World Vegan Day 2009

World Vegan Day - 65 Vegan Years

Days left until World Vegan Day 2009



Where will you be? What will you be doing?

www. World Vegan Day .org.uk

Burger King Offends Hindu Lakshmi The Goddess

Rajan Zed — Blogs, Pictures, and more on WordPress

Upset Hindus want apology from Burger King for denigrating goddess Lakshmi

Hindus have asked Burger King Corporation to publicly apologize and immediately withdraw a poster seen in Spain, which shows Hindu goddess Lakshmi promoting a meat sandwich, which they termed repugnant.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that it was highly disturbing to see goddess Lakshmi, who is highly revered in Hinduism, modeling for a meat sandwich as shown. Lakshmi was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not for pushing meat sandwiches in the streets for mercantile greed of a global corporation.

The poster is titled “LA MERIENDA ES SAGRADA”, which roughly translates as “Snack is sacred” and shows a meat-cheese sandwich with few other products for 1.75 Euros. What was so ‘sacred’ about a meat sandwich, Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, asked.

Rajan Zed pointed out that Hinduism promoted strict vegetarianism insisting on ahimsa (not harming living creatures) and non-killing, and renouncing animal slaughter and meat eating. It suggested taking of sattvik (vegetables, fruits, etc.) and avoiding rajasik (eggs, etc.) and tamasik (meat, intoxicants, etc.) foods.

Zed argued that there was extensive protection of life in Hinduism and ahimsa was a command. It was a clear denigration showing a Hindu goddess patronizing a meat sandwich.

Burger King should create an internal team of senior ex ecutives who should clear all the publicity material before it went to the public and this team should be well trained. If Burger King wanted its executives to learn about world religions, he was willing to help, Rajan Zed added.

Launched in 1954 and headquartered in Miami (Florida, USA) with John W. Chidsey as Chief Executive Officer, Burger King Corporation is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world with over 11, 200 restaurants in 69 countries and revenue of over $2.2 billion. Over 11 million customers visit Burger King daily.

Lakshmi is the goddess of good fortune and beauty in Hinduism and is also known as ‘world-mother’. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksha (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

1.5 million Say End Animal Experiments

Uncaged Campaigns: 1.5 million people demand road map to end animal experiments



MPs and members of Uncaged deliver signatures to no10 downing street.

Uncaged submitted a historic 1.5 million strong petition to 10 Downing Street, calling on the UK Government to develop a ‘road map’ for the end of animal experimentation.

Uncaged's Dr Dan Lyons leading expert in UK animal testing policy was joined by

Dr Caroline Lucas MEP for South East England (Green)
Mike Hancock MP for Portsmouth South (Lib Dem)
Norman Baker MP for Lewes (Lib Dem)
David Drew MP for Stroud (Labour)
David Taylor MP for North West Leicestershire (Labour)
Andrew Rosindell MP for Romford (Conservative Animal Welfare Spokesperson)

Heather Mills Restaurant-V-Bites

Fish's off... Heather Mills gets high and mighty as her vegan café replaces seafood diner | Mail Online Says the Sunday Mail

In Heather Mills' own inimitable style she climbed up a ladder onto the roof of her new vegan restaurant to address the gathered crowd at the opening of her new vegetarian restaurant V-Bites. The Ultimate Vegan Cafe Heather Mills has everything on the menu from vegan Mr Whippy Ice Cream and vegan chicken nuggets to a full Vegan Sunday Roast and full monty traditional all day cooked breakfast.



Heather Mills' Vegan Cafe opened on July the 4th and does have an air of a cafe from Las vegas an all American neon Michael Jackson glitz and glamour sign from the outside but inside it's all typical traditional Englishness complete with delightful tea cakes and cup cakes that will delight the ladies who lunch on the south coast of England in Brighton and Hove.

Heather Mills says "VBites will offer a balanced menu of unique meatless meats and vegan treats with a gastronomic feast of dishes inspired by every corner of the globe. VBites' talented chefs will be serving recipes, everything from Bangers and Mash to Chicken Style Nut Korma, mini pitta pockets with Beefy Wok Strips to amazing salads and yummy fruit smoothies, a Traditional English breakfast, Pad Thai served with rice noodles, Sag Paneer with vegan feta cheese, full Sunday roast with all the trimmings and a wide range of delicious sandwiches including a ‘ham’, cheese and tomato toastie and a classic BLT."

