I Am Absolutely Convinced That So Long As People Shed the Blood of God's Creatures, There'll Be No Peace on Earth.”—Isaac Bashevis Singer

Home , Animals Are People Too, Rynn Berry

Fall 2001, Vol. 10, No. 4

Salicylic acid: Aspirin’s active ingredient abundant in vegetarians Ł page 11

IBP chutzpah: HFA reveals truth about live butchering in Wallula Ł page 13

Not in the “101 Reasons”: Intimate and personal reasons to go veg Ł page 2

Spinal-cord spam: Mechanically deboned meat harbors mad cow Ł page 6

Grapevine gleanings: VivaVegie love, even for meat eaters Ł page 5

The VivaVine is a publication of the VivaVegie Society, New York City’s premier vegetarian-outreach organization. "I am absolutely convinced that so long as people shed the blood of God's creatures, there'll be no peace on Earth.”—Isaac Bashevis Singer

Robert Byrd: The ers or ancient epidemics for the megafauna kill-offs that reveal them- animals’ angel selves in the fossil record. Early speaks out in man, with a fierce appetite for meat and armed simply with the U.S. Senate spears, fire, and “other primi- He’s chairman of the Senate Ap- tive killing techniques”—as propriations Committee. As pro the San Francisco Chronicle tem of the Senate, he’s third in Continued on page 10 line to the presidency. A living legend already, Senator Robert Cattlemen Byrd (D–WV) can now consider himself a savior of the lowest of snivel for 12.2 the low on Earth—the livestock that billion to clean get turned into meat. The following up manure pits excerptedspeechaccompaniedthesen- ator’sactionstoamendthesupplemental t was enough to make your vegetar- appropriations bill in July, allowing it an I ian eyes pop out. In testimony be- extra $3 million for enforcement of the fore the Senate Agriculture committee Animal Welfare Act and the Humane in July, an official of the National Cat- Slaughter Act. Humans and meat: tlemen’s Beef Association explained The combo that that Congress needed to allocate $12.2 ur inhumane treatment of live- billion to aid farmers and ranchers “O stock is becoming widespread was always bad for over the next 10 years to control ani- and more and more barbaric. Six- the environment mal waste. Eric Davis, vice president of hundred-pound hogs [are] raised in 2- the NCBA, said that the government foot-wide metal cages called gestation f you thought meat consumption has owed livestock producers this perk to crates, in which the poor beasts are un- I been disrupting the environment cover costly antipollution regulations able to turn around or lie down in nat- only since the advent of factory farm- that have been passed in numerous ural positions….Veal calves are con- ing—perhaps 50 years ago or so—you states. Funny, these producers of meat fined to dark wooden crates so small may need to think again. Human and poultry products reckon taxpayers that they are prevented from lying hunters in prehistoric times drove instead of their own consumers are the down or scratching themselves. These many species of the Earth’s largest ani- ones to pick up their costs of doing creatures feel; they know pain. They mals to extinction in North America business—kind of like welfare. suffer pain just as we humans suffer and Australia in relatively short peri- More about meat subsidies on page 3 pain. Egg-laying hens are confined to ods of time, according to two recent www.vivavegie.org Continued on page 8 studies. Don’t blame advancing glaci- CENTER PROGRAMS • COMMENTARY

VEGETARIAN CENTER PROGRAMS Reasons not in the “101 Reasons” All events are at 121 East 27th BY PAMELA RICE after eating a hamburger; I attribute Street, Suite 704. Where appropriate, this to the chemical and drug participants may bring dinner with n my time, I’ve expounded on a residues in the meat! Thank God, that them. Information: 646-424-9595. lot of good reasons to be a vege- era in my life is ancient history now. I tarian, but my emphasis has al- 6. No PMS (premenstrual syn- ways been on the social, economic, drome) and no menstrual Holiday party (6:00 P.M.) and ethical aspects of this food cramps either, or at worst rarely. Sun., Dec. 16: Call ahead for a choice. Still, it There’s one downside to this: My pe- suggestion of something to occurs to me riod can come on unexpectedly. bring. that there are 7. Practically no more colds. some very im- This is a biggie. What meat eater—or This is the big one, not to be missed. portant practi- more specifically, what milk drinker— Time to enjoy a touch of the bubbly, cal and per- does not count colds as a regular part which could mean the real thing or sonal—even of the anguish of being alive? As a meat just a Fresh Samantha with a twist. intimate—rea- eater I used to have chronic sinusitis; Did we mention food? Yes, there will Photo by Ted Teisler sons why being one time it had me in bed completely be goodies; we call them light re- a vegetarian is a good idea. Many stuffed up for a week. freshments. What did you expect, have never been touched on in this 8. No more warts. This one’s a The Plaza? magazine, let alone in my pamphlet bit dubious, but a friend swears he’s “101 Reasons Why I’m a Vegetarian,” forever wartless since going veg. Rap ’n’ Wrap (6:30 P.M.) although perhaps 9. Be kosher they should have Mon., Nov. 12: A time for vege- Cleaner drains, bone- with only one set tarians to shoot the breeze and been. of dishes. To be an sort things out from our own So I’ve taken it free food, better sex, observant Jew, one perspective: Jean Thaler, legend of upon myself to come freedom from may not eat impro- Big Apple Vegetarians, has agreed to up with ten of these constipation, a better perly slaughtered “hits home” reasons, meat, and one must lead our Rap ’n’ Wrap. Topic: What disposition, pain-free are your personal reasons (as but I’m sure there never mix milk and opposed to social and ethical are many more. menstruation, no more meat—not in the re- ones) for being a vegetarian? 1.Goodbye, colds, no more warts, a frigerator, nor at a (See the essay on the right.) We’ll com- Drano. Kitchen kosher-ready kitchen, meal. Lucky for me, I drains rarely get never eat either. pare lists, so bring one of your own! In and odor-free flatulence. general, if you have an opinion about clogged in a vegetar- 10. Remain un- something, we’ll discuss it, and we’ll ian household. It detected when order burritos. Suggested donation: $3. helps that most vegetable oils are passing gas in public. Benjamin not solid at room temperature. Franklin even commented on this 2. Stayin’ alive. Choking on a one, after experimenting with a vege- Veg’n health workshop bone is an unlikely event for a vegetarian diet for a time, according to By appointment: Getting started tarian. vegetarian historian Rynn Berry. Gas with your new veggie diet. 3. Vegetarians make better still happens but, for some vegetari- What do you eat, now that you’ve de- lovers. It helps that we taste better, ans, often with no accompanying cided to go vegetarian? Browse our smell better, and last longer, thanks to smell. files and take some literature. View the cleaner fuel we eat. Healthy blood videos that will have you saying, flow is critical for good sex—not likely o there you have it. If you don’t “Aha!” Donations appreciated. in an artery-clogged meat eater. care about the animals, the 4. Vegetarianism is the only Splanet, world hunger, or your real cure for constipation. For long-term health—those less-immedi- Volunteers’ open house some, this may be the best reason to ate reasons to become a vegetarian— Tues., Nov. 13 & Dec. 4: Get in- be a plant eater. maybe one of these little goodies will volved with your favorite vegetarian 5. Save money—no need to make things click for you. In any advocacy organization, and learn buy that Prozac. No, I never took case, after a while you’re sure to have marketable skills too! Can you stick to the drug, but since becoming a vegan a ton of personal reasons of your own a task? Do you have clerical, com- I rarely get the blues to begin with. that you can spout off at a moment’s puter, or promotional skills? Could we When I was a meat eater I was fre- notice. In fact, come to our Rap ’n’ give you an E for enthusiasm? Then quently depressed, often picking a Wrap session, November 12 (see col- you’re someone we want to see! fight with the nearest warm body just umn on the left), and do just that.

