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Start your Tuesday off with a cool article on Planet Green about Tony Gonzalez of the Atlanta Falcons! (Thanks Todd!)

A Vegan in the National Football League?

Well, almost… Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez eats green and stays strong (and so can you).

By Mickey Z.
Astoria, NY, USA

Another NFL season is upon us but what can the red meat macho world of pro football offer an earth-friendly greenie? How about a lesson in eco-eating from Atlanta Falcons Tight End Tony Gonzalez? A ten-time Pro Bowl selection, Gonzalez currently holds the NFL records for single season receptions (102) by a tight end, career touchdowns by a tight end (76), career receptions by a tight end (916), and reception yards by a tight end (10,940).

After reading The China Study in 2007, the 6-foot-5, 251-lb. athlete experimented with veganism and now subsists on an almost entirely plant-based diet. In 2008—his first meat-free season—Gonzalez stuck to his diet and broke two major records for his position. “I was like, ‘OK, this is working,’” he said. “I have so much more energy when I’m out there.”

And he’s not alone. In baseball, Milwaukee Brewers slugger Prince Fielder is proving vegan can hit home runs at a prodigious rate. Also, there’s mixed martial arts fighter Mac Danzig, ultra-marathoner Scott Jurek, and other athletes both staying green and excelling in their sports.

How is this possible when it flies in the face of conventional (sic) wisdom? Part of it can be chalked up to the deeply embedded protein myth. “Although in the past it was thought that vegetarian and vegan diets might impair athletic performance,” explains Natalie Digate Muth, MPH, RD, “scientists, coaches, and athletes alike now agree that with proper planning a diet without animal products can effectively fuel peak performance.” In addition, the decidedly mainstream National Academy of Sciences has declared, “There is little evidence that muscular activity increases the need for protein.”

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) adds: “People build muscle and other body proteins from amino acids, which come from the proteins they eat. A varied diet of beans, lentils, grains, and vegetables contains all of the essential amino acids. It was once thought that various plant foods had to be eaten together to get their full protein value, but current research suggests this is not the case. Many nutrition authorities, including the American Dietetic Association, believe protein needs can easily be met by consuming a variety of plant protein sources over an entire day.”

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If you are available to be on evacuation help stand by for The Gentle Barn please call their volunteer fire coordinator Mechelle at mymechel@sbcglobal.net or call her at 818-585-1481.

Please give her all of your contact info and your availability. Please also let her know the type of vehicle you drive and if you have access to an animal trailer.

The Gentle Barn Foundation is home to 100 animals rescued from abuse,and host to abused children, kids recovering from substance abuse, kids on probation, foster kids, and children and adults with mental, emotional, and physical challenges.

Through the interaction with animals, the kids learn forgiveness, courage, strength, leadership skills, trust, empathy, and kindness. The healing that takes place when the kids get together with the animals is miraculous.

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Just got an email alert from Animal Acres, the farm sanctuary up in Acton CA. As suspected, the farm is being evacuated and at this time all animals are safe. In addition, the 2009 Gala will be moved to another location.

See below:

Dear Animal Acres Members, As many of you have heard, Acton, CA, is one of the areas affected by the enormous Los Angeles Forest fire. While the fire is still several miles away, we have decided to plan for the worst, and hope for the best – and as we send you this notice, we have begun evacuating the sanctuary animals. At this time, we have a team of volunteers at the sanctuary assisting us, as well as people at our evacuation site. Many dedicated “helping hands” have come to our rescue both to help us prepare, and respond immediately. Thanks to your generous donations and support, we have been preparing for emergency evacuation needs since 2007, the last severe fire storms in Southern California. We were able to construct an EVACUATION CENTER for our animals, purchase an additional animal transport trailer, and construct fencing and chutes needed at the sanctuary to quickly remove animals. In summary, we are as prepared as humanly possible, and we cannot thank you enough for being such an important part of this lifesaving effort. We are also thinking of the millions of other animals and people affected by this fire storm, and as soon as the Animal Acres animals and people are safely relocated, we will begin assisting with other animal evacuation needs. The Los Angeles Times has just interviewed us for a story on the situation, and we have asked them to include our contact information to assist other animals in need. If you can help, please email us. I also wanted to give you an update on our upcoming Gala benefit scheduled for this Saturday, September 5th. At this time, all reports are indicating that the fire may not be under control for another 7 – 10 days. We are currently looking for a Los Angeles venue to hold the Gala at as an option (though it is extremely difficult to find a suitable and affordable venue so close to the event) and if this option is not available, and the fire is not contained by this Wednesday, we regrettably, will need to postpone the Gala. We will be sending another email to everyone on Wednesday with the update, and of course, any other updates if the situation worsens. Thank you for all your calls – I know you understand we cannot return calls at this time – but I want you to know how much we appreciate being in your thoughts. Thank you and much love from ALL of us at Animal Acres. Lorri Houston, President

