OMNI
VEGETARIAN ACTION NEWSLETTER #17, March 11, 2015.
Compiled by Dick Bennett for a Culture of Peace, Justice, and Ecology.
(#4 Feb. 12, 2014; #5 March 12, 2014; #6 April 9, 2014; #7 May 14, 2014; #8, June 11, 2014; #9 July 9, 2014; #10, August 11, 2014; #11 September 10, 2014; #12 October 8, 2014; #13, November 12, 2014; #14, December 10, 2014; #15, January 14, 2015; #16, Feb. 11, 2015.).
OMNI MONTHLY VEGETARIAN POTLUCK WEDNESDAY NIGHT MARCH 11, 6PM AT OMNI.
GOOD FOOD AND FRIENDLY COOKS OR YOUR MONEY BACK.
At the next Veggie Potluck we will be showing a new movie called COWSPIRACY. It will be shown AFTER the meal and is an option to stay and watch. It is about 1 & 1/2 hours long and WORTH it. It is not graphic but thought provoking and talks about how the raising of agricultural farming of animals for meat is the #1 cause of Global Warming and Rainforest depletion! Donnapeg
What’s at stake: To heal our earth as well as our own bodies physically and ethically, we must REDUCE MEAT CONSUMPTION not only individually but collectively in order to change the politics of meat.
OMNI’S Blog
http://jamesrichardbennett.blogspot.com/
OMNI Newsletters
http://www.omnicenter.org/newsletter-archive/
Index:
http://www.omnicenter.org/omni-newsletter-general-index/
See: Animal Cruelty, Animal Friendship, Animal Rights, Critical Thinking, Education, Empathy/Compassion, Ecology, Ethics, Gandhi, Global Warming/Causes, Health, St. Francis, Torture, Vegetarianism, Violence, Wars, for starters.
OMNI NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL DAYS PROJECT
October World Vegetarian MONTH. Oct. 16, UN World Food DAY.
Contents #15 and #16 at end
Contents Vegetarian Action #17, March 11, 2015
“25 Reasons to Try Vegetarian,” pamphlet from Mercy for Animals
Nutrition, Health
Dan Buettner’s Books on “Blue Zones”
Organic Society of America
McDonald’s Chicken Decision
Philpott, What Is the Problem with Gluten?
MacDonald, USDA Dietary Guidelines
Animal Rights and Protection
Mercy for Animals
Farm Sanctuary
Schweitzer, Reverence for Life
Climate Change
Don’t Eat Meat
Food Waste
NUTRITION, HEALTH
“Blue Zones” Books by Dan Buettner, pub. By National Geographic.
Dig deeper into the secrets of health and happiness with books from New York Times bestselling author and explorer Dan Buettner. Dan Buettner books to dig deeper into the secrets of health and happiness
The Blue Zones- 9 Lessons for Living Longerfrom the People Who’ve Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner
In The Blue Zones, a New York Times best seller and featured on Oprah, Dan Buettner has traveled the globe to uncover the best strategies for longevity found in the Blue Zones: places in the world where higher percentages of people enjoy remarkably long, full lives. In this dynamic book he discloses the recipe, blending this unique lifestyle formula with the latest scientific findings to inspire easy, lasting change that may add years to your life. You’ll meet a 94-year-old farmer and self-confessed “ladies man” in Costa Rica, a 102-year-old grandmother in Okinawa, a 102-year-old Sardinian who hikes at least six miles a day, and others. By observing their lifestyles, Buettner’s team has identified critical everyday choices.
Thrive - Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way
The Blue Zones Solution
[Have any of you read these books? What’s your evaluation?]
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Why McDonald's Announcement on Chicken Is Important for Everyone's Health
by Andrea Germanos. CommonDreams, 3-4-15
The company said the change, which follows similar moves by companies like Panera Bread and Chipotle, was an effort "to better meet the changing preferences and expectations of today’s customers."
by Andrea Germanos. CommonDreams, 3-4-15
The company said the change, which follows similar moves by companies like Panera Bread and Chipotle, was an effort "to better meet the changing preferences and expectations of today’s customers."
Could This Baker Solve the Gluten Mystery? By Tom Philpott. Wed Feb. 12, 2014 . [A shorter version of this essay appears in the March/April 2015 Mother Jones entitled “The Real Problem with Bread.” Philpott argues that the problem for those who seem to be troubled by gluten is not so much gluten itself but the way it is baked and bread enriched.–Dick]
The artisan as scientist: baker Jonathan McDowell in the Bread Lab Photos: Tom PhilpottWashington State University's agriculture research and extension facility in Mount Vernon, about an hour due north along the Puget Sound from Seattle, looks at first glance like any recently built academic edifice: that is to say, boring and austere. On the outside, it's surrounded by test plots of wheat and other grains, as well as greenhouses, shrouded in the Pacific Northwest's classic gray skies and mist. Inside, professors and grad students shuffle through the long halls, passing quiet offices and labs.
