Building Vegan Culture(s) Globally

The task of building vegetarian culture has been undertaken throughout the millennia by religious and spiritual communities, vegetarians with a worldview, and the vegetarian diet is intertwined in their understanding with all their other beliefs.

Building sustainable and non-idiosyncratic vegan culture(s) and subcultures globally is a challenge very few vegans seem to be willing to take upon themselves in a committed and systematic way.

These resources offer some background.

E-Mail: Building-Vegetarian-Culture-owner@yahoogroups.com

Website:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Building-Vegetarian-Culture/

In addition to joining them, thoughts in this forum could help us think out the task of building vegetarian and vegetarian culture and its sustaining resources (including our own self-history and community histories).

Again, throughout the millennia, this task has been undertaken vegetarians with a worldview which may be different from our own outlook or view of living, and vegetarian diet for them was for them, as it is for most of us, part of our lives. In that context, like it was for them, it is intertwined in their or our understanding and with all their or our other beliefs.

As before - in the past, vegetarians today, both religious and secular, continue intertwine beliefs, both dietary and nondietary.

Issues in culture building arise constantly whenever there is talk about "increasing the number of vegetarians".

But modern social science understandings of culturebuilding OUGHT to give us profound insights into the importance of economics, material infrastructure, celebration, and intergenerational communication.

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Doing without

Last night, on the Simpsons, Lisa Simpson (not in her dreams, where she had become an entirely different character, some of it very bad and, from a vegetarian's perspective, one of those horrid nightmares of self-doubt about being a good person) bemoaned the family's Christmas Tree.

Her resolution of the "Fir is Murder" issue was clever...

43 Island "Nation-States" feel like Deserted Islands

At Climate Summit, They're Feeling Like Deserted Islands

from the Los Angeles Times (Registration Required)

Cancun, Mexico -- In the scrum of 9,000 negotiators gathered in Cancun to wrangle over a global climate treaty Ronny Jumeau has no patience for diplomatic niceties.

"I won't shut up," said the pugnacious chief of the three-member delegation from Seychelles, an Indian Ocean archipelago. ... Jumeau is a member of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), a negotiating bloc of 43 nations already suffering the ill effects of climate change: longer droughts, bigger floods, stronger hurricanes and rising seas. The countries circle the globe from the Pacific to the Caribbean to the Indian Ocean, and they are furious that the industrial nations--the big emitters of greenhouse gases--are not moving fast enough to ensure their survival.

As the 12-day summit moves into high gear this week, small island nations may be the noisiest critics, but they are hardly alone in their frustration that a legally binding agreement to reduce planet-heating pollutants has no chance to be concluded here.

http://ow.ly/3kz84

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Chris Voight, Washington State Potato Commission, eats 20 plain potatoes each day for 60 days

Chris Voight works for the Washington State Potato Commission.

To prove to people that the potato is a nutritious food and not just an empty carb, he has eaten 20 potatoes a day, and little else, for 60 days.

He has produced some funny videos which he has posted along with his blood work on his website: http://www.20potatoesaday.com/

"Hi, I'm Chris Voigt, and I'm eating 20 Potatoes a day, for 60 days straight.

I'm the Executive Director of the Washington State Potato Commission. In an effort to remind the public about the nutritional value of potatoes, I am going on a diet consisting of ONLY POTATOES, nothing else. No toppings, no chili, no sour cream, no cheese, no gravy, just potatoes and maybe some seasonings or herbs and a little oil for some of the cooking.

I will be on this "potato only" diet for 60 days straight, starting October 1st and ending November 29th. I want to show the world that the potato is so healthy, that you could live off them alone for an extended period of time, without any negative impact to your health. And who knows, maybe it will make me healthier by lowering my blood pressure and cholesterol?

As part of this 60 day diet, I will be posting online videos, comments, and blogs about how the diet is going, interesting trivia about the potato, and some zany stuff too! You can follow the diet and let me know what you think here!

Each Monday I'll announce a contest for the week where you could win some cool potato stuff! I look forward to hearing what you think about my 20 potatoes a day! Remember to tell your friends and come back often!