The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 2 ECONOMIC JUSTICE FOR VEGETARIANS Handout Roundup: Gov’t bucks to meat interests U.S. fails to meet int’l trade group founded by the British govern- fueled them.” In a BBC story posted ment, as quoted in a Bloomberg re- on the Internet in mid-August, Lord obligations to declare the lease, CAP “was developed at a time Haskins was quoted warning those in extent of farm subsidies of food shortage” in postwar Europe, agriculture, “If farmers want to rely when most people were rurally on the past for handouts they are Governments love to hand out based. Today, “it is a policy which is going to be living on borrowed time.” money to special interests. This is al- delivering chronic food surpluses,” The “green” movement, which is most a truism. The problem is, when he said. Haskins, who as head of the gathering steam in Europe, is con- they do it, trade partners cry foul. Foreign Policy Centre is due to issue vinced that intensive farming is to Subsidized companies are able to a report detailing reforms to Euro- blame for the virulence of recent an- charge less for their products—and pean agriculture in the spring of next imal diseases. Others, however, fore- so have a distinct advantage in the year, was quoted as saying that see the growing movement toward international marketplace. though mad cow disease and hoof- organic agriculture in Europe as re- A March story in Feedstuffs maga- and-mouth disease could not be at- sulting in even more subsidies and zine, an industry publication, re- tributed to CAP, the policy “has protections for farmers. ported that since 1997 the United States has failed to notify the World SPONSORSHIP BOXES IN NOW AVAILABLE Trade Organization, and in turn its “101 REASONS” trading partners, of how much Ⅲ PRESS RUN: 20,000 COPIES money the U.S. government has de- Ⅲ ACTIVIST-DISTRIBUTED, ONE AT A TIME livered in all forms of subsidies to Ⅲ ONLY $50 FOR A BOX American farmers. Domestic figures Your name/message must fit reveal, however, that since 1996 the in this box shape and size. Get your name—or your federal government has handed over company name—in the more than $71 billion in direct pay- next printing of ments, way beyond the amount that was budgeted by the groundbreak- “101 Reasons Why I’m ing Farm Agriculture Improvement a Vegetarian.” Reform Act, which was to usher in an CALL NOW FOR DETAILS era of lower subsidies. The main ex- 646-424-9595 cuse: “emergency payments” to com- DEADLINE: DECEMBER 15, 2001 pensate farmers in times of disaster and to counter low prices. The bulk of these direct subsidies ! go to aid farms that grow feed. But Obtain VivaVegie’s guide to either even this huge amount doesn’t in- New York City or New Jersey, free! clude mountains of hidden support. Simply send an SASE to our post-office At the end of September, the 1996 box (see page 4), and indicate which F.A.I.R. Act expired. Proposals from guide you the House and Senate agriculture would like. committees called for more of the ! same—multi-billion-dollar give- Stop ‘em aways, despite the post–September in their 11 air of sacrifice. tracks with The U.S. not alone when it the 2001 edition of “101 Reasons Why I’m a Vegetarian” (one-third comes to agri-handouts new and improved)! This is our popu- Agriculture policy in the European lar 16-page “mighty convincer,” which doc- Union is facing a meltdown. Farm sub- uments the ills of meat and the virtues of sidies within the Union amount to $37 veggies (by Pamela Rice)—over 100,000 in billion, a staggering half of the entire circulation. It is available in single copies EU budget. Under attack is CAP, the and in bulk. An order form appears on Common Agricultural Policy, which page 15. keeps the huge subsidies percolating. According to Lord Christopher Haskins, the head of a research http://www.vivavegie.org

The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 3 GRAPEVINE Get Hip, Go Veg: VVS reaches out veggies. Lucky me, I also lost a huge amount of weight in the process. Now, I figure, if I stay away from meat for an extended period of time, I’ll find that digesting it will become harder and harder for me. Eventu- ally, eating it won’t be worth the hardship. Tony Yarzagaray Skokie, Illinois

a publication of Here are Judea Johnson and Pamela Cajun conversion VivaVegie Society, Inc. Rice at a street fair on Lexington Ave- My husband and I have been vege- nue at the end of July. In August, tarian since the end of January, and Vol. 10, No. 4 Rachel Summerose and John V. Ciprio it has been great as far as health is FALL 2001 passed out copies of “101 Reasons concerned. Cooking has been hard, P.O. Box 294 • Prince Street Station Why I’m a Vegetarian” at the subway though. As we were raised Cajun, New York, NY 10012-0005 entrance at Union Square. from Louisiana, our cooking has 646-424-9595 (Vegetarian Center) never resembled anything that could 212-871-9304 (information line) be called healthy. This has been a [email protected] We hope VVS is a survivor very big change for us, but with per- We members of the San Francisco sistence we'll make it. Publisher: Pamela Rice Vegetarian Society are still in a state Editor: Alan Rice Melinda LeBlanc of horror and shock....We hope that Copy editor: Glen Boisseau Becker Humble, Texas VivaVegie is a survivor of this terri- Contributors: Jean Thaler, Evelyn ble tragedy. We were busily planning Gilbert, and the Humane Farming VVS volunteer profile: our celebration of World Vegetarian Association Day (October 1), but since Septem- Roy Vanegas Calendar editor: Evelyn Gilbert ber 11 we have become so dispirited Gaggle of veg-evangelists: that it is difficult to carry on with Judea Johnson, Rachel Summerose, these plans. John V. Ciprio, Joan Zacharias, T.G. Barnhill Rochelle Goldman, Tom Lyons (as San Francisco, California Penelo Pea Pod), and Cassandra Wimbs Editor’s reply: VivaVegie came away from the terrorist attack completely un- EDITORIAL CONSULTANTS: scathed, at least physically. We New •Karen Davis, Ph.D., Yorkers are comforted by the compas- United Poultry Concerns sion and concern that have come in •Richard Schwartz, Ph.D., from far and wide. Our hearts are now author, Judaism and Vegetarianism with the families of the victims. •Michael Greger, M.D. •Mike Hudak, Ph.D. Peace at the end of your fork Work for peace on Earth, starting SPECIAL THANKS TO: with your next meal.... Here’s volunteer Roy Vanegas at the •David Sielaff • NALITH André Cholmondeley computer in the Vegetarian Center. Proprietor, Second Nature, Red He’s diligently keying in entries for a JOIN VivaVegie Bank, New Jersey, where you can detailed listing of resources we have purchase copies of “101 Reasons available for researchers. We’re just To become a member of the Why I’m a Vegetarian” now putting on the finishing touches on VivaVegie Society for one year, send our brochure listing each book, maga- $15 to the above address. Member- Diet cured my acid reflux zine, video, and file folder, as well as ship entitles you to a membership I had acid reflux (heartburn) for ten article titles in back issues of this pub- card, four issues of The VivaVine, years before I realized I could free my- lication. The brochure will be sent to and a copy of “101 Reasons Why I’m self of this miserable torment if I just every library in New York City—and a Vegetarian.” started eating a lot more fruits and later in the entire tri-state area.

