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The Healthy Voyager - Pilot
The Healthy Voyager's debut webisode (September 2006)
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Extreme Piercing: Vegetarians Celebrate Pain [WTF]
Welcome to the Phuket Vegetarian Festival...
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Vegetarian Gluttons for Punishment Pursue Pain
Doctors in Phuket, Thailand, are warning vegetarians at the annual Chinese Vegetarian Festival that piercing their faces with knives, axes, spades and beach umbrellas could expose them to health risks.
Each year, health authorities warn devoted Buddhists that “Ma Song,” the ritualistic self-infliction of pain, could cause HIV/AIDS and hepatitis infections. And every year, adherents walk barefoot over smoldering coals, climb ladders with rungs made of knife blades and bathe in hot oil—all in pursuit of spiritual trance which will earn good luck for themselves and their neighbors.
According to local legend, Ma Song or “entranced horses” possess the bodies of devotees and perform self-torture to absorb the evil from their host bodies to themselves. “Handlers” are assigned to entranced devotees to escort them around town with spears, poles and lanterns protruding from their skin, according to the festival’s Web site, PhuketVegetarian.com.
Celebrants keep a strictly vegetarian or vegan diet for part of all of the 10-day festival to avoid inflicting pain and suffering on any life form, with the exception of themselves.
The Phuket Public Health Office advises adherents to sterilize the instruments before inserting them into the skin and “take steps” to prevent viral and bacterial infection, the Phuket Gazette reports.
“Apart from the risks associated with sharp objects, we are also checking to ensure that proper hygiene is being maintained at food stalls by giving advice to vendors,” the health office told the newspaper. Samples of vegetarian food is inspected for safety, the health office reassures. Doctors in Phuket, Thailand, are warning vegetarians at the annual Chinese Vegetarian Festival that piercing their faces with knives, ... more -
"Three stops" critical for reversing global warming
Critical step to save our planet -A Must for Our Survival
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Alarming Artic Trend -the latest news on climate change
Breaking News on Current Climate Change Affecting Our Planet
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The future of food: Prepare yourself for a vegetarian world
From the head chef at MomoFuko:
You've seen the articles, right there on the front page next to equally uplifting stories about oil, the economy, and the war: The cost of food--of producing and procuring it--is soaring. In the restaurant world, it's all anyone can talk about. And the thing is, this is no temporary spike; it's actually a massive correction.
The machinery that's pumped so much meat into our lives over the last half century was never built to last, and now it's breaking down big-time. Feed is more expensive. Gasoline is more expensive. Milk, rice, butter, corn--it's all going through the roof. And for the foreseeable future, it's not coming back down.
Farmer Michael's feed costs have risen 400 percent in the last twelve months. To make a profit on the beautiful turkeys his family is raising in time for Thanksgiving, he'll have to charge a hundred bucks a bird. At Momofuku, I'm paying 150 percent more for humanely raised pork belly than I was paying at this time last year. And at the hyperglobal megachains that feed most of America, the only way they'll be able to keep selling one-dollar hamburgers is to grow their "protein units" in petri dishes, add even more filler to their products, and outright enslave the workers whose backs they're already breaking to keep costs artificially low.
It's depressing, this state of affairs, and sometimes I let myself wallow in it. But then I think about the opportunity this situation presents. Let's allow these harsh new realities to force us to do something that Alice Waters has been advocating for decades: Let's finally embrace the truth that food is not something to be taken for granted. As a culture, we need to be more curious about where our food comes from. We need to buy from farmers who are trying to do things the right way. We need to think before we eat.
If we do, we'll find that our cuisine and eating habits will more closely resemble those of the nineteenth century than the late twentieth. Hunting will be less about the buck points and more about the meat. Nose-to-tail eating will make a comeback--not because of fashion or Fergus Henderson (whom I love), but because of scarcity and price. And small-scale farming--little vegetable gardens in the backyards of homes in cities, suburbs, and the countryside alike--will become not just economically sensible but cool. Hell, maybe foraging for mushrooms and wild fruits will become a seminormal skill again.
At the table, this means our plates will be heavier on grains and greens, and meat will shift from the center of the dish to a supporting role--the role it's played throughout history in most of the world's cuisines.
