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Truly man is the king of beasts, for his brutality exceeds theirs. We live by the death of others: we are burial places! I have from an early age abjured the use of meat, and the time will come when men such as I will look on the murder of animals as they now look on the murder of men. - Leonardo da Vinci
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In this edition...
Health |
 Don't (just) go vegetarian or vegan for health benefits |
| H7N9 virus closer to being human transmissible than other bird flu viruses |
| Eating red meat may boost Type 2 diabetes risk |
| Avoid doctors to protect your health |
Environment and World Hunger |
| Eat less meat to ease world hunger, British population urged |
| Study: Crop yields not on track to feed world population in 2050 - plant-based diet can help |
| World Bank report: Impact of climate change - 'the world will have fundamentally changed' |
| Why Bill Gates is investing in chicken-less eggs |
Lifestyles and Trends |
| Why I love vegans |
| Veg celebs: James Cameron promotes veganism at National Geographic gala |
| Six awesome apps for animal lovers |
| How did that fish end up in my wine? |
Animal Issues and Advocacy |
| Canada set to ban lifelong confinement of pigs in small cages |
| Video: Blowing the whistle on whistleblowers |
| Animal sentience: Chickens smarter than toddlers |
| Single most important lesson in being an effective advocate? |
| How an activist headed toward burnout can change course |
Books and Perspectives |
| Kitchen Scraps: A cookbook with a sense of humor |
| Voices of the food revolution |
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(Excerpts are included from current news stories. Click on the "Full story" link to read the full article.)
Health 
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Don't (just) go vegetarian or vegan for health benefits
Full story: VegSource
Do you like questionable studies on vegetarians? If so, it's your lucky day!... these studies suggest you should not merely go vegetarian or vegan to try to extend your life. Instead, if you want significant health benefits, adopt a McDougall, Ornish, Esselstyn, Fuhrman, Barnard or Pritikin diet, which are not simply about avoiding animal products, but are about avoiding unhealthy foods in general, and focusing on the healthiest ones. These programs are consistent and coherent and take a "whole" approach, and produce solid benefits in the published research.
Read more... |
H7N9 virus closer to being human transmissible than other bird flu viruses
Full story: Canadian Press
A new study shows that the H7N9 flu virus can pass between ferrets, even sometimes spreading by airborne transmission. While the airborne spread wasn't highly efficient, the work suggests this virus is more closely adapted to spread among mammals than other bird flu viruses. The research was done by researchers in China, Hong Kong, the United States and Toronto and is published in the journal Science.
Read more... |
Eating red meat may boost Type 2 diabetes risk
Full story: CBS News
People who eat red meat may be putting themselves at risk for Type 2 diabetes. A new study showed that eating red meat over time was associated with a higher chance of developing the most common form of diabetes. Compared with those that didn't change their red meat intake over the study periods, increasing red meat by more than 0.5 servings a day over a four-year-period was associated with a 48 per cent increased risk of developing the disease during a subsequent four-year-interval. On the other hand, reducing red meat consumption by 0.5 servings or more over four years was linked to a 14 perc ent lower risk during the entire follow-up period.
Read more... |
Avoid doctors to protect your health
Full story: The Real Food Channel
 It is dangerous to look for problems that will don't exist or will never develop. [1:55]
Read more... |
The Real Food Channel - Archives - December
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| Environment and World Hunger
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Eat less meat to ease world hunger, British population urged
Full story: Guardian, UK
People in Britain should eat meat less often, in order to help ease the food crises in the developing world, an influential committee of MPs has urged. It could also help to mitigate the rampant food price inflation that has seen the cost of staple foods in the UK rise by close to one-third in the last five years. The massive increase in meat consumption in rich countries in recent decades has led to spikes in the price of grain, used for animal feed, as well as leading to widespread deforestation and pressure on agricultural land, and has contributed to the obesity epidemic. By avoiding meat even for a day or two each week, people could help to ease some of these pressures.
Read more... |
Study: Crop yields not on track to feed world population in 2050 - plant-based diet can help
Full story: NBC Science
A shift to plant-based diets is one strategy to help the world meet its food demands by the year 2050, according to a new study that says crop yields are improving too slowly to satisfy meat-eaters' appetites. "That is a very optimistic part" of the paper, lead author Deepak Ray, with the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota, told NBC News. He noted that the global middle class was 2 billion out of 6.9 billion people in 2010. It will gain an additional 4 billion people by the middle of this century. History shows that when people have more money to spend on food, they want meat, he said.