The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 4 FROM THE PEAPOD GALLERY Think love first before social change Oil and war do mix MACY’S-PARADE WHALE PROVES A MIGHTY BURDEN BY EVELYN GILBERT etermining how many people the Earth can feed t a recent veggie event I attended, I told some- is a subject essayist Bill McKibben has ventured one that I eat fish. To my utter amazement, Dto examine, even though he believes that anyone A someone who overheard me from across the with any sense would want to refrain from speculating on room shouted “EEEWWW,” and then got up and actually such a thing. Surely Thomas Malthus was proved wrong, left. Okay, I eat fish, but even if you hate me, don’t berate wasn’t he? Still, the author asks in a May 1998 Atlantic me! At one time I ate red meat and poultry too, but en- Monthly essay on the carrying capacity of planet Earth, lightened people’s love and kindness helped me change who’s to say that the classic my ways. doomsayer can’t be proved It’s ironic but true: Often the hard-core vegans are right in the next 50 years? Evi- nicer to animals than they are to other humans. Being dence is everywhere that we kind to animals is a beautiful thing, but guess what? do indeed live, as he puts it, “in Omnivorous people are animals too, and we also need a special moment in history.” love! Next time you meet someone who doesn’t share The key, McKibben believes, your dietary lifestyle, open your heart first, and then ex- is in consumption. These days, plain your point of view. Once love is flowing freely, the impact of population num- other people are more likely to open their minds to your bers can get lost pretty quickly when the amount of Earth’s message. resources each person uses is added to the equation. Taking a gentle, loving approach is not only the right McKibben offers a compelling image: In hunter/gath- thing to do but also the most efficient way to effect so- erer times, the amount of energy a person needed was cial change. How on earth did the person I recently en- roughly equivalent to the amount of energy required for countered expect to accomplish anything for his cause, a dolphin, about 2,500 calories per day. Today, the world- when all he did was embarrass and hurt me? Instead of wide average for energy use is about 31,000 calories, seizing a great opportunity to tell me why eating fish is mostly in the form of fossil fuel, or the amount of energy disgusting, he let that chance slip by. Instead of teaching required for a pilot whale to live. (Okay, so we live in a me about the negative health effects, as well as the dra- motorized world filled with laborsaving mechanization.) matic environmental impacts of consuming fish, he But then we get to the zinger: “The average American chose to say something negative. uses six times that—as much as a sperm whale....It’s as Why would an animal lover want to wound another if each of us were trailing a big Macy’s-parade balloon human being? The power of love is mighty. It can create around, feeding it constantly.” change—and bring more vegetarians into the world. We in the United States do love our SUVs; Detroit can’t seem to make enough of them. Meanwhile, as Cornell Meat eaters need apply University ecologist David Pimentel explains, “Animal Would VivaVegie accept a meat eater as a member? protein production requires more than eight times as Gersh Kuntzman, columnist much fossil-fuel energy as production of plant protein.” New York Post ow keep imagining that sperm whale. The next Editor’s reply: Certainly! But it would probably be like N question is, could our extraordinary consumption John Ashcroft joining the American Civil Liberties Union. of fossil fuel have anything to do with antagonizing a cer- Not really. On the contrary, we at the VivaVegie Soci- tain band of Middle Eastern religious fanatics, namely the ety would often prefer a dialog with a meat eater to one al-Qaeda network? Would this unstable bunch care a hoot with just another vegetarian. After all, it’s the meat about us—“infidels” though we may be—if we did not in- eaters who need to listen to what we have to say. And we terfere in their part of the world, mainly for the purpose need to listen to their reasoning as well. of keeping those barrels of oil rolling? I think not. With VivaVegie officially incorporated as an educa- —Pamela Rice tional organization, we more than welcome nonvegetari- ans to come to the Veggie Center, read our publications, The most valuable of all volunteers and yes, even become card-carrying members of our ow is as good a time as any to extend a call for group. And we hope the reception they’ll receive is a full-time backup person who could, in the pleasant enough that their eyes and minds will remain Nevent of an emergency, take over the reins to open to the information we pass on. keep things running at the VivaVegie Society. Such a In short, we’re for any movement toward veganism, person would need to become intimately familiar with however incremental and by whomever it might be. VivaVegie operations. Serious volunteers, please call So no, we don’t require a person to be a vegetarian to 646-424-9595. be a member. Then again, I can’t say how we would check!

The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 5 VEGETARIAN NEWS Slurry Slumgullion: Dirty-water-dog filler suspect Spinal-cord slurry still a contain parts of the spinal cord, im- ican Meat Institute argues that such plicated in the spread of the human bones are harmless to consumers, filler for dogs ’n’ burgers version of mad cow disease. because the United States is free of “U.S. cattle are not allowed to eat In 1997, federal rules outlawed ani- mad cow disease. cattle spinal cord, and neither mal protein in cattle feed and required So-called advanced meat recovery should people,” declared Caroline spinal cords to be removed before an- equipment retrieves 186 million Smith DeWaal, of the Center for Sci- imals were butchered. The question pounds of beef and pork filler in the ence in the Public Interest, in mid- remains: Are the rules being adhered United States per year. It’s “safe and August (as quoted in a Bloomberg to, and anyway, who’s checking? Only nutritious,” assured J. Patrick Boyle, story). The group is petitioning the 100 samples of mechanically deboned the president of the American Meat Food and Drug Administration to meat have been checked by USDA in- Institute, according to the Bloom- prevent meat producers from using spectors since 1998, according to berg story. tissue pressure-blasted from around Smith deWaal, and of those, 9 tested tight corners of bones as a filler in positive for spinal cord. Farmed fish in Maine and meat products such as hamburgers, Meanwhile, U.S. regulators do not Scotland falling to disease, tacos, and hot dogs (we call them consider tiny shards of bone that dirty-water dogs). Such tissue—some- shatter during the recovery process jellyfish, and algal blooms times described as slurry—could to be a meat contaminant. The Amer- A virus that has in past years at- tacked salmon in aquaculture pens in Our community utilizing the Veggie Center of NYC Europe and Canada has this year come in a big way to farmed fish in the United States. Since March, fish farmers in Maine have been forced to destroy nearly a million fish to stem the spread of the disease, according to an early September article in The New York Times. The impact on the local $100 million industry, not to mention the fish, has been dire. But with the spread of the virus, all hope Visitors from Israel, Ifat Zur and Yur- Michael Greger, M.D., speaking about may be lost for the preservation of val Tabachnik, are shown here copy- the connection between cows’-milk those few truly wild salmon that may ing down recipes from our cookbooks. consumption and Crohn’s disease. still be worth saving via the Endan- gered Species Act. VivaVegie’s Vegetarian Center of NYC A debate has been raging in recent years as to whether any salmon • hosts lectures, video screen- • houses a notebook of menus that spawn in Maine’s rivers and ings, workshops, and discus- from local veggie restaurants streams are wild at all. The vast ma- sion groups • offers pro-vegetarian T-shirts jority of salmon one finds in many • offers a referral service for and lapel buttons habitats are hatchery fish (see a related story on page 12). Those in the restaurants, stores, vegan • houses an archive of books, logging and aquaculture industries products, and vegetarian pamphlets, magazines, and argue that if any wild salmon are left, organizations cataloged news reports for their numbers are too few to warrant • functions as a meeting place students and journalists to being listing as endangered(!). Such for groups use in research a declaration, they say, would eco- • serves as a drop-in space for • is a place to get involved with nomically impact their industries passers-by to pick up a restau- vegetarian advocacy with unreasonable force. rant guide, pro-vegetarian lit- • is a place for visitors to speak In a somewhat related story un- erature for leafleting, and one on one with a real, live folding in Scotland, hundreds of thousands of farmed salmon have other vegetarian information vegetarian! been killed by stinging jellyfish and 121 East 27th Street, Suite 704, in Manhattan algal blooms, according to a Bloom- berg release in early September. The Office hours: 4:00 to 7:00 P.M., M–F attacking jellyfish trigger the fish Always call ahead to confirm your visit: 646-424-9595 themselves to produce fatal amounts

