07/05/2011 JVNA Online Newsletter

Shalom everyone,

This update/Jewish Vegetarians of North America (JVNA) Online Newsletter has the following items:

1. Tisha B’Av and Vegetarianism

2. Update on Plans for a “World Vegetarian Week” (October 1-7, 2011)

3. Great Vegetarian Talk by Gary Yurofsky Now Viewable With Hebrew Subtitles

4. Climate Effects Becoming Increasingly Severe?

5. Ted Turner’s Views On Climate Change

6. Slaughterhouse Workers More Likely to Commit Crimes

7. An Attempt to Reduce Antibiotic Use for Farmed Animals

8. Online Vegetarian Magazine ”Vegetarians in Paradise” Continues to Educate on Benefits of Vegetarianism

9. Update on Efforts to Produce Artificial Meat

10. New Book Presents Voices of Activist Women Who Connect Advocacy for Animals With Activism for Social Justice Issues

11. Update on Vegetarian Podcasts

12. Mother Jones Magazine Report on Connections Between Diabetes and Eating Meat

13. Video Dramatizes Ten Current Examples of Climate Change

14. Article in Israeli Media Exposes Realities of Dairy Farming

15. Vegan Event Scheduled in Manhattan

16. Benefits of Being Vegetarian Even For One Day a Week

Some material has been deferred to a later update/newsletter to keep this one from being even longer.

[Materials in brackets like this [ ] within an article or forwarded message are my editorial notes/comments.]

As always, your comments and suggestions are very welcome.

Thanks,

Richard

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1. Tisha B’Av and Vegetarianism

With Tisha B’Av about 5 weeks away (on August 8-9 this year), time to consider connections between Tisha B’Av and vegetarianism. I plan to send my article, “Tisha B’Av and Vegetarianism” to the Jewish media soon. So please take a look at the article in the holidays section at JewishVeg.com/Schwartz and let me know if you have suggestions for improvements. Also, please feel free to forward the article to others and to use the points in the article for letters to editors, calls to talk shows and as talking points in general. A key point is that while the first and second Temples in Jerusalem were destroyed on Tisha B’Av, today all of humanity and all of creation are threatened and a major societal shift to plant-based diets is essential to shift our imperiled planet to a sustainable path. Thanks.

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2. Update on Plans for a “World Vegetarian Week” (October 1-7, 2011)

Forwarded message from WVW organizer Mateus Mendes:

The preparations for the Vegetarian Week 2011 continue, under the motto "A sustainable Future Depends on Our Food Choices". [Note that this is very consistent with JVNA’s recent emphasis.] See the Call For Action and use our Resources to prepare your own Vegetarian Week.

October 1-7, or around those days.

Call for action:

http://www.vegetarianweek.org/Article-36-Call%2Bfor%2BAction.html

Dan Piraro supports the Vegetarian Week

World famous cartoonist, writer, performer and activist Dan Piraro has given his support to the Vegetarian Week project.

Complete article:

http://www.vegetarianweek.org/Article-40-Dan%2BPiraro%2Bsupports%2Bthe%2BVegetarian%2BWeek.html

Vegetarian Week 2011 contest

This year the Vegetarian Week is organizing a contest, to highlight the benefits of the vegetarian lifestyle. The total value of awards is more than 200 euros. Anyone can submit one or more contributions (essays, posters, flyers, cartoons, slogans, poems, music, etc.). All contributions are welcome. The best ones will receive prizes. The deadline is 10 September. Submit your contribution(s) and good luck!

http://www.vegetarianweek.org/Page-25-Vegetarian+Week+contest+Guidelines.html

More organizations join the Vegetarian Week

The latest coming aboard is Unión Vegetariana Argentina (UVA). UVA will organize its 6th congress in the Vegetarian Week. See the list of organizations promoting the Vegetarian Week: http://www.vegetarianweek.org/Page-56-Who.html

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3. Great Vegetarian Talk by Gary Yurofsky Now Viewable With Hebrew Subtitles

Forwarded message from veg activist, author, and JVNA advisor Arthur Poletti:

Hello Richard---

Here is a URL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omweihtaYwI&feature=player_detailpage#t=69s

The speech is now being viewed in several countries with sub-titles in several languages, including Hebrew, German, Russian, and others that will soon be available.

