VegMichigan February 2006 News For Life
This newsletter is designed to keep you aware of the
many relationships our life choices have on personal
health, a sustainable planet and respect for other
species. By simply shifting towards a plant-based
lifestyle you can realize many truly wondrous things!

---------------------------
   
1. Want to get into the Great American Meatout for
free?

The VegMichigan (VM) Board recently approved a
new benefit for VM members - free admission to the
Great American Meatout. VM members, just bring your
membership card with you to the Meatout for free
admission. Not yet a member? Join VM before, or on
the day of the Meatout, and get into the Meatout for
free.
 
Actually, there are many benefits to membership. Here
are a few additional examples.  As a member, you are
entitled to a 10% discount on all VM merchandise,
including veggie-related books, t-shirts, buttons,
etc. 
Be sure to stop by the VM table at the Meatout (in
the Organizations/Product Vendors room).

You will receive a discount on your bill at about 20
vegetarian-friendly restaurants in the metro-Detroit
area. Pick up a list of these restaurants at the
Meatout.

You will receive a discount to VM's annual retreat.
When at the Meatout, be sure to look at the pictures
of last year's VM week-end retreat and learn some of
the details about this year's upcoming retreat.

There will be a table at the Great American Meatout
where you can become a member. But, better yet, join
prior to and avoid the rush. For details, go to
www.veggiesinmotion.org/join.

---------------------------

2. Lessons to Be Learned from the "Fiber Not a Cancer
Stopper" Story

With few exceptions, every news service throughout the
Western world told people what they wanted to hear:
"Well, scientists now find that there may be no need
to "rough it" after all... For most of us, there seems
to be no benefit for loading up on rough fruits,
beans, and vegetables."  These welcome comments were
based on a December 14, 2005 article by Yikyung Park
in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
This article and the accompanying media coverage
provide some excellent examples of how the truth can
be distorted to support people's gluttony and avoid
arousing their feelings of guilt...

...Therefore, a well-informed consumer will not be
discouraged by isolated reports that seem to speak
negatively about a healthy plant-based diet. Instead,
this person keeps focused on the fact that when they
follow a diet of starches, vegetables, and fruits,
they will not only prevent colon cancer, but also ward
off heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer and most
other common aliments -and cut their food and medical
bills- and help save the planet- and be kind to
animals.  The reasons to make conscientious food
choices seem to never end.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/december/fiber.htm
---------------------------

3. Broccoli and Curry May Save American Men from
Prostate Cancer

The most common cancer in American men - prostate
cancer - may be prevented, and possibly treated, by
something as easy as eating certain vegetables like
broccoli, and the curry spice turmeric (also
watercress, cabbage, winter cress, broccoli, Brussels
sprouts, kale, cauliflower, 
kohlrabi and turnips), says a new study... and could
be effective in treating established prostate
cancers... This has been attributed to the dietary
consumption of large amounts of plant-based foods rich
in phytochemicals - nonnutritive plant chemicals that
have protective or disease-preventive properties.

http://www.seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Health/6-01-15-BroccoliAndCurry.htm
---------------------------

4. The Nuts that May Clobber Cholesterol

If you are looking for a way to keep your heart
healthy and still satisfy your snacking mood,
pistachios and sunflower seeds may be the powerful
cholesterol-fighting tool your body needs.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Cholesterol/story?id=1479883&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
---------------------------

5. Vegetables Help Lower Blood Pressure

Eating more plant protein improves heart health, study
finds People who get their dietary protein from
vegetables rather than meat have lower blood pressure,
and the more plant protein consumed the better,
researchers said on Monday.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10776695/from/RSS/
---------------------------

6. Fruits, Vegetables May Keep Memory Strong

Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables not only makes
you healthier but may also help keep your memory
strong, says a study...  Moreover, those who nibbled
on plenty of veggies and fruits were able to maintain
their memory over time.

http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=187024&n_date=20051210&cat=H
---------------------------

7. Experts Urge Less Focus On Antioxidants, More On
Variety

Tired of trying to keep track of all the so-called
superfoods you're supposed to eat? You know, oregano
that packs 42 times more antioxidants than apples,
cooked tomatoes that may prevent prostate cancer, and
chocolate and wine that may or may not be health
foods? Then here's the good news -- you can stop
trying.  
Instead, experts advise focusing on balance,
moderation and variety, and leaving the
phytochemicals, flavanols and phenolic acids to
scientists.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/health/20051211-0907-antioxidantconfusion.html
---------------------------

8. Thyroid Deficiency Strikes One in Six

Hypothyroidism is the most common of all the "hormone
diseases," yet most people who have it are unaware.
The test for this deficiency is simple and almost
painless, and the treatment is effective, safe, and
inexpensive.  Left unattended, a subtle malfunction
could mean heart disease and an earlier death.