The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 6 VEGETARIAN NEWS, CONTINUED Economic fallout: Hoof-and-mouth takes toll on U.K. of histamines. Separately, according Number of U.K. companies destroyed animals, paying well over to the story, algal blooms have been hurt: One out of four. the usual market price. The govern- suffocating countless penned fish Compensation to farmers for ment believes it needs to be more from seven farms there. The total losses: $1.6 billion so far. than fair; otherwise, the fear is, farm- weight of the carcasses amounted to Source: Bloomberg, August 29, 2001. ers might be reluctant to report an 2 million pounds. Allegations: U.K. farmers outbreak. Hoof-and-mouth update helped spread HMD Terrorism and meat To date, the stats on the hoof-and- Hoof-and-mouth disease happens to Along with anthrax, sarin, smallpox mouth disease epidemic that hit the be highly contagious. You wouldn’t poisoning, and explosive-bearing United Kingdom in February 2001. think it needed help in being spread. trucks, antiterrorism experts are now Cost: $6 billion, or 0.5 percent of the But in July evidence began mounting considering hoof-and-mouth disease, gross domestic product. that certain people in the United salmonella, and E. coli bioterrorism as Animals destroyed: 5.1 million Kingdom, probably farmers, were ac- possible threats to the nation, espe- sheep, cattle, and hogs. tually respreading the disease once cially since September 11. The spread Number of animals actually the epidemic began to slow. of hoof-and-mouth disease is consid- found to have the disease: To realize why, all one has to do is ered potentially the most harmful and 2,000. look at the economics. The govern- the easiest to perpetrate, according to Tourism hit: Four-fifths of accommo- ment was compensating farmers for TIME magazine. dation providers were hurt. Book- ings declined by 15 percent, which “101 Reasons” seller caught in the eye of the duststorm is likely to cause revenues to de- relives the moments of the World cline by $2.9 to $4.4 billion and Trade Center attacks on September 30,000 people to lose their jobs. 11. Two weeks after that infamous event, he told us that he was still shell-shocked from the rolling black Enviro-veggie activists mass of dust and debris that bil- and event organizers lowed past his store that day. His Michele & Micky Zezima basement, it happens, served as a safe haven for many people until the smoke could dissipate. am Al Herish points out the win- But VivaVegie already knew Sam Sdow of his juice bar, Health was a hero. He’s been carrying our King, two blocks from Ground Zero “101 Reasons” consistently for the on Nassau and John Streets, as he past three years in his two stores.

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The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 7 ANIMALS ARE PEOPLE TOO Florida Campaign: HSUS now a champion for sows Continued from page 1 “The law clearly requires that these tore through buildings so fast that battery cages. Unable to spread their poor creatures be stunned and ren- employees were unable to save the wings, they are reduced to nothing dered insensitive to pain before this 5,000 sows and 11,000 newborn more than an egg-laying machine. process begins. Federal law is being piglets trapped inside. Firefighters “Last April, the Washington Post ignored. Animal cruelty abounds. It is from several communities were detailed the inhumane treatment of sickening. It is infuriating. Barbaric needed to put out the blaze, accord- livestock in our nation’s slaughter- treatment of helpless, defenseless ing to the Meating Place Web site. houses....These animals are some- creatures must not be tolerated even The company’s director assessed the times cut, skinned, and scalded while if these animals are being raised for pigs to be worth about $1 million. still able to feel pain. A Texas beef food—and even more so, more so. Just one sow can weight 450 company, with 22 citations for cru- Such insensitivity is insidious and can pounds. After the fire was extin- elty to animals, was found chopping spread and is dangerous. Life must be guished, the pressing environmental the hooves off live cattle. In another respected and dealt with humanely in risk of thousands of decomposing Texas plant with about two dozen vi- a civilized society.” corpses became a paramount con- olations, Federal officials found nine To read the full text, go to http:// cern to health officials. They first live cattle dangling from an overhead thomas.loc.gov/r107/r107.html. Click considered incineration but later chain. Secret videos from an Iowa on the Senate record for July 9, 2001, opted to bury the bodies to avoid air pork plant show hogs squealing and and then scroll down and click on pollution. A well is to be dug next to kicking as they are being lowered number 15: CRUELTY TO ANIMALS. the landfill where the animals are into the boiling water that will soften now interned; it will allow the site to their hides, soften the bristles on the Florida campaign rocks be monitored for deadly bacteria hogs, and make them easier to skin.... For any long-term campaign one that could threaten the groundwater. must first pick vulnerable targets The facility was owned by Smith- Meet the copy editor and also have an excellent chance of field Foods of Virginia and is part of winning successive battles. As soon the Circle Four Farms, a 55,000-sow as an initial victory is gained, one enterprise based in Milford, Utah. must move on to increasingly difficult targets while the success of the Molting in the cross hairs last effort still holds momentum. To stimulate egg laying in factory A Florida campaign spearheaded hens, as well as to facilitate the pro- by the Humane Society of the United duction of jumbo eggs, farmers force States (HSUS) is currently operating their spent flocks to molt. This is using this textbook strategy for suc- done by depriving the birds of food cess. Activists there are using a state and water for extended periods of rule—which allows single issues to time—up to 2 weeks in some cases. A be put on the ballot—to get farrowing large percentage of the hens die from crates for sows outlawed. Crates the cruel process. For humane rea- cruelly force gestating sows to be sons alone, forced molting has come pinned in place for weeks at a time so under attack. But other considera- the commodity piglets can nurse with- tions, such as the spread of a partic- out accidentally being smothered. ular kind of salmonella bacteria, have As copy editor of The VivaVine, Glen Florida has only 100 hog farms, entered what has become a heated Boisseau Becker is responsible for with just a tiny number of these debate in the egg business as well as helping to ensure that the content is standing to be affected by a ban, so in animal-rights circles. accurate, the wording persuasive, the opposition should be minimal. The McDonald’s, for one, has told its grammar and spelling impeccable. A initiative is now only about 400,000 suppliers it will not purchase eggs journalist with more than 30 years’ signatures away from being ballot- from those that utilize the practice. experience, Glen still volunteers his ready. (See the January 18 calendar Now the U.S. government wants to get time to support a cause he ardently listing on page 16 to help.) Once the in on the act. According to Scripps believes in. “Sometimes I feel like an bill is passed, it’s on to the next state! Howard News Service, Senators Peter alien in a world where people so casu- 16,000 sows and piglets Fitzgerald, R–IL, and Patrick Leahy, ally embrace a lifestyle based on vio- D–VT, are working on a proposal that lence,” he says. “Can’t we replace ap- burned to death in Utah fire would bar the U.S. Department of athy with awareness and awaken the A quick-moving fire took hold at a Agriculture from buying eggs from dormant talent for compassion that swine-farrowing ranch in Iron suppliers that force-molt their birds makes humans humane?” County, Utah, in late July. The fire for use in the school lunch program.