Chris Voigt

Washington State Potato Commission

509-765-8845

info@20potatoesaday.com

Home Diet Facts Blog Videos Contact Us Diet Facts A person my height and weight needs to consume 2200 calories a day just to maintain my weight. An average potato (5.3 oz) contains 110 calories. I'll need to eat 20 potatoes a day to maintatin my weight. Below is an example of the nutrients I'll be getting from my 20 potatoes a day... Vitamin C

Vitamin B6

Potassium

Dietary Fiber

Maganese

Magnesium

Phosphorus

Copper

Thiamin

Niacin

Iron

Protein

Folate

Pantothenic Acid

Vitamin K

Zinc

Ribofalvin

Calcium

Selenium

Vitamin E

Vitamin A 942%

423%

345%

252%

220%

165%

164%

155%

153%

151%

124%

116%

115%

85%

68%

55%

54%

34%

12%

1%

1%

What it means to "defend animal rights"

We need to
(a) BELIEVE in the social construct of rights

(b) BE ABLE to clearly conceptualize and express the social construct of rights and the rightful inclusion of nonhumans within the scope of that construct's applicability
(c) BE ABLE AND WILLING to consistently live out the practical implications of that social construct (e.g. veganism)

(d) BE ABLE AND WILLING to tease out the long-term implications for each society of the practical implications of that social construct (e.g. abolition of all animal agriculture and exploitative social USES of animals), in ways that are attractive to the broad reach of each society and highly desirable (more desirable than any status quo exploiting animals or any ACTUAL new way of exploiting animals or the POSSIBILITY of any (some) new way appearing in the future that could be used to justify the exploitation of nonhumans.

I'd say that's a very tall order. I'd also say that we are only beginning to achieve the aggregated social maturity as a vegan movement to deal with that whole-cloth, in the aggregate, even though a number of really great books (Lee Hall's included) have appeared to help us individually work through these issues and implications in our individual lives.

Dubai event encourages a vegetarian lifestyle

Fruitarian, vegan, or raw foodie? If you have wondered what the difference is, then the Meveg Congress, opening today, might be the thing for you.

The two-day event at the Dubai World Trade Centre brings together 16 proponents of healthy living from as far as Singapore, Russia and the United States.

The effort seeks to convince audiences that ditching meat, even if only for a few days each week, can help people and the planet to become healthier.

That message is particularly relevant in the UAE, which has very high levels of diabetes and obesity, as well as a deep environmental footprint in the world.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature, the UAE has the highest per-capita footprint at 10.68 hectares. This indicates what portion of the planet's natural resources people living here need to sustain their lifestyles.
--
full story:
http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/dubai-event-encourages-a-vegetarian-lifestyle

Unforeseen Consequences of Doing Good

I would be MORE eager to support more animal rescue efforts if this were part of a broader effort to liberate ALL animals globally (rather than merely rescuing some animals at the expense of others; 'competitive rights' where some lose - "food animals" - in order to feed the rescued animals).

When they address this issue so that the pining souls who adopt countless animals are at least conversant with the topic of why farmed animals deserve to NOT be killed for food, I'll be  ore likely to be on board with the companion animal rescue effort.  Most 'pining souls' are NOT conversant with the topic at all, have no idea that there MIGHT be future options such as cloned meat or even collective buying of non-hinsic vegan-friendly pet food, etc.  For them, it's more about providing solace, a home, and food and veterinary attention to individually rescued animals than about a global noncompetitive ecological justice for all.  With pet-food, we have a deep ecological and inter-species moral problem on our hands, and it demands a deep and profound conversation across the entire humane movement, but most folks are recoiling from the conversation, presumably from the anxiety of losing the appearance of their moral high ground if they acknowledge that we really don't know what we're doing here.

Unforeseen Consequences of Doing Good

I would be MORE eager to support more animal rescue efforts if this were part of a broader effort to liberate ALL animals globally (rather than merely rescuing some animals at the expense of others; 'competitive rights' where some lose - "food animals" - in order to feed the rescued animals).