This is the most remarkable speech I have ever watched and it is making a huge difference for animals and people.

Please visit Gary Yourofsky's web site. It has loads of vegan info as well as references to other speeches and a video of questions and answers from students that is also very impressive.

http://www.adaptt.org/index.html

The cruelty associated with dairy farming is horrible and is not well known.

I hope you will post the Hebrew version of “Best Speech You Will Ever Hear” [on vegetarianism] far and wide within the Jewish community in the United States and Israel.

I hope you are doing well.

Richard, please cross post the speech everywhere you can.

All the best to you.

Thank you.

Arthur

AN AMERICAN HERO---(120,000 Youtube Hits-English Version and counting)--(38000 Hits- Hebrew Version and counting)---The Best Things In Life Are Free *Best Speech You Will Ever Hear Is One Of Those Things!! POWER-PACKED SPEECH BY VEGAN WARRIOR Can Change Your Life And Save The Lives Of Millions Of Animals http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es6U00LMmC4

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4. Climate Effects Becoming Increasingly Severe?

NOAA Issues 2010 Climate Report Indicating Increasingly Severe Effects of Climate Change

http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/parker-blog-62911_2011-06-29

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5. Ted Turner’s Views On Climate Change

Ted Turner Says Climate Change Is Humanity’s Most Serious Problem
by Beth Buczynski Care2
June 29, 2011
6:15 pm

http://www.care2.com/causes/ted-turned-says-climate-change-is-humanitys-most-serious-problem.html

Last week, media mogul Ted Turner spoke to reporters via a telephone conference held by his United Nations Foundation on the Norwegian island of Svalbard.

Responding to a question by reporter Sunny Lewis of the Environment News Service about how to change the minds of climate change skeptics, Turner said climate change is “probably the most serious — and, in all fairness, the most complex–problem that humanity has ever faced.”

Turner also stated his disappointment in the fact that the United States has never had comprehensive energy policy to help govern consumption and production.

Referring to climate change skeptics, Turner added: ”It’s really easy to understand how some people don’t get it because it’s so complex and complicated. But that doesn’t mean we have to do, all of us, do what we can to try to convince people to do the right thing and then motivate them to take the action.”

Read more: http://www.care2.com/causes/ted-turned-says-climate-change-is-humanitys-most-serious-problem.html#ixzz1QlEgLk92

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6. Slaughterhouse Workers More Likely to Commit Crimes

Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Slaughterhouse employment increases total arrest rates & arrests for violent crimes & rape, compared w/ other industries

http://t.co/eDvppFX via Twitter

Thanks to author, educator, and JVNA advisor Dan Brook for forwarding this information to us. His comment on it is below.

Dan Brook, Ph.D. “It may be due to what sociologists call the brutalization effect, basically stating that when violence of any kind is legitimated it leads to more violence in society.”

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7. An Attempt to Reduce Antibiotic Use for Farmed Animals

Forwarded message:

SENATE BILL ADDRESSES COMMON USE OF ANTIBIOTICS TO FUEL FARM ANIMAL GROWTH (Food Safety News)

A bipartisan group of senators re-introduced a bill aimed at preserving the effectiveness of medically important antibiotics by limiting their use in food animal feed. In the face of the rising threat of antibiotic resistance, public health experts and activists have pushed for regulation to limit the sub therapeutic use of antibiotics in animal agriculture. "The effectiveness of antibiotics for humans is jeopardized when they are used to fatten healthy pigs or speed the growth of chickens," said Senator Feinstein. "This is a basic food safety initiative that would phase out the misuse of these drugs so that food in supermarkets across America will not spread strains of drug-resistant bacteria."

http://t.co/KlcpLuz

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8. Online Vegetarian Magazine ”Vegetarians in Paradise” Continues to Educate on Benefits of Vegetarianism

Forwarded message:

With a refreshing touch of humor in its plethora of information, Vegetarians in Paradise is an online magazine that makes it easy to go vegan. New and long time vegetarians will find vital information in popular features like Vegetarian Basics 101 and The Road to Vegetaria, both included on the USDA Vegetarian Nutrition Resource List. Valuable features include Protein Basics, Calcium Basics, Cooking Beans and Grains Charts, book and media reviews, cooking advice, and spotlighted food features. The magazine maintains databases like Vegetarian Associations Directory, Vegparadise Bookshelf, Vegetarian Food Companies, and a giant Recipe Index. Los Angeles readers enjoy the convenient Los Angeles Vegetarian Restaurants listings plus veg dining reviews, farmers' market reports, and the Vegparadise Yellow Pages.

