The Colonic

gone bananas for baked bananas

2011-10-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

New obsession alert: baked banana.

I shy away from complicated recipes because, let's be real, life is already complicated enough without long ingredient lists and big messes.

Then I found the easiest recipe in the world:

(1) Set oven to 400 degrees.

(2) Insert whole banana.

(3) Bake for 15 minutes.

I was a little freaked out when I saw the banana was black (like really, did I mess up this simple of a recipe?) But as soon as I caught a whiff of the hot gummie-bear-banana, I knew it was true love.

All you have to do is peel the banana and dig in with a spoon. The experience reminds me of a warm banana pudding. You can also add sugar/agave/maple syrup to make it super duper sweet.

YUMMMMMMM

GF/V Review: Arlington, Virginia actually has GF/V cupcakes!

2011-09-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

I did a good deed the other week--not expecting cupcakes in return--but then, I got cupcakes in return! Not just any cupcakes, but two gluten-free, vegan cupcakes!

You may wonder why this is such a big deal. It's because I live in Arlington, Virginia, where the only vegan cupcakes are at the

Bakeshop, and they're not gluten-free.

Where did these little gems come from? Red Velvet Cupcakery, tucked away inside Rabbit Salad and Grill in Clarendon.

Karma bestowed upon me two flavors: vanilla on vanilla and chocolate on chocolate. For those of you who don't know me, I'm hands down a vanilla-on-vanilla sort of gal, so it's not surprising I licked the frosting off that sucker first (first I lick off the frosting, then I eat the cake...frosting is superior to cake). My ratings are below:

Vanilla frosting: A+ (simply spectacular)

Vanilla cake: B+/A- (it was perfectly delicious, but could have used a wee bit more sugar)

Chocolate frosting: A+ (I don't even like choco frosting that much, but this was the bomb)

Chocolate cake: C (ehhhhhh)

Now that I'll be getting my cupcake on on the regular, I took a gander at the Rabbit Salad and Grill menu. Although I have not inquired about the ingredients and can't say for certain it's GF, I am very intrigued by crusted-tofu-with-bell-peppers-and-zuchinni entree. I have a sneaking suspicion I will be testing it out soon.

By the way, the pictures for this post suck more than usual because my main concern was getting at the vanilla frosting, and not documenting the cupcake for my readers. Whoops.

cutting the crap: avoiding over-priced and nutritionally-hollow GF breakfasts

2011-09-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

My biggest issue as a gluten-free vegan was figuring out the breakfast situation. The products marketed to the GF crowd are generally made of a combination of corn and sugar, potato and sugar, or rice and sugar. They also generally contain honey, which is a no-go for honey-abstaining vegans. Not only are cereals and bars made by big GF companies like Glutino nutritionally hollow, they are also more expensive than your average cereal or bar.

Although I found some refuge in EcoPlanet Instant Hot Cereal--which includes wholesome gluten-free grains like quinoa and amaranth--I was very annoyed to pay around six dollars a box for a few measly bags that did not even fill me up and couldn't get me through the week.

So over feeling mal-nourished or hungry after the most important meal of the day (while still paying a pretty penny) I decided to go macrobiotic and get back to basics for breakfast. Why was I paying six dollars for a GF oatmeal made partly of quinoa, when I could buy quinoa in bulk for 3.99 a pound (re-using the bag and forever losing the box) and make something way tastier, healthier, and cheaper myself? (Quinoa has eight grams of protein and five grams of fiber per one-cup serving).

And that's just what happened. My new breakfast obsession is quinoa in a bowl of almond milk, with a chunk of raw, crunchy almond butter, and sprinkled with cinnamon and ginger. Sometimes I add chopped bananas for an extra kick. I realize the picture I posted might look disgusting to some, but I promise it's so yummy. For those who want a sweet breakfast, I would recommend either adding fruit, using vanilla milk, or adding agave or sugar.

As a side note, someone recommended cooking quinoa in almond milk instead of water to make it taste more breakfast-y. I find no difference in the taste of quinoa based on whether I cook it in water or almond milk.

GF/V Review: Sun Cafe is my new hot spot

2011-08-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

Heading back east for law school poses a huge problem: letting go of my summer addiction, Sun Cafe (also known as Sun Power Natural Cafe, located at 3711 Cahuenga Blvd, Studio City).

I've tried a few things on the menu, but I believe I have my order down to an art. Bring a friend and split a raw Supreme Pizza and a half size of the raw Kale Colossus (the half size is huge). If you only have time for a drive-by, order the Sweet Kale shake (kale, cashew, banana, agave) with a shot of spirulina and 1/2 the usual amount of agave (unless you want it really sweet). You can also sub dates instead of agave as the sweetener.

