~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
| Do you like swimming? |
|
| When I posted my little animated map of what would happen if water levels were to rise due to global warming as predicted, what most people asked me was "how long will it take"... Well, I read this morning that the arctic ice cap is melting so fast that kilometer sized chunks are breaking off and causing earthquakes, and last week I read that in twenty years the arctic could be completely melted. In addition, land-based glaciers are melting fast, to say nothing of the melting that's happening in Antarctica, which is warming faster than almost anywhere on the planet...
So yeah, perhaps that map will be accurate much, much sooner than expected. I don't think it will really raise this high, but then, it has in the past when the earth was warmer, so I suppose it could... But even 10% of that high a rise would do serious damage to most major cities since most are coastal.
Note: If you're wondering why Greenland doesn't disappear on that map, it's because it's just based on topographical data which includes the glaciers. More Notes From Lisa: Really gives you something | |
3 or more servings a day Fruits are rich in fiber, vitamin C, and beta-carotene. Be sure to include at least one serving each day of fruits that are high in vitamin C—citrus fruits, melons, and strawberries are all good choices. Choose whole fruit over fruit juices, which do not contain very much fiber.
Serving size: 1 medium piece of fruit • 1/2 cup cooked fruit • 4 ounces juice
2 or more servings a day Legumes, which is another name for beans, peas, and lentils, are all good sources of fiber, protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and B vitamins. This group also includes chickpeas, baked and refried beans, soymilk, tempeh, and texturized vegetable protein.
Serving size: cup cooked beans • 4 ounces tofu or tempeh • 8 ounces soymilk
5 or more servings a day This group includes bread, rice, tortillas, pasta, hot or cold cereal, corn, millet, barley, and bulgur wheat. Build each of your meals around a hearty grain dish—grains are rich in fiber and other complex carbohydrates, as well as protein, B vitamins, and zinc.
Serving size: 1/2 cup rice or other grain • 1 ounce dry cereal • 1 slice bread
4 or more servings a day Vegetables are packed with nutrients; they provide vitamin C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, iron, calcium, fiber, and other nutrients. Dark green leafy vegetables such as broccoli, collards, kale, mustard and turnip greens, chicory, or cabbage are especially good sources of these important nutrients. Dark yellow and orange vegetables such as carrots, winter squash, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin provide extra beta-carotene. Include generous portions of a variety of vegetables in your diet.
Serving size: 1 cup raw vegetables • 1/2 cup cooked vegetables
Many of us grew up with the USDA’s old Basic Four food groups, first introduced in 1956. The passage of time has seen an increase in our knowledge about the importance of fiber, the health risks of cholesterol and fats, and the disease-preventive power of many nutrients found exclusively in plant-based foods. We also have discovered that the plant kingdom provides excellent sources of the nutrients once only associated with meat and dairy products—namely, protein and calcium.
The USDA revised its recommendations with the Food Guide Pyramid, a plan that reduced the prominence of animal products and vegetable fats. But because regular consumption of such foods—even in lower quantities—poses serious health risks, PCRM developed the New Four Food Groups in 1991. This no-cholesterol, low-fat plan supplies all of an average adult’s daily nutritional requirements, including substantial amounts of fiber.
The major killers of Americans—heart disease, cancer, and stroke—have a dramatically lower incidence among people consuming primarily plant-based diets. Weight problems—a contributor to a host of health problems—can also be brought under control by following the New Four Food Group recommendations.
Try the New Four Food Groups and discover a healthier way to live!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Op-Ed in the NYT - Death by Ignorance
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every 11 minutes, a vegetarian commits food suicide in the United States. They eat themselves to death. Hear that "thump!" coming from the upstairs apartment? That was another vegetarian dropping from a heart attack. Next scheduled thump in 10 minutes, 56 seconds.
