Hiatus from Facebook and the Internet -

I'd say, visit Facebook ONLY ONCE each week: plow through, do no chats, accept no "gifts" and sign up for no events. However, it can be a great organizing tool IF folks are 'in the space' for social media, but few of us really have time to 'be in that space' (having thought about it).

I've met some of the techies who develop this stuff: not bad guys or gals, but often 'self-absorbed' in terms of cyberspace and their own interests and how much money they 'bring home' from doing the development, and very little sense of social responsibility that isn't in terms of using the Internet between persons and 'social action' (as an intermediary).

Of course, we're using such an intermediary to say this.

It reminds me of the head of Buildings and Grounds at Tufts University, where I used to work in the days when we were setting up the materials management program that included recycling. "My men are all on union contracts. I cannot ask them to lift, move, or relocate anything by hand; they cannot be expected to lift, move, empty, or relocate anything that doesn't put a machine in between them and the task. Now, if you want that to be done, you're asking for subcontracted custodians, and my men are not custodians."

To which I replied: "Might you consider a pair of safety gloves a machine?"

"No" was his answer.

Then I think also of a vegetarian friend, a vegan friend with two doctorates (philosophy and psychology) who for years planned to write a book on how modern life alienates us from experiencing directly, built upon Plato's analogy of the cave (the inner resident saw against the wall he was facing the shadows from the flickering flame behind him).

Well, such is complex existence, and some strive for a tenured position in a field where that depth of analysis can be pursued, or a clinical role that might also indulge it (like a chaplaincy in a school or mental hospital).

If you find it, just stay sane and don't commit intellectual suicide.

For me: Animals as Persons by Gary Francione

http://www.amazon.com/Animals-Persons-Essays-Abolition-Exploitation/dp/0231139500
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_L._Francione
http://www.gary-francione.com/
http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/

Preventing Breast Cancer - say NO to the Pink cupcakes

http://hawaiihealthguide.com/healthtalk/display.htm?id=879&hhsid=58ee05a94bc685282d7c6051a708187f

