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Question 3, the ballot initiative that bans greyhound racing by Jan 1, 2010 passed last night. This is great news!

Check out the Telegram & Gazette article.

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Today Starbucks has a promotion running for election day where they’ll give you a free coffee if you vote. Since Starbucks has soymilk at all of its locations, I recommend you opt for a soy latte.

Or if you’d prefer to get a sweet vegan cookie with your coffee and don’t mind paying for it, you could support a local business and visit the Bean Counter at 113 Highland Street. In any case, make sure you reward yourself for schleping out to the polls to vote for animal rights today.

Why vote yes on question 3?

Greyhound racing is cruel and unnecessary. If question 3 passes this year, Massachusetts would end all greyhound racing. The dogs who are bred for racing live in terrible conditions and oftentimes suffer painful injuries as a result of being forced to compete. There are plenty of reasons why we should end greyhound racing in Massachusetts, Steve Baer wrote a stellar article on the bill in the last issue of InCity Times.

So after you click the button, punch in the hole, or color in the little bubble next to yes on question 3, go out to a coffee shop and get a tall soy-whatever-you-want. Go to Starbucks, there’s no need for a coupon or anything, just tell them you voted and want your free coffee.

There are a few Starbucks locations in the Worcester area, check the Starbucks store locator to find the one closest to your polling station.

Even if you’re not registered ahead of time, you can still vote today. Just bring a valid ID and proof of address (a recent bill, credit card statement, a letter, etc, etc), they can’t turn you away if you’re an eligable voter. Just look up your polling station and go.

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The Boston Vegetarian Food Fest is happening right now at the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury. But don’t fret if you can’t be there, because tomorrow is the Maple Farm Animal Sanctuary Open House in Mendon, MA.

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The Boston Vegetarian Food Festival is coming up this Saturday. Here’s a full list of speakers and their bios:

10:45 AM — Vegan Travel Tips and Q & A with Sarah Kramer

Cookbook author Sarah Kramer

Sarah Kramer combined her love of cooking and her love of animals to become a world-class vegan cookbook author and vegan superstar. How It All Vegan! and The Garden of Vegan, co-authored with Tanya Barnard, followed by her solo cookbook, La Dolce Vegan, brought her onto the world stage and fulfilled her aspirations to do something with her life that would make a difference in the world.

Declared “The World’s Coolest Vegan” in a cover story by Herbivore magazine, Sarah is also a photographer, tattoo shop owner, and traveller. The latter inspired her new release, Vegan a Go-Go!, a cookbook and advice book for veg travelers. Sarah will share some tips for going on the road and being able to locate and/or make animal-free meals that are easy to prepare with a minimum of ingredients but guaranteed to deliver energy, good nutrition, and great flavor.

We also will hear a bit of Sarah’s personal story, and have time for Q & A. Sarah comes to us from British Columbia, Canada, and her fun, retro style is loved by fans around the world. Her books will be available for sale and signing following her presentation.

11:30 AM — Meat Production’s Impact on Climate Change and the Environment
Danielle Nierenberg

Danielle Nierenberg is a leading expert on animal agriculture and sustainability. As a Senior Fellow with the Worldwatch Institute, she has authored significant reports addressing the damaging effects of factory farming on the environment, human health, and communities. Worldwatch declares, “Growing demand for meat has become a driving force behind virtually every major category of environmental damage now threatening the human future.” The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reports that animal agriculture contributes more to greenhouse gas emissions than all transportation combined.

Danielle’s knowledge of factory farming and its global spread has been cited widely in the New York Times Magazine, the International Herald Tribune, the Washington Post, and other publications. She worked for two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. She holds an M.S. in agriculture, food, and environment from Tufts University and a B.A. in environmental policy. Danielle lives in Washington DC and serves as Animal Agriculture and Climate Change Specialist for the Humane Society of the United States.