http://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2005nl/december/thyroid.htm
---------------------------

9. Fresh Start, Fresh Produce

...Kids aren't as anti-vegetable as you might think,
especially if you follow three simple rules:
   1. Let your children help out in the kitchen.
   2. Make produce a regular part of your meals.
   3. Enjoy what you're eating.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/food/13498724.htm?source=rss&channel=miamiherald_food
---------------------------

10. Runners Must Remember: They Are What They Eat

Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr. and
Dr. Neal Barnard - three of the most prominent
scientists and doctors at the forefront of researching
nutrition - conducted seminars at RunTex. All three
had an identical message: eat a plant-based diet
that's high in nutrients, whole grains, legumes and
fiber, and you'll not only be healthier and live
longer, but, as a nice side effect, you'll also
improve your running endurance. 

http://www.statesman.com/sports/content/sports/stories/other/12/27HOBAN.html
---------------------------

11. A National Assessment of Tap Water Quality: More
than 140 contaminants with no enforceable safety
limits found in the nation's drinking water

An Environmental Working Group analysis of tap water
tests from 1999 through 2003 shows that customers of
the city of Detroit drank water containing up to 18
pollutants, including one unregulated contaminant. The
city of Detroit is one of 65,000 water suppliers
across the country wrestling with treating water
polluted by sprawl, sewage, factory farms, and
industry.

http://www.ewg.org/tapwater/yourwater/system.php?pwsid=MI0001800

VM Note: Bottled water is not a solution. Bottlers
are not under the same strict government standards
that municipalities are under. Many bottlers exceed
contaminant levels deemed safe. Your best option is a
home filtration system.
---------------------------

12. Clear Choices for Clean Drinking Water

Whether you'd like to improve the taste of your water,
are concerned about possible contamination, or you
simply want to learn more about the water in your
home, our report can help. Based on interviews with
government officials, manufacturers, and consumer
groups, and drawing upon our own tests of 19
water-filtering systems, it provides a comprehensive
guide to clean drinking water.

http://www.consumerreports.org/main/content/display_report.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=341419&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=333143&bmUID=110185037157
9

A free copy of this report is available in most
libraries. Ask for the January 2003 Consumer Reports
magazine.
---------------------------

13. Chemical Farm

... Enough chemicals circulate in our animal products
to stock a medicine cabinet. Consider the turkey
raised in a factory farm in conditions of pain and
squalor. Close confinement requires the use of a long
list of antibiotics to control diseases. And let's not
talk about what the bird picks up during processing. 
One of the last stages at the slaughterhouse is a dip
in chlorine to wash off pathogens...

http://www.alternet.org/story/28576/
---------------------------

14. Antibiotic Uptake by Plants from Soil Fertilized
with Animal Manure 

Antibiotics are commonly added to animal feed as
supplements to promote growth of food animals.
However, absorption of antibiotics in the animal gut
is not complete and, as a result, substantial amounts
of antibiotics are excreted in urine and feces that
end up in manure. Manure is used worldwide, not only
as a source of plant nutrients, but also as a source
of organic matter to improve soil quality, especially
in organic and sustainable agriculture.

http://jeq.scijournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/34/6/2082

VM Note: This is a good reason to grow your own
vegetables at home "veganically" (no manure or animal
by-products).
---------------------------

15. Vegan-organic (Veganic) Gardening

Vegan-organic gardening is a healthy, compassionate
alternative to organic or commercial gardening. Soil
is enriched with vegetable compost, green manures,
crop rotation, mulching and other ecological methods,
ensuring long-term fertility without animal
exploitation. Veganic gardening uses no blood or bone
meal, sludge, fish parts/oil or manures from
facilities where animals are abused.

Vegan soil conditioners/fertilizers are lime, gypsum,
rock phosphorus, dolomite, rock dusts, rock potash,
wood ash, hay mulches, composted organic matter
(fruit/vegetable peels, leaves and grass clippings),
green manures/nitrogen-fixing cover crops, seaweed and
other liquid feeds.

Veganic Gardening Supplies:
http://www.gentleworld.org/vegan_alternatives/gardening.html
---------------------------

16. Food Crisis Feared as Fertile Land Runs Out: Maps
show 40% of Earth's land is used for agriculture

New maps show that the Earth is rapidly running out of
fertile land and that food production will soon be
unable to keep up with the world's burgeoning
population. The maps reveal that more than one third
of the world's land is being used to grow crops or
graze cattle.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1206-01.htm

VM Note: By switching to an entirely plant-based diet
the world could conserve between 90 to 95% of the
cropland currently in production.
---------------------------