Yet one of those labs is not like the others—or any other that I know of, for that matter. When you look down the length of the room from the back wall, you see two distinct chambers, separated by long, adjoining tables: gleaming chunks of impressive-looking machinery to the left; flour sacks, mixing bowls, a large, multileveled oven to the right. And in place of the vaguely chemical smell of most university labs, you get the rich, toasty aroma of fresh-baked bread.
Mounted on the outer edge of the short wall that divides the two tables, there's an image of a human brain, with its two halves. "Aha, that symbolizes the lab," says lab staffer Jonathan McDowell. The left side is the "analytical laboratory, where raw objective data is generated by high-tech machinery," he says, gesturing to a contraption that measures the protein level in flour. The right side, meanwhile, is the "intuitive laboratory of the artisan baker, where hands and palate are the means of validation." Taken together, the Bread Lab is like a "unified mind, where science and art coalescence," he says.
The Bread Lab in action: A grad student takes measurements on the lab's left side, while Jonathan McDowell and visiting baker Dawn Woodward of Toronto's Evelyn's Crackers makes experimental loaves on the right side.
McDowell is a slender, bespectacled, slightly flour-dusted young man in red trousers, black loafers, and V-necked white T-shirt, his face framed by a thick beard and mop of close-cropped dark hair. He looks like he'd fit in better onstage at an indie rock show than at an ag research center in a rural county. Yet he couldn't be more at home. McDowell is the staff baker here at the Bread Lab, the brainchild of Washington State wheat breeder Stephen Jones, who's also the director of the Mount Vernon research outpost. Jones believes fervently that grain breeding—the art and science of creating new varieties—has been hijacked by large seed, milling, and baking interests, giving rise to high-yielding but boring varieties geared to the mass production of crappy, and mostly white, bread.
For the last half-century or so, says Jones, wheat has been bred for industrial mills, where it is ground and separated into its three components: flour, germ, and bran. Usually, the flour gets turned into white bread, while the germ and bran—which contain all of wheat's healthy fats and fiber, and much of the vitamins—go to other uses, including supplements and livestock feed. In most of what we now know as "whole wheat" bread, some—but not all—of the bran and germ are mixed back in.
For Jones, these are inferior products—both in nutrition and taste terms. So he has been working with farmers in the Pacific Northwest to develop wheat varieties that can be milled into flour that's suitable for being baked directly into bread. And it falls to McDowell—who took over the role of the lab's baker from Jones himself last year—to show the world that 100 percent whole-wheat bread isn't just edible, but delicious.
According to Jones and McDowell, low-quality industrial white flours and fast-rising commercial yeasts, along with additives like vital wheat gluten—a wheat product added to give bread structure despite superfast rises—have generated a backlash against bread in the form of the "gluten-free" craze. While people with celiac disease genuinely can't process the gluten in wheat, they argue, most people actually can. The problem is that most industrial bakeries only allow bread to rise for a matter of minutes—not nearly long enough to let the yeast and bacteria digest all the gluten in the flour, let alone the extra dose in the additives. The result can lead to all kinds of problems in our gut.
McDowell gets philosophical when you ask him about the rise (so to speak) of "gluten-free bread." In a quiet corner of the lab, he ruminates on the topic. "What has been the staff of life is now perceived as the spirit of disease," he says. "Symbolically, you can look at bread as a representation of our society through history," he says. "If you look at gluten as what holds bread together, and you look at bread as what holds our society together, what is 'gluten-free bread,' then? Is it not a symbol of our times?" McDowell calls the rush away from bread as it's commonly made now a "wake-up call" and "opportunity" for bakers to reestablish bread as a healthy, delicious staple. And he sounds genuinely undaunted by the project of doing just that.
Moreover, McDowell and Jones say, wheat that has been bred to be made into white flour doesn't make very interesting bread—and can be downright unpalatable when people try to make it into a whole wheat loaf. That's why 100 percent whole-wheat bread has a reputation for being good-for-you but kind of awful—cardboard-flavored and overly chewy. For that reason, even whole-foods enthusiasts like me tend to use at least half white flour when we bake.