Let me start with the pizza. Such perfection is hard to come by in a pizza, let alone a raw, gluten-free, vegan pizza. The glory of the Supreme Pizza is that you don'teven have to be a raw foodie to enjoy it. If it's so good, you may wonder why I recommend splitting: because the crust is made out of seeds (and maybe some nuts) and the raw cheese is also made from some kind of nut or seed...and all that seed/nut action leaves you feeling a little

queesy after stuffing your face with the entire thing.

This is why you must also get the Kale Colossus, which is the most amazing kale salad--in fact, the most amazing salad--I have ever had. Don't be deterred by the banana; I also thought that combo seemed odd. Turns out, it's also taste bud perfection. The dressing is a sort of raw, vegan twist on ranch with some sort of cashew cheesy sauce.

As for the dessert, I tried the raw chocolate cheesecake. It was good, but I'll never order it again because a) it wasn't that good, and b) the raw cheesecake is also nutty and how many nuts can I person eat without feeling sick?

I'm also super happy to know that Sun Cafe is only two years old, but still making it in the valley during a rough economy. In my experience, everyone who works there is super friendly and I love the environment. Definitely check it out!

See the menu.

the hardest part of being a gluten-free vegan...

2011-08-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

Being a gluten-free vegan is very do-able, but challenging. However, I have a bigger problem than the handful of GF options at my favorite veg restaurants, or the burden of carrying mini packets of GF soy sauce in my bag.

The hardest part of being a gluten-free vegan is dealing with the people around me, and in many instances, the closest people to me.

Since I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease a few months ago, many have overwhelmed and disheartened me with their skepticism, backhanded criticism, and otherwise discouraging commentary.

None of this makes sense to me. With a macrobiotic, gluten-free, vegan life, my body finally feels right—for once, everything seems to be working. Stomach acid? Gone. Constant bloating? Gone. Asthma? Dramatically reduced and improving regularly. Muscle aches? Dramatically reduced.

My feelings of wellness outweigh any challenge that a gluten-free vegan lifestyle poses. I do not want to eat gluten, “not even a little” as those around me prod, because it makes me sick. I do not want to be sick.

All and all, I am just confused as to why a person would think that pressuring me into eating flesh—something that I am intellectually and emotionally uncomfortable with eating—would improve my quality of life. Although my transition to GF/V was a bit of a struggle, I am now very happy with how I eat and am thankful that Celiac Disease gave me the push I wanted to go macrobiotic. I have now experienced for myself that foods can heal the body and truly impact the mind.

This post is not to say I am uncomfortable discussing the challenges of my lifestyle or having conversations about what I eat or how it has changed my life. I simply mean that when a person comes at me with a negative attitude, or implies that I am unhappy or hungry, I get annoyed.

I love food—it just might be different food than you enjoy. I have found that people become very uneasy and even rude around people who subscribe to a minority dietary lifestyle. I don’t fully understand what that’s about, but I prefer to enjoy my kale-cashew-banana shake in peace. Thanks.

"feminist" guilt: how demonizing sexist expression is an intellectual no-carb diet

2011-07-11T22:13:00.000-07:00

I begin this post with a qualifier: there is no single type of "feminism" or "feminist ideology". For the purposes of my discussion, I am referring to a particular feminist narrative that has drastically shaped and continues to shape my life, and in no way seek to cast feminism as one-size-fits-all. Further, my analysis does not speak to all--but to young girls and women who may identify with my lifestyle and experiences.

Back to the point.

The feminist narrative I speak of has certainly changed and developed over time, but in the aggregate, it is crudely summarized as follows: (1) because I am a woman, I am viewed as a sexual object; (2) because I have been raised a woman with a feminine gender performance, I have internalized sexist norms, intertwined them with my own concept of self-esteem, and have become my own oppressor; (3) because I have been raised a woman with a feminine gender performance, I have been indoctrinated with aspirations of reproducing in a nuclear-family setting; and (4) because I have been raised a woman with a feminine gender performance, all expressions of sexuality and aging devalue me.

You can imagine the impact these new-found beliefs had on a former cheerleader who enjoyed all-pink ensembles and celebrity gossip--my world turned upside down.

Disgusted with myself and the material possessions I idolized, I embarked on a new journey during my college years. With a shaved head and unshaven legs, I was determined to transcend the misogynist and oppressive cultural norms that had me constantly vying for hetero male attention as a vehicle for self-worth. I'm a smart, ambitious girl; how did I ever fall for such an anti-intellectual and de-humanizng arrangement?

I can't recall the exact order of what happened next, but as my hair began to grow out, and my reclusive obsession with self-discovery faded into my return and re-claiming of the party scene, I had to come to grips with an undeniable reality: I love high heals, short dresses, and dancing.

Now, feel free to psychoanalyze that all you want; trust me, I do it all of the time. But the bottom line is, however arguably "sexist" or "degrading" these behaviors are, one way or the other, they have become a part of my expression; whether I am a willing participant or simply brainwashed, I love me some top 40 and a good dance floor.