"To keep the kids happy, there is also a yummy children’s menu with a wide range of choices to satisfy even the fussiest of eaters. The little ones can choose from a varied selection including ‘Fishy Fingers’ or ‘Chiky Nuggets' served with chips and a choice of peas or baked beans (all of the chips served at VBites are oven baked) and Spaghetti Bolognaise.

For those with a sweet tooth, VBites will feed your desires with gorgeous chocolate muffins, tasty cakes and delectable desserts. The café’s ice-cream bar will serve fruit smoothies, plus a very special VBites version of the traditional Mr Whippy ice-cream…Mrs Swirly!"



VBites
Kingsway
Hove Lagoon
Hove
East Sussex
BN3 4SA
T: 01273 933757
W: www.vbites.com
Opening Hours: 09:30 – 23:30 7 days a week

Chilli Cook Off - Brick Lane

Chilli Cook Off Competition Brick Lane- Bring a spoon FREE BEER!

Yours truly will be cooking up a vegan chilli in Brick Lane tommorrow.

In amongst all the ground Beef I'll be making a stand for meat free monday (Thursday?) at 95 Brick Lane in a Chilli Cook off Competition.

at least One for the environment and health!

They'll be supplying free beer for half an hour 1:30 - 2.00pm - after the judging andto toast the winner.

Looks like I'll be entering The Devil's Den It sounds sooooo 'Fay Maschler' - I'm a dead man walking.

Swine Flu Mutates - H1N1- Terminator 10

Swine Flu Mutates - H1N1 OMG!

The nightmare scenario of a Arnold Schwarzenegger Terminator 10 style virus seems to becoming a reality ahead of time" says nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston "with our the integrity of our immune systems compromised by our poor diet and lifestyle this was inevitable"

The Adolfo Lutz Institute in Sao Paulo Brazil Have claimed the prize as the first to spot Swine Flu H1N1 mutating into a genetic variant of the disease.

Scientists were predicting this would happen in the Autumn but it's started mutating already provoking renewed panic buying of Swine Flu respirator masks.

Michael Jackson - Vegetarian - NOT

Michael Jackson was a vegetarian says the Hartford Examiner "Michael's promotion company AEG had been searching for insurance companies to cover Jackson on his upcoming tour. After rigorous testing, Jackson was found to be in excellent health. AEG’s Chief Executive Randy Phillips was quoted as saying, “He’s a vegetarian; he’s in great shape.”

In his 1988 book, Moonwalk, Jackson says, “I'm a vegetarian now and I'm so much thinner. I've been on a strict diet for years. I feel better than I ever have, healthier and more energetic.”

Michael Jackson’s father Joe and sister LaToya are believed to be vegetarians as well."

However it seems it's an "I don't eat steak" kind of American demi vegetarian Flexitarian vegetarian diet where Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pepperoni Pizza, Mexican Food and fish are included that Michael Jackson was on.

Anyway no doubt Michael Jackson has had a stressful few years and at least now he can rest in peace.

RIP

Meatless Monday : Meat Free Monday Goes Global

Meatless Monday : One day a week cut out meat

Meat Free Monday - Meat Out Day - Meatless Monday and the concept of giving up meat for at least one day a week is going global.

Meatless Mondays allegedly originated during World War I when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration urged families to avoid eating meat on Mondays to conserve food for the troops and feed starving populations in Europe. There was also a project called “Wheatless Wednesdays.” The program came back into play at the beginning of World War II because meat was being rationed, and it became a way for women at home to support the war effort.

Currently, “Meatless Mondays” has reemerged as an international public health campaign in conjunction with Johns Hopkins University,FARM, PeTA, Paul McCartney, the UN, The Vegetarian Society and many others to help prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.

in New York

Meat Free Day Australia

Meatless Monday Video

Meat Free Mondays



Meat Out Mondays *
Journee Sans Viande * Meat Out * Meat Free Day Canada

Meat Free Monday in the Telegraph

UN Meat Free Day Advocate wins Nobel Prize.

Hindhus support Meat Free Mondays
Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in 'Nevada (USA) Today', said that besides reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it was good for ethical and health reasons also.

Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out that Hinduism promoted strict vegetarianism insisting on ahimsa (not harming living creatures) and non-killing, and renouncing animal slaughter and meat eating. It suggested taking of sattvik (vegetables, fruits, etc.) and avoiding rajasik (eggs, etc.) and tamasik (meat, intoxicants, etc.) foods.

