Free Movie Passes, New Studies Link Meat/Dairy with Cancer, Local/Regional Special Events
April 18, 2007
Dear Boston Vegetarian Society List,
1) Free Movie Passes for Year of the Dog + NY Times Review
2) Health News - Two New Studies Link Meat, Dairy with Cancer
3) Events & Happenings - Lots of great happenings coming up!
1) YEAR OF THE DOG - FREE MOVIE PASSES + REVIEW
BVS has free passes to e-mail to you for a preview on Thursday, April 19 at 7 PM, of Year of the Dog, a new movie by L.A. writer/director Mike White, a vegan. It is a comedy/drama starring Molly Shannon, Laura Dern, John C. Reilly and Peter Sarsgaard.
The screening is at AMC/Loew's Boston Common Theatre, 175 Tremont St. Boston. (opposite Boylston St. stop on Green Line T). Hit Reply to request a pass to print out for admission.
While the film presents important animal protection themes, some of us who saw the first screening were troubled by the portrayal of the two vegan characters as sympathetic but at times, well... over the edge. Yet it was a film that stayed in my mind.
Here is New York Times reviewer Manohla Dargis's uplifting take on the film:
"'Year of the Dog' is exactly the kind of story you would expect Mr. White to make for his directing debut. It's funny ha-ha but firmly in touch with its downer side, which means it's also funny in a kind of existential way. It stars the comic Molly Shannon as a woman who discovers her true self through a love of animals, though, not that kind of love. She’s not Catherine the Great, just Peggy the Good. It’s a film about what it means to devote yourself to something other than your fears and desires, to shed that hard, durable shell called selfishness. It is, rather remarkably, an inquiry into empathy as a state of grace. And if that sounds too rarefied for laughs, rest assured, it's also about a stone-cold beautiful freak." [In truth, all of the characters, veg or not, are presented as quirky.]
"In its broad outline, 'Year of the Dog' is the story of a woman who goes slightly bonkers and becomes an animal-rights advocate, not because she’s bonkers, but because the love of animals is where she finally finds her peace of mind, sense of self, grace."
"It's also about the creation of conscience, about what makes us human and why, a surprisingly little-told story in contemporary American cinema." Full NY Times review:
http://movies2.nytimes.com/2007/04/13/movies/13dog.html
2) HEALTH NEWS - TWO NEW STUDIES LINK DIET AND CANCER
** Red meat linked to breast cancer April 4, 2007 - British Journal of Cancer
Eating even small amounts of red meat can greatly increase a woman's risk of breast cancer, according to a study published today... The study, led by Professor Janet Cade of the University of Leeds, involved studying the diets of 35,000 women aged between 35 and 69 for eight years.
The research states: "Women, both pre and post-menopausal, who consumed the most meat had the highest risk of breast cancer... "Women generally consuming most total meat, red and processed meat were at the highest increased risk compared with non-meat consumers." "The findings are robust. Whatever we adjusted the data for we could find an association." Read more:
http://tinyurl.com/22ve7s
** Milk and Prostate Cancer: New Evidence April 5, 2007 - International Journal of Cancer
A new study in the Int J Cancer highlights the link between dairy consumption and prostate cancer. Researchers examined dairy and calcium intake in 29,133 men. As consumption of dairy products or overall dietary calcium intake increased, risk for prostate cancer increased. Men who consumed the most dietary calcium (greater than 2,000 mg per day) had a 63 percent greater risk, compared with those getting less than 1,000 mg per day.
Excess dietary calcium inhibits activation of vitamin D in the body; vitamin D is essential for prostate health. Milk's large calcium load tends to block vitamin D activation in the body.
http://www.pcrm.org/news/archive070405.html
3) EVENTS & HAPPENINGS
In addition to upcoming BVS events, here are some great offerings locally and regionally!