Throughout the past few years of feminist guilt weighing in the back of my mind as I picked out stilettos, LBDs, and crop tops, I found justification with the fact that as long as I am thinking about and questioning my own desires and their implications, I can be intellectually comfortable with crossing the boundary between intelligent feminist and unrestrained fun-seeker. Although I have struggled with whether I am serving as a true role model to younger girls, I have taken comfort in encouraging ambition, confidence, self-discovery, higher education, career-orientation, and open communication.

All of this being said, lately, I have been thinking a lot about this "guilt" and what it means. And then it occurred to me. How can a feminist voice reach young girls when that voice, while motivated by ideals of liberty and humanism, effectively demonizes most forms of expression with which (many) heteronormative girls identify? As a general matter, you are simply asking girls to fail and hate (a part of) themselves. This method is as flawed as a no-carb diet.

In most cases, people on no-carb diets demonize "bad foods", typically cheat, punish themselves, rinse, and repeat. If you are self-regulating and self-destructive enough to stick to life of restriction, I suspect you will not fully experience or enjoy your life. I think the same applies with demonizing all forms of expression that (my) feminist narrative considers oppressive.

As with food, a relationship with any type of feminism should be mindful, nourishing, and fulfilling. If it isn't--something isn't working for you. Not to say you should give up without a fight, but I cannot ask young girls to jump on a bandwagon that may (in some cases) have them feeling unreasonably left out for not participating in subject activity, or "cheating" and feeling "guilty". That's not my brand of feminism. (note: sometimes it's better to be left out...trust.)

Throughout the past 6 years of my self-discovery, my world view has developed, changed, become un-complicated, and become more complicated in lots of really interesting, challenging, and exciting ways. The more I grow, the more I identify with one of my favorite quotes from Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins: "there are no group solutions."

Where I am right now in my ever-evolving journey works for me--and I no longer feel guilty about it. Not that I am so old, or so wise, or so accomplished, but my message to young girls is to challenge, but also to love, all parts of you.

GF/V REVIEW: Planet Raw is OUT OF THIS WORLD

2011-05-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

Last night, GFVFBF and I headed down to Santa Monica to check out Planet Raw--a casual joint that boasts a menu of exclusively raw, gluten-free, and vegan food (except certain items contain honey). In short, my mind was blown. GFVFBF agrees.

Some background. The raw food movement is a dietary belief that uncooked food is healthiest (although food can be heated to 104-118 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the raw foodie you ask).

Appetizer. To start with we had spring rolls sans avocado (I'm allergic). Honestly, it was INCREDIBLE. The sauce is something to the tune of blended cashews, lemon, ginger, and garlic. As you can tell by the picture, it's really creamy and tasted so good that GFBFVF and I were eating it plain when we finished the spring rolls. GFBFVF, who generally doesn't like cabbage, loved the shredded cabbage with the spring roll sauce.

Entree #1. GFBFVF had the good sense to order the cheesy

kelp pasta. Again, words can't describe how creamy and amazing the raw cheese was. This dish was so delicious that I have been fantasizing about eating it all day today. This dish contained cauliflower, and, like the cabbage, GFVFBF was all over it even though he normally doesn't like cauliflower.

Entree #2. Despite the perfection of the spring rolls and cheesy kelp pasta, I could not stand the pad thai--for the sole reason that it contained a lot of rosemary. First, I hate rosemary and all things rosemary-flavored with a fiery passion; it sickens me. Second, who in their right mind would think that

pad thai would come with rosemary? Barf. GFVFBF, on the other hand, enjoys rosemary and thought it was a fine dish (although I think he was lying to make me feel less guilty about scarfing down his cheesy kelp pasta...what a lovely partner I have).

Although I LOVE LOVE LOVE Planet Raw and will be a devoted patron for as long as I live, there are a few things that I didn't like. First, it tries to be a restaurant and a raw food quickie mart at the same time in a very small space. I find it rather disjointed and would prefer it to be less casual. Second, GFBFVF and I had an early dinner (around 6), but ingredients had run out for 3 of the dishes we originally wanted (this is how I ended up with the nasty rosemary wannabe pad thai).

Complaints aside, Planet Raw is now on my favorite list and I cannot wait to go back again.

"Health Care Reform Starts in Your Mouth"

2011-05-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

Garrett Mize really hit the nail on the head in his piece "Health Care Reform Starts in Your Mouth."

As a progressive political activist, I attend a lot of political get-togethers and events. But if you take a look at the food offered at any one of these events, you’d think I was at a Republican fund-raising dinner for Sarah Palin. At fancy dinners steak, pork tenderloin, and lobster is on the menu. At activist events and phone-banks cheese pizza with pepperoni and extra sausage is the preferred choice. At morning grassroots planning meetings breakfast tacos filled with egg, cheese and sausage and bagels with flavored cream cheese are the expected progressive staples...It doesn’t make a lot of sense to chow down on pizza while phone-banking for health care reform, or to have a BBQ party to celebrate a successful legislative session that included the expansion of health care...