When they address this issue so that the pining souls who adopt countless animals are at least conversant with the topic of why farmed animals deserve to NOT be killed for food, I'll be ore likely to be on board with the companion animal rescue effort. Most 'pining souls' are NOT conversant with the topic at all, have no idea that there MIGHT be future options such as cloned meat or even collective buying of non-hinsic vegan-friendly pet food, etc. For them, it's more about providing solace, a home, and food and veterinary attention to individually rescued animals than about a global noncompetitive ecological justice for all. With pet-food, we have a deep ecological and inter-species moral problem on our hands, and it demands a deep and profound conversation across the entire humane movement, but most folks are recoiling from the conversation, presumably from the anxiety of losing the appearance of their moral high ground if they acknowledge that we really don't know what we're doing here.

Militant WHAT?

I recall how actor and comedian Woody Allen, in writing about his metaphysical agnosticism and his struggles with religious, ethical, and metaphysical issue, noted that he did NOT aspire to being world's best-known agnostic (or atheist).

That self-deprecating spirit is very different from the militant and seemingly hostile atheism we see around.

But then, it might be occasioned by a sensitivity to what appear to be public professions of faith (typically INSIDE buildings, thanks to property protections in the name of "freedom of religion").

To me, it always seemed impossible to deny something we could not coherently define; so, in that sense, a clear statement of atheism seemed irrational, where agnosticism is not because we could describe, with growing bodies of analysis along with neurological and other evidence how certain kind of knowledge, how some kinds of knowledge may be impossible for us.

Harvard's Vegan CIO Dr. John Halamka unworried by report linking microchips to tumors

Monday, September 10, 2007

Halamka not worried by report linking microchips to tumors

Dr. John Halamka (left) is used to fielding questions about the radio frequency identification chip embedded in his arm, and not just when he sets off security alarms atHome Depot.

The chief information officer at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,who had the microchip containing his medical data implanted in 2004, says he isn't worried by an Associated Press report that the US Food and Drug Administration ignored studies linking the chips to cancer in mice when it approved the devices.

"The chip is ceramic, surrounded by medical-grade glass that is, to my knowledge, invisible to the immune system," he said in an e-mail today. "Thus, I cannot imagine how a chip could induce tumors."

Halamka said he has talked to veterinarians who have implanted thousands of the chips into dogs and cats, with no side effects. He suspects that the studies of mice are not applicable to humans because mice are predisposed to developing tumors at the site of any injection.

"I've had no side effects or tumors," he said. "Should I ever develop any issues with my implanted chip, you'll be the first to know!"

Posted by Elizabeth Cooney at 04:12 PM

Happy Thanksgiving !!!

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary.

Every word out of the bird's' mouth was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music, and doing whatever else he could think of to 'clean up' the bird's vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up, and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot, but the parrot became angrier and even more rude. In desperation, John threw up his hand, grabbed the bird, and locked him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed.

But suddenly, there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.

Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said:

"I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions, and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude.

As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird spoke-up, very softly,
"May I ask what the turkey did?"


HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Happy Thanksgiving !!!

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary.

Every word out of the bird's' mouth was rude, obnoxious, and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music, and doing whatever else he could think of to 'clean up' the bird's vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up, and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot, but the parrot became angrier and even more rude. In desperation, John threw up his hand, grabbed the bird, and locked him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed.

But suddenly, there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.

Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said:

"I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions, and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude.

As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird spoke-up, very softly,
"May I ask what the turkey did?"


HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

The Turkey Club

The Turkey Club

Term of the Day: searching (on the Internet) - defined

searching

Exploration of the World Wide Web by following one interesting link to another, usually with a definite objectiveand a planned search strategy. In comparison surfing is exploration definite in objective but not in strategy, andbrowsing is exploration without a definite objective or search strategy.

The FAR - for Dummies

FreeCodeSource.com

The FAR - for Dummies

FreeCodeSource.com

Harvard: Are Biofuels the Answer? Science and Economics of Alternative Energy

Are Biofuels the Answer? The Science and Economics of Alternative Energy

Thursday,
November 18, 2010
6:00-8:00 pm.