12:15 — Cooking Demo and Nutrition Talk: Favorite Whole Foods to Energize You Throughout the Day
jae steele, RHN

jae steele is a Toronto-based registered holistic nutritionist. She is the author of Get It Ripe: a fresh take on vegan cooking and living (2008), which features uncomplicated yet delicious recipes that use unprocessed ingredients. The book has been lauded for being packed with culinary tips and simple holistic health information.
While working on organic farms in her early twenties, jae developed a love for vegan whole foods. She has been a professional vegan baker, and has maintained a food blog, Domestic Affair, for almost four years. Her strength is in providing practical information for healthy living - she regularly lectures and leads workshops about eating well in everyday life. jae was trained at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition and holds a level II in Reiki.

jae will offer a nutrition talk and food preparation demo using tasty, whole foods ingredients that will start your day off right, satisfy you at lunch, and keep you energized throughout the afternoon. jae’s book will be available for sale and signing following her presentation.

1:30 PM — Understanding the Evidence for a Plant-Based Diet

T. Colin Campbell, PhD

T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. is a giant in the field of nutrition research, with a brilliant career spanning over 40 years. His legacy, the China Study, is the most comprehensive study ever conducted of the connection between diet and disease. Dr. Campbell is the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University, and Project Director of the renowned China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project, the largest population study in world history of the effects of diet on health. The study was the culmination of a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine. The results were clear:

People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease, and the closer you get to eating an all-plant diet, the greater the health benefits.

Dr. Campbell was trained at Cornell (M.S., Ph.D.) and MIT (Research Associate) in nutrition, biochemistry and toxicology. His principal scientific interest has been the effects of nutrition on long term health, particularly on the cause of cancer. He has authored more than 300 research papers.

Dr. Campbell has been a member of the National Academy of Science’s expert panels on issues of carcinogenicity, food safety policy, and research recommendations on diet, nutrition and cancer. He was the Senior Science Advisor for the American Institute for Cancer Research/World Cancer Research Fund.

His book, The China Study; Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-Term Health (2005), is an engrossing, illuminating, and lively read which details the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and the effects of aging, and how nutrition can reduce or reverse their risk or effects. The China Study also examines the source of conflicting nutritional messages produced by powerful lobbies, government entities, and irresponsible scientists. It has been translated into 10 languages.

Dr. Campbell will do a book signing following his presentation.

2:30 PM — Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals
Karen Dawn

Born in the US, Karen Dawn grew up and studied in Australia. She worked as a news researcher and writer for Australia’s national nightly news magazine show The 7:30 Report, then moved to New York, where she played the downtown music scene—and made fruit salad at the Saint Francis of Xavier soup kitchen every Sunday. After reading Animal Liberation, she was moved to devote her efforts to those most abused by society and least able to help themselves—the animals.

Karen founded the animal advocacy media watch DawnWatch in 1999. As a spokesperson for the animal protection movement, she has appeared on MTV and hosted talk shows on major radio stations. Her opinion pieces have been published in The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, New York’s Newsday and the UK Guardian. She is a contributor to the book, In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave, edited by Peter Singer.

Karen’s first book, Thanking the Monkey, was published this year and has a host of endorsements from celebrities and fellow authors and rave reviews from readers. Karen will do a book signing following her presentation.

3:30 PM — The Latest in Human Nutrition 2008
Michael Greger, MD

A perennial hit speaker at our Festival, Dr. Greger will introduce an engaging new interactive quiz show format that lets us test our nutrition knowledge with some surprising outcomes. Dr. Greger has scoured the world’s scholarly literature on clinical nutrition and developed this brand-new talk of the latest in cutting-edge research. Focusing on studies published just over the last year in peer-reviewed scientific nutrition journals, Dr. Greger offers practical advice on how best to feed ourselves and our families to prevent, treat, and even reverse chronic disease.

Known as one of the most entertaining medical speakers of our time, Michael Greger, MD, is a physician, author, and internationally recognized speaker on nutrition, food safety, and public health issues. He has lectured at the Conference on World Affairs, the Bird Flu Summit, the National Institutes of Health, and universities, medical schools, and conferences around the world. He is a graduate of Cornell University School of Agriculture and Tufts University School of Medicine and is Director of Public Health and Animal Agriculture at The Humane Society of the United States.

Dr. Greger’s presentations are described by audiences as “riveting,” “spellbinding,” and “brilliant,” and you can always count on great wit and humor. He is author of the books BIRD FLU: A Virus of Our Own Hatching, and CARBOPHOBIA: The Scary Truth Behind America’s Low Carb Craze, and has produced nutrition and cooking DVDs.

Following the presentation, Dr. Greger will do a book signing. His books will be available all day at his table in the exhibitor room. All proceeds go to charity.