Obviously it's extreme to say one must eat 100% healthy food 100% of the time. I read this in terms of general lifestyle trends, and not as a call to police every bite of food.

The article continues with a great clip of BC. Really hoping the plant-based message can at least resonate with people vulnerable to or struggling with heart disease.

GF/V Review: Rice Divine's Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Ice Cream

2011-05-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

Despite the rumors that us vegans only eat vegetables, many of us (me included) love to get down with some ice cream. Celiac Disease impacts my love of ice cream, particularly when it comes to coconut, rice, almond, or soy milk ice creams that have cookie chunks in them (sad panda).

Now that I'm living at home in LA for the summer (woot woot), Mama Bear brings home lots of goodies for me from Whole Foods. Today's goodie: Good Karma Organic Rice Divine Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge.

I totally dig this flavor. While the chocolate-flavored ice cream isn't anything out of the ordinary, the magic lies in the fact that it's filled with chunks of GF/V cookies and random spots of organic, creamy peanut butter.

But, don't take my word for it. After all, I have the warped taste buds of 3.5 years of vegan living and don't even remember what ice cream made from cow lactation is even like any more. For a more objective assessment, I put this flavor to The Dylan Test. In case you don't remember, Dylan is a grubby 7th-grader who lives off of hamburgers, french fries, pizza, and Coke.

Turns out, this flavor passes. As Dylan salivated and back-washed melted ice cream all over my spoon, he described the flavor as "awesome."

(Although, I will admit that I didn't want to give Dylan a bite with cookie or PB chunks, so his reaction is based solely on the plain chocolate ice cream. Whoops.)

If you're leaving veganism, be honest about it.

2011-05-17T19:50:00.001-07:00

Perusing Ecorazzi, I was quite peeved to read about Ginnifer Goodwin's cowardly bow out of veganism.

If you no longer desire to be a vegan, just be honest that you wanted to stuff your face with animal flesh, lactation, or embryos. No one can knock you for sharing your sincere feelings.

But if, instead, you take the Goodwin route--scapegoating on "health" issues--you only reaffirm the damaging myth that vegans are necessarily weak or somehow nutritionally lacking. And let's be real, her feeble attempt at saving face didn't work. This interview is obnoxious.

Candy Tree's Gluten-Free/Vegan Licorice

2011-04-29T14:00:00.001-07:00

Dear readers,

I have been keeping something from you--my new fav treat!

After my diagnosis with Celiac Disease, I was devastated to learn that my fav candy, licorice, is conventionally made with gluten products.

Hearing my sorrow, my very gluten-free/vegan friendly partner--let's call him my GFVFBF--sent me a box of Candy Tree licorice, which are both gluten-free and vegan.

I love them. I will admit, they do taste "healthy" and therefore, not just anyone will appreciate them (not sure that they would pass the Dylan Test). I, on the the other hand, am happy to turn in Red Vines for these organic, naturally-sweetened, naturally-colored delights. Also, they are a bit chewy, but well worth the extra jaw work.

In fact, they are so delish that, upon hearing I finished a boxful, GFVFBF sent in re-enforcements just in time for finals.

Ingredients: organic corn syrup, organic rice flour, organic rice starch, organic concentrated fruit juice (raspberry and apple), organic raspberry flavor.

"meat reducers"--so hot right now

2011-04-23T10:26:00.000-07:00

Cheers to a new wave of meat eaters: meat reducers!

Vegetarian Star and Ecorazzi recently covered Chipotle founder Steve Ell's identification as a meat reducer:

“I used to think of meat in the center of the plate. Today, I am a meat reducer. This means I eat less meat and make sure that the limited meat I do eat is of the highest quality. My plate is comprised of seasonal and local vegetables with meat as an accompaniment. While this is a healthier diet, the main reason I now eat this way is because it tastes better and I feel better.” Read more

Love it.

Perhaps in time, Steve Ell's will join Steve Wynn and Bill Clinton in the "rise of the power vegans."

PETA gets under my skin. again.

2011-04-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

Dear PETA,

I thought we were getting along a little better. After all, I haven't been enraged with you since your bout with transphobia in 2009 (although this probably just means I just haven't paying any attention to the media).

But we're back to square one. I saw this ad featuring NBA scout Bonnie-Jil Lafflin on Ecorazzi and nearly hit the roof. I simply cannot stand when veganism or vegetarianism are pitched as weight loss plans.

Being veg is not a magic weight loss pill. And frankly, this ad is just riding the

wave of hate your body/fat phobia/loathe yourself/diet diet diet insanity that creates more insecurity than confidence.

Furthermore, being veg doesn't make a person healthy; there are plenty of unhealthy vegans/vegetarians that do not eat well-balanced meals, do not exercise, or go to town on highly-processed, high-sodium mock meats.

