IVU Online News

Excitement Builds for 2012 IVU Congress/Vegfest, 5-14 October
Vegetarian Week, 1-7 October
Debunking the Paleo Diet
How I Became a Vegetarian
Vegan Magazine
Plant-Based Cartoon Series Seeks Funding
More from Dr Michael
Web Resources on Dairy
Book News
Upcoming Events
Welcome to Organisations That Have Recently Registered with IVU
Other Online Sources of Veg News
Please Send News to IVU Online News

2012-09 News

Excitement Builds for 2012 IVU Congress/Vegfest, 5-14 October

Only a bit more than one month remains until the 2012 IVU Congress/Vegfest, 5-14 October (please note the slightly revised dates), back-to-back, both in California, USA, first in San Francisco and then in Los Angeles.

The programme for Los Angeles, Friday, 12 October has now been finalised:

9.00-9.45 - Opening panel with representatives from Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe, North and South America -- Introduction to the International Vegetarian Union (IVU) and World Vegetarianism and Veganism, with photos of veg activities around the world.

Panel members include:
- Marly Winckler, President of the Brazil VegSoc, Chair of the IVU Council
- Saurabh Dalal, President of the VegSoc Washington, DC, USA, IVU Deputy Chair
- Susianto Tseng (photo), President of the Indonesia VegSoc, IVU Asia-Pacific Coordinator
- Emmanuel Eyoh, President of the Nigeria VegSoc, IVU Africa Coordinator
- Dilip Barman, President of the Triangle VegSoc, North Carolina, USA, IVU North America Coordinator
- Shabari Saha, UK, IVU Liaison Officer for Europe
- John Davis, UK, IVU manager

9.45-10.45 - Brazil! - Marly Winckler, Monica Buava and Alex Fernandes on "Preservation of the Amazon Rainforest", "Segunda Sem Carne" (Mondays Without Meat campaign) and "Who we really are"

10.45-11.00 - Liquid refreshment break

11.00-11.30 - Dr Susianto Tseng, Indonesia - "Role of Tempe Formula as a Source of Vitamin B12 and its Implementation for Vegetarian Diet"

11.30-12.00 - Emmanuel Eyoh, Nigeria - "The Vegetarian Movement in Africa"

12.00-12.30 - Aris la Tham, Jamaica/Costa Rica - "My Raw Food Plate - How To Develop a Vegan Raw Food Dietary Plan in Accordance with the USDA ‘My Plate’ Nutritional Guidelines"

12.30-1.30 - Lunch

1.30-2.00 - Dr Annie Potts, New Zealand - "Vegan Sexuality: What It's About and How It Challenges Meat Culture"

2.00-2.30 - Saurabh Dalal, India/USA - "Diet and Environmental Connection from a Science-Based Perspective"

2.30-3.15 - Closing panel; Questions for all speakers

Time for a swim, then 6.00pm dinner by the pool

more at: www.vegetarianvegan.org

Want to stay abreast of developments with the two-city, multi-ring circus of vegetarian virtuosity? It’s easy. One, you can visit the event website at http://www.vegetarianvegan.org/index.php/blogs/congress-vegfest-updates/33-40th-ivu-international-vegetarian-congress-vegfest. Two, you can sign up for the event’s free Yahoo Group by scrolling to the bottom of the event website and entering your email address in the box. Three, you can find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/215452428473359. And, of course, you can watch for updates in your monthly issue of IVU Online News.

Vegetarian Week, 1-7 October

The Vegetarian Week, 1-7 Oct, is oh so near. Time is rushing fast for another full week to celebrate the Vegetarian lifestyle! Here are some ideas to make Vegetarian Week 2012 a special occasion.

1. Plan ahead what you will do. From a special family dinner to large organised campaigns, all activities are important. See some ideas and use International Vegetarian Week shared resources.

2. Follow our Facebook page, to get some ideas, inform others of your campaigns and learn from others.

3. Creative or intellectual mind? Write a poem, a story or an essay, compose music, draw a cartoon, take a picture or make a movie. Or simply adjust your latest academic work or make something from scratch to comply with the guidelines of the Vegetarian Week 2012 contest. Then, submit your contribution and win prizes! Deadline for submitting is 9 of September. More than 170 euros are waiting!

Need some inspiration in your own language? The article "Livestock Farming, a Burden on Nature and Human Health", written by dietician Cláudia Maranhoto for the Vegetarian Week, is now available in four languages, courtesy of the translators and EVANA: English | French | Italian | Portuguese
The Vegetarian Week acknowledges the author, the translators and EVANA, and also invites volunteers to translate the article into more languages.

http://www.vegetarianweek.org

Debunking the Paleo Diet

Many diet plans exist which include meat. One of the more unusual is the Paleo Diet which urges us to return to the diets of early humans and claims that meat formed a main part of such diets. The following url seeks to educate the public about why this diet is wrong.
http://www.vegsource.com/news/2012/06/the-paleo-diet-is-uncivilized-and-unhealthy-and-untrue.html

A related slideshow comparing the health status of lean vegan diet advocates with that of overweight high meat diet advocates can be viewed here: http://www.vegsource.com/news/2012/06/low-carb-book-authors----are-fat-video.html Pictures are worth 1000s of words.

How I Became a Vegetarian

Everyone’s ‘How I Became a Vegetarian’ story is an inspiring story, and some are especially inspiring, such as this one from Matt Ball, one of the founders of IVU member Vegan Outreach, which appeared in the organisation’s 25 July, 2012 newsletter under the title ‘Belief on the Right Side of History’. To read Matt’s story, go to http://www.veganoutreach.org/enewsletter/20120725.html and scroll down a little. Matt is pictured here with his wife Ann and daughter Ellen.