All Islands Health Talk Preventing Breast Cancer - say NO to the Pink cupcakes

Preventing Breast Cancer - say NO to the Pink cupcakes

Oct 11, 2010 / Community
All Islands, Big Island, Kauai

by Katherine Fisher

Related Links Breast Thermography for early detection of breast cancer Metabolic Poisons: What's Wrong with Partially Hydrogenated Oils? easy to read info on common ingredients in american diet Can we make October Breast Cancer Prevention Month? Want to help PREVENT you, your sister, mother, wife, daughter from getting breast cancer. ( and other cancers....) What is cancer: Any of various malignant neoplasms characterized by the proliferation of anplastic cells that tend to invade surrounding tissue and metastasize to new body sites. What causes cancer: Cancer is not something one "catches", rather, it is directly caused by a malfunction in the cellular DNA. Can you cure cancer? Because Cancer is actually one's own cells misbehaving, there truly can never be any "cure" for the condition - only PREVENTION and REGENERATION! Cancer does not kill, as all cancer really is your very own cells that have somehow started to mutate. The body eventually starves to death from the lack of vital nutrients to other healthy cells. How our bodies fight cancer: By resetting metabolism and helping the body repair and regenerate "damaged" DNA, cancer cells often return to their normal state of existence and proper functioning. A healthy body is designed to successfully fight cancer, and can do so as long as it isn't overwhelmed by conditions that make it not possible to function at optimum. Need to know: Environmental toxins accumulate in reproductive organs and are stored in fatty tissues such as breasts. Breast health is affected by stagnant lymph (lymph drainage is dependent on muscle movement more then blood flow circulation, and is affected by not exercising). Poor elimination, emotional stress, hormonal imbalance and degenerating organ function such as kidney, heart or lungs from obesity, smoking or alcohol use can further compromise the immune system function. STOP PINK WASHING and get educated!! Don't eat the pink cupcakes! It is not ethical to be selling "pink cupcakes for the cure" that are made with High Fructose Corn Syrup, partially hydrognated oils, artificial colors, powdered milk products, preservatives, wheat, GMO products such as soy or corn or beet sugar, and other processed food substances that damage normal physiology and metabolism, and label the packaging to announce that the sale of such products will go towards finding the cure to cancer. Here's how we'd work to find a "cure" for breast cancer... Skip the pink cupcake this October, grab your girlfriend, mother, daughter, neighbor and address some of the KNOWN root causes.... STOP allowing hormones in the food chain including the inclusion of artificial hormones, artificial, colors and chemicals that are synthetic hormone markers, toxic preservatives (Nitrites and pesticides, growth hormones, GMO corn and soy in animal feed lots, and full spectrum anti-biotics in our food chain, (now approved by the FDA) The prevalent use of these in USA ag, dairy, meat production and processed food may be the reason that breast cancer in North America is the highest in the world. STOP NOW ALL allowed sources of exposure to ionizing environmental radiation, (including new airport security full body xray machines,, avoid annual mammograms), ......Radioactive materials that decay spontaneously produce ionizing radiation, which has sufficient energy to strip away electrons from atoms (creating two charged ions) or to break some chemical bonds. Any living tissue in the human body can be damaged by ionizing radiation in a unique manner. The body attempts to repair the damage, but sometimes the damage is of a nature that cannot be repaired or it is too severe or widespread to be repaired. Also mistakes made in the natural repair process can lead to cancerous cells. The most common forms of ionizing radiation are alpha and beta particles, or gamma and X-rays. Radiation can cause changes in DNA, the "blueprints" that ensure cell repair and replacement produces a perfect copy of the original cell. Changes in DNA are called mutations. STOP NOW the creation and exposure to, nuclear waste and the products of war such as uranium enriched weapons. STOP using antioxidants and vitamins that are petroleum based. STOP restaurants from cooking with partially hydrogenated oils, (Harvard School of Public Health researchers estimate that trans fat had been causing about 50,000 premature heart attack deaths annually, making partially hydrogenated oil one of the most harmful ingredients in the food supply , Denmark has banned the use of trans fats in public restaurants.) STOP ignoring the ingredient label. Avoid nutritional ignorance: Be aware that some processed foods are messing with metabolism such as high fructose corn syrup. Cancer rates rise with obesity. STOP selling cigarettes with known cancer causing chemicals. STOP NOW supporting pharmaceutical companies but not organic farmers as part of medical plans, health insurance and factory approach to health care. Support prevention through life style and nutrition as part of your health insurance plan. STOP eating and selling deep fried food. STOP drinking excessive alcohol. Learn about the direct link between breast cancer, obesity, drinking and estrogen in fatty tissues. STOP using deodorant with aluminum salts (anti-perspirants) Don't apply a cancer causing product directly on lymph nodes on breast tissue, use alternative deodarant products or baking soda instead. STOP using cooking pots with aluminum, or peeling teflon or non stick coats STOP using lipstick with lead, mascara and lighbulbs containing mercury. Heavy metals including cadmium, nickel and aluminum, directly or indirectly activate the estrogen receptor in the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7 STOP habitual consumption of diet soda and products with artificial sweeteners.The first artificial sweeteners used in diet soda were cyclamates. In 1970 the FDA banned cyclamates in the USA on evidence that they caused cancer in lab rats. Cyclamates are still used in many countries around the world, including for diet soda. STOP drinking cow milk and dairy products made in America with rBGH (Bovine growth hormone) STOP building residential dwellings on top of contaminated "brown" land (Love Canal etc) STOP using aquifers for public drinking supply that are known contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, fungicides. If you suffer from candida, are prone to yeast infections, fungus or tumors, change your lifestyle and diet now. See More on Hawaii Health Guide related links!

Thanksgiving Day in Canada: think thankfully of the aspects of the world which make our lives (a) possible AND (b) of good quality

Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada, a time when we may all think thankfully of the aspects of the world which make our lives (a) possible AND (b) of good quality.

Many folks make lists of "many things to be thankful for" then continue idiosyncratic reflections.

I would urge us to think thankfully of the aspects of the world which make our lives (a) possible AND (b) of good quality.

In America, fewer than 5 per cent eat - and carefully CHEW - enough cooked WHOLE grains

Few Americans consume enough whole grains, study finds

Less than 5% of people ages 19 to 50 consumed three whole-grain servings in a day, most of them eating only two-thirds of a serving, according to an analysis of a 1999-2004 survey. The lead researcher emphasized the importance of consuming whole grain for its nutritional value, and noted that it is likely that the rates have changed little since the survey was conducted. Reuters

<1 in 20 Americans eat enough whole grains

By Anne Harding

NEW YORK | Fri Oct 8, 2010 4:20pm EDT

(Reuters Health) - Human persons who eat plenty of whole grains have higher quality diets overall, new research shows; the problem is that, in the U.S. at least, these persons seem to be 'few and far between'.