At Momofuku, we've made a name for ourselves selling lots of pig and not accommodating vegetarians. So, yeah, I recognize the hypocrisy of me telling you to eat more veggies and less meat. Guilty as charged. But don't get me wrong: My restaurants still won't kowtow to vegetarians. We will, however, focus more on vegetable and grain dishes in which meat adds flavor, not heft. From the head chef at MomoFuko: ... more -
THE ACCEPTABLE SIN
A 60-something liberal woman in the Bible Belt shares her thoughts on Obesity and Religion. The new 5 minute documentary short beginning the film festival circuit! From the creators of the hit short films PHONE SEX GRANDMA and THE OUTHOUSE
Current festival screenings include:
Animal Rights Film Festival
Non Violence International Film Festival
South Africa International Film Festival
Metafest Film Festival
Third Screen Film Festival
More to come! A 60-something liberal woman in the Bible Belt shares her thoughts on Obesity and Religion. The new 5 minute documentary short beginni... more -
A Vegetarian Diet Shrinks the Brain
http://www.asylum.com/2008/09/15/a-vegertarian-diet-shrinks-the-brain/
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THE ACCEPTABLE SIN on Youtube - Obesity and Religion
We love this new little 5 minute short film! Why can't anyone see the direct link between Obesity and Religion?
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Road hog: Vegetarian driver suffers pig nightmare on motorway
The sight of a truckload of pigs headed for the sausage factory proved too much to bear for a German vegetarian woman who lost control of her vehicle as a result. Unfortunately, she crashed into another truck carrying pigs.
A vegetarian woman driving down a motorway in Germany was so traumatized at the sight of a truck loaded with pigs that she lost control of her vehicle and careered into another truck, which was also filled with pigs, police said.
"The woman found herself driving next to a large pig transport truck and the sight of the pitiful animals made her feel so sick that she jerked her steering wheel and started swerving," police in the western town of Gütersloh said in a statement released on Thursday.
"The result of her swerving was that the woman's van struck the side of another truck … which was also loaded with live pigs. The woman suffered little more than a fright but we were unable to ascertain anything about the state of the pig's health," police said. The sight of a truckload of pigs headed for the sausage factory proved too much to bear for a German vegetarian woman who lost control... more -
UN’s Top Climate Scientist Urges People to Combat Climate Change by Eating Less Me...
Monday evening, the UN’s top Climate Scientist, Rajendra Pachuari, will speak in London at a meeting organized by Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), urging people to fight global warming by taking meat off their menu. Monday evening, the UN’s top Climate Scientist, Rajendra Pachuari, will speak in London at a meeting organized by Compassion in World ... more
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Eat less meat to fight climate change
From the Report: Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), told The Observer that people should start by having one meat-free day per week then cut back further.
The 68-year-old Indian economist, who is a vegetarian, said diet change was important in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental problems associated with rearing cattle and other animals.
"Give up meat for one day (per week) initially, and decrease it from there," he said.
"In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity."
Other small-scale lifestyle changes would also help to combat climate change, he said without elaborating.
"That's what I want to emphasise: we really have to bring about reductions in every sector of the economy."
Pachauri is due to give a speech in London on Monday under the title: "Global Warning: the impact of meat production and consumption on climate change".
Pachauri, who was re-elected for a second term six-year term as IPCC chairman last week, has headed the organisation since 2002 and oversaw its seminal assessment report in 2007 which gave graphic forecasts of the risks posed by global warming.
The IPCC warned then that without action the planet's rising temperatures could unleash potentially catastrophic change to earth's climate system, leading to hunger, drought, storms and massive species loss.
The organisation also won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 along with former US vice president Al Gore. From the Report: Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), told The Observer that people sh... more -
Eat less meat to combat climate change, warns UN
People should eat less meat to help combat the effects of climate change, the world's leading expert on global warming has claimed.
Dr Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, said people should aim for one meat-free day a week, before scaling down their consumption even further.
"In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity."
The UN estimates that meat production is responsible for almost a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. Cows, in particular, emit methane which is 23 times more effective as a global warming agent than carbon dioxide.
While the process of producing animal feeds is also harmful to the environment. Dr Pachauri, a vegetarian, said people needed to look at every aspect of the their lives in terms of its environmental impact.
He said: "We really have to bring about reductions in every sector of the economy."
On Monday, he will address an event hosted by animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming, which has calculated that if the average UK household halved meat consumption that would cut emissions more than if car use was cut in half.
While Dr Pachauri's comments are likely to be met with opposition by many in the food and restaurant industry, Masterchef presenter and restaurateur John Torode offered his support.