5 PM — Passionate about Dessert

Hannah Kaminsky

Nineteen-year-old Hannah Kaminsky shares her creative genius for food, writing, and photography in her first cookbook of original, luscious recipes for desserts and baked goods, My Sweet Vegan. Each recipe illustrated with her own amazing food photography, the cookbook was created while she was still in high school.

Her egg-free, dairy-free recipes are cholesterol free, but that fact is overpowered by the sheer sumptuousness of her creations. From Whoopie Pies to Green Tea Tiramisu to Pumpkin Pecan Pie to Mocha Devastation Cake, these inventive recipes use creative flavor combinations and please every sweet tooth. Hannah writes an award-winning blog, BitterSweetBlog, and writes a regular column for VegNews Magazine. She has begun work on a second cookbook, and hopes her books will help support her college education. Hannah also loves crafts, particularly crocheting tiny animal figures as pictured here.

Hannah has a lot to say about how to frost and decorate cakes. She will demonstrate this practical art using her own frosting recipes and sharing baking and cake decorating tips. Her books will be available for sale and signing after her talk, and all day at her table in the exhibitor room.

[via Boston Vegetarian Society]

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There’s a lot going on this weekend. There’s the Annual Boston Veg Food Fest on Saturday (facebook event) and the Maple Farm Open House on Sunday (facebook event) which is also where the Worcester Vegan Meetup is having their November lunch. Exciting, huh?

The Boston Food Fest is going to rock. It happens every year at the same venue, the Reggie Lewis Center at Roxbury Community College (map). The organizers really ought to start considering booking a bigger venue. The place is always packed tight. It’s probably the single largest vegetarian food fest. The Toronto Veg Fest is the only one that may come close to beating it by drawing a bigger crowd. But who cares about Toronto, you live in Worcester. Boston’s only a commuter-rail ride away from you.

This year there’s a pretty solid line-up of speakers. I’m pysched about Hannah Kaminsky’s presentation, in part because she is a one-time Clark student and in part because I’m a sugar-addict and love desert. I’ll also definitely swing by the Vegan Travel Tips workshop led by Sarah Kramer.

I’ve gone to the past 3 Boston veg fests and I’ve always had a great time. In addition to all the workshops, there’s a gymnasium full of vegetarian and vegan food vendors with free samples, new restaurants, top-notch authors from the vegetarian and animal rights community, a bunch of local animal and environmental groups, and tons of cool people.

So check the commuter rail schedule and catch a train this Saturday. You’ll have a great time, guaranteed. Or you can have your money back. (Oh yeah, it’s free.) For more info, check the Boston Vegetarian Society website, join the facebook group, or download one of the event flyers.

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Steve Baer published a rather persuasive article in the InCity, urging people to vote Yes on Question 3, the ballot initiative that would ban greyhound racing in the entire state of Massachusetts.

Greyhound racing truly is a cruel industry.

From Steve Baer’s article:

…

Between January 1, 2002 and June 30, 2008 there have been 832 reported injuries sustained by greyhounds at the two Massachusetts tracks. Over seven dogs out of ten who suffered injuries had broken bones. One dog out of ten for which an injury was reported experienced a dislocation. Other reported injuries included seizures, ruptured organs, cardiac arrest, head trauma, sudden death, paralysis and broken necks and spines. An average of 128 injuries have occurred per year - that amounts to an average of more than 10 injuries per month. According to the American Greyhound Council’s guidelines the vast majority of the reported injuries are considered “career ending” to “fatal.”

Behind the sterilized curtain of statistics that effectively provides a broad, desensitized view of dog racing injuries are segments of the real-life stories of the greyhounds who experienced the trauma

One dog, Hibbert, cracked his skull during a 2005 New Year’s Day race and died as a result of that injury. It wasn’t a happy new year for Hibbert.

A dog named “RHF No Doubt” snapped her neck after getting bumped hard on the track on July 18, 2006 and died.

Another greyhound, Starz Voice, who appears in a podcast made from a June 25, 2007 R a y n h a m greyhound race track video, shows the 61- p o u n d , 2 - y e a r - o l d g r e y h o u n d surging out of the gate with seven other dogs. She is p o s i t i o n e d farthest from the center of the race track. She is seen picking up speed as she nears the first turn. Then a calamity happens when she is bumped. Starz Voice and another dog are seen tumbling off the track and slamming into a wall. Starz Voice broke two bones in her right front leg. As a result Starz Voice was put to death. Starz Voice’s injuries are not unique; they are a peculiar injury that is common only to dogs that race at dog tracks.