Without LOCAL in-person health-supporting networks that focus on such issues, Americans seem incapable of sorting evidence-based health messages coming through news media and trusted TV and radio advocates, like Dr. Oz.

Less than 5 percent of the 19- to 50-year-old Americans surveyed in 1999-2004 said they ate at least three servings of whole grain daily, according to the report in the October issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

During this period, there were no specific guidelines on how much whole grain people should be eating, study author Dr. Carol E. O'Neil of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge noted; people were simply told to consume "several servings." But in 2005, new Dietary Guidelines for Americans specified three servings of whole grains daily as the optimal amount.

There is ample evidence that consuming whole grains-meaning the outer portion of the kernel has not been removed-is associated with a lower risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and even certain types of cancer, although the mechanism behind their beneficial effects is not clear, O'Neil and her team note in their report.

O'Neil and her colleagues looked at the survey data to assess the relationship between whole grain intake and diet quality. Their analysis included 7,039 men and women between 19 and 50 years old and another 6,237 people 51 and older.

The younger group ate less than two-thirds of a serving of whole grains daily, on average, while the older people ate just over three-quarters of a serving, the researchers found. But the fraction of people who ate the most whole grain also consumed more fiber, healthy fats, and vitamins and minerals, while eating less sugar, unhealthy fat, and cholesterol.

Because the study looked at only one point in time, it cannot assess the health effects of the subjects' eating habits. "We can only say that consumption of whole grain is associated with improved nutrient intake or diet quality," O'Neil said. "We know from previous studies that consumption of whole grains is associated with a generally healthier lifestyle."

Even though Americans now have specific advice on how much whole grain they should be eating, it's unlikely that the percentage of people eating enough whole grain has changed much since the survey was done, according to O'Neil. "People just don't eat whole grains, although an increasing number of whole grain foods are available."

Also, many people don't know what exactly whole grains are, what types of foods contain them, and why they're good for you, O'Neil said. For more information, she recommends checking out the MyPyramid Web site (www.mypyramid.gov/) and the Whole Grains Council (here).

"I also think that people are a little afraid of whole grains-that they won't like them or that their children won't like them," she added. "To these people, I would recommend that they find out more about them and try them-after all, popcorn is a whole grain, many cereals are whole grains, and a wide variety of whole grain breads and pastas are available."

SOURCE: link.reuters.com/jan67p
Journal of the American Dietetic Association, October 2010.

Can we BUILD VEGETARIAN COMMUNITY AND CULTURE (around 'what we don't eat')?

These four (4) ideas seem to have very little to do with one another.

My obdervations are that:

When ages ago - in the 1970s - I first announced that I was interested in organizing networks of vegetarians, groups of vegetarians, local vegetarian societies, I heard on occasion that there's no LESS powerful reason for organizing a random (or 'motley') group of persons than in terms of what we do not eat.

That may account for (a) the difficulties I've had organizing folks, (b) the problems local groups (bar none) have experienced in terms of (i) growth and (ii) leadership, and (c) and, of course, the low volume of constructive contributions on this particular list.

My ineptness, social clumsiness, age, girth, or lack of physical beauty may all have contributed to these challenges, but I wonder now whether or not there's something inherently problematic about organizing others, not in terms of what we have in common, but in terms of (or 'around') what we agree NOT to eat.

Vegetarianism and veganism know a number of themes, and in light of that, my own second phase efforts were to build a local organization with several tiers of activity and association: such an incorporated entity would have had (formally organized) (a) an education committee (for INTERNAL education) around issues, needs, news, interests, and personal well-being of individuals and families on vegetarian diets, (b) a news or public relations committee (for EXTERNAL education) to advance our growing body of knowledge to the world (and to intervene interpretively in the news of the day - sort of like PCRM does online now), (c) a financial committee to manage costs for these aggressive efforts, and (d) a standing committee (which includes officers).

Experiments with hierarchical group organization or distributed communities organized around geography, personalities, ages, social values, and so forth could occur (or have occurred) without jeopardizing the organizational structure. Plenary events (like those held by the EVU, IVU, or NAVS in North America (at the annual Summerfest) would have made kept the disparate subcommunities together.

However, the lack in North America of a thriving MOVEMENT to organize and build local vegetarian groups MAY, I dread, have something to do with the challenges of building community around a negative value.