Health is not about weight. If you are healthy, an appropriate weight will follow. This ad is just about weight, and frankly, it undermines the ethical, environmental, and food safety implications underpinning a healthy veg lifestyle.

Hey PETA, stick with throwing paint, hosting demonstrations, and releasing undercover footage. Your posters and commercials are an embarrassment to vegans who support you--myself included.

"Journalism" or Transphobia?

2011-04-14T20:06:00.000-07:00

"A jury found a transgender individual guilty of killing her roommate with a pickax Thursday...French, a transgender individual who identifies herself as a woman, was found guilty of killing Frank Johnson in 2007." Source.

If a person's gender identification does not bear a relationship to the crime that person committed, why is gender orientation relevant to the media coverage?

It isn't.

Imagine reading an article that said, "Bob Smith, a biological male with a heterosexual orientation, robbed a store." It's absurd.

Where gender identification is unrelated to the crime alleged, the only purpose in repeatedly mentioning that identity is for shock value--manifesting the writer's transphobia and/or playing on the transphobia of readers.

Perhaps the transphobia exhibited in this piece isn't blatant--perhaps it's simply implied. By calling out the "non-conforming" gender identities of trans people where their identities are unrelated to the issue at hand, the speaker reinforces an us-versus-them binary that, while more "courteous" than explicit hate speech, is equally as damaging. Frankly, the ease with which such back-handed transphobia slips into everyday "civil" discourse is much more alarming to me (think Simone de Beauvoir's The Second Sex).

conservation just got a little easier

2011-03-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

In my humble opinion, "going green" doesn't happen in the flip of a solar-powered light switch; it's a process. But sometimes, one's "greening" seems to plateau. If you need some inspiration, here are some goodies I just pulled from Ecorazzi.

The Staple-Free Stapler.

I try and use paper clips as often as possible since they are re-usable--but this is so much cooler! You can get it on Amazon.

Biodegradable Shoes.

When I read about biodegradable shoes, I assumed said wonder shoe would be fugly. But I was wrong. Oat rocks the eco-shoe rather well, and I am eagerly awaiting a release in the United States.

"Born This Way" and LGBTQ Discourse

2011-03-17T10:51:00.000-07:00

I'd like to start off this post by saying that I am a huge Gaga fan, and that this blog post only applies to Born This Way in terms of the song's application to LGBTQ identity. The aim of Born This Way in affirming and empowering queer identity is not implied; lyrics include:

"No matter gay, straight or bi

lesbian, transgendered life..."

While I love Gaga's passion for equality, the assertion one is "born" queer has negative implications for LGBTQ equality. The narrative "it's not your fault, you didn't choose this, and therefore we will accept you" is the same as saying "queerness is [insert pejorative here], but because you didn't choose it--and what sane person would?--we will tolerate you."

To me, that is not equality. To me, that is not acceptance. There is nothing wrong with being queer--whether you were born "that way" or whether you chose "that way."

I am not trying to argue that a person cannot be "born" LGBTQ--I am not trying to take any one's experience or re-cast their own sexual/gendered history. Reasonable minds, however, do vary as to the nature of sexual desires and orientations, particularly more fluid orientations.

That being said, this post is purely political. In a world of equality, it would not matter whether you were forced by some sort of innate inclination or freely chose to love someone of your own sex. But, in a world rampant with homophobia, the argument "accept me because I can't help that I'm queer" continues to posit queerness as less than heterosexuality.

I will say, I don't hear many members of the LGBTQ community pitching that argument--but that is the rationale I have heard time and time again from numerous "allies." I think it's about time we set the record straight: it's okay to choose.

after pressure from Greenpeace, Costco improves seafood policy

2011-03-06T06:45:00.001-08:00

Some people say that in a romance, passion eventually dies. To all those people, I would just like to say that Greenpeace still makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside--especially this huge Costco victory.

Thanks to pressure from Greenpeace and over 100,000 Greenpeace grassroots activists, Costco has publicly announced that it will:

- Eliminate 12 red list species, unless the company can find an MSC-certified option, including:

- Atlantic cod
- Atlantic halibut
- Chilean sea bass
- Greenland halibut
- Grouper
- Monkfish
- Orange roughy
- Redfish
- Shark
- Skates and rays
- Swordfish
- Bluefin tuna

-- Pledge to play more of a leadership role within aquaculture;

-- Partner with World Wildlife Fund to examine its remaining wild-caught species and determine how to best transition to the most sustainable alternative; and

-- Acknowledge the role that the canned tuna industry plays within the global sustainable seafood movement and is in the process of shifting to more sustainable tuna sources in all sectors (fresh, frozen, and canned).

Gotta love the power of consumer pressure.

