Continuing with posting links that are months old (in a futile attempt to catch up), the Vegan Ideal offers a persuasive analysis of the problematic nature of campaigns against dog meat in Korea, specifically the petition by In Defense of Animals urging people to “not buy Korean goods, support Korean businesses, or visit Korea.” That’s right — they are going to boycott an entire country* (it’s kinda like freedom fries for AR folks!).

(Long-time readers of this blog will know that dog meat in particular has been a hot topic. Kindly refer to websites like Derailing for Dummies before making any tired, racist comments in response again.)

* Note: I know someone is going to bring up boycotts of apartheid South Africa; I don’t really think the two situations are parallel, for some of the reasons talked about in the post from the Vegan Ideal.

Another old link, but something I haven’t seen discussed before: vegan friendly food relief items. Marie, the Filipina vegan blogger behind the mouth-watering How to Become a Vegan Domestic Goddess, compiled a list of easy vegan items one could donate to disaster relief efforts. This was spurred by the devastation caused by Typhoon Ondoy, which smashed into the Philippines in late September. Because I’m not a local, it made more sense for me to donate money — but her list provides some great ideas should I ever be in close enough proximity to an area needing relief that I can donate supplies.

I was also grateful to her for mentioning details on how to donate to the Philippine Animal Welfare Society, who have been helping companion animals affected by Ondoy.

http://www.naturalnews.com/027514_phthalates_feminization.html

This bothers me because I can’t necessarily say I would care if my infant son, Sun, were “feminized”. Who freaking cares as long as he’s happy!?

I am turned off by the phrase “gender-bender phthalate chemicals.” Mike Adams doesn’t seem to understand that the rigid heteropatriarchal heteorsexist able-bodied binary of female/male in the USA is, in itself, a problem; what does playing with certain toys have to do with exposure to “chemicals?” Is this guy serious? See below what I quoted (source: http://www.naturalnews.com/027514_phthalates_feminization.html):

(NaturalNews) In a bombshell finding that has far-reaching implications for society and culture, scientists at the University of Rochester have found that phthalates — the chemical found in many vinyl and plastic products — tends to “feminize” boys, altering their brains to express more feminine characteristics. The study has been published in the Journal of Andrology.

Phthalates are found in vinyl products (including vinyl flooring), PVC shower curtains, plastic furniture and even in the plastic coating of the insides of dishwashing machines.

The feminization process happens during pregnancy when phthalate exposure causes hormone disruptions in the unborn baby. This chemical feminizes males by disrupting the action of the hormone testosterone.

In this recent study, researchers found a strong correlation between the types of toys that male children play with and the level of phthalates found in their mothers when they were pregnant. Researchers discovered that boys exposed to high levels of phthalates in the womb tend to avoid playing with cars, trains or toy guns. They also avoided rough play, instead preferring more feminine toys and activities. (Barbie?)

Sometimes he can be very “know it all straight white middle class” guy who thinks he can speak for everyone and know what is “healthy” for everyone to eat.  He uses phrases and wording that are so encased in white middle-class heterosexual able-bodied male privilege…and it drives me crazy! But, at the same time, he feels strongly that he is helping many people. I have benefited from many things he has written, but he totally needs to take an awareness class around gender, whiteness, class, etc. because he is constantly doing this. I don’t think he’s aware of it. I think I should probably write him and let him know…

…and it’s not that he can’t write from the “white middle-class heterosexual able-bodied male privilege” perspective… I think what irritates me is that he doesn’t reflect on it or at least name where he is coming from, as opposed to making it as if it’s “common sense” or “universally” applicable.

I’m really bummed I haven’t been able to post more here in the past few months — more about that later, maybe, but for now, a few links:

First of all, check out the blogroll (on the right hand side of the blog — click over if you’re reading via RSS feeds!). I keep stumbling on new awesome vegan blogs but also even more excitingly, more blogs by vegans of color!

Secondly, a link I’ve had open in a browser tab for literally months: Self-Delusion and the Lie of Lifestyle Activism. This argues that the impact of individual changes such as building a compost pile or recycling are generally not enough to make a difference (& in the case of the widespread habit of recycling, can be counterproductive because of the emphasis on recycling as opposed to reducing waste). This is partly because, the post argues, modeling a behavior is not generally enough to get other people to adopt it. I read the full post months ago & didn’t wade through the plethora of comments, but I’m sure being vegan would be something that the author would put under that category as well. I don’t agree with everything — though there are some good points made there — but I think as vegans & vegan activists there is a lot to think about regardless.

Thirdly, I saw the other day that Battlestar Galactica’s Grace Park is now shilling for PETA. Sigh.

Right, now my query. This is generally not an easy time of year for me, between the darkening of the days (& the declining temperature) & the holidays. I’m doing a lot of work just to keep myself on any kind of even keel, but one thing that often gets put on hold is, well, doing activist things or even feeling excited or inspired by the issues. It’s not as if I’m contemplating stopping being vegan — that is most definitely NOT the case — more just that I haven’t had the energy or inspiration to go trawling through all the vegan blogs & campaigns & stuff that I used to do.

What do you do when you find yourself in kind of a rut? I know for burnout taking a break is a good idea, but it’s not that I’m burnt out (well: not in terms of veganism, although I did have a huge disillusioning infuriating situation earlier this year [related to other issues] that has made me really pissed off with certain aspects of the activist crowd where I live). I’m just kind of… maintaining at the moment. I want to be inspired & invigorated again (note: shock tactics won’t do the trick, so no one suggest I watch Earthlings, please). Suggestions?