Rajan Zed argued that there was extensive protection of life in Hinduism and ahimsa was a command. All the major religions of the world were opposed to killing, he added.

Zed further said that as eating less meat would help the environment, more celebrities should come out in support of at least staying away from meat once a week, thus contributing to a healthier world.

Healthy Vegan recipe DVD

Healthy Vegan Recipe DVD - Perfect for Meat Free Monday!

Times were when everyone would just be content with a cookbook, these days in our world of cyber google you tube high tech internet ask jeeves instant twitter world possibly even a video is an out dated form of education - Here it is anyway. A Vegan Diet DVD with delicious recipes from Tony Bishop-Weston (who?) , John Bailey (a curly haired raw tart) and Rose Eliot (The Vegetarian thinking man's version of Delia Smith)

Buy one now before they all go! - DVD on Sale

Here's a secret preview, a snippet, a special treat just for you...

Smoked Tofu Pate from WDF TWO on Vimeo.

More video cookery treats here - healthy vegan recipes youtube or Buy Now

Meat Free Monday - Launch

Meat Free Mondays Support Meat Free Monday – Eat less meat for a better planet Actually it's more of a relaunch as Sir Paul McCartney has been suggesting that Meat Free Monday was a good idea since he read the UN report Livestock's Long Shadow.

As people are struggling to work it out for themselves he's clearly decided it would take a little more effort. Today 15th June Meat Free Mondays launches with a big article in the independent and a new website.

The Independent reveals - 'The McCartneys have attracted support from across the worlds of showbusiness, science, business and the environment. The singer Chris Martin, Hollywood stars Kevin Spacey and Woody Harrelson, actress Joanna Lumley and Sir Richard Branson are advocating meat-free Mondays.

Support has also come from comedians Ricky Gervais, David Walliams and Matt Lucas, the poet Benjamin Zephaniah and Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman.

Another supporter, Sir David King, the Government's former chief scientist, said: "The carbon and water footprints associated with producing beef are about 20 times larger than maize production. Eating less meat will help the environment."'

Paul McCartney and his team have suceeded where the rest of us have failed and pulled in over 40 celebrities for a lunchtime media event at Inn the Park in St James's Park today

Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston says "It will be interesting to watch the UK get healthier as a result of eating less meat as well as the planet"

More Meat Free Monday News

Channel 4 News * Sky News * Daily Mail * The Guardian * The Mirror * The Telegraph * The Sun * The Scotsman

Meat Free Monday supporters celebrity quotes in The Independent

See also Meatless Monday

Meat Eaters Now Killed Sea Too

Bluefin tuna collapsed in 2007, says new report at The End of the Line Blog

Man's greedy, selfish, nihilistic quest for meat has now led to the death of the seas as well as the surface of the Earth, the ice caps and the rainforests.

As mans greed for meat has led to the destruction of the lungs of the planet - the rainforests now man has gone on to destroy the oceans through greedy short sighted over fishing.

Fishermen have illegally exceeded limits on catch and size to put themselves out of a job.

It's worried that the adult well travelled tuna that man has probably fished to extinction lead other smaller fish to spawning grounds - the full repercussions of this are unknown but could be catastrophic.

Vegan Recipes - Vegan Cookbook

Vegan Recipes - Healthy, Nutritious and Delicious.: The Complete Book of Vegan Cooking

New Vegan Cookbook - extensive intro on health and history of veganism, pregnancy and childrens family nutrition, quick, easy, simple recipes. A kind of Veganism for Dummies


President Obama says "Ask Jeeves, people search and travel in all weather for cookbooks like this. The healthy recipes are more like song lyrics and poems than a cookery dictionary. Yahoo! It's like free games, tattoos and pictures, the health joke's on you without this diet cheats' best cookbook." (sic)

Britney Spears says "Why would I want this cookbook? I lost my thongs and my family - not my marbles!" (sic)

Jennifer Lopez says "Warez snes roms! hotmail and thumbzilla are just napster weev out dees cookbook" (sic)

Animals Count Political Party

Animals Count political party

In the European Election 2009: East of England Animals Count got nearly as many votes as the Socialist Labour Party beating Libertas and The Jury Team.

Congratulations to Jasmijn de Boo and all her hard work.

Overall a sad day for British politics especially so close to the D day anniversary that the fascist Nazi sympathisers at the BNP did so well in the polls. Government must root out this philosophy of hate and deal with the issues that have so angered this deluded minority.