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I first posted this is June ’08 but wanted to repost it and remind everyone that it is now available to watch on Hulu.com for FREE! Just click HERE and enjoy this amazing show– and please pass on!!

Tonight I finally got a chance to watch the recent episode of 30 DAYS (created by Supersize Me‘s Morgan Spurlock and in it’s 3rd season on FX) where a hunter and meat lover from North Carolina stays with a vegan family in California for…you guessed it…30 days.

This is a really great program and I would encourage everyone to watch it, and show as many people as possible. The show does an amazing job of showing you how even someone dead set against animal rights and animal rights activists can be made to understand the motives for becoming vegan.

The hunter guy, George, has to attend Peta protests, visit an animal shelter and watch a dog euthanized, and volunteer at an animal sanctuary. The farm sanctuary is actually Animal Acres, where I have volunteered many times.

While I myself often find holes in animal rights rhetoric (the Holocaust analogy has never sat well with me) and methods (Peta’s poor choice of spokespeople), this show made me feel incredibly proud of the ethical choices I have made.

This episode did a great job of presenting a range of animal rights issues in a hard hitting style, showing footage that most people do not see on TV. It managed to cover factory farming, fur, animal testing and over pet population.

The section when George assists in rescuing a dumped veal calf is especially powerful, especially footage showing working shoving and dragging the animals into a trailer to go off to slaughter. As is the part where you see George witnessing an animal at the pound being euthanized.

I would encourage all of you to not only watch this episode, but to tell your family and friends.

Unlike a lot of animal rights propaganda (and yes, I can use that word even for the “good guys”), this show is very very balanced.

Please PLEASE take a few minutes at watch this episode. It will help you understand so much…and me as well.

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If you don’t have your tickets already, make sure you head over to the Animal Acres Website and purchase your passes for their 2009 Gala hosted by Ellen Degeneres! A ton of other celebs will be on hand for the event, including James Cromwell and Beau Bridges, two of my favorite actors.

To give you even more incentive, the entire gathering will be catered by my favorite LA vegan restaurant, Madeleine Bistro!

Of course, the biggest draw will be the sanctuary’s numerous rescued farm animals– from pigs to goats, sheeps and hens, turkeys and roosters. ALL proceeds from the gala benefit their continued care, and Animal Acres ability to rescue more (and there is always, always more…).

Hurry and get your tix! This will most likely sell out…

Animal Acres 2009 Gala Celebration
Saturday, September 5th @ 5pm
5200 Escondido Canyon Road
Acton, CA 93510
661-269-5404
info@animalacres.org

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This is the kind of article I hate to read. It makes me wish I had a big house, with a big backyard, that I could just fill with rescued animals. Of course, that is not possibly, and perhaps not even healthy.

But maybe if we each ask one person who might be thinking of getting a pet to ADOPT, not buy (including from breeders!), we can make a difference.

Right now is an urgent, desperate time for animal shelters all across the country, but especially in California. If you think adopting might be right for you, now is the time!!

Los Angeles animal shelters are seeing a record number of furry friends – and euthanasias – as a result of the down economy.
By Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer
DailyBreeze.com

The shelters are so overcrowded that the Department of Animal Services is offering two-for-one cat adoptions to make room for a feline influx.

The influx also can be attributed to spay and neuter ordinances being more difficult to enforce for cats, many of whom are free-roaming, said Capt. Daniel Pantoja, who oversees the Harbor Animal Care Center in San Pedro.

“I’m at capacity and every other shelter is as well,” Pantoja said. “We have cats in cages in the hallways, in the lobby, in rooms that are supposed to be for quarantined animals. We’re using every space we can.”

