can BUY (and eat) in these vegan-friendly eateries. © Maynard S. Clark http:// Maynard.Clark.GooglePages.com Maynard.Clark@GMail.com © Maynard S. Clark - http:// Maynard.Clark.GooglePages.com - Maynard.Clark@GMail.com   © Maynard S. Clark  MaynardClark@Yahoo.com http://Maynard.Clark.GooglePages.com   - Links ALL my blogs and photo sites "Making  connections  for  plant-based  diets" Vegetarian Resource Center   (since 1993) P. O. Box 38-1068; Cambridge, MA 02238-1068 USA 617-571-4794 (cell)   Maynard.Clark@GMail.com http://maynardclark.spaces.live.com -       Maynard's Veggie and Boston Blog

Sunday, October 04, 2009

exploring Gears, Firefox add-ons, and more - http://MaynardClark.Spaces.Live.com/

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NOW going to sleep after 6 am

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On World Vegetarian Day 2009, US WIC nutrition program expands to cover fruits, vegetables

  ~~ Maynard S. Clark: http://Maynard.Clark.GooglePages.com
An internationalist view:

An internationalist view:

"From New York to Kabul, we need to have the vegetables;
From Boston to Beirut, we need to have the fruit."
2001, Vegan Global Reflections on Peace and Rightful Human Moral Claims
  ~~ Maynard S. Clark: http://Maynard.Clark.GooglePages.com

WIC nutrition program expands to include the purchase of health-supporting, life-sustaining, disease-fighting high-fibre phytochemical-rich fruits and vegetables

These changes in the supplemental US food package better reflect the US Federal government's dietary guidelines.

Vouchers also can be used to buy whole grains, canned beans, baby food, and tortillas.

• Related
• 'Smart Choices' food label: a sign of nutrition or marketing?

By Mary MacVean October 1, 2009

• E-mail
• Print

Beginning today (World Vegetarian Day), women and children who receive food vouchers through the federal government's WIC program will be able to use them to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

"It's a really welcome change," said Gail Harrison, a public health professor at UCLA who was on the national Institute of Medicine panel that recommended the revisions to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children -- the first major change in the program since it began in the 1970s. "The supplemental food package contributes a very substantial share of dietary intake, and so making it healthier is all to the good."

Added Laurie True, executive director of the California WIC Assn.: "We're in seventh heaven. We've been pushing for this for 20 years."

A typical family will get $14 a month for produce alone, True said by phone Wednesday. That breaks down to $6 for children; $8 for pregnant women and mothers of children 5 and younger; and $10 for mothers who are exclusively breast-feeding.

The changes, instituted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the program, better reflect the federal government's dietary guidelines.

WIC predated the guidelines by several years and, because it was established at a time when hunger and anemia were problems, had emphasized consumption of calcium, iron, vitamins A and C, and protein. The revisions reflect today's problems: obesity and attendant diseases such as diabetes.

The changes also will allow recipients -- more than 8 million low-income pregnant women, new mothers and young children -- to use WIC funds for whole grains, canned beans, baby food and tortillas.

Previously, recipients could buy infant formula and cereal, eggs, milk, juice, peanut butter and dried beans. Nursing mothers could buy fresh carrots for their vitamin A content.

The new provisions reduce the allotments for some dairy products and juice.

Congress funds WIC annually, with $6.86 billion in fiscal 2009; the changes don't increase the program's costs.

Pina Hernandez, the outreach manager for the Public Health Foundation Enterprises WIC Program, which provides WIC services to 316,000 people in Los Angeles and Orange counties, said families would continue to receive about $60 a month in vouchers, but the mix of foods would shift.

Families are eager for the change because of the high cost of produce compared with other foods, she said.

Added True: "We have little kids who have never tasted broccoli, have never seen brown rice. . . . The issue is not just ignorance; the issue is cost and access."

All stores -- major supermarkets, corner stores, shops operating exclusively for WIC recipients -- that want to take part in the program will have to stock produce and whole grains, True said. That's 4,700 vendors in California.

A UCLA study, published last year in the American Journal of Public Health, found that "if you add vouchers for fruits and vegetables that they get used and used wisely," Harrison said.

Overall, few Americans are eating enough fruits and vegetables, said a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey released Tuesday.

In the report, the CDC said that 14% of adults and 10% of adolescents were eating the recommended amounts of both fruits and vegetables -- not including French fries -- for their age and size. The recommended amount is two servings of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day.

mary.macvean@latimes.com

Copyright © 2009, The Los Angeles Times