Universalizing Veggie Pride Parade across every continent, in every major population center on the planet

I want to see Veggie Pride Parades in EVERY major North American and European City would be GREAT !!! Just recruit local volunteers and provide volunteer staffing backbone to indigenous leadership, as we saw Pamela Rice do in NYC. It's POSSIBLE to see such a movement in every major population center on the planet, followed by annual off-season vegetarian food fairs. Earthsave organizers have already said that it's such a huge undertaking, so hopefully one day, but ... Not only does it 'get the word out', but it's a way to reward ALL those still-living and yet unsung heroes and heroines who have given courageously and selflessly through the decades and generations to make our PRESENT state of vegetarian and vegan awareness possible - and to tap yet-untapped resources in the historic struggle to put off the old ways that degrade life and society, and move together towards a brighter - and healthier and greener - future. I think we COULD outline or list the STEPS required to get to that point, which could include, I'd suggest (in addition to making that list)   a manual of documentation on 'How to set up a Veggie Pride Parade' in YOUR city - probably commissioned by Pamela Rice of NYC, who does this annually, who could oversee the final product, or end product; this could be hosted at an IVU website, as VUNA hosts 'How to start a local vegetarian group' a frank discussion about the obstacles, the challenges and potentials, the pros and cons, etc. of doing this sort of thing; ideological challenges likely come from the abolitionists, who think that promoting anything OTHER than the moral and legal RIGHTS of all persons is 'getting in bed with the devil' (and promoting something which affirms evildoers freedom, rights, and powers to continue doing evil, as are welfarism and libertarianism, etc.) speculating about possible resources for doing this, including what social groups (in cultural anthropology, we discuss this in terms of 'the social sources' of some value, activity, energy, or potentials) talking this up on the Internet among vegetarian lists (cross-posting the IDEA that it could be done in major urban population centers) establishing an e-mail list - a public list perhaps at Yahoo Groups, where resources and discussion could take place among SERIOUS contributions, but membership should be controlled and postings moderated. Let's have some discussion on this. Maynard Maynard S. Clark 617-615-9672 (GoogleVoice) http://Maynard.Clark.GooglePages.com  My profiles:  Contact me: Maynard.Clark MaynardClark MaynardClark MaynardSClark MaynardClark MaynardSClark MaynardSClark THots8421 SanDiego95 Maynard.Clark   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.comhttp://maynardclark.spaces.live.com - Maynard's Veggie and Boston Blog

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

Would YOU like to teach the world to sing?

Making connections for plant-based diets: teaching the world to sing vegetarian songs

In the process of making connections for plant-based diets, which I've been doing actively since 1993, when I started the Vegetarian Resource Center, I'm seeking vegan musicians who compose and either perform or sing pro-vegan pro-animal lyrics about what we and all others can do right - that are wholesome lyrics, not hateful, and help enable the good side of the general public in making the switch towards plant-based diets and vegan values.

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/VRC-Vegetarian-Music/

The TEXT on that VRC-Vegetarian-Music group list at YahooGroups.com (which is VRC's official discussion list for this very project) is:

The VRC-Vegetarian-Music e-mail discussion list is for volunteers of the Vegetarian Resource Center working in projects of developing vegetarian-supporting music.

Think about every value you hold dear to yourself. Wasn't that communicated through relationship, image, deed, song, and poetry?

Yes!

The 1960's movement for nonviolence throughout Europe, North America, and the rest of the world was spread through music and song. But though there IS an extensive body of lore and song which COULD do the job, vegetarians have never collected that set of resources into one site, nor have many modern vegetarians deliberated on the task and worked intently at creating a modern body of lyric and song, poem and prose, which effectively communicate poignantly, pithily, and powerfully the vegetarian message, and deep as it is in all its lifechanging dimensions.

And if you already HAVE such music already (or know of it), share it with us so that we can get a better idea of what we're doing.

And we're happy at present with commercial produce and condiment jingles.

Let's teach vegetarians to sing!
No, let's write the songs the WHOLE world sings!

We're all interested, too, in developing and collecting literature, music, art, and other resources for vegetarian families.

But in all our months, years, or decades, we've found precious little written BY vegetarians FOR vegetarians.

What do you think YOU can develop, collect, or inspire OTHERS to develop or collect?

Once you join this list, we'd like you to hold up, not only YOUR end of the conversation among all these volunteers, about our respective portions of this culture-building project, but THEIR ends of the conversation, also.

Your contributions to improving our rationale, our social marketing, and/or our persuasiveness in motivating the skilled pro-vegans for this project is sought.