The Vegan Society Japan

日本 VEGAN 協会

The Vegan Society of Japan has been founded in 2009 to support the
work of Akiko Iwasa, promoter of the Kyoto Vegetarian Festival (http://www.vegetarianfestival.jp/). Actually a purely Vegan festival,and the largest veggie event in Japan, it has been running for 6 years and attracts around 5,000 individuals.

Akiko Iwasa, is a qualified veterinarian and the co-founder of Café
Peace in Kyoto and is dedicated to promoting animal rights and
veganism.

Since opening in July 2002, Café Peace grew in reputation and
influence around Japan, inspiring many other restaurants and
individuals to become vegan. Although veganism and animal rights
activism is still very much in its infancy in Japan, Akiko has visited
slaughterhouses and animal factories as part of her profession and was
deeply motivated by what she saw. She stopped being a vet because she
believed that vets are ultimately for the people and not for the
animals, and that vets in Japan are only encourage pet shops and the
animal exploitation of what she calls "artificial dogs".

Akiko now focuses what free time she has on spread the word on animal
abuse and believes that veganism is the best remedy for humans,
animals and the planet. Her work has included a weekly half-hour radio
program speaking on animal rights/veganism issues. She, and other
vegetarian innovators like her, have been target of vocal criticism
for disturbing Japan’s economic stability and challenging the factory
farm industry’s viability.

Vegetarianism and veganism are not alien to Japanese culture. The
oldest vegetarian restaurant in Japan (Daitokuji Ikkyu, Kyoto) is over
600 years old and serves vegan 'Shojin Ryori' (temple food), as do
other temple inns such as those at Koyasan. During the 265 year period
of peace called "Edo", before being forcibly opened up by America in
1854, Japanese society was primarily plant based, sustainable and
deeply invested into recycling. Despite this, and having little to no
carbon based fuels, it had the largest city in the world of that time,
modern Tokyo, and experienced one of the most rare flourishings of
culture in human history.

Prior to this, due to the influence of Buddhism, Japan had a tradition
of a primarily vegetarian diet going back over 1,200 years, despite
the efforts of Christian missionaries under Frances Xavier to
introduce meat based diet in the 16 th Century. Emperor Tenmu
prohibited the killing and eating of meat, including both farm animals
and apes, in 675 AD. A law enforced by proceeding emperors. At
Gyokusen-ji, there is a memorial statue to the first cow slaughtered
for its meat, and milk drunk, dated to the late 19th century and the
influence of the first American Consul General Townsend Harris
(1804-1878). Only at this time, did Japan see the removal of the long
standing social taboo against eating meat.

Unfortunately, since the Post-World War II "re-education period", the
Japanese diet has become increasing Westernised and its food market
the target of international meat industries and its fishing industry
expand globally. Since the adoption of oil-based capitalism, and its
economic booms, Japan's diet has become increasingly unsustainable,
and animal based, provoking concerns of its "food security" and
reliance on imports.

However, traditional original foods still exist as part of the staple
diet and are availabe widely. They afford a rich, varied and
nutritious sources for vegetarians and vegans. There is also a healthy
undercurrent of organic, macrobiotic, LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and
Sustainability), organic farming and 'alternative lifestyles'
movements not usually reported in the international mainstream press.

Despite the impression given in the foreign media, the eating of
whales is not universally supported, nor practised. It remains a
largely sentimental attachment for an older generation who, suffering
food shortages and starvation after the war, were the first to be
widely fed it.

Tiananmen Square Masacre 20 Years

BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Tiananmen will not be forgotten 20th Anniversary of Tiananmen Square Protests in China

Respect to the students who 20 years ago protested, were crushed, were shot, were beaten and those who survived to tell the truth.

No journalists were allowed into Tiananmen Square today and undercover police peacefully deployed umbrellas to get in the way of the BBC cameras getting anywhere close.

Candelit Vigils are happening across the world whilst even google complies with the Chinese Governments censorship. (What am I saying - even google????)

Goode Family' Cartoon Vegan Family Guy Values

Vegan Heroes -The Goode Family Cartoon Vegan Sitcom

Painfully funny because unfortunately there are a few vegans out there like that. Luckily we're not all like that so we can just wallow in the fact the ideal is getting on national TV on a major network rest assured that humour is a great way to communicate serious issues.

New Modernised Vegan Logo

New Modernised Vegan Logo for Vegetarian Vegan and Free From Foods



At last someone has redesigned the hippyshopper 1960's groovy Vegan society Logo.