17. Scientists Say Too Many Fish Are Snared in the
Wrong Nets

Commercial fisheries in the U.S. kill a pound of fish
for every four pounds intentionally caught, 
jeopardizing efforts to restore some struggling
stocks, scientists said Wednesday.  Their
peer-reviewed study, sponsored by the environmental
group Oceana and published in the December issue of
Fish and Fisheries magazine, found that 1.2 billion
tons of fish annually are left for dead with every 4
billion tons caught in commercial nets... Most of the
fish -- such as skates, monkfish, swordfish, tuna,
sharks, salmon and halibut -- are snared by shrimpers'
nets in the Gulf of Mexico or in the huge trawling
nets some vessels use to reach the ocean floor.

http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=9367
---------------------------

18. Fishing Subsidies Hurting Marine Ecosystems

... the world's fisheries are nearing "irreversible
collapse" and three-fourths of the fish populations
have reduced.  Many of these are of high commercial
value.  Big fish such as marlin, swordfish and tuna
have almost disappeared from the oceans with their
populations down to one-tenth of their natural
availability. The only cause for this depletion is
overfishing encouraged by high fishing subsidies.

http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/4730.html
---------------------------

19. Five Fish Species Regarded as Endangered

Trawling in ocean depths among stocks that were once
considered inexhaustible has depleted some fish
species so quickly and completely that they meet
international criteria for being listed as critically
endangered, Canadian scientists said yesterday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/05/science/05fish.html
---------------------------

20. Toxic Risk On Your Plate (Eat at your own risk: A
Fishy Tale)

Seafood for sale in area stores is tainted by toxic
mercury, Tribune testing shows. Government and
industry fail to protect consumers, even as Americans
buy more fish than ever. Supermarkets throughout the
Chicago area are routinely selling seafood highly
contaminated with mercury, a toxic metal that can
cause learning disabilities in children and
neurological problems in adults, a Tribune
investigation has found.

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1538229/posts

VM Note: Since the same suppliers for Chicago supply
Detroit, you can be certain that the results translate
to us as well.
---------------------------

21. Daring Whale Rescue

Team members realized the only way to save the
endangered leviathan was to dive into the water and
cut the ropes.  It was a very risky maneuver, Stoudt
said, because the mere flip of a humpback's massive
tail can kill a man.  Lines were cinched so tight,
Moskito said, that the rope was digging into the
animal's blubber and leaving visible cuts... "When I
was cutting the line going through the mouth, its eye
was there winking at me, watching me," Moskito said.
"It was an 
epic moment of my life." 

When the whale realized it was free, it began swimming
around in circles, according to the rescuers. Moskito
said it swam to each diver, nuzzled him and then swam
to the next one. "It seemed kind of affectionate, like
a dog that's happy to see you,'' Moskito said. "I
never felt threatened. It was an amazing, unbelievable
experience."

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/14/HUMPY.TMP
---------------------------

22. It's Better To Green Your Diet Than Your Car

Thinking of helping the planet by buying an
eco-friendly car? You could do more by going vegan,
say Gidon Eshel and Pamela Martin of the University of
Chicago.

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/earth/mg18825304.800

Note from the Editor:  Why not do both?!  No one says
you can only do one or the other!
---------------------------

23. The Cancer Project Is Seeking Vegetarian Cooking
Instructors

The Cancer Project, a national nonprofit, is seeking
vegetarian cooking instructors across the United
States to expand its Food for Life Nutrition & Cooking
Classes for Cancer Prevention & Survival. The classes
offer invaluable nutrition information and cooking
advice for cancer survivors or anyone looking to lower
their risk of the disease. Classes are currently being

offered in supermarkets, hospitals, workplaces,
schools, and other venues in over 34 cities. The
Cancer Project provides a two-day training, marketing
help, all materials, and a stipend. The ideal
candidate will be a health professional and/or have
extensive experience in vegetarian food preparation. 
For details, please contact Brandi Redo at
202-244-5038, ext. 319, or bredo@cancerproject.org.
---------------------------

24. Raw Food Classes
 
Michael Dwyer is teaching an Introductory Class for
$15 on January 17th and February 23 at 6:30 PM at the
Good Food Company in Canton, MI.  Michael has studied
under Alissa Cohen, and is certified to teach you how
to become certified also. His Chef level certification
classes are on Saturdays - February 4th, March 18th,
and April 29th.  Six hours for $125. He is planning a 
2 & 1/2 day Instructor-Level certification sometime in
May for $650. If you are interested, either go to his
website at www.rawdwyer.com, email him at
rawdwyer@rawdwyer.com 
or call him at 734-812-9137.
---------------------------

25. Farm Animal Treatment Must Be Government Priority

Americans are known for our sympathy toward the
animals we welcome into our families and many of us
also have compassion for the animals we raise for
food. Unfortunately, there is a massive disconnect
between how we believe farm animals ought to be
treated and the conditions prevalent in the meat, egg
and dairy industries. As Americans learn more about
the routine abuse animals endure on factory farms, an
increasing number are calling for regulatory reforms
at both
state and federal levels.