We do have local, regional, national, and international ANIMAL RIGHTS CAMPAIGNS, and we have social pluralism within the 'community' of practicing vegetarians around what others do wrong (abuse or even use of animals, as in the abolitionist movement).

Many of these themed-networks are built around individuals and their personalities (e.g. Gary Francione, Erik Marcus, Michael Greger, et al.), and some have resurgent success (macrobiotics was once vigorous and highlyvisible; raw foodism is thriving today). Junk foods veganism (the 'sinfully' self-indulgent teens and pre-teens and faux-teens with 'vegan cupcakes' and 'decadent desserts') and the varying measures the faith communities are adopting aspects of vegetarianism (the classically pro-vegetarian religious communities are not 100% vegan, but Suma Ching Hai gives folks an option; others think of creation care and creation stewardship, and we all know that there are opportunities within widespread ecological awareness to talk about the consequentialist benefits of shifting towards more completely plant-based diets; also, 'Meatless Monday' campaigns offer the small so-called 'flexitarian' 'numbers' some ways to 'get in on the action' - and this challenges homemakers and volume feeding institutions to develop more meatless meals.

I fear, also, that a consumerist mentality drives our folks in terms of how we socialize AND how we think about food AND our vegetarianism. If vegetarianism is about food - mostly about food, then there's merely a strategic problem to be solved: 'how do I get vegetarian food' when I'm in any of the following situations. Raw Fooders in the 1970s used to discuss how great the steak houses in the southern states were for their salad bars; so were the bars. Once the

I'm pinning MY historical hopes for veg*ism's widespread public growth (overtaking the human population, eventually dominating their feeding habits) on two strengths: one from the human intellect: a growing public health awareness that is built from assembled evidence: an evidence-based advocacy movement for plant-based diets is what I'd like to see; and the other on dreaded historical outcomes (ecological incapacities to feed burgeoning human life on heavily

Neither will move us to veganism; abolitionism will, but so many of US have deep and fundamental issues with abolitionism (most professing 'vegans' are not abolitionists).

Now, how we work conditions how we socialize because it 'constructs' how we earn money and what money we earn. It shapes our attention for most of our daily (work-week) waking hours (WWWH), and it significantly defines our social (a) outlook (and expectations of others and of 'the world') and (b) image (how others see us). The movement to intelligently 'socially construct' vegetarians and vegans so that we could become vocationally and financially successful was pooh-poohed by others as (a) needlessly invasive AND (b) unnecessary (but that was in times of extended financial prosperity).

Vegetarians have SELDOM been culture builders; if 'we' (the poetic or literary 'we') HAD been, today's generations would 'receive' a deep and longstanding legacy of social and cultural institutions around vegan values, or at least around vegetarian values.

Oh, but wait: we DID receive those social institutions, did we not?

We received (a) religious vegetarianism AND (b) a broad array of (i) humane AND (ii) anti-vivisection organizations. We also noted occasional (and more often failed) institutions around raw foods and natural health. Indeed, that MOST vegetarian institutions have ([please forgive me for saying this) have 'fallen into the scrap heaps of history' is tragic, but to be predicted. Often, what has happened is a result of cash flow issues; oh, had we the cash flow and the institutional wisdom to move what were often family, individual, or small group operations boldly into the public arena to compete aggressively. But hindsight is...

Nonetheless, I think the question remains: in vegetarian community organizing, is MERE vegetarianism (reminds me of how Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis became a rallying tool for enthusiastic Christians in the late 20th century) enough of a pivot, focus, center, agenda, or REASON for associating with one another and building communities that WORK (a) FOR US AND (b) for the world and the other persons in that world, both human AND nonhuman?

Does MERE vegetarianism merely lack sufficient, clear, and LEAN definition so that the public can come together around MERE vegetarianism, pure and simple? And will many or most VEGETARIANS themselves accept any MERE vegetarianism.

'what we eat' 'how we socialize' 'how we work' 'how we build'

Does insight INTO this quartet help us understand HOW to do vegetarian organizing:

'what we eat' 'how we socialize' 'how we work' 'how we build'

Nicknames from Smilin' Bob

Years ago (and I do mean YEARS ago), long before I became vegan or had even heard the word (and at which time I would not have thought the word could make sustaianble sense), a local radio personality, "Smilin' Bob" Yontz appeared at his radio sponsor, the local River Dale Dairy, where youthful fans crowded around him and asked him for nicknames so they could phone him during the mornings before they went to school and ask questions, tell him jokes, pose riddles, ask for favors, and ask for him to play their favorite tunes (I think we enjoyed during those years "Tie me kangaroo down" and "Does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight" and similar works of artistic merit.