Area animal shelters have been experiencing a feline population explosion. The Harbor shelter was built with 24 cat kennels and they currently are housing 104 cats and kittens. A cat rests in a kennel in the lobby at the Harbor shelter. Cats are being kept all throughout the shelter. (Scott Varley/Staff Photographer)
groups, taxed to capacity, are desperate to find homes for thousands of unwanted pets.

“We need some recuperation,” said Kathy Davis, interim general manager of the department. “We’re certainly hoping at some point that the economy will recover and, as a byproduct, people will quit turning their animals in.”

The surge in abandoned pets has continued unabated since May 2008, when soaring job losses and home foreclosures began fueling an increase in surrendered dogs and cats at city shelters.

In the fiscal year ending June 30, the number of dogs and cats turned in to the city’s six animal shelters soared 14 percent to 55,742 – the highest in five years, according to city data.

But while pet adoptions increased 24 percent, so have the number of animals killed, with cats bearing the brunt of euthanasias.

“Due to the economy, people are opening their doors and letting the animals go because they have nowhere to take them,” said Missy Woodward of Reseda, on the board of Stray Cat Alliance.

“There’s a desperate need for people to take in pets and spay and neuter their own.”

Pantoja said the new San Pedro shelter – which opened in June 2008 – was built with only 24 cat cages.

“Twenty-four cages is not enough,” he said.

The shelter at 957 N. Gaffey St. currently is holding 104 cats and 105 dogs (with 74 dog kennels), he said, adding that animals are being euthanized for reasons of “time and space.”

“They’re not sick or aggressive, but we’ve got to make room for new ones,” he said.

Despite a spay-neuter law implemented last fall, the department destroyed nearly 13,000 cats, a 30 percent increase, while unweaned kitten kills rose 41 percent in 12 months.

Pantoja said the numbers of animals coming into the Harbor Area shelter have grown over the past few years.

“Every summer, as soon as the heat waves start, the multiplying of cats continues,” Pantoja said. “People ignore the fact that spaying and neutering cats is important.”

The increase has incited animal welfare activists, who say the shelters are “red-listing” – designating animals in immediate danger of euthanasia – up to 40 cats a day.

Adding to the pressure is a decision made Tuesday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to halve the mandated adoption time from six days to three, and decrease funds to shelters as part of the 2010 state budget.

“I think it’s a sad time for the animals in California,” said Judie Mancuso, founder of Social Compassion in Legislation, an animal welfare advocacy group. “It creates a heavy burden to shelters across the state.”

Davis said that the minimum holding period for adaptable pets in Los Angeles shelters will not change, despite the governor’s action, with the average adoption period of nine to 12 days.

“Our mission is, we’re holding animals as long as we have space,” she said.

Critics, however, called for a complete rethinking of animal shelter policies to achieve the city’s stated no-kill goal.

“Our shelters are failing,” said Ed Muzika of the blog LA Animal Watch. “When you kill 4,000 animals more than last year, it’s not success.

He said despite more than 40,000 free spay-neuter vouchers passed out by the city last year, cat impounds have increased dramatically. He questioned whether the city’s spay-neuter law imposed in October, which requires owners to fix their pets, may be forcing those who can’t afford surgeries to surrender the animals to city shelters instead.

“In order for no-kill to be realized,” said Muzika, “the (department) needs a top-down analysis by the nation’s top no-kill experts.”

Because cats are not licensed, Pantoja said, it is more difficult to enforce a spay-neuter law for felines. A low-cost, community spay-neuter clinic, Clinico, now operates on the grounds of the San Pedro shelter.

Davis said it may take three to five years to see results from the city’s spay-neuter ordinance. Meanwhile, she said gradual improvements are being made.

A nonprofit program to encourage pet owners in South Los Angeles to keep their pets has saved 800 dogs and cats since January, she said.

And the two-for-one-cat “Summer Buddies” program sponsored by the Found Animal Foundation at the San Pedro and East Valley shelters and is in effect through August.

Los Angeles animal shelters will host a half-off adoption fair Aug. 19-23. For information, see www.laanimalservices.com.

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The much heralded Martha Stewart Adoption Center is open for business! Martha Stewart has partnered up with Adopt a Pet to offer the opportunity to search for over 65K dogs (like Jackson from Los Angeles above) and 60K cats up for adoptions nation wide.

Go HERE to check out the page!

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The website is nothing but lies, lies and more lies. If you feel like feeling ill, go to the website

Then go take a long shower.

