From my Inbox:
A few months ago a lion and an 8-month-old elephant used by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus were killed. Last year Ringling destroyed an 8-month-old elephant named Riccardo after he suffered irreparable fractures to both hind legs when he fell off a circus pedestal.
A disturbing new Los Angeles survey of 73 middle schools and their 28,000 students suggests up to 90% of the children in those schools have been exposed to community violence.
The March 3, 2005 meeting of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) revealed the results during their annual meeting in Alexandria, Virginia.
The report goes on to explain that children who have been exposed to city violence before they reach the 6th grade have much higher rates of suspensions, absenteeism and expulsions. When those children are actually in class they do not perform well academically.
Here is more information from the report:
One-in-four American children have a significant traumatic experience by age 16. Many children suffer multiple and repeated traumas. A child exposed to a traumatic event is at risk of developing traumatic stress. Traumatic stress can seriously delay development of their brains and bodies. It can lead to depression, substance abuse, other mental health problems, acting out, educational impairment, as well as future health and employment problems.
Children who are not safe in their forming environments become adults who wound the world in the way they were wounded: If you control the child’s mind you own the adult body.
We must work to find safe passage for these children and we must discover ways to protect them from violent episodes that mark them, and us, forever to the grave.
I most recently quit smoking the day before Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. As with the secular New Year, many a resolution is made for the Jewish New Year – to lose weight, eat better, to pray with more kavanah (concentration / focus), or even to take a class in improvisational comedy. My personal resolution was that I really was going to quit smoking this time.
My grandmother, who should live to be one hundred and twenty, was admitted to the hospital for the first time in the over 91 years she has been alive. She had suffered a stroke. The last few days have been full of reflection, with special thought being paid to the subject of last month’s column.
(This article is dedicated to Jessica Sandler, whose birthday it is today. She indirectly inspired this article through a few conversations we had in the Fall of 2001. Happy birthday, Jessica.)
Much of the unhappiness we feel in our lives can often be significantly reduced and sometimes even eliminated when we think about that which we take for granted and give some real appreciation for it. This could be accomplished even by giving a thoughtful acknowledgement that it is there.
My wife and I have been Vegan for over 2.5 years and I wanted to take a moment to update you on our progress. Everything here is terrific. We are strong. We are fit. We are happy. We do not suffer. We want for nothing! This update will share with you some of the touchstones for living a Vegan life we have discovered.
On the six month anniversary of my becoming The Virgin Vegan I decided to compile a list of Vegan-friendly restaurants in my neighborhood. When I say “The Lower East Side” I mean anywhere in that area you can reach in 15 minutes or less on foot.
Review Lights
I will rate each Vegan hangout based on food, atmosphere and value for the price. Each place will be evaluated on the standard system of one to five Go Inside Magazine Review Lights. Five green GO lights are best while all red STOP lights are the worst. I’ll place a text tag under the Review Lights so you’ll know the colors of the lights in case you choose to print out this review on a black and white printer that doesn’t have great greyscale ability. I will update this article as new places to eat Vegan are discovered.
Angelica Kitchen
12th Street Betwixt First & Second Avenue
With a guarantee of over 95% of their food being organic, you can’t beat Angelica Kitchen for a sublime experience if you’re eating in or taking out. The marinated tofu sandwich is a daily staple along with their sea vegetables, mashed potatoes with brown rice gravy and the Wee Dragon Bargain. Their sweet muffins are a heavy, heavenly delight. Their salads are to die for. Every other Vegan joint in town bows down to Angelica Kitchen as they rightly should. Angelica is expensive, though. You’ll pay around $35 for a good dinner for two. The atmosphere is relaxed and homey. They blessedly deliver to most of the Lower East Side.
(all GREEN)
Continue reading → The New York City Vegan Guide to the Lower East Side
If you’re trying to lose weight or get in the best shape possible, let me suggest you consider not only adding a scale to your weight loss scheme if you haven’t already, but a scale that can also invisibly and automagically calculate your body fat percentage while it weights you. Tanita have invented a wide variety of scales with body fat monitoring built into the device.
John A. McDougall, M.D. is a physician on a mission: He believes he can heal a logjam of illnesses by diet alone and that means no meat, dairy, eggs or oil. At first blush, this may seem like a radical idea for those accustomed to the trials of traditional medicine, but McDougall’s work is not speech or a rant. His work is backed up by disinterested scientific studies and his presentation of these facts is stunning. As a Vegan, I found Dr. McDougall’s program appropriate, accessible and helpful.
Oh, my! Who would’ve guessed three weeks ago that, after turning Vegan, I’d be eating at McDonalds’ again! McDonalds have been disparaged in the Vegan and Vegetarian communities for a long while as the largest purchasers of factory farmed beef in the world. Who would’ve ever guessed McDonalds would turn around and offer — in limited quantities — a beefless “burger” for those who choose to not eat meat? Well, they have, and I’m here to tell you about it.
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