Undercover video and video coverage at the two Massachusetts dog tracks…

[read more]

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Maple Farm Animal Sanctuary is having their 3rd annual open house pretty soon. It’s on November 2 at the farm in Mendon. That’s about a 20 minute drive from Worcester.

From MapleFarmSanctuary.org:

3rd Annual Open House

Sunday, November 2, 2008
1:00 - 5:00 pm
at Maple Farm Sanctuary, 101 North Ave Mendon, MA

Please join us for a day of fun on Sunday, November 2, 2008 to help support the Farm. It will be an afternoon to enjoy the beautiful farm, foliage, music, speakers, food, friends and of course the animals!

For a $10.00 donation per adult (children under 12 free) you can come and picnic in the fields behind the barn (bring your own lunch and blanket or chairs). There will be some sandwiches, drinks and desserts as well, but make sure you get there early as we may run out!

There will be scheduled barn tours every hour to meet the animals and hear their stories. Make sure you sign-up for a tour when you check in as they are limited to 10 people per tour!

Join the facebook event.

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Oprah is going vegan! How do I know? This is 2008, it’s on her blog. I don’t usually read her blog, but a friend of mine who works for the Humane Society of the US sent me a link. Going vegan shouldn’t come as a complete surprise, this isn’t the first time Oprah has used her TV pulpit to talk about animals and vegetarianism.

From her blog:

“How can you say you’re trying to spiritually evolve, without even a thought about what happens to the animals whose lives are sacrificed in the name of gluttony?”

In 1996 Oprah was sued by a horde of Texan farmers after she hosted Howard Lyman on her show to talk about the problems with meat production and his personal transition from a fourth generation cattle rancher to vegan advocate. The Texan farmers argued that Oprah’s show resulted in millions of dollars of damages in the form of lost sales. Boohoo. Of course the lawsuit was thrown out of court. Lyman later wrote Mad Cowboy: Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won’t Eat Meat. It’s fantastic, definitely worth a read.

Back to Oprah going vegan… She promises to chronicle the whole month-long affair on her blog, starting today.

Again, from her blog:

So this first day wasn’t hard at all. For breakfast, I had steel-cut oatmeal with fresh blueberries, strawberries, chopped walnuts and a splash of soy milk and some agave nectar. For lunch, chunky mushroom soup with wild rice and pecans. As a snack, a handful of roasted almonds. And for dinner, a baked potato drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper with a salad of shredded lettuce, cranberries, pine nuts and tiny orange slices with a vinegar and oil dressing.

If you’re vegetarian, but not yet vegan and need some inspiration try taking the challenge along with Oprah’s for 21 days. Erik from Vegan.com is hosting a daily podcast geared at helping you do it.

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This is coming a little late, but the 57th edition of Vegan Radio is now being served (mp3). Vegan Radio is broadcast live from ValleyFree Radio WXOJ-LP 103.3 FM in Northampton, Massachusetts. Shows are on alternate Thursdays at noon.

In this episode they talk about NYC’s first ever Veggie Pride Parade and Karen Dawn’s new book, Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals.

From VeganRadio.com:

Our 57th show features interviews with two prominent animal rights activists who are involved in fun events happening in NYC on Sunday May 18th, 2008. The first is Pamela Rice who has put together the first ever Veggie Pride Parade which will march through the meat district and feature vegan rocker Cheryl Hill and a marriage ceremony officiated by Vegan Radio favorite Dave Warwak. Our second guest is Karen Dawn who is known in the vegan movement for her activist web site Dawn Watch. Karen has a new book called Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals and is hosting a book release party after the parade. Karen regales us with stories of monkeys and pit bulls.

We also have news stories about the vegan diet being greener than eating locally grown meat, meat recalls including a recall of 406,000 pounds of cattle heads, and the influence of Asia’s growing animal agriculture industry on global warming.

Download the show!

You can also subscribe to the Vegan Radio podcast.

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A giant chicken gets revenge on the Colonel in Moby’s new music video, Disco Lies:

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