Nicknames from "Smilin' Bob" were odd but creative, sometimes witty, usually disconnected from the person, and sometimes downright insulting, if "Smilin' Bob" didn't take a shine to the person.

My name was 'soda' (unrelated to my love of seltzer water), and I managed to phone in (quite aggressively) and pose some great riddles he failed to guess well over half the time.

Pretty soon, I had a reputation for two things: (a) great riddles AND (b) managing (before touch tone phones - giving away my age) to redial the phone fast enough to get on the show nearly any morning I wanted to hear my own voice on the radio.

"Smilin' Bob" - if you're out there now, I remember you.

But hey, there are other things in life. Ha!

What's the difference between...?

Climate change yields higher water levels and more extreme rainfall

Study: Climate change yields more extreme rainfall; water rises

Water levels in the world's rivers and oceans rose 18% over a 13-year period ending in 2006, due in part to melting polar ice sheets, according to a scientific analysis by the University of California, Irvine. The so-called water-cycle acceleration could result in more water availability, but it will likely lead to more extreme wet and dry climates around the world, a sign of global warming, the study's lead author said. The Orange County Register (Calif.)

(10/4)

Published: Oct. 4, 2010
Updated: 12:00 p.m.

Warming sign: harder rain, higher rivers

By PAT BRENNAN

ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

pbrennan@ocregister.com

Rainfall is intensifying, rivers are rising and water flow into the ocean is increasing rapidly, a new UC Irvinestudy shows -- a possible "warning sign" of higher sea levels and global warming.

Satellite and surface measurements over 13 years revealed an 18 percent increase in the flow of water from rivers and melting polar ice sheets into the world's oceans, according to the study, likely one of the first of its kind, to be published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

"Those are all key indications of what we call water-cycle acceleration," said Jay Famiglietti, aUC Irvine Earth System Science professor and lead investigator on the study. "That is a very important and anticipated outcome of climate change."

Planetary warming includes higher ocean temperatures, which increase evaporation; higher air temperatures drive more evaporation as well, Famiglietti said.

That means more fuel for monsoons, hurricanes and storms over land.

"You're talking a lot more energy transfer between the surface and the atmosphere," he said. "We're expecting much more energetic storms, and that translates into the potential for more extreme events."

During the study period ending in 2006, the scientists saw an average 1.5 percent increase in water flows per year. They relied largely on radar data from NASA satellites, instead of computer models, to calculate the flows.

And while 13 years is probably too short a time frame to remove any doubt, the consistent trend of higher flows leaped out at the researchers.

"Although there are a lot of ups and downs in the data sets, the trends are all the same," Famiglietti said.

Such changes might sound potentially beneficial -- more water, more water availability. But if the water cyle is growing more extreme, that likely means extremes in both wet and dry climates around the world -- catastrophic flooding in some places, intensifying drought in others.

No single storm or weather event can be directly linked to global warming, which is measured in averages over decades. But recent catastrophic flooding in Pakistan is a powerful example of what may be ahead if the trend-line continues.

"We always need more data, but we don't want to stick our head in the sand," Famiglietti said. "This is an early warning, a glimpse of the future."

Vegan Red Velvet Cake (is THIS a VEGAN version of the $300/$500/$1000 Waldorf Astoria Red Cake?

Vegan Red Velvet Cake: Red Mango Bakery. My Review.

Red Mango Bakery in Brooklyn, New York makes a famous Vegan Red Velvet Layer Cake. It's a tall beet-red stack of fluffy cake and creamy snow white frosting. I don't know how they make it. But I'm just glad they do!

Vegan Cake 2009. It's 2009, and vegan cake doesn't have to taste like cardboard and look like wheat bread. Most everyone loves cake. Evenhealth-conscious, animal loving vegans. Let us alleat cake.

Red Mango Bakery. They are wholesale only, though they do a few specialty orders. Incredibly friendly staff. I found their divine slice of red velvet heaven at The Bean Coffee Shoppe in the East Village NYC. Also on hand from Red Mango was aPeanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake. It looked outstanding. Next extra special treat is going to be a slice of that!

Click ahead for my review of this divine Red Velvet Cake-sorry I can't hand you a forkful to taste-test!....