Read more... |
World Bank report: Impact of climate change - 'the world will have fundamentally changed'
Video source: UN/World Bank
 "In a 2 degrees Celsius warmer world, the earth will have fundamentally changed. The way that the earth processes water will have changed. So we will have droughts that will be devastating, we will have floods that will put cities in danger. And there will be fundamental issues around the ability of poor people to sustain themselves. The thing I worry most about, is a 2 degrees Celsius which could upon us as early as the 2030s-2040s, will prevent us from lifting people out of poverty. And our goal of ending poverty by 2030 will be out of reach." - Jim Yong Kim, President, World Bank Group on a new scientific report released [June 19] by the World Bank Group. [2:43]
Watch video... |
Why Bill Gates is investing in chicken-less eggs
Full story: NPR
Investors like Gates are betting that our planet can't sustain the current rate of growth in animal-based foods for too much longer. In 2000, the global demand for eggs was about 14 million tons, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization. By 2030, that's expected to climb to 38 million tons. This is part of a broader global trend: As nations become wealthier, people begin to eat more animal products. "Raising meat takes a great deal of land and water and has a substantial environmental impact," Gates said. "Put simply, there's no way to produce enough meat for 9 billion people," Gates concludes. So increasingly, innovators are looking to develop plant-based alternatives.
Read more... |
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| Lifestyles and Trends
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Why I love vegans
Full story: Care2
I love vegans, first and foremost, for their heightened sense of justice and compassion, in choosing to avoid, as far as possible, products and businesses that exploit anyone's body, in any way, for any reason. Akin to abolitionists of human slavery who believe that it is morally wrong to force living, breathing human beings into slavery, vegans have taken that belief one step further, by including living, breathing non-human beings.
Read more... |
Veg celebs: James Cameron promotes veganism at National Geographic gala
Full story: Washington Post
The National Geographic went all out for its 125th anniversary gala. Titantic director/oceanographer James Cameron received the organization's "Explorer of the Year" for his successful solo dive last year to the deepest point of the Pacific Ocean. Cameron used the occasion to share his newfound solution to saving the earth. "I've had an epiphany recently," Cameron continued. "I want to challenge all of you as people of deep conscience, people who are environment stewards of the earth and oceans... By changing what you eat, you will change the entire contract between the human species and the natural world."
Read more... |
Washington Post - June 15
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Six awesome apps for animal lovers
Full story: Care2
Whether you're on the lookout for veg friendly restaurants or want to check if the shampoo in your shopping cart is cruelty free, there's an app for that! If you're an animal lover and want to get the most out of your iPhone, then these six awesome apps should be on your must downloaded list if you're not already using them...
Read more... |
How did that fish end up in my wine?
Full story: Care2
Believe it or not that wine you've been drinking contains fish. From Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio to Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc, all your favorite tipples are harboring a dirty little secret. As we all know wine is made from grapes, but what most of us don't know is that there are a whole host of other ingredients that go into the mix, meaning not all wines are vegan or even vegetarian friendly for that matter. Many winemakers today are deciding to move towards a more natural and ethical winemaking method, which begs the question "Why bother purchasing wine that is contributing to the pain and suffering of living, feeling individuals when there's an alternative?" [Websites where you can check listed in the article.]
Read more... |
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| Animal Issues and Advocacy
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Canada set to ban lifelong confinement of pigs in small cages
Full story: Toronto Sun
The days of pregnant pigs being confined in cages roughly the same size as their bodies are numbered in Canada. According to the Canadian branch of Humane Society International, the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) has designed a draft code of practice for the care and handling of pigs that it says will improve animal welfare in pork production nationwide. One of the key measures is eliminating the confinement of expectant pigs in gestation crates that don't allow the animals to even turn around. The new code of practice will take effect in 2014. A recent national poll showed that 84 per cent of Canadians support a complete phase-out of the use of gestation cages. [That's still a lot of suffering between now and then (see this "Mother Jones" article from the July/August issue), but it's in the right direction.]
Read more... |
Video: Blowing the whistle on whistleblowers
Video Source: Comedy Central/Daily Show with Jon Stewart
 On a recent Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Al Madrigal with tongue firmly in cheek lauds the American agriculture industry for protecting animals from people trying to protect the animals. There is a lot of truth in jest as they say and we wince at making light of the issue of animal cruelty in any way. But it serves to get the message out to a wide audience and perhaps foster some in the audience to think about what they are eating. [05:13]
[See also this Mother Jones article from the July/August issue: Gagged by big ag. Horrific abuse. Rampant contamination. And the crime is...exposing it?]