The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 8 VEGGIE NUGGETS

too weird. I have this image of some scientist dude sitting in a darkened room watching lumps of meat grow in glass Veggie containers, giggling maniacally, and rubbing his hands: ‘My pretties, my pretties, mmmmm, how good you will Nuggets taste...!’ No, thanks, I’ll stick to soy-based protein.” gg Not many poachers of sturgeon in Iran It is estimated that in Russia illegal fishing for caviar is over ten times what is officially permitted. The United Minks find swimming as important as food Nations has warned the country—as well as other states When researchers in London put food, drinking water, that border the Caspian Sea—that nations need to crack swimming pools, and tunnels for burrowing on the other down to prevent the extinction of sturgeon. Iran, how- side of gates that were geared to be increasingly difficult ever, is a case unto itself. Supply is officially limited to to open, they found that minks gave water just as much legal numbers by a state-owned monopoly. The penalty importance as food. But not just to drink. According to an for poachers? Death, or if you’re lucky, getting your article in a March edition of The Economist, the minks hands chopped off. showed that they were just as determined to go swimming as to eat for survival (as measured in gate weight Compare: HSUS vs. NRA they were willing to lift). It sure would be interesting to Do you ever feel the animal-rights effort is futile? Con- find out what farm animals find as important as food: sider this: Even the Humane Society of the United States Space? Sunlight? Dirt? Companionship? Fresh air? Se- has farm-animal issues clearly on its radar screen. And cluded nests? Surely the list could go on. few people probably know that the HSUS actually has Hope looms for an end to livestock many more members than the National Rifle Association. According to Feedstuffs magazine, an industry standby, cruelty: Test-tube “meat” holds promise the NRA has 3.8 million members; the HSUS, 7 million. Taking collagen particles and muscle cells from un- harmed animal donors, a Dutch dermatologist says he has perfected a method to grow lumps of meat in 50-kilo- gram containers. Wiete Westerhof says he has success- fully created pork, beef, chicken, kangaroo, whale, and shellfish flesh using nourishment from a Frankensteinian brew of 62 amino acids, vitamins, and enzymes. A Sep- tember 20 story posted to the Ananova Web site quotes the scientist: “The product will have the structure and taste of lean meat, but animals won’t have to suffer for it.” THE HAPPY BUNCH: The Sierra Club, Atlantic Chapter, Ken Midkiff, anti-hog-farm activist and head of the had its quarterly mailings of its outings schedule in June Sierra Club, Missouri Chapter, commented, “This is just and September at the Vegetarian Center. Video screenings Call 646-424-9595 to schedule an opportunity for your group, or just yourself, to watch videos at the Veggie Cen- ter. Sample titles:

" A Cow at My Table (stylistically inven- tive and poignant documentary) " The Witness (award-winning plea for animal rights; features NYC’s Eddie Lama) " Michael Greger, M.D.: A talk on mad NY’s 1st exclusively nonleather cow disease (a comprehensive look— shoe and accesory source taped at the Veggie Center) " Foods for Cancer Prevention and Sur- 207 E. 26th St., NYC vival (Dr. Neal Barnard’s compendium of facts from the latest studies) " Diet for a New America (John Robbins’s powerful synopsis of his book) " Truth or Dairy (a star-studded exposé) " A Diet for All Reasons (Dr. Michael mooshoes.com 212 481 5792 Klaper’s superb case for vegetarianism) (THIRTY OTHER TITLES ARE ALSO AVAILABLE.)

The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 9 HUNTED TO EXTINCTION

Continued from page 1, column 3 The Cat’s Out put it—wiped clean more than half of the large animals of the Americas in just a thousand years—and all of the largest animals in Australia in just 10,000 years. Marsupi- als the size of hippos and armadillos the size of Volks- of the BAG! wagens, among others, were their victims. The studies were reported on in the June 8 edition of Science. Extinctions were “cataclysmic,” according to researcher John Alroy of the National Center for Ecological Analysis at the University of Santa Barbara. Yet since VeganEssentials.com is your they took place over generations, “the results show how much havoc our species can cause, without anyone at one stop cruelty-free shop! the time having the slightest idea of what was going on.” Featuring nonleather shoes, jackets and Overfishing and overhunting of marine accessories, vegan food and sweets, cosmetics, books, body care, and more—hundreds of habitats nothing new under the sun products are available, and are all guaranteed verfishing and overhunting in recent decades have been calamitous for the environment. But to be completely cruelty-free. Visit us today at Othese are nothing new, according to a report compiled by a team of 19 scientists, published in the www.VeganEssentials.com July 27 edition of Science. The report concluded that throughout history, overfishing and overhunting have had far worse effects on coastal marine habitats than pollution or global warming. “If you contrast what’s out VeganEssentials there now to what was there 200 years ago, it’s just 7722 W. Menomenee River Pkwy. crumbs,” said Steve Gaines, director of the Marine Sci- Wauwatosa, WI 53213 414.607.1953 ence Institute at UC Santa Barbara, reacting to the study in a statement quoted in a midsummer story in the Los Angeles Times. By poring over such physical evidence as sediment Dine out samples, archeological digs, and historical harvests, the scientists in the study learned that the world was at one and save time teeming with marine life, way beyond the upper levels that governments strive to attain today when insti- a zillion* tuting regulations to manage fisheries. Current fish population goals fall far short of the levels of life that once with your were. One researcher quoted in the LA Times article was awed by the study’s results. The historical records have VegDining “exceeded all of our imaginations,” he said. The magnitude of the impacts may not have surprised card students of the rules of ecological balance, however. Each of the mass die-offs of marine life the researchers found in habitat after habitat was associated with human de- (*a slight exaggeration structiveness, sometimes the removal of a single species. Hunt otter near extinction, for instance, and you’ll have but the food will be great!) an overabundance of sea urchins, which eventually graze away kelp habitats that harbor entire ecosystems. At one time, turtles and oysters were so thick in Amer- $ ican coastal waters that they presented a navigational hazard to the early explorers. Hunt or harvest them to a VegDining.com dwindling few and soon the critical place they hold in the food chain will be sorely missed. Without turtles in Your online guide to the Florida Bay, a fungus has taken over to deplete oxy- vegetarian restaurants gen vitally needed by fish. Without the unique water- filtering abilities of oysters in the Chesapeake Bay, the around the world water has become cloudy and ultimately uninhabitable for manatees, sturgeons, whales, and alligators.