This undoubtedly comes as a surprise to millions of folks who falsely assume that vegetarianism is an effective weight-loss technique. If you are among those who hold this misconception, consider this: French fries drowning in a vat of melted cheese is, technically, a vegetarian dish. So is a bowl of Fruit Loops floating in whole milk and a cheese omelet with extra butter. If you think you can lose weight on foods like these, you've likely also given your banking information to that guy in Nigeria who is trying to transfer his fortune to the US.
Okay, I made up that last statistic about 11 minutes, but the fact remains that we all know obese vegetarians whose hearts think they are trying to pull a locomotive out of a swamp every time they attempt to get out of a chair. The reason is that even though they are not eating meat - per se - they are eating liquid meat in the form of eggs and dairy products. Eggs are literally liquid chickens, and almost nothing on earth is more fattening than dairy. There's actually a very good reason for this.
Milk is baby food. Mammals produce it to get their babies off to a good start, so naturally it is extremely fattening and packed with enough protein to double your size in a matter of weeks. Whether you're a human or an opossum, the basic idea is to get your baby fattened up as fast as possible so that it is too heavy to be carried off by a bird of prey. Nature did not intend it to be consumed beyond infancy; that's why we grow teeth and out mothers kick us to the curb.
Every other mammal on the planet instinctively abides by this rule. But in our infinite wisdom, we humans ignore this perfect system created by millions of years of evolution. And not only do we continue to guzzle this amazing ass-expanding fluid for the rest of our lives, we step outside of our own species to get it. Which begs the question: What makes cows so special?
Would you drink a glass of warm dog milk before bedtime? Would you float your frosted flakes in the booby juice of a rat? Would you order a grande mocha latte if they used steamed milk from a pig? For that matter, if there were millions of women who worked as wet nurses for Borden's, would you buy a carton of human milk? Obviously, we've been brainwashed by a lifetime of advertising telling us that cow's milk is natural and wholesome and healthy. Nothing short of that email from Nigeria could be further from the truth.
Fact: The calcium you get from milk comes with artery-clogging saturated fat, cholesterol, hormones and pus.
Fact: The calcium you get from leafy greens comes with fiber, antioxidants and vitamin C.
Fact: Anyone following your sizeable posterior down the street knows you're addicted to dairy.
If you're vegetarian because you don't want to hurt the animals, take that extra baby step and go vegan. The veal industry exists because of the dairy industry. The rightful owner of the milk you're drinking is languishing in a wooden box with a chain around his neck.
If you're still eating eggs, keep in mind that, with the possible exception of Britney Spears' next husband, no animal suffers more than an egg-laying hen. Even so-called "Free range" chickens are screwed. "Free range" has no legal standard and usually means "living on a concrete slab in a tin warehouse, but hey, NO CAGES!" And even these "lucky" birds are butchered when they stop spitting out product. Do them and your arteries a favor and hop over to veganism.
If you're vegetarian for health reasons, take that step even faster. You'll look and feel better in no time. So some heart surgeon will have to wait another few months to buy that yacht - he'll get over it.
Brooklyn-based cartoonist Dan Piraro avoids booby juice and all other forms of baby food. His cartoons and other opinions on veganism can be found at bizarro.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tuesday, May 22, 2007 Death - NOT by Veganism
Bravo, Nina! That is, if your intention with “Death by Veganism” was to generate publicity for yourself rather than write a story that represents the vegan diet in any truthful, factual light. Had you researched, you would know that a properly planned vegan diet is entirely healthy through pregnancy, infancy, and childhood. Baby Crown Shakur’s death is a tragedy. His parents, however, are to blame. Not a vegan diet. No sensible vegan would ever suggest feeding a newborn apple juice and soy milk. Any sensible vegan would tell you that a newborn (vegan or not) should be breastfed. Your story is irresponsible and perpetuates ridiculous myths about the vegan diet. By the way, did you know that DHA is readily available in vegan form? Obviously not. I do. But then, I am a vegan mother of two young children. Two vibrant, energetic, abundantly healthy vegan children.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~