The quixotic goals of the Bread Lab, in short, are to rescue bread from gluten-villain status, while simultaneously pushing whole wheat from the hippie margin to the delicious center of the culinary world. (Jones and McDowell aren't alone in this of course—the food writer Mark Bittman has been experimenting with 100 percent whole wheat as well, as have others.) MORE http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2014/02/toms-kitchen-100-whole-wheat-bread-doesnt-suck-and-pretty-easy
TAKE ACTION by April 8 on USDA Dietary Guidelines
| 6:20 AM (4 hours ago)  3-3-15 | | ||
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Dick,
Please disseminate:
Copy/paste letter for submission to USDA by April 8:
http://www.cowspiracy.com/take-action/2015/3/2/kb8e8mx7yqw9t7fwjjrm3kyegek361
Please disseminate:
Copy/paste letter for submission to USDA by April 8:
http://www.cowspiracy.com/take-action/2015/3/2/kb8e8mx7yqw9t7fwjjrm3kyegek361
ANIMAL RIGHTS AND PROTECTION
MERCY FOR ANIMALS, Google Search, Feb. 23, 2015
www.mercyforanimals.org/
Mercy for Animals
Mercy For Animals is a 501(c)(3) non-profit animal rights organization focused on promoting a vegetarian diet.
Thank you for your interest in employment with Mercy For ... | Click here to learn more about MFA's many investigations. The ... |
Learn more about MFA's most recent undercover ... | Help animals in style with MFA's new t-shirts and merchandise! |
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercy_for_Animals
Wikipedia
Mercy For Animals (MFA) is a national non-profit organization dedicated to preventing cruelty to farmed animals and promoting compassionate food choices and ...
https://www.facebook.com/mercyforanimals
Mercy For Animals, Los Angeles, CA. 1110943 likes · 197643 talking about this · 938 were here. Mercy For Animals is dedicated to preventing cruelty to...
www.youtube.com/user/mercyforanimals
The hidden cost of Walmart's cheap pork is blatant animal abuse. A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation, narrated by actor Joaquin Phoenix, ...
4. MFA Blog
www.mfablog.org/
The latest news from Mercy For Animals. ... THE MFA BLOG. MFA Interns… Where Are They Now? GET YOUR FREE VEGETARIAN STARTER GUIDE. Send me ...
5. In-depth articles
rollingstone.com - Dec 2013
photographs in illustration by mercy for animals, 2; Tetra images/Getty Images Video in opener courtesy of Mercy for Animals. Video editing by Max Tiberi. A small band of animal rights ...
Explore: animal abuse
vegnews.com - Jun 2012
In the May+June 2012 issue of VegNews, law student Cody Carlson shared his experience working as an undercover investigator for Mercy For Animals. Readers were so moved by ...
Explore: private investigators
nationalpost.com - Jun 2014
Mercy For Animals claims that in an incident video recorded May 13, Mr. Keefer “repeatedly whips cow trapped in parlour stall in hocks.” On the same day, he allegedly “jabs a cow in ...
Explore: dairy farmers
www.walmartcruelty.com/
The hidden cost of Walmart's cheap pork is blatant animal abuse. A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation, narrated by actor Joaquin Phoenix, ...
10. Slice of Cruelty
www.sliceofcruelty.com/
A new Mercy For Animals undercover investigation reveals shocking animal abuse at a milk producer for Leprino Foods – the world's largest mozzarella cheese ...
Searches related to Mercy for Animals
Hi Dick,
Nice to see you the other night! What an outstanding evening with so many cool people and so many great projects unfolding. Below is the website for the CAFO book. It has lots of good information and other links to it. I have several extra copies and if you need one, just let me know. I've also posted another link that is a map of corporate factory operations that you may find interesting.
Stay warm and thanks for all of your wonderful efforts and vision,
Teresa
http://www.cafothebook.org/
Nice to see you the other night! What an outstanding evening with so many cool people and so many great projects unfolding. Below is the website for the CAFO book. It has lots of good information and other links to it. I have several extra copies and if you need one, just let me know. I've also posted another link that is a map of corporate factory operations that you may find interesting.
Stay warm and thanks for all of your wonderful efforts and vision,
Teresa
http://www.cafothebook.org/
Farm Sanctuary, Google Search, Feb. 24, 2015
www.farmsanctuary.org/
Farm Sanctuary
Pictures of farm animals abused on factory farms, and pictures of rescued animals living at Farm Sanctuary.
About Us. Our Mission: To protect farm animals from cruelty ... | By participating in the Adopt a Farm Animal Program, you help ... |
Farm Sanctuary currently has a variety of staff positions in six ... | 2015 Rescue & Refuge Calendar ... Our new 2015 calendar ... |
Shop Farm Sanctuary's official store for clothing, bags ... | The Sanctuaries. Have you ever given a pig a belly rub, talked to ... |
Albert Schweitzer, Reverence for Life
“The Problem of Ethics in the Evolution of Human Thought,” 1952. This short address is included in Jacques Feschotte’s Albert Schweitzer, 1955. I have been unable to find a copy online. Please share with us if you find it.
“Ethics is only complete when it exacts compassion towards every living thing.” (Schweitzer in Feschotte, 127).
