Vegan Society AGM 2006 It's promised sparks will fly as active members of The Vegan Society try to bring it's governing body, strategic planning and campaigning, kicking and screaming into the 21st Century. Members are urged to attend not just for the celebrations afterwards but to be a voice of reason at The Vegan Society Annual General Meeting 2006.
For a small UK charity The Vegan Society has admirably managed to make huge changes to the world we live in, the way we think about life, the way people shop and the way we live.
But for the many new converts to veganism it's not enough. Unlike some of the older vegans who appear humbled by the small changes we now take for granted the new vegans are not prepared to accept a status of second class citizen. They want and expect the same service, quality, value for money, convenience and enjoyment from life as they had before they became vegan and they want it now. It infuriates them and their friends that restaurants would prefer to ignore their preferences or charge the same price for a low value vegetable side dish as their friends are paying for the expensive meat or fish dish.
These new vegans are no longer just academics, amateur philosophers, musicians, students or unemployed anarchists with plenty of time on their hands. They are IT executives, Doctors, marketing and PR gurus, designers, chefs, authors, dieticians, fireman, company directors, food manufacturers, financial directors and accountants, city bankers, journalists, broadcasters, athletes, property developers, market anaylists, and business consultants.
They want to see a slick new vegan society that behaves in more professional, dynamic and pro-active way - mere existence is not enough they have much higher goals and agendas.
The Vegan Society's AGM 2006 in London is set to be one that could make or break the future of the world. If the Vegan Pandora is allowed to fully escape out of the box that Donald Watson opened in 1944 then this most logical, simple, practical solution to some of the biggest dilemas that face mankind could become totally infectious and create a world epidemic of common sense.
There are a number of motions being put forward and despite the present undemocratic regimes best attempts to hang on to the cliquey status quo it's hoped the old guard will finally be thwarted. The hope is that the intimidation, lies, political backstabbing, and procrastination will finally be flushed down the toilet and a new more vibrant vegan society will emerge capable of taking on the global corporations that are ruining the world in the name of short term profits.
Some people suggest that The Vegan Society has been infiltrated by a competitive industrial body - the aim being to do just enough to exist and avoid suspician but to sterilise, make all innovations and campaigns ineffectual and impotent. It would be easy to fall for this conspiracy theory given the many projects that have been completed but never put into action. Coupled with big legacies that have just been frittered away on running costs rather than invested in the future and a planned move to Birmingham????? it's easy to get suspicious.
Those on the inside know that fear is the biggest complications. "The controlling trustees are just plain scared of what they don't understand, can't comprehend and have no experience of. They are afraid to enter into the territory of the world's arena preferring the safety and comfort of their little cliquey world where they can feel important, clever and in control. They surround themselves with amateurs and sycophants who perpetuate their delusions of grandeur. Anyone who tries to change things in their particular area of expertise is patronised or outmanoevered with petty committee politics." says one ex member of staff.
No wonder so many people have got frustrated and left in recent years. The good news for veganism is that they have nearly all gone on to bigger and better things.
There is a move to change the constitution of The Vegan Society so that trustees are recruited in set areas of expertise and are designated individual responsibility for key functions of The Vegan Society that will benefit from their experience and qualifications.
In this way it's hoped to stop the culture of "intefering busybody" where instead of getting involved in scary areas of IT, media, marketing, legislation and PR where they are unconfident they get involved in accounts, merchandising and publishing and get away with opinions rather than productive results.
" I'm always amazed how much The Vegan Society gets mentioned- they've not had a formal Press Officer for 3 years" says Tony Bishop-Weston author of Vegan - (a healthy diet cookbook)
Anyone with an interest in furthering Veganism is encouraged to both vote for change and attend the Vegan Society AGM in London - See Vegan Society AGM 2006 for details.
For Vegan Society Members' discussion on the AGM motions see Vegan Forum
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
McDonalds to be sued for misleading advertising
Pelman v. McDonald's Corp.
New York Law Journal
September 22, 2006 - McDonalds Must Answer Complaint Alleging Deception as to Nutritional Benefits of Its Food says judge.
While late-night comedians joked when a New York lawyer filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s in 2002 for making his clients sick and obese, the fast food giant is now finding itself one step closer to the courtroom door. As reported today by the New York Law Journal (sub req’d) regarding the case of two teenagers, known as “Pelman v. McDonald’s”:
Southern District Judge Robert Sweet has refused to grant the company’s latest motion to dismiss, saying that parents of children who are obese and suffered other health problems — allegedly because of McDonald’s food — provided enough specific examples of allegedly misleading advertising to allow the suit to go forward.