Watch video... |
Comedy Central/Daily Show with Jon Stewart - June 11
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Animal sentience: Chickens smarter than toddlers
Full story: News.com, Australia
It is easy to dismiss them as bird brains, but chickens may be cleverer than toddlers. Studies show that chicks can master skills including numeracy and self-control - and even basic structural engineering. Typically, it takes children until the age of four to accomplish some of these feats. Chickens exhibit intelligent behaviour within just a few hours of hatching, Professor Christine Nicol, the Bristol University professor of animal welfare who reviewed 20 years of research on the topic, says. For example, experiments show that young chicks understand that an object that moves out of sight still exists. In contrast, it takes babies until around a year old to grasp the concept that out of sight does not mean out of mind.
Read more... |
News.com, Australia - June 19
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Single most important lesson in being an effective advocate?
Full story: Vegan Outreach Blog
It took me years to realize this, but if we really want to make the world a better place, we should look at history. Many people have been angry at past injustices - and rightly so. But the individuals who actually brought about meaningful, lasting change aren't those who simply expressed their outrage. Rather, those who really changed the world worked from an understanding of human nature and how societies change. They pursued realistic, methodical campaigns. These types of actions are rarely high-profile or emotionally cathartic. But if we truly want to help those suffering, we can't simply be angry. We also have to be ruthlessly rational in how we use our limited time and resources. [Read also Matt Ball's blog "Hopeful" on why he sees hope for the future.]
Read more... |
Vegan Outreach Blog - June 12
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How an activist headed toward burnout can change course
Full story: Our Hen House Blog
I feel like I'm burning out. It's not the common kind of working-too-hard-and-needing-a-break burning out. This is different, unique to activists and advocates and caregivers and whoever else cares that something really terrible is happening to someone. This is compassion fatigue. I'm sure many of you have been where I am now. Here are four ways to cope with compassion fatigue...
Read more... |
Our Hen House Blog - May 20
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| Books and Perspectives
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Kitchen Scraps: A cookbook with a sense of humor
Full story: Amazon
 Not a new book but a new recommendation from a good friend who loves to cook. There are many veg recipes among the comfort food included in Kitchen Scraps, a clever, illustrated, fun book by Pierre Lamielle. Here's a taste.
Read more... |
Voices of the food revolution
Full story: Amazon
Bestselling author John Robbins joins with his son and colleague Ocean Robbins to present 21 gamechanging conversations with some of the world's leading scientists, doctors, teachers, farmers, economists, and nutritionists in this easy to read book. Paul McCartney said about Voices of the Food Revolution: "Empowering. This book highlights ways to set a new pattern for the future of the planet."
Read more... |
Also of interest:
Events:
39th Annual Vegetarian Summerfest, July 3-7, Johnstown, PA, U.S.
Over 60 informative and inspiring speakers on health and nutrition, lifestyle issues, cooking, recipes, exercise and fitness, animal rights, compassionate living, Earth stewardship, and even more! Over 700 attendees of all ages. Great natural-food vegan meals designed to meet a variety of diets, including gluten free and raw food under the direction of Chef Mark Reinfeld of Vegan Fusion.
Vegetarian Summerfest
Farm Sanctuary's Country Hoe Down, Watkin's Glen, New York, August 3 & 4
An exciting weekend filled with expert presentations, great vegan food, quality time with our farm animal residents, activist workshops, cooking demonstration, barn dancing, camping, more! Also mark your calendars for
The Celebration for the Turkeys this fall: November 2, Orland, California, November 9, Acton, California (Los Angeles area), November 16, Watkins Glen, New York. Click below for more info.
Farm Sanctuary
World Week for the Abolition of Meat - September 21-29
The World Weeks for the Abolition of Meat (WWAMs) are intended as a means of promoting a political debate around the idea of abolishing the production and consumption of the flesh of sentient beings. Check out more info, list or find an event at the link below.
World Weeks for the Abolition of Meat (WWAMs)
Websites and Blogs:
Live Vegan
If you would like to take part in a short worldwide vegan survey from Butterflies Katz, click the links below.
Vegan Survey Part 1
Vegan Survey Part 2
More Tidbits:
VegE-News Archives
VegE-News Recipes and Tips
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