Vegan Milk and Chocolate pioneer Plamil were motivated by The Vegan Society's decision to allow "may contain milk" on labelling.

Having rebranded, reformultated and repackaged their products Plamil felt they had no option but to also redesign the Vegan logo to reflect their 100% vegan factory and strict free from quality standards.

Riding the crest of a wave caused by Cadbury's Green & Blacks decision on listing milk powder in the ingredients Plamil's timing couldn't have been better and they have won a string of awards.

There is a dilemma with Vegan and Vegetarian symbols as despite the charities claiming they stand for health and the environment this is not reflected in the standards set by their licensing departments. The Vegan Society licence products such as Uncle Joes Mint Balls.

It's hoped that the standards for this new Vegan logo symbol will not just reflect greater purity but healthier more fairly traded products too.

Boris Vs UN & Paul McCartney

Boris Vs UN & Paul McCartney

Mayor of London Boris Johnson Vs Ghent, The UN, Sir Paul McCartney, Health, The Environment, The Vegetarian Society, and The Bristol Vegan Fayre

Cook and author of a new cookbook Tony Bishop-Weston , 48, says EU elections for MEPs are a good opportunity to send a wake-up call to Boris Johnson and his Tory pals. He says “Boris should be following UN advice and leading the way. Instead he’s promised to make matters worse. In the EU elections we can vote with our hearts for the good of the planet rather than the voting mentality that led to the election of Boris in the first place. ”

With the wealth of evidence accumulating to verify that eating less meat is better for our health, better for our wealth, better to fight world poverty and better for the environment even staunch meat eaters agree that it would be better to eat less even if they are too selfish to consider this a full time personal option. Boris Johnson the Mayor of London has promised to eat even more meat rather than less in response to the suggestion by the United Nations scientists, Sir Paul McCartney, The Vegetarian Society, health professionals, environmental and Green campaigners, the city of Ghent and organisers of The Bristol Vegan Fayre that we eat less meat and more fruit and vegetables in order to save the planet.

Bishop-Weston will be demonstrating recipes from his new book, The Complete Book of Vegan Cooking at The Bristol Vegan Fayre on the 30th and 31st May on Bristol’s waterfront and says “The aim of The Bristol Vegan Festival is to prove how easy, enjoyable, healthy and fun it is to be kinder to people and the planet. I wonder if Boris could even tell the difference between a meat sausage and some of the better brands of vegetarian sausage, it is prejudice for the sake of ignorance”



Boris Johnson wrote in the Telegraph “if they seriously believe that I am going to give up eating meat - in the hope of reducing the temperature of the planet - then they must be totally barmy. I am not going to have one meat-free day per week. No, I am not going to become a gradual vegetarian.”

In fact he has found the whole suggestion of meat reduction to save the planet so irritating that he has actually suggested we eat MORE meat this summer in response. He suggests vast barbeques every weekend that include carnivorous festivals of chops and sausages and burgers and chitterlings and chine and offal, - “the fat will run down our chins, and the dripping will blaze on the charcoal, and the smoky vapours will rise to the heavens” predicted Boris

“I can think of no logical explanation for this kind of thinking in a politician” said Bishop-Weston. It dismisses the facts, the UN report Livestock’s Long Shadow, the rate at which Brazil’s rain forest is being destroyed after being forced to grow GM soya to feed the world’s cattle, the Oxford EPIC research proving that those who eat less meat, vegetarians and vegans are far healthier than the national average and the world’s poor, starving, predominantly because the modern world values beef more than human life.”

The Complete Book of Vegan Cooking (and living) is published by Lorenz in June £16.99 IBSN 10-0-7548-1843-8

The Bristol Vegan Fayre is 11am – 10.30pm/8.30pm Sat /Sun 30th/31st May www.veganfayre.co.uk

Herby Sausages Win a National Vegetarian Week Taste Test

Herby Sausages Win a National Vegetarian Week Taste Test


At a sausage tasting event held at Tibits Restaurant in London judges rated Redwood's cheatin sausage as the overall winner on taste with Cauldron and Frys from Beanies close behind on points.

More Vegetarian/ Vegan Sausage Tasting News

HOPE not hate - Truth about the BNP

HOPE not hate

I've been to museums that show the history and facts about the Holocaust, I've met people who survived the camps and met many more people whose relatives and friends did not survive.

People who deny the holocaust should be made to see the evidence for themselves, people who deny the holcaust and promote racsim should never be voted for.

HOPE not hate

See also Kick it Out