I remember I was in a bicycle accident a few years ago and needed stitches because the under part of my bike sliced up my leg.  After getting stitched up in the ER, the doctor asked me, “When was the last time you had a tetanus shot?” I told her it had been about 11 or 12 years. She told me that I needed one immediately. After about 5 minutes of her telling me why I should get it (versus me knowing that animal products are used in it), I decided to do it. Though I did make the conscious choice for stitches that were removable (versus the animal based ones that are absorbed into the system), it bothered me about making the conscious choice about getting the tet shot. I wonder if I was really at danger. What would have happened had I not done it? Was the doctor really valid in her concerns? Was I simply giving in to ignorant fear and probably not thinking too clearly because I was still in shock from the bike accident?

The other year, a good friend of mine had emergency root canal surgery. A strict raw foods vegan, he was torn about getting a prescription for a heavy antibiotic in which the caps were not vegan. He and I asked the pharmacist if she could order a vegan capsule for him, but they were not able to find it. Ultimately, he decided to take it, but felt really horrible about it.

How does one negotiate these situations? Many people who practice veganism also rely on medications, prescriptions, etc that were developed using animal ingredients and/or experimented on animals. This is not a judgmental question, just a question I have because I have a lot of people telling me they are 100% vegan in lifestyle, but I am wondering what “100%” really means. Is that possible for many people, when dealing with reliance on prescriptions, medications, surgery, etc? Please share your story or thoughts on this.

Best,

Breeze

Greetings!

I’m excited to announce the release of my first cookbook Quick & Easy Vegan Comfort Food. Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food is perfect for new vegans, long-time vegans, or meat eaters trying to bring more healthful options into their diets. Quick and Easy Vegan Comfort Food has more than 150 go-to recipes for those looking for the tastes of home. The book opens by debunking myths that sometimes get in the way of eating vegan and introduces readers to favorite ingredients, cooking tools, and my love of quick, easy and tasty veganized comfort classics.

Ran across this journal article this morning and wonder what people think about this concept.I have the entire pdf. Email me at breezeharper (at) gmail (dot) com.

———

Journal of Agric Environ Ethics (2008) 21:579–596
Vegetarian Meat: Could Technology Save Animals and Satisfy Meat Eaters?
Patrick D. Hopkins and Austin Dacey

Abstract    Between people who unabashedly support eating meat and those who adopt moral vegetarianism, lie a number of people who are uncomfortably carnivorous and vaguely wish they could be vegetarians. Opposing animal suffering in principle, they can ignore it in practice, relying on the visual disconnect between supermarket meat and slaughterhouse practices not to trigger their moral emotions. But what if we could have the best of both worlds in reality—eat meat and not harm animals? The nascent bio- technology of tissue culture, originally researched for medical applications, holds out just such a promise. Meat could be grown in vitro without killing animals. In fact, this technology may not just be an intriguing option, but might be our moral obligation to develop.

Hi, my name is Noemi. I blog occasionally here at vegans of color and write zines, do community work & am a legal worker assisting survivors of domestic violence.  My blog & writing can be found at http://www.hermanaresist.com

I’m compiling a vegan recipe zine, “Sofrito Pa’ Ti.”  I’m a Puerto Rican/Mexican single mom, alternative media activist & writer living in south texas and I love to bake & cook. It’ll be focused on how to cook when you don’t have a traditional stove (which we don’t)-so we cook w/ electric skillets, microwave, slow cookers, tea pot (boil water for oatmeal or pasta!) and a counter toaster oven. A smaller version of this was available at this year’s Allied Media Conference and now I want to expand it and include more recipes. If you’d like to submit your vegan recipes, send up to 3 to csdistro (at) gmail dot com. Include your name, email, mailing address and a brief bio, include your email or site in your bio if you’d like it to be included in the zine.
Deadline-shall we aim for Dec 15th?

Email me if you have any questions *I don’t have internet access at home so I wouldn’t be able to respond to replies here in a timely fashion.

Gracias

I am doing my PhD research and simply can’t find what I need. So, I decided to start a research group listserv that I hope will benefit those of us interested in intersections of food and race/ethnicity… but from a critical race and/or critical whiteness and/or critical race feminist and/or decolonial theory analyses. Please spread the word to scholars that you think would benefit from this.

What it’s about: We would be exchanging information, brainstorming ideas, posing questions about where to find resources, posting announcements about funding, books, jobs. Post conference announcements, new URLs that focus on the topics this listserv addresses. You get the drift.

I will be paying special attention to providing academic/scholarly information about available vegetarian, raw food, and vegan literature.

http://groups.google.com/group/critical-race-theory-and-food-studies-research is the site to go to and join. I also want to start a new journal with the same title, and would need to apply for funding. Thus far, I can’t seem to find any journals on this subject that are “peer-reviewed.”

Has anyone ever seen Twlight? If so, I am wondering about this book. Has anyone read it? I have never watched Twilight, but I know it’s incredibly popular. See the book below? I just ran across it on while searching for books.

Twilight and Philosophy: Vampires, Vegetarians, and the Pursuit of Immortality

On Amazon.com, the product description reads as:

Product Description
The first look at the philosophy behind Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling Twilight series

Bella and Edward, and their family and friends, have faced countless dangers and philosophical dilemmas in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight novels. This book is the first to explore them, drawing on the wisdom of philosophical heavyweights to answer essential questions such as: What do the struggles of “vegetarian” vampires who control their biological urge for human blood say about free will? Are vampires morally absolved if they kill only animals and not people? From a feminist perspective, is Edward a romantic hero or is he just a stalker? Is Jacob “better” for Bella than Edward? (source: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470484233?ie=UTF8&tag=sistvegawebs-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0470484233)

Vegetarian vampires? Interesting….