The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 10 FOR THE HEALTH OF IT The original Candle Cafe Diabetes study heralds diet and exercise 1307 Third Avenue at 75 Street (212)472-0970 Researchers recently cut short a large clinical study that looked at the effects of lifestyle changes on people with Type 2 diabetes. The results had become just too obvi- ous to prolong the study and withhold the results. It’s now overwhelmingly established that a low-fat diet, exercise, and losing weight are immensely therapeutic in reversing the disease. But what constitutes a low-fat diet? A caption in the New York Times story on the subject was telling: It showed a participant admitting that before the study she “didn’t have a clue what three GO TO ounces of meat looked like.” Veg’ns embody anti-heart-attack chemical During a recent look at the inner workings of our ilk, Scottish researchers discovered a piece of the vegetarian good-health puzzle. Our blood contains high levels of the active ingredient in aspirin, salicylic acid. The Be kind to animals chemical acts as an anti-inflammatory agent, which may Don’t eat them be an important reason vegetarians are less likely to suffer from certain cancers, as well as hardening of the ar- teries—the precursor of cardiovascular disease. Obesity kills; Mayo gives us the numbers Vegans need proof that demonstrates what we already know: Our ranks suffer lower incidences of being overweight. In the meantime, it might be well to take note of a survey done at the Mayo Clinic. The famed hospital found that overweight heart-attack victims were, on the HEALTH average, 3.6 years younger than their normal-weight counterparts when brought into its emergency room, according to an early-August Reuters story posted on the CNN Web site. Obese patients were on the average 8.2 years younger than their normal-weight counterparts. Soy a no-no for kids? Udder rubbish! organic seasonal vegan menu Epidemiological studies point to the phytoestrogen in soy as an antidote to menopausal symptoms. In recent years, however, health researchers have denounced soy for babies, saying that it could affect their reproductive systems once they become young adults. There’s no evidence whatever for that now, say University of Pennsyl- vania researchers, who have found no differences in reproductive health between young adults whose parents gave them soy and those who were given cows’ milk. Well-done meat now on carcinogen blacklist Chemicals that form when meat and poultry are cooked to “well done” have recently been listed—alongside as- bestos, DDT, arsenic, and cigarettes—as carcinogenic by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Heterocyclic amines can cause cancer, the scientists an- nounced in July, but in what quantities they could not time out new york: say. Future researchers will have to determine that. In best vegetarian restaurant in 2002 any case, the development—though not surprising, since these chemicals have long been implicated—should have www.candlecafe.com meat eaters in a quandary. Isn’t thorough cooking manda- tory to kill meat’s myriad deadly bacterias?

The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 11 BOONDOGGLE FOR SPORT FISHERMEN Upstate Hatchery: Ponds of hapless, confined trout

BY PAMELA RICE what purpose could there possibly be for such elaborate systems? And at what cost to the environment and to the y husband and I ap- taxpayer? proached the factory It’s incredible to see what needs to be in place to keep M farm with trepidation. hatchery fish alive, from the moment they are conceived No vegetarian is happy about the to the time of their release. Keeping the fish free from prospect of seeing intensively stress is of paramount importance. Water quality, tem- confined animals. perature, and oxygen levels are critical components in But the finding of fact, as al- the task at hand, all of which must constantly be moni- ways, held a higher purpose for tored so disease does not take hold. us. Our investigation was an un- Reproduction, of course, is artificial. By rubbing the likely one: a state fish hatchery in bellies of the females just so, the staff is able to force the Catskills, one of 12 in New eggs to ooze out of them. Semen is extracted from the York that all together produce mil- males, which is then put over the eggs. Thankfully, nei- lions of fish. The exact number ther procedure kills the fish. Still, these designated cannot be known, since fish are breeders could hardly take too kindly measured in pounds—a million Almost immediately to either process. per year in the case of our state. we saw the intensive Spawning would normally take Almost immediately we saw place in November, but brood stock the intensive confinement of the confinement of are tricked into reproducing two animals, thousands of brown thousands of brown months earlier through artificial light trout that appeared as one dark trout that appeared as manipulation. Early spawning gives mass in the long narrow ponds the offspring a head start on growth. before us. The areas just below one dark mass. It also makes things easier on the staff would clear as the fish instinc- members, who are able to avoid han- tively moved away from any dling the fish in thigh-deep water in shadows cast from above. colder weather later in the year. As our guide—a key employee of the facility—put it, the pressure assive amounts of water on stocks by anglers is so hard in must be available to the New York that such facilities are M fish hatchery at all times. an absolute necessity. “On open- Three thousand gallons a minute ing day of the fishing seasons,” he from nearby streams and wells must told us, “fishermen are shoulder be fed into it every day of the year. In to shoulder at fishing holes.” Intensively confined brown trout in dry times, the water is recirculated. hatchery tanks. Fish waste must be filtered out of the ut as the brochure on the water before the water is returned facility explained, many downstream. The manure is carted Banglers are not aware away and distributed over fields in that most of the fish they catch need of fertilizer twice a year. have been artificially introduced. Ultimately, according to our guide, The question for vegetarians is, the entire process costs out at 74¢ per fish—one gigantic giveaway to the state’s sport fishermen. Surely there are better ways to stimulate the A breeder female trout. state’s economy, ways that don’t dis- rupt the environment or cause cruelty to animals.

From the waste-holding tank, manure is picked up twice a year and spread on The tour guide points to fish waste. fields in need of fertilizer. Trout are released from transport tanks.

The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 12 BUTCHERED, ALIVE IBP: One slaughterhouse that gets gov’t protection The following tract comes about one prosecutor conceded this point. But ficials to have lied in this way? Well, year after workers at a cattle-slaugh- there has yet to be a single charge of not only could state officials claim tering plant in Wallula, Washington, animal cruelty filed. that the videotape broadcast by were broadcast on television dis- It’s important to remember that KING 5 had been “edited” by HFA membering sentient animals who had when HFA first exposed the atrocities (which officials knew to be untrue) not been properly stunned. The at IBP, the reflexive response of the but IBP could then argue that all of gathering of footage from this IBP the evidence given to the state had slaughterhouse was spearheaded by “The chain doesn’t been manufactured. Using this bogus the Humane Farming Association, pretext, state officials then pro- which, along with a host of animal- stop. It keeps running. ceeded to disregard all of the sworn rights and public-interest groups, peti- statements from IBP’s own workers tioned the attorney general of Wash- The cows are getting who had verified the company’s ille- ington to prosecute IBP—the nation’s hung alive or not alive. gal torture of animals. largest meatpacker—for violations of In short, the situation at IBP is not the Humane Slaughter Act as well as They keep coming, only a case study of the institution- the state’s own animal protection alized abuse of animals, it is also a laws. Twenty employees at the coming, coming.” study of just how far some state offi- slaughterhouse, at the risk of losing cials are willing to go in order to their jobs, signed affidavits vouching state’s attorney general was to claim avoid prosecuting the world’s that at least 30 percent of the animals that the state had “no jurisdiction.” It largest meat company. are dismembered while still fully sen- was only after the television broad- tient, after inadequate stunning, as a cast of HFA’s undercover videotape hat’s important to under- result of breakneck line speeds. that public outcry forced state offi- stand is that, regardless “I have seen thousands and thou- cials to admit finally that, yes, they W of the prosecutor’s capri- sands of cows go through the slaugh- do have jurisdiction over violations cious decision regarding the Humane ter process alive since I have been at of state law occurring at IBP. Slaughter Act violations at IBP, felony the plant,” one IBP worker asserted. Governor Locke finally instructed animal cruelty charges can still be Another complained: “The chain goes state officials to investigate the filed. The statute of limitations for too fast, more than 300 cows an crimes at IBP. The so-called investi- felony animal cruelty at IBP has not hour....If I can’t get the animal gation, however, was simply a tax- expired. And the evidence HFA has knocked right, it keeps going....The payer-funded exercise in public rela- gathered remains as solid as ever. chain doesn’t stop. It keeps running. It tions. No longer able to claim that never stops. The cows are getting they had “no jurisdiction,” state offi- Action Requested: hung alive or not alive. They keep cials set out to find another excuse Washington’s laws prohibit the skin- coming, coming, coming.” for not prosecuting IBP. ning and dismembering of conscious The biggest challenge state offi- animals. Shoving an electric prod into cials have faced is explaining away a cow’s mouth, as captured on video- From the Humane Farming Association, all the undercover videotape and tape at IBP, is also clearly illegal. San Francisco, California • 9/26/01 worker affidavits obtained by HFA Abuses such as these are punishable n what can only be described that documented the torture taking as either misdemeanors or felonies. as a scandal, Washington state place at IBP. Please contact Governor Gary I officials are currently refusing Acting like IBP’s own attorneys, Locke by writing the Office of the to prosecute IBP for the illegal and state officials finally came up with a Governor, State of Washington, P.O. torturous mishandling, skinning, and plan. They decided to claim that HFA Box 40002, Olympia, WA 98504-0002. dismembering of live cows, even provided KING 5 television in Seattle Call 360-902-4111, or fax 360-753-4110. though it was handed the strongest with an “edited” version of the E-mail: [email protected] cruelty case ever assembled against undercover footage from IBP. State .gov. Point out that the videotape and a major U.S. slaughterhouse. officials knew this was not true. sworn affidavits from slaughterhouse Following the Humane Farming KING 5 television had even informed workers obtained by HFA provide ir- Association (HFA) exposé of animal them that HFA had provided the sta- refutable evidence of animal abuse abuse at the IBP slaughterhouse in tion with hours of unedited video- and torture at the IBP plant in Wal- Washington state, Governor Gary tape. Ignoring this and the other in- lula, Washington. Demand that he Locke promised that if violations formation in their possession, state use his authority to make sure that were found, criminal charges would officials went ahead and issued their state officials act upon the evidence be filed. Gross violations of state law false public statements anyway. they have been provided and that were, in fact, verified. Even the local What did it accomplish for state of- criminal charges are filed against IBP.