Vegan Bakery Finds. I am always thrilled when I find a new vegan cupcake, ice cream store, cake, pastry, doughnut or bakery. No I don't eat these treats everyday, but it's nice to know that they exist if I crave one.

Deprived Vegan Brides Everywhere. As a bride who sadly didn't get to eat her own wedding cake, because there were no vegan bakers nearby, I am incrediblysupportive of quality vegan baking companies that I come across. Red Mango is one of them.

My Review: Red Velvet Cake,
Red Mango Bakery, Brooklyn NY

Shelf Appeal:Sometimes giant slices of cake can get ignored at places like The Bean.But not this one. Standing tall, proud, and irresistible, this Red Velvet cake, proudly marked vegan, gets snapped up by patrons. With crumbly red bits sprinkled on top of the snow white frosting, how an a vegan NOT try this? I hope the 'vegan' sign doesn't deter non-vegan coffee patrons from checking out just how good a vegan cake can be.

Label Check: No nutrition label here. I do not know the calories, fat, carbs ect. But just from the taste I can tell that this cake is hardcore. Not low in fat or sugar. And the size is outrageous! Cheesecake Factory sized. Huge. But if eaten in moderation-split between friends, this is a knock-out special treat dessert to try. Get a slice and split it - some soy chai on the side. That's a happy afternoon. Vegans should not be deprived of super special cakes, if they crave it- I say let them eat cake! This one, in moderation...

Taste Test: Is "Yum" a verb? How about"Mmmm"? Because you don't eat this cake, youYum and Mmmm it. Really. It's that good. The cake isfluffy yet has a desirable dense quality. It's nottoo airy or moist. It really reminds me of wedding cake consistency. The frosting is outstanding. A little on the sweet side for my taste, but I guess for Red Velvet you have to go all out. Icing is creamy yet more of a sugar frosting that a 'creamy' frosting. The red crumbles on top are so fun. This cake has some serious sweet-sensational factor, yet it's amazingly not 'heavy'. I think the dairy-free-ness helps keep it easy to eat. And FYI, it's not just me- the Yelp.com reviewers of The Bean all seem to mention the Red Velvet Cake!

Price Check: Around $6 a slice. For the size, I think it's fair. And where else can you get this in a corner street coffee shop? Get you latte, check your cell phone messages, sit in a comfy chair and eat Vegan Red Velvet Cake.

Last Word: I wish Red Mango Bakery was around when and where I got married! That's the beauty of big cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and NYC - you can always find someone doing something (like vegan cake baking) off-the-beaten-trackout of passion. And eventually, if proven a success, it goes mainstream. Veganwedding cake, Red Velvet Cake and PB Choco Cheesecake for all who desire it - is what I envision. Let them eat vegan cake! How Marie Antoinette 2009 of me.

So is THIS Vegan Red Velvet Cake (from Red Mango Bakery in NYC a VEGAN version of the $300/$500/$1000 Waldorf Astoria Red Cake?

World Farm Animals Day (Gandhi's Birthday: October 2nd): Every Year, Everywhere

World Farm Animals Day (WFAD), observed on (or around) October 2nd, is dedicated to exposing, mourning, and memorializing the more than 58 billion cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens, and other land animals who needlessly suffer and die every year in the world's factory farms and slaughterhouses.

Happy Vegetarian Day, Week, Month, Life...!

A little late to be reminding us, but we have from now through November 1st (International Vegan Day) to celebrate a series of vegetarian "events" (those we made up) and to great one another cheerfully, slap them on the back hard enough to dislodge any tofu caught in their throats, and to join hands together and rally round the October Pole merrily.

In the words of that ancient vegan marines cheer: Tow - FOOOOO '

October 1 - World Vegetarian day

First WEEK of October 9celebrated variously, first called "World Week of Prayer for Animals" = October 1-8 plus residual days on both sides of 1-8 October)

October 2 - Gandhi's Birthday/World Farm Animals day (FARM) or World Day for Farmed Animals

October 4 - Birthday of St. Francis, Patron Saint of Animals (canonized, therefore it's a Catholic feast day that oughta be vegan)

October 15 - United Nations World Food Day (for global "food security", ample but sustainable agriculture, etc.)

November 1- International Vegan Day (completes the full month of celebration and outreach)

Happy Vegetarian Day, Week, Month, Life...!

Are monkeys self-aware?