http://www.dcexaminer.com/articles/2005/12/05/opinion/op-ed/64oped25shapiro.txt
---------------------------

26. Take Action: Investigation Exposes Farmed Animal
Suffering During Interstate Transport

... investigators traveled throughout the United
States to document the conditions endured by farmed
animals shipped across the country on trucks and
trailers. Our investigators found that, in many cases,
farmed animals are overcrowded onto vehicles and moved
long distances, often exceeding 28 hours, without
food, water to drink, rest, or adequate protection
from the 
elements. As a result of such hardships, an untold
number suffer in-transit injuries, illnesses, stress
and even death.

http://www.cok.net/feat/usti.php
---------------------------

27. Make a New Year's Resolution to Spread
Vegetarianism Every Month!

Vegan Outreach activists are out in public places
promoting veganism all over the U.S. and Canada almost
every day of the year, but you might not have the time
to join them. How about committing to join these
activists with a monthly recurring donation? Each
month, a set amount will be charged to your credit
card. You don't have to do anything, and you can
cancel at any time. This sort of reliable, constant
support really helps Vegan Outreach maintain our
campaigns, while giving you the knowledge that you are
preventing animal suffering without needing to lift a 
finger again.

http://www.veganoutreach.org/enewsletter/20060105.html
---------------------------

28. THE WITNESS on National Television! Airing on Link
TV, available in 26 million homes

The Witness is one of those films, made with the
courage and commitment to speak on behalf of those who
have no voice

Saturday,February 25th
7 PM PST, 10 PM EST
DIRECTV Channel 375
DISH Network Channel 9410
---------------------------

29. VM'S PUBLIC OUTREACH
For all other regional evens go to:
http://www.veggiesinmotion.org/calendar 

Thursday ~ February 2, 2006
* 7:30 pm ~ VM Raw Food Potluck and Food Preparation
Demo. 
Unity of Livonia, 28660 5 Mile Rd, Livonia, MI,
between Middlebelt and Inkster Road. Map It! 
Bring your favorite RAW VEGAN dish sized for 8
servings or a $7.50 donation. For further information,
call Flo or Jerry at (313) 541-0162 or send an email
to Flo or Jerry. 
Download an Event Flyer in PDF Format Now!

Friday ~ February 10, 2006
* 7:00 pm ~ VM MUGS & JUGS Billiards. Shoot pool or
just shoot the breeze. Vegan burger available!. Plush
Pockets, 28202 Dequindre Rd, Warren, MI. Map It! 
Located on the east side of Dequindre between 11 Mile
and 12 Mile Roads, just south of the Krogers and the
Universal Mall. For further details, call Peter at
(248) 515-3367.

Saturday ~ February 11, 2006
* 7:00 pm ~ VM Dinner at Thai Smile, 28742 Van Dyke,
Warren (South of 12 Mile, East side of Van Dyke). They
serve delicious Thai food without fish sauce! We will
order off the menu. To attend, you MUST give an RSVP
by February 8th. Contact Karen at(248)544-4030 or
email thorndike@yahoo.com. This link will take you to
a map for the restaurant's location:
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?address=28742%20Van%20Dyke%20Ave&
city=Warren&state=MI&zipcode=48093%2d2705&country=US&title=%3cb%3e2874
2%20Van%20Dyke%20Ave%3c%2fb%3e%3cbr%20%2f%3e%20Warren%2c%20MI%2048093%
2d2705%2c%20%20US&cid=lfmaplink2&name=

After dinner, we will gather at a smoke-free
microbrewery called Dragonmead, located in Warren at
14600 E. 11 Mile Rd, East of Schoenherr.  Here is a
map of its location: http://www.dragonmead.com/map.htm

Tuesday ~ February 14, 2006
* 7:00 pm ~ VM Board / GAM Planning Meeting. TBA,
TBA, MI, between 8 and 9 Mile Road. Map It!

Sunday ~ February 26, 2006
* 1:00 pm ~ VM Vegan Potluck. Unity of Livonia, 28660
5 Mile Rd, Livonia, MI, between Middlebelt and Inkster
Road. Map It! Bring your favorite VEGAN dish sized for
8 servings or
a $7.50 donation. For further information, call Flo or
Jerry at (313) 541-0162 or send an email to Flo or
Jerry.
---------------------------

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VegMichigan
PO Box 71311
Madison Heights, MI 48071
www.veggiesinmotion.org
VegMichigan (VM) is a Southeast Michigan
nonprofit organization promoting the awareness of the
health, ecological and ethical consequences of our
food choices. We provide support to our members while
reaching out to educate the public about the many
benefits of shifting towards a plant-based lifestyle.
  
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