It’s easy to subscribe at the top left on any page and costs absolutely nothing.

Health and Joy,

Zel and Reuben Allen
Vegetarians in Paradise
http://www.vegparadise.com

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9. Update on Efforts to Produce Artificial Meat

Forwarded message:

PRACTICAL ETHICS
http://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/

Ethics in the News

http://www.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/staff/staff/honorary_fellows/jonathan_glover

Artificial meat – the best idea you’ve heard all year!

Published June 29, 2011 | By Michelle Hutchinson - http://blog.practicalethics.ox.ac.uk/author/michelle-hutchinson/

Last week scientists from Oxford and Amsterdam announced the results of an nvestigation into the environmental impact of growing meat artificially http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jun/20/artificial-meat-emissions in labs rather than keeping livestock. They found that greenhouse gases would be reduced by up to 96%. In addition, cultured meat production would only require 1% of the land and 4% of the water that conventional meat does. They estimated that if more resources were put into the research, it would take about five years to produce artificial meat with the consistency of mincemeat, and another five years to produce steaks. Their conclusion is modest: “We are not saying that we could, or would necessarily want to, replace conventional meat with its cultured counterpart right now.” This modesty is misplaced – it should be considered not just desirable, but hugely important to replace conventional with artificial meat.

Think about the amazing feat under discussion. We’re not just talking about a substitute for meat – a slightly improved kind of Quorn. What they are producing is real meat, with the taste, texture and nutritional value of meat. And they are producing it in a way that cuts emissions of harmful gases by 96%! Climate change is a major threat facing the world today. Increases in the release of carbon dioxide and methane are leading to the planet heating up, which in turn will cause (potentially is already causing) floods in some areas, droughts in others, and also extreme forms of weather such as hurricanes. Meat production, particularly beef, is one of the major contributors to emissions.

Replacing traditional meat with artificial meat would therefore make a huge difference to total emissions.

The other benefits of artificial meat are also significant. Beef cattle need large amounts of land for grazing, leading to deforestation http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/approved_entry/A3556848 to provide land for them. Lab-grown meat uses just 1% of the land that animals require. Rising food prices are currently a big problem for much of the world. Part of the problem is that meat is an inefficient source of energy – much more grain is required to feed enough animals to keep people well fed, than would be required if people ate the grain itself. This pushes up the price of grain. Growing meat in a lab reduces the energy used by between 7 and 45%.

Last, but by no means least, is the plight of animals. To push down the price of meat, animals in factory farms are severely mistreated. If we’re not willing to pay enough for meat to allow animals to live adequate lives, and we’re not willing to give up eating meat, surely we ought to take seriously the possibility of replacing factory farmed animals with meat which can’t suffer.

What are the arguments against producing meal artificially? One argument is based on people’s reaction to the thought of where the meat came from. If people were repulsed by cultured meat, eating artificial meat would be less beneficial than eating conventional meat, since it produced less pleasure. Theoretically it might even be harmful, if people felt obliged to eat meat, but were repulsed by what was going into their body.

However, while it seems quite plausible that people would initially feel such meat to be rather grisly, the evidence seems to show that people are adept at ignoring where their food came from. Almost everyone has a rough idea of where their meat currently comes from, and that there is suffering involved, but we usually manage not think about that when we actually eat meat. This indicates that if we felt repulsed by the way artificial meat was produced, that would not necessarily stand in the way of our enjoyment of eating it.

Moreover, it seems unlikely that people would continue to feel that cultured meat is more grisly than factory farmed meat when they were used to it. Surely the idea that what is on your plate was once alive and was deliberately subjected to harm and then killed, is much less savoury than the idea that it was grown in a vat, whether in a lab or a factory.

A second reason for being hesitant about cultured meat is the possibility of its being physically harmful to people. In the past we have sometimes rushed into eating new substances, and it has backfired. There is strong reason to think that this won’t be the case with cultured meat, since what is being produced is not a substitute for meat, but the very substance which we eat all the time. That is not to say that we should not apply rigorous tests to make sure what’s being produced is what we expect, and is safe. But the necessity of such tests shouldn’t prevent the development of artificial meat being a priority.