Here’s an excerpt:
We each have to ask the question: what kind of person are we? Will we accept what our society dictates today, or will we write our own story? Will we rationalize the status quo or thoughtfully make our own decisions? Will we oppose cruelty or support slaughter?
Slowly - very slowly - I came to realize there are more important things in life than accepting the status quo and taking the easiest path. Choosing the road less traveled does not necessitate denial and deprivation. Making our lives a part of something real, something larger than ourselves … this expands our life’s narrative, enriches our existence, and allows for real meaning and lasting happiness.

Vegan Magazine

Vegan Views is a primarily online magazine with an enticing variety of feature articles, plus letters, reviews, recipes, news and more: http://www.veganviews.org.uk It can be read for free, although donations are welcome. Their Summer/Autumn 2012 issue includes an extended interview with Angel Flinn of the Gentle World vegan community in Hawaii and New Zealand. You will also find articles on the cartoons of Dan Piraro, the shifting meaning of the word 'vegan', and the experiences of a lone vegan on a TV food show.

Plant-Based Cartoon Series Seeks Funding

IVU Online News received the following: I am writing to introduce an animated series called Vegtoons. It is an independent educational initiative to promote plant-based diets.
We just launched a grassroots fundraising campaign through Kickstarter to help move forward with production. It is only a month-long campaign, from July 30th through Aug. 31st. Here is a direct link to the page:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/vegtoons/vegtoons-animated-series

We're inviting folks to become co-creators of the Vegtoons show by contributing through Kickstarter. Our biggest challenge will be reaching a wide enough community of potential supporters to pitch in.

Warmest regards,
Greg Singer
Vegtoons Producer

More From Dr Michael

With a host of vegetarian holidays coming up in Oct and Nov, Dr Michael Greger has two presents for us, in addition to his regular brief videos at www.NutritionFacts.org. First, the 10th volume of his video compilations is available free to IVU member orgs who write in to request at .

For the second present, although Dr Greger normally strives to make each of his videos about two minutes in length to match the typical online attention span, his hour-long Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death was serendipitously taped. You can view it at http://nutritionfacts.org/video/uprooting-the-leading-causes-of-death. Even better, you can click on the little envelope icon beneath the video to email it to friends and family.

Web Resources on Dairy

Dairy has negatives as to the welfare of cows and their families, human health and the environment. The following web resources are among many that discuss this topic.

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/Cows-Milk-A-Cruel-and-Unhealthy-Product.aspx

http://nzdairy.webs.com/thelifeofadairycow.htm

http://milkiscruel.com/

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/cow-emissions-more-damaging-to-planet-than-co2-from-cars-427843.html

http://vegvibe.com/blog/SCP-foodworkshop-dairy-handout.pdf

http://www.nutritionmd.org/nutrition_tips/nutrition_tips_understand_foods/dairy.html

http://www.pcrm.org/health/diets/vegdiets/health-concerns-about-dairy-products

Book News

#1 Eat & Run

‘My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness’ by Scott Jurek, 2012, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ISBN: 9780547569659.

Scott Jurek's [a longtime vegan] outstanding competitive resume includes victories in nearly all of ultrarunning's elite trail and road events, including the historic 153-mile Spartathlon, the Hardrock 100, the Badwater 135-mile Ultramarathon, the Miwok 100K, and - his signature race - the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run, which he won a record seven straight times. The Washington Times named him one of the top runners of the decade, Runner's World awarded him a Hero of Running and Ultrarunning Magazine named him Ultra-Runner of the Year three times. In 2010, he set a new US all-surface record in the 24-Hour Run with 165.7 miles—6.5 marathons in one day.

#2 On Animals: Volume 1 - Systematic Theology

by David L. Clough, T&T Clark, 2012, ISBN: 978-0-567-04016-9.

This volume is a project in systematic theology: a rigorous engagement with the Christian tradition in relation to animals under the doctrinal headings of creation, reconciliation and redemption and in dialogue with the Bible and theological voices central to the tradition. The book shows that such engagement with the tradition with the question of the animal in mind produces surprising answers that challenge modern anthropocentric assumptions. Volume 2 will explore the ethics of human relationships with other animals in the context of the theological position outlined in Volume 1.

Dyreetikkonferansen 2012: The Animal Behind the Food and the Human Behind the Consumer - 21-22 September, 2012 - University of Oslo, Norway - www.mindinganimals.com

Animal Protection and Welfare Conference, 3-4 October, 2012, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic - http://www2.vfu.cz/welfare

2012 IVU World Vegetarian Congress - 5-16 October, 2012, San Francisco and Los Angeles, USA - http://www.vegetarianvegan.org/index.php/blogs/congress-vegfest-updates/33-40th-ivu-international-vegetarian-congress-vegfest
Brain Complexity and Animal Awareness, Annual Meeting of the Neuroscience Society, 11 October, 2012, New Orleans, USA -

2012 West Africa Vegetarian Festival - dates to be announced - Lome, Togo
4th China Xiamen Vegetarian Food Fair - 19-22 October, 2012 - Xiamen, China - www.whatsonxiamen.com

5th Southeast Asian Congress - 23-25 November, Chiang Mai, Thailand - http://www.thai-tva.org

Vegfest - 21-22 December, Dubai -

6th Asian Vegetarian Congress and 41st IVU World Vegfest - 2013, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - http://vegetariansocietymalaysia.org

Welcome to Organisations That Have Recently Registered with IVU

CANADA

Citizens Advocating Use of Sustainable Energy - http://CAUSEonline.info

Club VEG - http://VEGonline.info

POLAND

Wegemaluch.pl - http://wegemaluch.pl

Other Online Sources of Veg News

In addition to IVU Online News, there are many other places to go online for general veg-related news, rather than news mostly about one country or one organisation. Here are some.