**Saturday, April 21, 2007, from 11 AM - 4 PM Maine Animal Coalition's Third Annual Vegetarian Food Festival The Salt Gallery, 110 Exchange Street, Portland, Maine
The festival will feature guest speakers Matthew Penzer, animal activist and lawyer, and Karen Davis, founder and President of United Poultry Concerns. Vegan food catered by the Pepperclub Restaurant, vegan desserts, exhibitors, educational displays, vegan product samples and a raffle.
http://www.maineanimalcoalition.org/artman/publish/2006vff.shtml
**Tuesday, April 24, 2007 at 7:30 PM FACING ANIMALS - A groundbreaking panel on animals in ethics and the law Sever Hall Room 113 Harvard Yard, Harvard Square, Cambridge
With Patricia Herzog, Christine Korsgaard, Martha Nussbaum, and Cass Sunstein
Panelists will speak for about 15 minutes each on a topic of his or her choosing: Professor Korsgaard on Kantian philosophy and its application to animal ethics; Professor Sunstein on animal law and how it applies or does not apply to experimentation; Dr. Herzog will delve further into animal experimentation, examining, perhaps, its psychological effects on animals; and Professor Nussbaum will conclude by discussing her "capabilities" approach to animal rights and why it is more compelling than a Kantian or utilitarian approach and then apply her approach to a discussion of large animals in factory farms and zoos and what it takes for them to flourish. Then there will be time for questions.
Martha Nussbaum, Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics, University of Chicago Philosophy Department, Law School and Divinity School
Christine Korsgaard, Arthur Kingsley Porter Professor of Philosophy, Harvard University
Cass R. Sunstein, Karl N. Llewellyn Distinguished Service Professor of Jurisprudence, University of Chicago Law School, Department of Political Science and College
Patricia Herzog, Ph.D., author of Conscious and Unconscious: Freud's Dynamic Distinction Reconsidered and co-editor of Defending Diversity: Contemporary Philosophical Perspectives on Pluralism and Multiculturalism
Free admission. Sponsored by The Harvard Review of Philosophy
** Thursday April 26, 2007 at 7 PM NEAVS/Project R&R (Release & Restitution for Chimps in Labs) As part of the Cambridge Science Festival Cambridge Public Library, Central Square Branch 45 Pearl Street, Central Square, Cambridge
NEAVS/Project R&R is presenting on alternatives to animal research and on the ethical and scientific reasons to end the use of chimpanzees in biomedical research and testing. Free. Reserve a seat at 617-523-6020.
http://www.releasechimps.org/
** Sunday, April 29, 2007 Farm Sanctuary’s Farm Animal Forum National Constitution Center 525 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA
Become an active participant in national efforts to protect farm animals from abuse. Offering up-to-date information on critical farm animal issues, ground-breaking campaigns, movement developments, and effective advocacy strategies, this inspirational conference is a “must-attend” event for activists of all experience levels.
Register by April 20. Call 607-583-2225 ext. 221 or visit
http://farmsanctuary.org/farmanimalforum/2007/. $50 per person.
** Saturday & Sunday, May 5 & 6, 2007 Sowing Seeds Humane Education Workshop Weekend Intensive Training in Humane Education Cambridge College, Rooms #206 and 207 1000 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge
Get inspired and help transform the world! Learn exciting, new approaches for teaching about environmental preservation, human rights, animal protection, consumerism, media and culture. Improve your communication skills on these issues. Register by April 24 for early discount. Special treat: optional Saturday group vegan lunch at the Buddhist Tea House next door!
http://humaneeducation.org/events/view/7
** Saturday - Monday, July 28 - 30, 2007 Taking Action for Animals Annual Conference Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
Would you like to become more involved in the changing world of animal protection? Attend this leading conference of the animal advocacy movement, which this year will have a special focus on taking action for farm animals. Designed to motivate, inspire, and teach advocates from around the globe. Registration includes keynote sessions, training workshops, a Lobby Day on Capitol Hill (Monday), exhibitors, social events, and networking opportunities.
http://www.TakingActionforAnimals.com
** Wed. - Sunday, July 25 - 29, 2007 (or weekend only) 33rd Annual Vegetarian Summerfest University of Pittsburgh campus at Johnstown, PA
Cutting-edge educational session on health and nutrition, lifestyle issues, cooking, recipes, exercise and fitness, animal rights, compassionate living, Earth stewardship, and more! Natural foods vegan meals, and recreation in a beautiful mountaintop setting. An educational vacation for all, with programs for children. Special guest: Actress Loretta Switt.
http://vegetariansummerfest.org/
Hope something here is useful to you!