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I’m not sure how I feel about this, I think it’s kind of a waste of resources (I’d rather they just list the FULL ingredients of a hot dog haha), but I think PCRM is a great organization and of course, it’s always good to have vegan articles in the news to make people think.

What are your thoughts on this article on the FRONT page of the LA Times business section today?

Hot Dogs Should Carry a Warning Label, Lawsuit Says

The suit, by a group that promotes a meat-free diet, seeks to require cancer-risk labels on processed meats. Nutrition experts say foods that go along with the hot dog may be more dangerous.

By Jerry Hirsch
July 23, 2009

“Warning: Consuming hot dogs and other processed meats increases the risk of cancer.”

That’s the label that a vegan advocacy group wants a New Jersey court to order Oscar Mayer, Hebrew National and other food companies to slap on hot dog packages.

The nonprofit Cancer Project filed a lawsuit Wednesday on behalf of three New Jersey plaintiffs asking the Essex County Superior Court to compel the companies to place cancer-risk warning labels on hot dog packages sold in New Jersey.

“Just as tobacco causes lung cancer, processed meats are linked to colon cancer,” said Neal Barnard, president of the Cancer Project and an adjunct professor at the George Washington University medical school in Washington, D.C. “Companies that sell hot dogs are well aware of the danger, and their customers deserve the same information.”

The defendants in the lawsuit, which seeks class-action status, include Nathan’s Famous Inc., Oscar Mayer owner Kraft Foods Inc., Sara Lee Corp., Marathon Enterprises Inc. and ConAgra Foods Inc., which owns Hebrew National.

Efforts to put warning labels on hot dog packages are “crazy,” said Josh Urdang, 27, as he stood in line to buy two franks at Pink’s hot dog stand in Hollywood on Tuesday.

“It wouldn’t change how many hot dogs I eat. Not at all,” said Urdang, an information technology consultant from Hollywood.

His friend Joe Di Lauro, 31, called such a move “overpolicing. . . . At what point do you stop breaking things down? Unless we’re going to put a warning label on every single food and say what’s bad in it.”

Other consumers were skeptical of the Cancer Project’s agenda.

“Vegans complaining about hot dogs is like the Amish complaining about gas prices,” said Susan Thatcher of Irvine.

Americans spent $3.4 billion buying 730 million packages of hot dogs and sausages in U.S. supermarkets last year, according to the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council.

Nutrition experts say that the science is far more complicated and that slapping warning labels on the staple of baseball games and picnics would not have much effect on public health.

“If one were to call for a ‘black label’ on frankfurters, where should the warning label end? If we were to evaluate each food for its naturally occurring toxins and eliminate that food, then our food plate would be empty,” said Roger Clemens, a nutrition expert at USC’s pharmacy school.

The industry is dead set against such warning labels.

“These proposals are unfounded. Hot dogs have been enjoyed by consumers for more than 100 years,” said Sydney Lindner, a Kraft spokeswoman.

The Cancer Project is a branch of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a group that lobbies against animal research and pitches the adoption of meat-free diets.

In the lawsuit, the Cancer Project cites the role of nitrites, preservatives used in cured and processed meats such as hot dogs, in the development of cancer-forming agents.

During digestion, nitrites break down into nitrosamines and other N-nitroso compounds that are considered carcinogens.

Although some medical studies link red and processed meats to cancer risk, it’s not clear whether it is because of the nitrites or other factors such as high fat content.

Said Keith-Thomas Ayoob, a nutritionist at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York: “There is speculation that nitrosamines can increase cancer risk when consumed in large amounts and frequently. Occasionally should cause no worry. The stuff people typically have with a hot dog may be a more immediate concern: too many calories from all the fat-laden potato and macaroni salads, sugary drinks and sweet desserts.”

An American Institute for Cancer Research report cited in the lawsuit notes that one 50-gram serving of processed meat — about the amount in one hot dog — consumed daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer 21% on average. Colorectal cancer kills about 50,000 Americans annually.

But a 2004 analysis by Harvard University researchers of pooled data from 14 studies in North America and Europe did not find a similar link between various red and processed meats and cancer. But they did find that higher consumption of poultry and fish may be associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer.

The lawsuit acknowledges debate over how the consumption of some types of meats leads to greater cancer risk, but it argues that that doesn’t negate a need for warnings on hot dogs.