PITA WHO? the gf/v chip that's too legit to quit

2011-02-21T18:18:00.001-08:00

Somewhere in my top ten list of life priorities is dessert. Because I know I have Sticky Fingers (which rocks the gf/v) in DC, and Babycakes in LA (thankfully I'll be moving back there soon...), I did not quiver in fear of losing cupcakes, cakes, cupcakes, or cupcakes.

I was, however, dreadfully mourning the loss of life priority number eleven: pita chips. What in the world could be equally as scrum-diddly-umptious in the chip department?

Well, ladies, gents, gender-benders, and the gender-transcending, the verdict is in: Lundberg Rice Chips trump pita chips any day of the week. Even if we were to call the flavor and crunchiness a tie--what could be more delicious to the gluten-intolerant than not being in pain?

Please note that Rice Chips come in several flavors: Sesame & Seaweed, Fiesta Lime, Santa Fe BBQ, and Original Sea Salt. For better or for worse, I am a monogamist and cannot bring myself to cheat on Original Sea Salt and try other flavors. But I will keep you posted.

raw, vegan, GF protein bars

2011-02-15T17:45:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to get off Cliff bars for a while, mainly because all that yumminess comes with a lot of extra sodium and processing. Now that I'm transitioning to GF, I'm re-vamping my dietary regimen altogether (I am also on a super miserable 10 day asthma detox that excludes caffeine, gum, and sweets other than fruits/agave...I'm too cranky to talk about it right now).

I like protein bars because I can only eat nuts/trail mix for so long--gotta keep it spicy. One of these days I'll get down the more eco-friendly route of homemade protein bars. That day is not today, or any time in the next couple weeks.

So here's what I'm working with: Raw Revolution and Pure bars.

If I had to pick a winner off the bat, it would be Raw Revolution. Other flavors include chocolate coconut and chocolate raspberry--an essential for the choco craving, GF loathing vegan. The Raw Revolution chocolate flavors are def better than the Pure chocolate flavor.

BUT, having said that, the apple flavor of Pure rocks the house. I intend on eating mainly Raw Revolution with a few apple Pure bars here and there to mix it up.

Note that there are non-choco flavors of Raw Revolution available--but why would I pick those out before all of the variations of chocolate? In terms of convenience, however, Pure bars are available at Trader Joes (whereas I've only seen Raw Revolution at Whole Foods).

What's so amazing about these bars? Take a look!

These bars are like an ideal partner--so NOT full of crap.

As a side not, a few years ago I had to take a breather from raw bars when I overdosed on them abroad (needed to pack easy sustenance). Happy to be back on raw protein bars, I am wary that I may need to occasionally switch in a non-raw, GF/V protein bar. Will keep you posted on how that one goes.

GMO Woes: The Biggest Problem with "Frankencrops"

2011-01-21T21:29:00.000-08:00

At least from my perspective, the biggest talking point regarding GMOs is a sort of panic that mutant plants will take over the earth. While cross-contamination is a legitimate concern particularly impacting conventional and organic farmers, I believe it is second to a bigger issue.

If you're a long-time reader, you may be surprised that I am less up-in-arms over cross-contamination than you might expect. This past summer, I had the opportunity to discuss GMO crops with a scientist/attorney (rare combo) from a liberal non-profit. He made a valid point: natural selection favors only those traits which make a given species better suited for survival. With regard to GMO crops generally, however, one must take action for the "benefit" of the GMO plant to be conferred.

For example, Monsanto crops that are genetically modified to survive heavy dosages of herbicide (RoundUp Ready) only confer a benefit if and when the crops are sprayed with Monsanto. Thus, these plants are not better suited or more likely to survive in the wild than their non-GMO counterparts. Note that this is not the case with all genetically engineered plants. Take the GE eucalyptus created by ArboGen. Already considered an invasive species, the cold-tolerant GE eucalyptus has some serious environmental implications--particularly because these thirsty suckers minimize groundwater, rendering their environments highly flammable.

In sum, the issue of GMOs and cross-contamination warrants serious consideration (particularly when GMOs like the ArboGen eucalyptus may be released for a field trial without an appropriate Environmental Impact Statement)--but it's not my number one source of acid reflux.

My number one concern is that when a crop is engineered to be resistant to chemicals, farmers who normally use such chemicals sparingly and as needed are now incentivized to douse their crops in toxins; better to immerse your crops frequently than sparingly, risking crop failure. I think the Organic Consumers Association does a great job of underscoring the concern of herbicide abuse and rallying activists--but the organization really undermines its own legitimacy when it uses terminology like "merchant of death" to describe Monsanto. In this case, the facts speak for themselves.

GMOs are a tricky issue because different kinds of GMOs present different issues. It's difficult to inherently write them off as "good" or "bad." What we really need is a nuanced discussion and a flexible regulatory scheme. Don't hold your breath.