The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 13 LOCAL HEROES

OBITUARYPark Slope Coop: And then there was beef In our last issue, we reported on a pending decision by the Louis Warter, NYC resident and 60-year Park Slope Coop to carry “organic” beef. The resolution indeed passed a vote by the coop membership. At least one vegetarian, dies at 101 years young person, however, now counts herself as a former member. She wrote this letter to the coop: BY JEAN THALER Please note I will not be rejoining the coop because of ouis Warter—whom I called the Big Apple Vegetar- your decision to carry beef. You are fast becoming no dif- ian of the Century, because his life spanned three ferent from the regular supermarkets. Bad enough you Lcenturies—died on Sunday, July 29, this year. Hav- had chicken. Please do your research. ing this unique longevity was a goal he mentioned to me Rachel Friend every time I saw him. Indeed, Louis Brooklyn, NY was born in the 19th century and lived through the invention of the No survivors in modern-day holocaust car, the horrors of two world wars, The great 20th-century Yiddish writer Isaac Bashevis and the arrival of the 21st century. Singer wrote in one of his stories, “In relation to them, all Many of his nonvegetarian friends people are Nazis; for the animals it is an eternal Tre- attributed his long life to his diet. blinka.” Inspired by this quote, local author and A vegetarian for some 60 years, VivaVegie member Charles Patterson has written a forth- Louis was a 21st-century vegetarian coming book: Eternal Treblinka: Our Treatment of Ani- for most of the 20th. Jewish by birth, he also embraced mals and the Holocaust. United Poultry Concerns presi- Eastern religions, believed fervently in reincarnation, and dent Karen Davis has said that it “promises to be one of was active in a Masonic lodge. Louis did a six-month cir- the most influential books of the 21st century.” For more cuit around the world. He wrote and published a ten-page information, send e-mail to [email protected]. poem advocating the rescue of the redwood forests in Cal- ifornia. He was already 80 when he tried to meet with Pres- Jewish vegetarian message on audiotape ident Carter to push an environmental agenda. Hear one of our most important voices—Dr. Richard For many years Louis attended meetings of the vege- Schwartz, author of Judaism and Vegetarianism and a con- tarian organizations in New York City, right up to the time sulting editor of The VivaVine—summarizing his message of the 1995 Vegetarian Art Show in Soho. VivaVegie mem- on an audiotape produced by People for the Ethical bers may remember meeting him at his 100th-birthday Treatment of Animals. The noncopyrighted tape includes party, held by Big Apple Vegetarians. an introduction by the former chief rabbi of Ireland, Louis was 94 by the time I met him. He then lived in David Rosen, who is today one of the strongest propo- his own apartment in the Bronx, got around town on his nents of vegetarianism. Obtain a copy for only $5 by call- own, and wrote letters without the use of eyeglasses. I ing PETA at 800-483-4366. always found favor with him as a “Friend of Pamela.” Louis did not decline until he broke his hip several Seminal work on cattle destruction years ago, and this after suffering through numerous surgeries after being hit by a car. Incidentally, medical housed at the Veggie Center staff would always be taken aback by the strength and Thank you, Ken Lyle, of Vegetarians of Colorado health of his circulatory system. Springs, for your generous contribution of Lynn Jacobs’s He entered a nursing home at his own request. As he magnificent volume Waste of the West. The book comes began to suffer memory lapses, he always thought he had from Public Lands Without Livestock (a project of Social to remind me he would not eat flesh! One night when and Environmental Entrepreneurs). We received it via Louis, Pamela, and I looked up at the moon, he mused at consulting editor Mike Hudak, who was surprised to hear that the Veggie Center lacked a copy. The book is the wonder of man’s “recent” landing there. one of the definitive looks at the environmental destruc- In accordance with his will, Louis was cremated and tion wrought by cattle on the American West, compli- his ashes scattered at sea. In line with the wish he often ments of the government give-aways that allowed such expressed for his friends and fellow vegetarians, may devastation to happen. Louis “be ensconced in the bosom of God’s love.” VegeCyber.com to benefit VivaVegie SATYA A Magazine of Vegetarianism, VegeCyber.com offers organic, vegetarian, and vegan in- Environmentalism and Animal Advocacy ternational food products, including a large selection of frozen gourmet foods. Enter code VV2085 during check- To read current and back issues, visit our out to have 5 percent of the sale go to the VivaVegie Soci- website at http://www.stealthtechnolo- gies.com/satya Call 212-674-0952 for sub- ety as a donation. If you don’t like buying online, you can scription information and advertising rates. always visit the store at 210 Centre Street in Manhattan.

The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 14 VIVA VEGIE NEWS “101 Reasons Why I’m a Vegetarian” New 2001 Edition! • No carnivorous human has a chance against it. YES... please send me _____(copy / copies) of “101 Reasons Why I’m a Vegetarian.” The first copy is $2, postage paid. • Additional copies are 50¢ each, postage paid. • 50 copies are $20. • 100 copies are $35. Name______# (______) ______Address ______City ______State ______ZIP______Now: BECOME A MEMBER of the VivaVegie Society. For a COST of $15 PER YEAR receive: — one copy of “101 Reasons Why I’m a Vegetarian” — four issues of VivaVegie’s newsletter, The VivaVine — one copy of VivaVegie’s guide to New York City or New Jersey — one membership card (Yes, I) / (No, I do not) want to become a card-carrying member of the VivaVegie Society. Herewith, also, is a tax-deductible donation to the VivaVegie Society for $ ______. Total enclosed: $______. Checks payable to the VivaVegie Society • Send order to the VivaVegie Society, P.O. Box 294, Prince Street Station, New York, NY 10012.