“This situation is similar to the link between the smoking of tobacco products and lung cancer: While all the molecular events linking the smoking of tobacco to the development of lung cancer are not known, the link cannot be disputed,” the lawsuit states.

There may be arguments for broader health warnings about red meat consumption, but the bigger risk is of heart disease rather than cancer, said Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

“Though I favor warning notices in certain circumstances, the overuse of warnings can lead to ‘warning fatigue,’ ” Jacobson said. “Eating hot dogs occasionally is not by itself worrisome.”

jerry.hirsch@latimes.com

Read the article online HERE

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Alanis Morissette is getting a lot of attention for her newly svelte figure that she credits to a vegan diet. While on one hand, I don’t necessarily think she looked terrible a few pounds heavier, I’m all for people feeling like they have more energy and feeling better about themselves. Of course, it’s nice to have veganism in the news again too….

Alanis Morissette – From Rock Bottom to Rock Hard

by Jacki Donaldson / AOL Health / July 21, 2009

Alanis Morissette may have mourned her engagement split with actor Ryan Reynolds by turning to comfort food and packing on the pounds, but the singer has abandoned her indulgent lifestyle for a clean diet and a rigorous exercise routine. Now, Morissette is about 20 pounds slimmer, and her body is right back where she wants it.

“I’m back to what I was born to be, at my best,” Morissette tells the Daily Mail. She found a sustainable diet in Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book “Eat to Live” — she traded a processed and dairy-heavy diet for a vegan one, full of fruit, vegetables, beans and nuts. The book, which focuses on eating for disease prevention, has the 35-year-old feeling great.

“I used to get out of bed in the morning and things were aching, and I just thought, this is what happens when you get into your 30s.” But now she jumps out of bed full of energy. “I feel very alive,” she says. “Even after a workout, I feel like if I rest a little bit I could go out dancing all night, so that’s exciting.”

Besides dancing, which she counts as a workout, Morissette (looking quite fit in these Daily Mail photos) clocks a half hour to an hour of light weights, running, biking and swimming about five times a week. She also kickboxes and plans to run a marathon.

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Genlux Magazine is a glossy fashion magazine aimed at affleuent female LA shoppers with Gold or Platinum AMEX cards. Needless to say, I rarely read it, but happened to pick up a copy at my dad’s tonight and was surprised to see the words “animal rights activist” tossed into a quick interview with Ashley Paige, bikini designer.

A Hollywood girl herself, Paige gave this admirable answer to the question “What are you buying lately”?

Society of St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store
Lincoln Heights
210 N Avenue 21
Los Angeles, CA 90031
(323) 224-6280
www.svdpla.org

Hours:
Mon-Sat. 9:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Sun. 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

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Delectable New Dairy-Free Mozzarella “Cheese” Sparks Vegan Pizza Revolution

Cruzer Pizza Sees Overall Sales Soar 63 Percent within First Month of Introducing Vegan Pies with Daiya Cheese Alternative

Los Angeles, CA – June 29, 2009 – For years, food manufacturers have searched far and wide for the Holy Grail of mainstream vegan cuisine: a non-dairy cheese substitute which stretches, melts and tastes so much like the real thing even cheese lovers can’t tell the difference. Even though a variety of “cheeses” made from soy, nuts, rice, and other plant-based ingredients have made inroads into the lucrative vegan market in the last decade, none has excelled enough at the all-important flavor equivalency test to convince even the choosiest of cheese devotees — until now.

A new vegan cheese substitute made by Canadian company Daiya Foods, Inc. could represent the long-awaited commercial breakthrough. As the only company in the world to make vegan “cheese” from cassava (a tropical shrub native to South America that is also the basis of tapioca), Daiya ferments the plant’s root so that it curdles the same way milk does during the traditional cheese making process, creating the supple yet chewy consistency that largely accounts for cheese’s enduring popularity. As a result, Daiya has won rave reviews from food bloggers, as well as VegNews magazine’s “Best of Show Award” at the 2009 Expo West trade show.

Daiya vegan “cheese” only became available in the United States in 2009, and the first eatery to offer it to patrons in the Western U.S. was Cruzer Pizza in the Los Feliz district of Los Angeles. Cruzer’s owner, Sam Khalaf, started using Daiya on pizzas after being approached by Michelle Sass, California Advocacy Organizer for Farm Sanctuary, the nation’s leading farm animal advocacy group. At Sass’ suggestion, Khalaf removed veal from Cruzer’s menu and simultaneously added eight new vegan Daiya “cheese” pizzas featuring toppings like tofu-based “chicken,” “ham,” “sausage,” and “pepperoni,” as well as a full range of fresh vegetables.