Hugo's vegan mac n cheese is a hit

2011-01-02T21:21:00.000-08:00

Thankfully, I have escaped the District of Columbia and have been chowing down on the much-missed vegan delights of Los Angeles. I hit up Hugo's in West Hollywood and and my eyes lit up when I saw vegan mac n cheese as a special. As you may know, I have really struggled to find adequate vegan mac n cheese. The only one I like is sadly frozen and so I try to limit it as much as possible given the law school schedule (Amy's Vegan Rice Macaroni & Cheeze).

Enter Hugo's. First, note that the mac n cheese is a special, and is therefore not a permanent feature of the menu. Second, note that it is not conventional mac n cheese. In fact, I would characterize it as more of a casserole. Not only was it poppin' with mushrooms and peas, the dish came covered in fried onions. yummmmm.

Dreading going back to the District and its lame plant-based foods.

"The Truth About Beauty"

2010-11-28T20:10:00.000-08:00

(excuse the lack of organization...it's law school finals...)

As soon as I saw the cover of the magazine, I knew that Psychology Today's piece, "The Truth About Beauty" would annoy me. And I was correct. The author, Amy Alkon, makes several ridiculous claims and drastically over-simplifies issues of women and self-image.

The basic premise of the article is, "it would be nice if inner beauty triumphed over outer appearance, but men are designed to care about packaging over content...the only way to get ahead in life and love is to accept the not-so-pretty facts about looks."

The summary on the title page is enough to make me want to rip my hair out. Aside from the fact that this statement assumes heterosexuality and that sexual orientation is fixed throughout one's lifetime, the snazzy little synopsis also assumes one monolithic definition of "getting ahead." Naturally, the author never defines what "getting ahead is"--but I wouldn't be surprised if it was something in the form of marrying a rich man and reproducing (since the author is also coming from an evolutionary biology perspective, and clearly, under that lens, that's all we women could ever want).

Shocker: all women are different, despite some sweeping mainstream generalizations. Depending on what the end goal is, most women consciously or subconsciously decide at the margin whether continue and to what degree to pursue "beauty." That's right--we each conduct our own cost-benefit analysis. Yes, I could forgo this dessert and most desserts in general to look like [insert under-weight celebrity here], but the cost of lost joy is OR is not worth it. For different women, the cost at the margin might be more or less than others, e.g., if you live in L.A., your "ideal weight" or "look" might be less realistic or less attainable than some non-urban center.

What is more, not all of us with a vagina a) have a heteronormative female gender performance; b) desire to marry a man; c) desire to marry a man who subscribes to the western idealized cultural script of masculinity; d) is sexually attracted to men; or e) ever wants to reproduce.

But fine--let's be nice. Let's at least get through the cover page and into the article. BOOM--all it takes is one paragraph: "Welcome to Uglytopia--the world reimagined as a place where it's the content of a woman's character, not her push-up bra, that puts her on the cover of Maxim."

Ms. Alkon, first of all, some women strive for goals other than landing on the cover of Maxim. Further, I doubt there is any reasonable person that believes mainstream society does not value looks. However, women are entitled to non-conform altogether, or to non-conform to whatever degree they so desire, and to seek a partner who non-conforms to a similar length. I am also sure women who do not engage in any self-grooming are aware that their compatible partner will most likely not be a typical mainstream hetero male. If said woman desires this sort of mainstream man, then, at the margin, I am sure she would do her eyebrows more and ditch the moo moo.

Moving along, the author also states that "Americans are so conflicted and dishonest about the power of beauty..." What? Are you serious? Where have you been living? Please view Exhibit A below (hat tip to e.k.):

Don't worry, the over-generalizations keep going. The author also insists on a singular definition of "feminism." Newsflash: there are multiple different types of feminisms. While the author, who refers to "feminist sob sisters" is trying to convey a brand of feminism that urges male/female equality in a strict sense, other brands of feminism, like cultural feminism, emphasize that men and women are different, and that those differences are commendable.

I also find it interesting that the author can chalk superficiality off to evolutionary biology, but then also dedicate a paragraph to explaining how ideals of beauty differ from culture to culture....meaning that, although deeply ingrained, these standards are arbitrary and reasonably transcend-able. (My mind goes back to a story I read of a man dating an under-weight woman, and the joy he took in later falling in love with a fuller-figured woman who loved life, pasta, and was not afraid to occupy space. When his ex said, "I didn't know you like fat girls," he responded, "I like happy girls").

After writing a very extreme article, seemingly positing a bi-polar perspective of "ugly" versus "beautiful," the author tosses in a sentence about moderation at the end: "...we, too, need to understand that a healthy approach to beauty is neither pretending it's unnecessary or unimportant nor making it important beyond all else."