Informed Eating
New York Law Journal
September 22, 2006 - McDonalds Must Answer Complaint Alleging Deception as to Nutritional Benefits of Its Food says judge.
While late-night comedians joked when a New York lawyer filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s in 2002 for making his clients sick and obese, the fast food giant is now finding itself one step closer to the courtroom door. As reported today by the New York Law Journal (sub req’d) regarding the case of two teenagers, known as “Pelman v. McDonald’s”:
Southern District Judge Robert Sweet has refused to grant the company’s latest motion to dismiss, saying that parents of children who are obese and suffered other health problems — allegedly because of McDonald’s food — provided enough specific examples of allegedly misleading advertising to allow the suit to go forward.
Informed Eating
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Vegan Revolution Needed to Feed The World
15/09/2006 - The FAO has called for a second Green Revolution to feed the world's growing population while preserving natural resources.
Addressing a meeting of the World Affairs Council of Northern California in San Francisco, FAO director-General Jacques Diouf said that a major international effort was needed to feed the world when the population soars from six to nine billion.
"The new Green Revolution will be less about introducing new, high-performance varieties of wheat or rice, important as they are, and much more about making wiser and more efficient use of the natural resources available to us," he said.
Diouf added that the original Green Revolution of the Fifties and Sixties doubled world food production by bringing the power of science to agriculture, but relied on the lavish use of inputs such as water, fertilizer and pesticides.
The task ahead may well prove harder.
"We not only need to grow an extra one billion tonnes of cereals a year by 2050 - within the lifetimes of our children and grandchildren but do so from a diminishing resource base of land and water in many of the worlds regions, and in an environment increasingly threatened by global warming and climate change," he said.
More
More about Feed the World - Feed the World with Vegafam
Addressing a meeting of the World Affairs Council of Northern California in San Francisco, FAO director-General Jacques Diouf said that a major international effort was needed to feed the world when the population soars from six to nine billion.
"The new Green Revolution will be less about introducing new, high-performance varieties of wheat or rice, important as they are, and much more about making wiser and more efficient use of the natural resources available to us," he said.
Diouf added that the original Green Revolution of the Fifties and Sixties doubled world food production by bringing the power of science to agriculture, but relied on the lavish use of inputs such as water, fertilizer and pesticides.
The task ahead may well prove harder.
"We not only need to grow an extra one billion tonnes of cereals a year by 2050 - within the lifetimes of our children and grandchildren but do so from a diminishing resource base of land and water in many of the worlds regions, and in an environment increasingly threatened by global warming and climate change," he said.
More
More about Feed the World - Feed the World with Vegafam
Friday, September 15, 2006
UK Lets Talk Like a Pirate Day
UK Lets Talk Like a Pirate Day
It's almost here - Lets talk like a pirate day that started in the USA for a joke by 2 journalists and then went large and turned into international talk like a pirate day and spawned let's act like a pirate day is Tuesday Sept 19th.
For more details and contacts go to Talk Like a Pirate Day
There's a forum to learn to Talk Like a Pirate , a Talk like a pirate day gallery to post pictures , a pirate message service and tattoo gallery.
Journalists and producers wanting to talk to a live pirate text 07944068432 or contact via email - Don Quinoa @ piratesofthecarobbean.co.uk
More at
Healthy Pirate Attacks Jamie Oliver over Jamies School Dinners
5th Lets Talk Like a Pirate Day to be celebrated by 19 million people internationally
(includes video)
Pictures at Flickr UK Talk Like a Pirate Day
It's almost here - Lets talk like a pirate day that started in the USA for a joke by 2 journalists and then went large and turned into international talk like a pirate day and spawned let's act like a pirate day is Tuesday Sept 19th.
For more details and contacts go to Talk Like a Pirate Day
There's a forum to learn to Talk Like a Pirate , a Talk like a pirate day gallery to post pictures , a pirate message service and tattoo gallery.
Journalists and producers wanting to talk to a live pirate text 07944068432 or contact via email - Don Quinoa @ piratesofthecarobbean.co.uk
More at
Healthy Pirate Attacks Jamie Oliver over Jamies School Dinners
5th Lets Talk Like a Pirate Day to be celebrated by 19 million people internationally
(includes video)
Pictures at Flickr UK Talk Like a Pirate Day
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Jamie's School Dinners - Food Most Fowl
Jamie's School Dinners - Food Most Fowl
See the animated cartoon for kids about what goes into food designed for children.