CLIMATE CHANGE
At the next Veggie Potluck we will be showing a new movie called COWSPIRACY. It will be shown AFTER the meal and is an option to stay and watch. It is about 1 & 1/2 hours long and WORTH it. It is not graphic but thought provoking and talks about how the raising of agricultural farming of animals for meat is the #1 cause of Global Warming and Rainforest depletion! Donna
SEE FLYER, SEND OUT ONLINE, HAND AROUND Attachments area
Friday, February 20, 2015 By Common Dreams
To Save the Planet, Eat Less Meat, Report Urges
For first time, top nutritional panel says American consumers must cut back on red meat to prevent irreversible climate change
Red meat production and consumption are some of the biggest contributors to climate change and poor American health, the top U.S. nutritional panel said Thursday. (Photo: Robert Couse-Baker/flickr/cc)
To prevent ruinous climate change and stave off an influx of preventable chronic diseases, Americans must reduce their meat intake and switch to a sustainable, plant-based diet, the top U.S. nutritional panel has announced for the first time.
The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which convenes every five years, released its newest report Thursday calling for Americans to change the way they think about food and make the health of the planet as much of a priority as their own well-being.
According to the report, "The average U.S. diet has a larger environmental impact in terms of increased greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, and energy use," compared to vegan, vegetarian, and Mediterranean-style diets, which favor fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes over red meat, dairy, sugar, and processed foods.
"Access to sufficient, nutritious, and safe food is an essential element of food security for the U.S. population. A sustainable diet ensures this access for both the current population and future generations," the report continues. "The environmental impact of food production is considerable and if natural resources such as land, water and energy are not conserved and managed optimally, they will be strained and potentially lost."
According to the report, "The average U.S. diet has a larger environmental impact in terms of increased greenhouse gas emissions, land use, water use, and energy use," compared to vegan, vegetarian, and Mediterranean-style diets, which favor fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes over red meat, dairy, sugar, and processed foods.
"Access to sufficient, nutritious, and safe food is an essential element of food security for the U.S. population. A sustainable diet ensures this access for both the current population and future generations," the report continues. "The environmental impact of food production is considerable and if natural resources such as land, water and energy are not conserved and managed optimally, they will be strained and potentially lost."
The report's findings confirm numerous recent studies that have sounded the alarm over the climate impacts of a red meat-based diet. In November, a paper published in Nature found that current diet trends are fueling greenhouse gas emissions, particularly through grain-based livestock production. And that paper came hot on the heels of a study published in May that declared the meat industry to be one of the biggest contributors to climate change, both directly and indirectly.
Diana Donlon, director of the Cool Foods Program at the Center for Food Safety, told Common Dreams, "Americans need to understand that the way food is produced can have a positive or negative impact on the environment. Food produced under the dominant industrial system relies heavily on climate disrupting fossil-fuel inputs including fertilizers, pesticides, processing and packaging as well as animals raised in factories.
"It doesn't have to be this way!" Donlon continued. "Our food purchases can promote more sustainable methods, including agro-ecological and organic agriculture as well as well-managed pasture-based livestock systems. When properly managed these systems promote soil health, conserve freshwater and protect pollinators and other beneficial organisms. They are healthier for people who work the land, eat the food and a better bet for the climate."
Speaking to the Washington Post on Thursday, Princeton University agricultural researcher Timothy Searchinger said, "It’s pretty much a consensus view among global environmental scientists that we would be better off if we ate less meat."
Moreover, consumers must change their diets to combat rising numbers of preventable chronic diseases which occur from poor nutrition and physical inactivity, the report states. About 117 million Americans are obese or suffer from diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and other health problems, due to their diet and lifestyle.
Committee member and report co-author Marian Neuhouser told theWashington Post that the findings are not "gloomy... [they're] reality."
Committee member and report co-author Marian Neuhouser told theWashington Post that the findings are not "gloomy... [they're] reality."
Donlon added, "Promoting systems that work with nature instead of against her is an investment in our children's future."
The committee's findings are not official guidelines, but are used to inform the government's updated versions of dietary rules. The Department of Health and Human Services and the USDA will issue their own guidelines later this year based on the report.
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Contents Vegetarian Action #16 Feb. 11, 2015
Nutrition, Health
Dr. Barnard’s 21 Day Jump Start to a Vegan Diet
Package of Messages from Organic Consumers Association
Dan Buettner’s Books on “Blue Zones”
Animal Protection and Rights
Dr. Schweitzer, Reverence for Life
Armageddon: The True Cost of Cheap Meat
The Washington Post: Expose the Cruelty
Climate Change
PETA: Fight Global Warming, Go Vegan
The Guardian: Eat Less Meat, Prevent Catastrophe
The Baltimore Sun: Mitigate Climate Change, Reduce Driving, Energy Use, and MEAT
Contact State Legislators
Recent OMNI Newsletters
Contents of Vegetarian Newsletter #15 January 2015
END VEGETARIAN ACTION#17 March 2015