Artificial meat would provide people with the benefits of traditional meat – taste and nutrition – without the attendant suffering to animals. It would make the world a fairer place, since reduced land and water use, as well as reduced emissions, would mean that the rich’s meat consumption would no longer cause as much damage to the poor. Ultimately, mitigating climate change and its ensuing problems would benefit everyone. Therefore, we should make research into cultured meat a priority.

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10. New Book Presents Voices of Activist Women Who Connect Advocacy for Animals With Activism for Social Justice Issues

Forwarded message from Karen Davis, Director of United Poultry Concerns:

Sister Species: Women, Animals, and Social Justice, University of IL
Posted by: "UPC News" news@upc-online.org upcnews@ymail.com
Thu Jun 30, 2011 2:48 pm (PDT)
United Poultry Concerns - http://www.upc-online.org
30 June 2011

Sister Species: Women, Animals, and Social Justice, University of Illinois Press, 2011

If it weren't for women like those contributing to this book, the voices of those who can't fight for themselves would only be heard in slaughterhouses and experimental laboratories.

UPC President Karen Davis is pleased to announce publication of this amazing anthology of writings by women who advocate for animals & tell their stories why.

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The Book Garden - A Review

A feminist view on animal advocacy? I certainly haven't heard about such an approach before. All the more reason for me to pick up Sister Species: Women, Animals And Social Justice to satisfy my curiosity.

In her anthology Lisa A. Kemmerer introduces the reader at length to the topic of animal activism and its close connection to other forms of oppression such as sexism, racism, homophobia, etc. sharing a collection of essays focusing on animal ethics. These essays are as diverse as the women who wrote about their experiences, including cockfighting, factory farming, the bushmeat trade, as well as contemplating theology and animals, to mention but a few.

You don't have to be a feminist to understand this book and its message. Being vegetarian probably helps. Overall I think it's almost safe to say that a lot of people won't like this book, because it forces them to rethink their view of "the other," in this case non-human animals, but it is important to understand that what we do for "us" (humans) should not be achieved at the cost of "others" (animals). Inconvenient truths? You bet. And if it weren't for women like those contributing to this book, the voices of those who can't fight for themselves would only be heard in slaughterhouses and experimental laboratories.

In short: This book will change your way of thinking about animals who don't happen to be human. Read it!

5/5 stars

http://the-book-garden.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-sister-species-lisa-kemmerer.html

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We Animals - A Review

http://www.weanimals.org/blog.php?entry=114

Sister Species: Women, Animals, and Social Justice addresses interconnections between speciesism, sexism, racism, and homophobia, clarifying why social justice activists in the twenty-first century must challenge intersecting forms of oppression.

This anthology presents bold and gripping--sometimes-horrifying—personal narratives from fourteen activists who have personally explored links of oppression between humans and animals, including such exploitative enterprises

as cockfighting, factory farming, vivisection, and the bushmeat trade. Sister Species asks readers to rethink how they view "others," how they affect animals with their daily choices, and how they might bring change for all who are

oppressed. These essays remind readers that women have always been important to social justice and animal advocacy, and they urge each of us to recognize the

links that continue to bind all oppressed individuals. The astonishing honesty of these contributors demonstrates with painful clarity why every woman should be an animal activist and why every animal activist should be a feminist.

Contributors are Carol J. Adams, Tara Sophia Bahna-James, Karen Davis, Elizabeth Jane Farians, Hope Ferdowsian, Linda Fisher, Twyla François, Christine Garcia, A. Breeze Harper, Sangamithra Iyer, Pattrice Jones, Lisa Kemmerer, Allison Lance, Ingrid Newkirk, Lauren Ornelas, and Miyun Park.

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To Order click on

http://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/77dgs4fn9780252036170.html

--

United Poultry Concerns is a nonprofit organization that promotes the

compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl.