Thanks aplenty for these contributions free of charge, to test how they sell. Engage the Since our last issue, donations of $25 or more were re- owner/manager and keep in touch with him or her. Es- ceived from Glen Boisseau Becker, Stephen Kaufman, sentially, do all the things that a sales rep would do to Marcio Zalcsztajn, Eva Povelko, Eileen and Jerry service the account. Ultimately, VivaVegie wants to get O’Shea in memory of Louis Warter (see the facing page), regular orders. An order blank is on the 15th page of Jason Mallory, and Celia Harary. Also, thanks to Bernie each copy of “101 Reasons.” Goetz, who purchased a refrigerator for the Vegetarian Center. VivaVegie wish list ▪ Publicity/public-relations director, most urgent Volunteers are VivaVegie heroes ▪ Director, “Operation Target Media” There are many ways to make a difference if spreading ▪ Volunteers coordinator knowledge about the virtues of vegetarianism is your ▪ Correspondence secretary or grant writer calling. Special thanks to the following people who ▪ VivaVine distributor (even for a single place) helped the VivaVegie Society since the last issue of The CORRECTION: VivaVegie volunteer and certified public ac- VivaVine: Roy Vanegas, Elena Romanova, Tom Thomp- countant Elena Romanova was erroneously described as a son, Murray Schechter, Bobbie Flowers, Melissa Gold- lawyer in our previous issue. Currently she is in law school. stein, Evelyn Gilbert, Judea Johnson, Jessie League, Seth Asher, Maureen Cauthen, Mike Marinelli, and VivaVegie featured in Time Out New York Goeff Watland. and on Metro TV’s “Natural Health Show” VivaVegie wants you! VivaVegie enjoyed some great publicity in the June 7–14 VivaVegie is looking for a few good volunteers. edition of Time Out New York. The events-listings maga- Or even just one! And we’re even willing to part with one zine extraordinaire dedicated nearly a full page to us, in- of our computers to sweeten the deal, but only if you cluding a brilliant full-color photograph of Pamela Rice show uncommon commitment and see yourself being and Penelo Pea Pod. The coverage wasn’t even entirely un- with us for the long term. Can you stick to a task? Do you sympathetic. And Metro TV’s “Natural Health Show” fea- relish the idea of helping VivaVegie help people become tured Pamela Rice in a 15-minute interview in September. vegetarian? Then you’re someone we want to speak with. Give a damn, and give us a call: 646-424-9595. McDonald’s class-action lawsuit Get the “101 Reasons” stocked at your neigh- VivaVegie recently reported that McDonald’s has been borhood store. adding beef extract to its French fries, unbeknownst to VivaVegie will give you a stack of sample “101 Reasons its customers. Be part of the class-action suit that has re- Why I’m a Vegetarian” to give to a retail establishment, sulted. Pick up the forms at the Vegetarian Center.

The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 15 VivaVegie Society, Inc. P.O. Box 294 Prince Street Station New York, NY 10012 NOTE TO SUBSCRIBERS: IT’S TIME TO RENEW IF YOUR LABEL READS FALL 2001 OR EARLIER www.vivavegie.org

CALENDAR To get your event listed, contact Evelyn Gilbert at [email protected].

See page 2 for program listings for at war. 631-421-3791. Sat., Dec. 8–Sun., Dec. 9 events that take place at the Vegetar- Tues., Nov. 20 United Poultry Concerns’ third an- ian Center. The following events are New York University’s vegan nual forum: “Do Animal Welfare in Manhattan unless otherwise noted. Thanksgiving dinner at Hayden Din- Campaigns and Reforms Hurt or Sun., Nov. 4 ing Hall, 33 Washington Square Help Animal Rights and Abolition?” NYC Vegetarians’ hike in Rocke- West, 4:30 P.M. [email protected]. 757-678-7875. feller State Park Preserve in West- Thurs., Nov. 22 Fri., Jan. 18–Fri., Jan. 25 chester County. 718-805-4260, The Mid-Hudson Vegetarian Soci- Floridians for Humane Farms in- [email protected]. ety’s vegan Thanksgiving dinner in vites you to a volunteer vacation Thurs., Nov. 15 Kingston, NY. 845-338-8223. for activists to gather signatures EarthSave NYC brings Dr. Joel Sun., Nov. 25 for the group’s first farm animal Fuhrman to its monthly gathering. VegOut’s turkey-free Thanksgiving. ballot initiative. (See page 8 for the Location to be determined. 212- On Sun., Jan. 27, VegOut cele- story.) 954-946-1691. 696-7986, [email protected]. brates its 7th anniversary. 212-802- Outreach back on track: Sat., Nov. 17 8655, [email protected]. VivaVegie has a new outreach coordi- EarthSave Long Island’s 7th annual Mon., Nov. 26–Sun., Dec. 9 nator, Rachel Summerose. After a turkey-free Thanksgiving dinner in Raw-food vacation in Bali. Enjoy month-and-a-half moratorium on out- Huntington. Buddhist monk Gen daily yoga, raw health classes, na- reach because of the WTC attack, Kelsang Togden will will speak on ture walks, music, and more. 718- she’s looking for other “veg-evange- peace and gratefulness in a world 707-1405, [email protected]. lists” to join her. Call 718-907-0978. MORE NYC-AREA RESOURCES So, what is the VivaVegie Society? Accent on Wellness Natural Hygiene support group he VivaVegie Society takes vegetarian advocacy meets every Monday at 7:30 P.M. at the Hygeia Center, to the streets. VivaVegie advocates approach 18 East 23rd St. A raw potluck is held the first Sat- T Mr. and Ms. Pedestrian to get the facts out urday of the month at 6:00 P.M. 212-253-2262, Plan- about their healthful, ethical, and environ- [email protected]. mentally conscious vegetarian diet. holds a potluck the third Friday of each Brooklyn Raw Advocates assemble where there is month, 7:30 P.M. at Eco Books. 718-623-2698, info@ ecobooks. plenty of pedestrian traffic. They Central Jersey Vegetarian Group has a monthly come donned in T-shirts and potluck. 908-281-6388. brightly colored and expressive Earthsave NYC holds a dinner/lecture in Manhattan on sandwich boards—like the one the second or third Thursday of every month. A plant- shown on Paul Dios at right. based buffet is included with the lecture. 212-696-7986, They carry plenty of fact-filled [email protected]. information. The mission? To International African Vegetarian Network and distribute, for donations, the Friends. 718-241-5763. flyer “101 Reasons Why I’m a holds a potluck Iron Vegans’ Raw Food Connection Vegetarian,” written by the second Saturday of the month. 718-263-7160. Pamela Rice and inspired by NYC Vegetarians holds monthly dinners, potlucks, and other activities. Call Les Judd at 718-805-4260 John Robbins’s book Diet for a (Mon.–Thurs., before 10:00 P.M.), or write celiaveg@ New America. The VivaVegie aol.com. Society welcomes new out- VegOut (a social group for lesbian, gay, bi, and trans- reach activists. gender vegetarians and friends) holds a potluck the fourth Sunday of the month. 212-802-8655, vegout1@ DONATIONS ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE. juno.com.

The VivaVine • Fall 2001 • 16