New results suggest that rhesus macaques recognize themselves in the mirror, but the debate is far from over

[Published 30th September 2010 04:47 PM GMT]

Read more:Are monkeys self-aware? - The Scientist - Magazine of the Life Scienceshttp://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/57730/#ixzz112nOGTKO

Rhesus monkey Image: Wikimedia commons, user 13bobby

By Vanessa SchipaniAre monkeys self-aware?New results suggest that rhesus macaques recognize themselves in the mirror, but the debate is far from over [Published 30th September 2010 04:47 PM GMT] Rhesus monkeys may recognize their own reflection in a mirror, indicating self-awareness--a trait traditionally reserved for humans, chimpanzees and orangutans and a topic of much debate among researchers, including Marc Hauser, professor of psychology at Harvard University and the recent subject of misconduct investigations. Rhesus monkeyImage: Wikimedia commons, user 13bobby

The results, published in the September 29th issue of PLoS ONE, question the existence of a stark cognitive divide that separates higher primates from the rest of the animal kingdom.

"In most instances, monkeys do not show [self-awareness]," Christopher Coe, director of the Harlow Primate Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who was not involved in the work, said in an email to The Scientist. But the new study "indicates that rhesus monkeys can acquire this ability in the right setting and with the right tools."

For years, the Gallup mark test has been the standard method for assessing self-awareness. Researchers dye a small tuff of hair on an animal's head, and then give it access to a mirror. If the animal touched the mark while looking in the mirror, researchers concluded it understood the reflection to be its own. Humans over the age of two, chimpanzees, orangutans and potentially gorillas can conclusively pass this test. Monkeys, on the other hand, nearly always fail.

In 1995, Hauser published a controversial paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), which reported that cotton-top tamarins show signs of self-awareness, despite many failed attempts in the past by others researchers. He used a modified form of the Gallup mark test, however, by dying the entire white head of the tamarin a bright color, such a green or pink. Hauser argued that the small mark was simply not relevant to monkeys, causing them to fail the test in the past.

Yet, monkeys react to a Gallup mark that they can see on their arm or hand, noted Gordon Gallup, lead researcher in the field, professor of psychology at the University at Albany, SUNY, and inventor of the Gallup mark test. "If it's salient on their arm, then it ought to be equally salient on their face."

Skeptical after reading Hauser's paper, Gallup requested to see some tapes recorded during the study. "When I looked at the tapes, I was absolutely shocked," he said. "There was not a shred of evidence in any of the video tapes that suggested that cotton-top tamarins could recognize themselves in mirrors."

In 2001, Hauser reported that he was unable to reproduce the results of the 1995 paper. His new findings, published in the American Journal of Primatology, suggested that cotton-top tamarins do not exhibit behaviors suggesting self-awareness, once again limiting this ability in primates to the great apes.

Despite the irreproducible results of the 1995 paper, Randy Schekman, editor-in-chief of PNAS, said the journal does not have plans to retract Hauser's original paper. "The Harvard committee investigating Hauser has not contacted us about it, and we have no reason to pursue the matter unless someone challenges the paper."

Another study, on the rule learning abilities of cotton-top tamarins, unrelated to his tests of self-awareness, was the subject of the recent misconduct investigation and the retraction of a 2002 Cognition paper.

The new study on rhesus macaques now provides more evidence that some monkeys do possess the ability to recognize themselves in mirrors. Luis Populin, a professor of anatomy also at the UW-Madison, who normally studies the effects of drugs such as Ritalin on monkeys, stumbled upon this project when graduate student Abigail Rajala claimed that she observed a monkey using a small mirror provided for enrichment to groom himself. The monkey paid particular attention to the area around an implant in its head, which the researchers used in their studies on attention deficient disorder.

The observation prompted Populin and his colleagues to test for self-awareness in the monkeys, replacing the traditional splotch of color used in the Gallup mark test with the head implant. They also used monkeys that had years of experience with mirrors, which Populin believed was a necessary ingredient for them to pass the mark test.

While looking into the mirror, the monkeys examined and groomed the area around their implant and other unseen areas on their bodies, such as the genitals. In cases where the implant was removed, the monkeys failed to touch their heads at all, but continued to examine their genitals in the mirror. This movie shows a monkey waking up from a nap, reaching for the small mirror outside his cage, positioning it to view himself, and grooming the area around the implant while looking at himself. The view of the head implant has been blocked for discretion.Video courtesy of Luis Populin.

The implanted monkeys also showed sparing amounts of aggressive or submissive social responses, another indication that they did, in fact, see the reflections as themselves.

