Bird Flu, Soy News, Conferences, 5% Shopping Day, The Meatrix
January 24, 2006
Dear Boston Vegetarian Society List,
1) BVS Vegan Desserts Class
2) Coming Home to Roost: Bird Flu, a Virus of Our Own Hatching
3) Soy in the News
4) Planning Ahead: Spring & Summer Conferences
5) Animal Compassion 5% Shopping Day at Whole Foods - Tuesday, Jan. 24
6) The Meatrix II on Factory Dairy Farms Due Out in March
1) BVS VEGAN DESSERTS CLASS
Our vegan desserts class coming up this Sunday is FULL. We plan to offer more cooking classes, and maybe even a repeat of the desserts class for those who missed getting in. Stay tuned! Details of our Valentines Banquet (Monday, Feb. 13) with Didi Emmons will be posted soon.
2) BIRD FLU, A VIRUS OF OUR OWN HATCHING
Michael Greger, MD, a popular speaker at BVS, is now Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at HSUS. He has just released this paper on the global consequences of raising birds by the billions in conditions of intensive confinement. Watch this four minute video summary:
Coming Home to Roost: Bird Flu, a Virus of Our Own Hatching
3) SOY IN THE NEWS
Soy was back in the news last week with the release of a study at Harvard School of Public Health. Soybeans seem to get more than their share of attention in the world of plant foods. Many thousands of studies have been done on soy, some touting it as a miracle food, some questioning its safety. Conclusions must be based on the great body of evidence, not individual studies. Here are some articles on soy by nutrition experts who have tried to do just that:
http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/soy
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2003issue3/vj2003issue3hotline.htm (scroll to Question 2)
Today's marketplace offers so many ways to eat soy, from whole soy foods like tempeh and edamame, to miso and processed soy in the form of tofu, TVP, soymilk/burgers/cheese/ice cream/sauce and a host of other products, that it is easy for veg'ns to rely on it too heavily. Soybeans are just one of many healthful legumes -- lentils and other beans are also rich in protein, fiber, and other nutrients. Nuts, and even grains and vegetables contribute to protein in the diet.
People allergic to soy can eliminate it entirely and still get plenty of protein from other plant sources. See this on Soy-Free Protein Sources: http://vegrd.vegan.com/pages/article.php?id=896
4) SPRING & SUMMER CONFERENCES
There are some great learning and networking opportunities coming up!
April 8-9, 2006 * Columbus, Ohio United Poultry Concerns 6th Annual Forum Using the Media Effectively to Promote Farmed Animal and Vegetarian Issues
http://upc-online.org/alerts/111505forum.html
July 5-9, 2006 * University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown, PA North American Veg Society's Vegetarian Summerfest A fabulous learning vacation, atop a picturesque mountaintop wildlife preserve with 40 acres of hiking trails.
http://vegetariansummerfest.org/
August 10-14, 2006 * Washington DC (suburb) FARM's Animal Rights 2006 National Conference
http://www.arconference.org/
September 2-5, 2006 * Washington DC Taking Action for Animals Designed to motivate, skill, and inspire activists nationwide National conference plus Lobby Day on Capitol Hill
http://www.takingactionforanimals.com/
5) ANIMAL COMPASSION SHOPPING DAY AT WHOLE FOODS TODAY
On Tuesday, Jan. 24, 5% of gross sales at all Whole Foods markets will go to the "Animal Compassion Foundation" they established a year ago. It is aimed to improve the welfare of farmed animals. If you shop at Whole Foods, Jan. 24 might be a good day to stock up on non-perishables.
http://animalcompassionfoundation.org/index.html
6) THE MEATRIX II DUE OUT IN MARCH
Creators of The Meatrix, the 2005 Webby Award winning flash animation on factory farming, will release a sequel in March 2006 entitled The Meatrix II: Revolting! Continuing in its Matrix-spoof style, it will give the low down on factory dairy farming -- how the animals are raised, what they are fed, and their living conditions.
If you missed The Meatrix, watch it here:
http://www.themeatrix.com/
See the trailer for The Meatrix II here:
http://www.themeatrix2.com/