According to Khalaf, customer response to the change was phenomenal, unmistakable and surprisingly immediate. “Since launching the vegan menu on May 29, overall sales in our Los Feliz store have increased by 63 percent, and the vegan items have outsold everything else we make,” he reported. “Sales have been so good that we’ve decided to add vegan calzones, macaroni and ‘cheese,’ spaghetti and ‘meat’ balls, and lasagna to our menu.” Khalaf publicized Cruzer’s new menu by hanging 50,000 doorknob fliers throughout the area, and has even started making vegan pizzas at their Glendale location as well as some of the other 20 pizzerias he owns in the L.A. area bearing other names.

Meanwhile, after watching its next door neighbor’s vegan pizza sales go through the roof, upscale restaurant Desert Rose made a full one-third of its menu vegan and prominently printed Farm Sanctuary’s “seal of approval” next to the new items, which include Cruzer’s pizzas. About 150 people attended the menu launch party at Desert Rose on Saturday night, June 27, an event that was co-organized by Farm Sanctuary’s Sass and Vegan Drinks, a social networking group that promotes the vegan lifestyle by hosting monthly outings in more than a dozen U.S. cities.

Like Khalaf, Sass believes Daiya’s game-changing innovation will fuel an exploding vegan pizza demand that the smartest restaurateurs will be ready to supply. “Cruzer and other pizzerias using Daiya are on the cutting edge of a trend that is going to grow exponentially as more people get a taste of this fabulous product,” she said. “There is already a huge underserved and largely untapped consumer demographic out there comprised of vegans and millions of others who want appetizing, natural, cruelty-free alternatives to milk-based cheese. That is exactly what Daiya is, and the first companies — from the smallest storefronts to the largest global franchises — to get in on the ground floor of this budding business are going to profit the most.”

Cruzer Pizza & Pasta
4449 Prospect Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 666-0600

Hours:
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m

Desert Rose Bar & Lounge
1700 Hillhurst Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90027
(323) 666-1166
desertroserestaurant.com

Hours:
Mon-Thu. 11:00am – 1:00am (Happy Hour: 5-7pm)
Fri-Sat. 11:00am – 2:00am
Sun. 10:00am – 12:00am (Brunch: 10am-4pm)

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It’s that time! Click the banner and vote for your favorite vegan treats, restaurants, bakeries, cookies, etc. Be entered for a chance to win a bunch of really cool prizes including a vacation to Key West, Matt & Nat bags, and a chocolate gift pack (yummm…chocolate…).

Vote and be heard!!

and no, sadly, veggywood was not nominated (sad face)… but feel free to write it in for fav blog! : )

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Check out this rather serious testing of LA vegan restaurants such as California Vegan, Green Leaves Thai and M Cafe. Surprise, surprise Green Leaves Thai got failing marks. Well, I could have told you that. Two weeks after that place opened I confronted the manager there about their use of non-vegan products. It soon became clear they really didn’t know what vegan meant at all.

But although this is an interesting study, but really I would suggest not going to crazy with this. Part of what I always tell new vegans is “try your best.” If you start freaking out over being 100% vegan you are going to burn out.

On the other hand, since I work in advertising, I know how important truthful marketing is. And if a restaurant is knowingly misleading vegan customers, they don’t deserve to have the support of that community. Period.

Check out the in-depth article HERE

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I know this isn’t vegan related, but I am in such shock over Michael Jackson‘s passing. I’m thirty, and Michael Jackson and Madonna are the two musical symbols of my youth. I just can’t believe it, another Hollywood tragedy. What a sad, lonely man. What a sad life. Despite all the weirdness in his personal life, you can’t deny that we lost a musical genius yesterday, someone who reshaped and defined the genre of pop music.

And while I of course don’t condone the keeping of wild animals as pets, I thought it would be appropriate to post a photo of the animal lover with his friend Bubbles, who was rescued from a research lab before he would up with Michael. Michael did the right thing and sent Bubbles to a sanctuary in 2002. You can read more about Bubbles’ life at the sanctuary HERE.

Rest in Peace MJ (Finally). Teach God to Moonwalk.

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