He said: "I have a little bit [of meat] and enjoy it. Too much for any person becomes gluttony.
"But there's a bigger issue here: where the meat comes from. If we all bought British and stopped buying imported food we'd save a huge amount of carbon emissions." People should eat less meat to help combat the effects of climate change, the world's leading expert on global warming has claime... more -
PETA offers $1 million prize to producer of artificial meat
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has announced plans to offer $1 million to the "first person to come up with a method to produce commercially viable quantities of in vitro meat at competitive prices by 2012."
In vitro refers to something taking place outside of a living body, in an artificial environment. In this case, PETA wants to encourage the artificial synthesis of animal muscle tissue cultures, without a living animal having to be born and die.
The idea is already under development, and a symposium on in vitro meat production was recently held in Norway. Researchers say that the muscle tissue grown in laboratories could be given the proper tone, shape and texture by means of food additives that are currently used to give those same qualities to vegetable-based artificial meat projects such as soy burgers.
Jason Matheny, founder of the artificial meat-promoting nonprofit New Harvest, greeted the news with pleasure. Research prizes "inspire more dollars spent on a research problem than the prize represents," he said. As an example, he cited the Ansari X Prize that encouraged the development of the first privately financed human spacecraft.
Researcher Bernard Roelen of Utrecht University in Norway, however, said that money is not necessarily enough to remove the obstacles that remain to making synthetic meat commercially viable on PETA's timeline.
PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk said that she has wanted the group to promote in vitro meat for more than 10 years. She acknowledged that some people have strong concerns about artificial meat, including many within PETA.
"We will have members leave us over this ... [but] we don't mind taking uncomfortable positions if it means that fewer animals suffer," Newkirk said.
Lisa Lange, a PETA vice president, was one who opposed the award. "My main concern is, as the largest animal rights organization in the world, it's our job to introduce the philosophy and hammer it home that animals are not ours to eat," she said.
"I remember saying I would be much more comfortable promoting eating roadkill." People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has announced plans to offer $1 million to the "first person to come up with a... more -
Meat-eating Warrants Same Scrutiny as Driving and Flying
According the the WorldWatch Institute (and an old post of our own) livestock contribute 18% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, even higher than the GHG emissions from transportation. As part of this figure they produce 37% of methane, which has more than 20 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. And if that weren’t enough to be concerned about, their manure emits nitrous oxide, 65% of world totals. WorldWatch also point out that in the United States, 70% of all anti-microbial drugs are now given to livestock.
Yet for all the welcoming news regarding decreased SUV sales, increased bicycle purchases and servicing, increased green home building, and so on, meat production, is on WorldWatch’s figures not declining. And in fact they see signs it is on the rise, with poultry, pig and beef production increasing between 2% and 4%. They dig out figures which indicate that globally about 56 billion animals are raised and slaughtered for food each year, the bulk of whom are ‘produced’ in factory farms.
Lancet says Eat Less Meat
WorldWatch’s statistically rich report by Brian Halweil concludes by quoting that much esteemed medical journal, The Lancet. It recommends that the industrial world chomp on 10% less meat to limit greenhouse gas emissions, whilst enhancing human health, going on to say, "For the world's higher-income populations, greenhouse-gas emissions from meat-eating warrant the same scrutiny as do those from driving and flying."
And this scrutiny maybe indeed be happening. The Sydney Morning Herald reports that Mark Tracy, owner of the organic vegan cafe The Forest, in Brisbane, Queenland, had noticed a change in attitudes among his customer base. He said that most still became vegetarians because of animal cruelty, but "the cost to the environment is now a close second".
In their Greenhome project, the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) suggest that removing just one 150-gram serve of beef a week would culminate in a saving of 10,000 litres of water and 300 kilograms of greenhouse gases. (That’s 5oz, 2,642 gallons and 660 lb for our non-metric brethren.) Possibly those figures are so high because Aussies chow down on an average 110kg (243 lbs) of meat yearly.
All of which is certainly (what’s that old cliche?) food for thought.
::WorldWatch Institute and ::Sydney Morning Herald According the the WorldWatch Institute (and an old post of our own) livestock contribute 18% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,... more -
Urban Farms Grow Up
Discovery-News.com: Discovery’s Matt Danzico investigates vertical farming, an agricultural concept aimed at growing food and raising animals in skyscrapers in city centers. Discovery-News.com: Discovery’s Matt Danzico investigates vertical farming, an agricultural concept aimed at growing food and raising ... more
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Vegetarian spider?!