The paper contains a couple of flaws, however, that "render the results inconsequential and uninterpretable," said Gallup. For one, the monkeys can feel the implant in addition to seeing it, unlike the traditional color mark, which controls for tactile cues. Thus, they could be drawn to touch it, despite their reflection in the mirror.

However, Populin believes he controlled for this by presenting the monkeys with a mirror blocked by black plastic. When the mirror was concealed, the monkeys failed to examine their implant and their genitals as often. "Subjects may touch the area because it itches or it is irritated," he agreed. "Although if that were the case, one would see no difference between the mirror and no mirror condition."

The videos of Populin's work, which were published along with the paper, are no help in solving the debate. Some researchers argue the behaviors in the videos do not illustrate self-awareness, and some argue they do. The videos don't "strike me as compelling, self-directed behavior," said Gallup, "but [they do] strike me as investigative behavior coupled with instances of intermittent social behavior." Contrastingly, Charles Snowdon, professor of psychology and zoology at the UW-Madison, who was not involved in the research, said, "the videos are impressive in that rhesus macaques show some evidence of precursors of mirror recognition," in an email to The Scientist.

Whether there exists a blatant cognitive divide separating higher primates from the rest of the animal kingdom still remains open. "For other species, vocal or odor recognition may be more salient," said Coe, "but until paradigms are developed in other modalities we will not know what other species may have [self-awareness]."

Read more:
Are monkeys self-aware? - The Scientist - Magazine of the Life Sciences
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/57730/#ixzz112lzcz3r

Heart-healthy need NOT be expensive: "Increased spending on nuts, soy and beans, whole grains; less spending on ...meats and ...dairy"

Research news

Heart healthy diet doesn't have to be expensive

"Increased spending on nuts, soy and beans, and whole grains, and less spending on red and processed meats and high-fat dairy, may be the best investment for dietary health," Adam Bernstein and colleagues concluded in a new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Read more

Heart-healthy need NOT be expensive: "Increased spending on nuts, soy and beans, whole grains; less spending on ...meats and ...dairy"

Heart-healthy diet doesn't have to be costly

NEW YORK | Fri Sep 24, 2010 5:21pm EDT

(Reuters Health) - Spending more on food isn't the only way to buy the healthiest diet, new research shows.

"Increased spending on nuts, soy and beans, and whole grains, and less spending on red and processed meats and high-fat dairy, may be the best investment for dietary health," Dr. Adam M. Bernstein and colleagues from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and colleagues conclude.

The trick, according to the researchers, is to spend more on plant-based foods.

Several studies suggest that living on junk food can be cheaper than eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, the researchers note in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Research from the UK, France, Spain, and the Netherlands has also found that eating a healthy diet costs more. However, there is some evidence that "healthy diets can be obtained at different levels of spending," the authors write.

To compare the relationship between food spending and diet healthfulness, the team assessed diet and spending data for 78,191 women participating in the Nurses' Health Study. They rated the women's eating habits and multivitamin intake according to the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI), a tool they developed, with points awarded for consuming healthier items.

Those with the healthiest diets, whose average AHEI score was 59, spent about $4.60 per day on food, compared to about $3.70 per day for the women with the least healthy diets, who had an average AHEI score of 30.

But when the researchers divided the women into five groups based on how much money they spent on food, they found a wide range in AHEI scores within each spending group. The AHEI score difference between the bottom 10 percent and the top 10 percent within each spending group ranged from 25 to 29, the researchers point out.

In previous research, they add, a 20-point AHEI score increase has been linked to a 25 percent lower risk of heart disease.

Spending more on nuts, soy and beans, and whole grains was associated with a higher AHEI score, the researchers found, while spending more on red meat, processed meat and high fat dairy were associated with a lower score. "Fish and poultry, vegetables, and fruit and fruit juice offer the next best investment," Bernstein and his colleagues say.

They conclude: "Although spending more money is associated with a healthier diet, large improvements in diet may be achieved without increased spending."

SOURCE: link.reuters.com/jez35p American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online September 1, 2010.

HEALTH

After reading this article, people also read:

• Diabetes risk may fall as magnesium intake climbsSep 24, 2010
• Staying active on workdays good for the heartSep 24, 2010
• Did doctors jumpstart the HIV pandemic?Sep 24, 2010
• ADHD drug benefits child cancer survivorsSep 24, 2010
• New seasonal flu vaccine to contain H1N1 strainFeb 17, 2010