Luckily the government,nutritionists, School Foods Trust and Caroline Walker Trust have all agreed that rectum, testicles, lung, udder, feet and other tasty tidbits should no longer be in school food for children.
London Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston says there is still much work to be done.
See the animated cartoon for kids about what goes into food designed for children.
Luckily the government,nutritionists, School Foods Trust and Caroline Walker Trust have all agreed that rectum, testicles, lung, udder, feet and other tasty tidbits should no longer be in school food for children.
London Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston says there is still much work to be done.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Omega 3 from Fish Oils not sustainable
Fish Oil IQ test a red herring says leading London nutritionist on ITN - Video
Founder of Foods For Life Yvonne Bishop-Weston tells ITV ITN reporter Chris Choi that Fish oil is not a long term solution for UK school children. "It's unsustainable both financially and environmentally"
ITN report microscopic sea plants ( Algae )may be a cheaper more environmentally friendly option to address the predicament of low levels of omega 3 long chain fatty acids DHA and EPA in childrens diets.
Meanwhile Jamie Oliver star of Jamies School Dinners on Channel 4 says parents who fail to properly feed their children are "arseholes and tossers"
Yvonne says parents should be more responsible but not blamed as the people who they look to for guidance such as Doctors and Schools have a limited understanding of nutrition themselves.
"When you have Burger King offering Hospital Catering (Croydon, Southampton, Cambridge) it's a bit harsh to start calling parents rude names - Mr Oliver needs to aim his fully loaded barrels a bit higher!" advises Yvonne.
New interim guidelines for caterers of school meals were released by DfES , SFT and Govt this week. Free water has to be made available, less fatty and sugary foods, and it's now illegal to feed school children testicles, rectum, udder, feet and other nasty smelly bits of animals often hidden in sausages, burgers and twizzlers.
See video ITN report on Fish Oils
Founder of Foods For Life Yvonne Bishop-Weston tells ITV ITN reporter Chris Choi that Fish oil is not a long term solution for UK school children. "It's unsustainable both financially and environmentally"
ITN report microscopic sea plants ( Algae )may be a cheaper more environmentally friendly option to address the predicament of low levels of omega 3 long chain fatty acids DHA and EPA in childrens diets.
Meanwhile Jamie Oliver star of Jamies School Dinners on Channel 4 says parents who fail to properly feed their children are "arseholes and tossers"
Yvonne says parents should be more responsible but not blamed as the people who they look to for guidance such as Doctors and Schools have a limited understanding of nutrition themselves.
"When you have Burger King offering Hospital Catering (Croydon, Southampton, Cambridge) it's a bit harsh to start calling parents rude names - Mr Oliver needs to aim his fully loaded barrels a bit higher!" advises Yvonne.
New interim guidelines for caterers of school meals were released by DfES , SFT and Govt this week. Free water has to be made available, less fatty and sugary foods, and it's now illegal to feed school children testicles, rectum, udder, feet and other nasty smelly bits of animals often hidden in sausages, burgers and twizzlers.
See video ITN report on Fish Oils
Monday, September 04, 2006
Vegetarians Win BBC Test The Nation
Vegetarians Win BBC Test The Nation - Results
It seems that if you want the best IQ then 2 secrets may be to be a vegetarian and go to public school.
In The BBC's Test the Nation programme testing for IQ it was the vegetarians that won followed by the ex public school boys.
London Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston from Foods For Life says "This Vegetarian win supports advice that a diet richer in fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds is better for sustainable healthy brain function"
Just as well the Vegetarians won - they were up against the butchers, estate agents and footballers wives - if they'd have lost against any of them it would have been a bit of a PR disaster for The Vegetarian Society who fielded 4 staff members amongst the 30 strong team.
IQ Test your Vegetarian or Vegan brain power and intelligence!
It seems that if you want the best IQ then 2 secrets may be to be a vegetarian and go to public school.
In The BBC's Test the Nation programme testing for IQ it was the vegetarians that won followed by the ex public school boys.
London Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston from Foods For Life says "This Vegetarian win supports advice that a diet richer in fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds is better for sustainable healthy brain function"
Just as well the Vegetarians won - they were up against the butchers, estate agents and footballers wives - if they'd have lost against any of them it would have been a bit of a PR disaster for The Vegetarian Society who fielded 4 staff members amongst the 30 strong team.
IQ Test your Vegetarian or Vegan brain power and intelligence!
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