This little critter that darts around acacia trees could be the first discovered vegetarian spider.
"Bagheera kiplingi belongs among the big-eyed, athletic predators in the family of jumping spiders and gets its name from a panther in a Rudyard Kipling story. Yet a population of these spiders in Mexico mostly eats bits of the acacia trees, says Christopher Meehan of Villanova University in Pennsylvania."
Other spiders have been known to taste vegetable matter but no previously discovered species live exclusively on it. This little critter that darts around acacia trees could be the first discovered vegetarian spider. ... more -
Finding That Special Green Person
Green has certainly gone mainstream, even singles looking for love can find their soul mate with the help of an eco-friendly website.
Green dating officially got its start about five years ago, around the same time niche sites like LargeFriends.com and EquestrianSingles.com began cropping up.
GreenSingles.com, is a personal-connection site for people in the environmental, vegetarian and animal-rights communities. It promises to connect singles that share a "global consciousness influenced by holistic philosophies, green politics and a willingness to explore the mind, body and spirit".
The Green Singles website asks users, "What's Your Shade of Green?" Curious minds can search between the ages of 18 and 95, and in the United States and the European Community.
But Green Singles, isn't the only eco-friendly dating service in the garden. DemocraticSingles.net ponied up 86 matches from a pool of more than 25,000 environmentally and politically aware mates, including one guy interested in "trees, mountains, sex, wild birds and conversation".
Earth Wise Singles (ewsingles.com) offers green-living and environmentally responsible adults, friends of Mother Earth, organic gardeners, farmers, and ranchers a chance at companionship. The community includes lovers of nature and the outdoors, those concerned about human rights and world peace, and also adults who are interested in alternative and holistic medicine.
EthicalSingles.com is a matchmaking site for people concerned about human rights, animal rights, pollution, global warming, genetic engineering, organic farming, timber sourcing, and circus animals.
And just because you may love Mother Earth and her rich history, another service speeds up the "green" dating phenomenon.
GreenSpeedDating.com, touts itself as a new way for singles to find "carbon neutral love." Only around for a matter of months, the L.A.-based Web site recently held its first event in Santa Monica in which 16 singles hiked, biked, bused and drove to a bar for complimentary fruits and veggies and a raft of three-minute mini-dates.
In June, Portland's Pedalpalooza sponsored a "bicycle speed dating" event, drawing 40 single cyclists in all their helmet-haired glory. And in the same state of Washington, SeattleGreenDrinks.org, holds a big green monster of a gathering the second Tuesday of each month. Green has certainly gone mainstream, even singles looking for love can find their soul mate with the help of an eco-friendly website. ... more -
Burgers to Blame for Most of Global Warming....
Here we go...
I see this in the news all the time....but the media doesn't make enough of an issue of it to educate the world.
If we would stop eating dead animals, we could save our lives and the planet... Here we go... ... more -
PETA compares bus beheading to animal abuse
Animal rights group PETA has tried to run a newspaper ad comparing the beheading and cannibalizing of a passenger on a Greyhound bus in Canada last week to the treatment of animals by the meat industry.
The ad was supposed to run in a Manitoba newspaper distributed in the city near where a man stabbed a fellow passenger multiple times, then beheaded him and ate pieces of the body. However, city editor Tara Seel said the newspaper had no intention of running the ad, which uses imagery of a victim's throat being cut, in reference to the slaughter of animals on factory farms.
"His struggles and cries are ignored ... the man with the knife shows no emotion ... the victim is slaughtered and his head cut off ... his flesh is eaten," reads the ad posted on the PETA site. "If this ad leaves a bad taste in your mouth, please give a thought to what sensitive animals think and feel when they come to the end of their frightening journey and see, hear and smell the slaughterhouse," it says.
Lindsay Rajt of PETA said the ad was intended to be shocking: "Like human victims, animals in slaughterhouses experience terror when they are attacked by a knife-wielding assailant. We are challenging everyone who is rightly horrified by this crime to look into their hearts and consider leaving violence off their dinner plates."
PETA's ad comes a day after Greyhound withdrew one of its ad campaigns that extolled the relaxing upside of bus travel. The ad's tag line was "There's a reason you've never heard of 'bus rage.'" Animal rights group PETA has tried to run a newspaper ad comparing the beheading and cannibalizing of a passenger on a Greyhound bus i... more
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