Don't just switch from beef to chicken. Go Vegan.

http://www.UPC-online.org

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11. Update on Vegetarian Podcasts

Kathy Freston Interviews Dr. Michael Greger

http://h2opodcast.com/vsse.html#fsff

01 July 2011

This is part one of a transcript reading of Kathy Freston's interview of Dr. Michael Greger posted on The Huffington Post January 5th, 2010. The title of the interview "Flu Season: Factory Farming Could Cause A Catastrophic Pandemic"

Thanks to Joseph Puentes, organizer of the campaign to build up a backlog of podcasts on vegetarian, animal rights, mad related issues for sharing the above information and his continues efforts.

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12. Mother Jones Magazine Report on Connections Between Diabetes and Eating Meat

"Is Your Meat Habit Giving You Diabetes?"

http://motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2011/07/are-pesticides-giving-you-diabetes

Thanks to animal rights activist Batya Bauman for forwarding this link to us.

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13. Video Dramatizes Ten Current Examples of Climate Change

http://www.linktv.org/climatechange

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14. Article in Israeli Media Exposes Realities of Dairy Farming

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/there-s-a-cow-behind-the-cottage-1.371517

Thanks to JVNA advisor, Rabbi Adam Frank for forwarding this link to us.

Message that I submitted for posting after the article at the Haaretz web site:

As president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America and author of Judaism and Vegetarianism, I was happy to read this article and I hope it increases awareness about the realities of the dairy industry.

I hope the Jewish community will consider the ways that plant-based diets are most consistent with basic Jewish mandates to preserve human health, treat animals with compassion, protect the environment, conserve natural resources, help hungry people and pursue peace; also how animal-based diets and agriculture are contributing to an epidemic of diseases among Jews and others and to climate change, food, water, and energy, shortages and other threats to humanity.

I would love to have a respectful dialogue/debate with a rabbi or other Jewish scholar on "Should Jews be Vegetarians?" It would be a kiddush Hashem (a sanctification of God's name) in showing the relevance of Judaism's eternal teachings to current threats.

For more information on Jewish teachings on vegetarianism please visit JewishVeg.com/schwartz, where I have 140 articles and 25 podcasts of my talks and interviews and the complete text of my book "Judaism and Vegetarianism." Please also visit aSacredDuty.com, where you can see our acclaimed, award-winning documentary "A Sacred Duty: Applying Jewish Values to Help Heal the World."

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Message from author, publisher, and JVNA advisor Roberta Kalechofsky in response to the article:

Yoav Kenny's article about the abuse of farm cows is right on the mark and needs to be said hundreds of times. It was one thing when milk products were a cottage industry, but that day is mostly passed. Modern methods of production for commercial dairy products make the use of farm animals extremely abusive and a violation of tsa'ar ba’alei chayim.

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15. Vegan Event Scheduled in Manhattan

Thanks to vegetarian activist Janine Bronsom for forwarding this announcement to us:

Wednesday, July 13 · 6:30pm - 9:00pm
205 W. 107th Street, 3e, Manhattan
New York, NY 10025

Created By Eric Ackland

Our food choices make an enormous impact upon ourselves, on the well-being of all living creatures and on the planet. Usually for the worse. But we can change that.

Please join me on Wednesday night, July 13th as I share the insights and experience I've gleaned from many years of eating a fruit and vegetable-based diet.

We'll approach the subject philosophically and scientifically, examining the full impact of our dietary choices... on our health, our society, on other animals, and on the environment. We'll learn how we can best leverage our life-choices to maximize the measure of good that we can do in the world, and thus leave it a better place for our having lived.

Consider this evening a “Everything you've always wanted to know about Vegan, Vegetarian, Fruitarian, Quasi-vegetarian, Organic, Local, Ethical, and Humane Diets but Were Afraid to Ask” session.

This event is 100% free.

Light refreshments will be provided.

(Coke, Spam, veal, Twizzlers, and deep-fried Crisco frosting.)

Not.

Anyone is welcome. Please invite yourself if you're interested. We do have a maximum capacity of about 20. If there is enough interest I will do this on subsequent Wednesdays this summer as well.

And feel free to rsvp privately if you prefer.

RSVP to a11massage@aol.com

Blessings,

Janine Bronson

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16. Benefits of Being Vegetarian Even For One Day a Week

Going Meat-Free One Day a Week Saves More GHG Emissions Than A 100% Local Diet

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/06/new-study-going-meat-free-one-day-week-saves-more-emissions-than-local-diet.php

Thanks to author, educator, and JVNA advisor Dan Brook for forwarding this information to us.

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