Harvard Business School,
Aldrich Hall, Room 112

Boston, MA

Given the risks and costs of oil production,
the environmental impact of greenhouse gases,
and the need for energy security,
are biofuels the answer?
Join the Harvard Alumni Association (HAA)
for a discussion on the impact of biofuels
featuring prominent scholars in the field.

Panelists include:

Mitchell Dong '75, Executive Director,
Mohave Sun Power LLC

Forest Reinhardt John D. Black Professor of Business Administration and Faculty Chair, European Research Initiative, Harvard Business School.
Recent articles.

Noel Michele Holbrook,
Professor of Biology and
Charles Bullard Professor of Forestry,
Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University.
Recent articles

Alumni and friends of the Harvard community: $10
Undergraduate Students: complimentary (free)

Register here

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The value of graciousness

Patrick Battuello calls Gary Francione an extremist in his recent (today, Saturday) blog posting
"Fascist Veganism: How Gary Francione Squashes Dissent"
on the Albany Animal Rights Examiner.

I think this headline hurts the cause. The issue is how one leader's personality works against the growth and gradual development in the general public's minds - on their own terms - of pro-vegan (and animal-friendly) personal and social values.

Attacking someone who isn't quite 'there' yet (even when he tries heroically) is IMHO not in the interest of the goals we're trying to seek, nor even in the spirit of the argument that is made here.

Gary is not a fascist; he is a law school professor who may not really listen very well. He instinctively wants the bully pulpit all the time, but he's a good-hearted man with a curious sense of humor (that I oddly enjoy in a Homer-Simpson-like way).

Let me share a Francionism:

GaryFrancione:

"Folks often ask me, and surely they ask all of you, too, 'What do you eat as a vegan?'. For me it's very simple. Black coffee and cigarettes."

Now, I think that's all pretty awful and it perpetuates the socially endogenous image of the animal rights advocate as someone doing potentially wise things poorly in order to 'do it for the animals' in a self-sacrificing (and thus self-destructive') way that is both unwise and unhealthful.

But I think that our community is larger than our problems. I've watched Prof. Francione mature amazingly well during this past decade, and I cheer him on.

Newcomers are tempted to make cult figures out of any of us who are 'out there' in a public, effective, productive, diligent way. As Patrick Battuello argues, the 'movement' (which once was not a movement, but now is, I would argue) is not any one person, group, or perspective, but the deeper, broader theme, so that any of us can defer or back away from any of the tangential, side issues that are often co-packaged with vegan advocacy (and there ARE a multitude of confusing side 'social issues' which COULD be fundamental to any one vegan's personal veganism, multiplied by however millions of other vegans feel that way, but which may not always be inherent in every OTHER individual's 'personal veganism' (and thus, not inherent in 'veganism' itself.

I've been attending Friday evening contemplative evenings with vegan buffets and meditative talks long enough to appreciate the value of graciousness in the lives of vegans and vegetarians. Let us cultivate a spirit of generosity.

As Gary Francione himself has been noted saying of late:

Micchami Dukkadam

IRAC and 'fact patterns'

In my graduate Contracts class, I was assigned to criticize a contract, basing all my arguments on the IRAC writing method.

Some claim that the IRAC method is based on answering questions based on identifiable fact patterns.

While others have criticized the IRAC writing method online, I found this site online, also.

http://www.leews.com/

It has a nice but short analysis, yet the LEEWS (method/program website) is offering us a sales pitch for the LEEWS method (and training in the LEEWS method). I won't cry COI, but note that legal analysis BEGINS with FACTS - a list of facts (observed or acknowledged facts), from which the ISSUE is discerned.

How would medical, scientific, or business reasoning proceed?

So 'fact patterns' are the observations from which one discerns relevant facts - facts relevant to the conversation or controversy.

However, we would hardly enjoy the ambiguity of discussing IRAC/Iraq in the 21st century if we terms this the FIRAC system, would we?

Ambiguity might be as fundamental as death and food and sexuality - for mentally active persons way up there on Maslow's hierarchy of needs.

http://www.DoNotEatUs.org

A wonderful 2-minute video spot can be downloaded and shared from http://www.DoNotEatUs.org website.

Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did!