This leads me to believe that, in a feeble attempt to make a splash and say something avant-garde, the author hid a more temperate message behind an extreme narrative. While the magazine somewhat off-sets this by including a small blurb article called "Can You Be Too Beautiful?" this article focuses on how pretty women are disadvantaged in job interviews. Neither article discusses the possible ramifications of "beauty" on self-identity and self-esteem.

vegetarian thanksgiving

2010-11-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

Since my vegan-versary falls on the day before Thanksgiving, this year I plan on celebrating three years of plant-based eating with a vegan Thanksgiving feast--and some delightful company.

I haven't picked out my recipes yet (this is my first time I will be cooking a feast from scratch)--but I did just find this wonderful resource of veg recipes from the NY Times. Granted, some of these are lacto-ovo vegetarian and not vegan, but I'm sure it's simple enough to modify.

I'll keep The Colonic posted with the recipes I actually use (since these will obviously be the perf balance of easier and delicious).

2010 congressional winners opposing GMOs OR demanding labels

2010-11-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Organic Consumers Association highlighted several members of Congress who oppose GMOs or demand labeling:

Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK)
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR)
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT)
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Del. Madeleine Bordallo (D-GU)
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)
Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA)
Del. Donna Christensen (D-VI)
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Rep. Norman Dicks (D-WA)
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX)
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)
Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA)
Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)
Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA)
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN)
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA)
Rep. George Miller (D-CA)
Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS) Retired
Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA)
Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY)
Rep. Steve Rothman (D-NJ)
Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR)
Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY)
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA)
Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA)
Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT)
Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
Rep. David Wu (D-OR)
Rep. Don Young (R-AK)

RECORD NUMBER OF LGBTQ CANDIDATES ELECTED TO OFFICE

2010-11-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

If you're feeling a little Demy Downer, it is uplifting to know that last night, America elected a record number of LGBTQ candidates to office. (Note: image taken from The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund).

According to Gay Politics, at least 106 of 164 candidates endorsed by The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund took the prize as of Wednesday morning.

Gay Politics sums up the results:

–David Cicilline’s election to Congress. The Providence, R.I. mayor will be the fourth openly gay member of the U.S. House of Representatives, joining Reps. Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank and Jared Polis, who each won reelection.

–Jim Gray’s election as mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, the state’s second-largest city.

–Nickie Antonio’s election to the Ohio House. Antonio will be the first openly LGBT person to serve in the state legislature.

–Marcus Brandon’s election to the North Carolina House. Brandon will be the state’s only openly gay state legislator and one of just five out African Americans to serve as state lawmakers.

–Victoria Kolakowski’s election as a Superior Court judge in Alameda County. Kolakowski becomes the first openly transgender judge in America.

–Kevin Lembo’s election as Connecticut State Comptroller. Lembo joins just a handful of openly LGBT candidates to have been elected to statewide positions.

–Laurie Jinkins’ election to the Washington State House. Jinkins is Washington’s first openly lesbian state legislator, and could help her gay colleagues pass a marriage equality bill in the next legislative session.

–Maryland’s and California’s expanded LGBT state legislative caucuses. Each will include seven openly gay and lesbian lawmakers. In Maryland, the caucus is poised to help pass marriage equality legislation, which the reelected Gov. Martin O’Malley has vowed to sign.

–Dan Hill’s loss in his Nevada House race. The Victory Fund’s endorsed Republican candidates for state legislative seats were not successful, meaning no openly LGBT Republicans will be serving as state lawmakers next year.

GMUSL Ally Day is a Sucess!

2010-10-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

Below are my thoughts on George Mason School of Law's first-ever Ally Day, also cross-posted in The Docket.

GALLA would like to extend a special thanks to everyone who participated in Ally Day on Tuesday, October 12th, in support of National Coming Out Day. Ally Day was extremely successful, with nearly 100 members of the GMUSL community wearing "ALLY" t-shirts, including two professors and several members of the administration and staff. Additionally, dozens more members of the GMUSL community participated by wearing stickers and making donations to offset the cost of the event. GALLA would also like to thank the SBA and the Director of Diversity Services for helping to make this event happen. Kate Oakley, President of GALLA, and I were truly moved by the enthusiasm and support we received in planning and executing this event.

Ally Day is very important at GMUSL. For starters, it's a great opportunity to spread awareness about what an ally is--a person who supports and respects LGBTQ equality. Whether this support is motivated by a libertarian, humanist, or religious perspective, allies share a common belief that people should be free to love whomever they choose. Allies, who typically identify as heterosexual, recognize the privileged position they occupy as part of a majority, and take positive action to include and affirm their LGBTQ friends. One 2L commented, “it’s nice to know that, even at a school like George Mason, our libertarian friends have our backs.” Another student shared, "It's important to recognize that Allies do not represent a certain political or religious affiliation. Allies symbolize support and respect among the entire student body of GMUSL. Events like Ally Day communicate this powerful message and provide a united front to the D.C. community and potential future students."

Aside from fostering general awareness, Ally Day is extremely important at GMUSL in particular. Multiple instances have contributed in shaping GMUSL’s reputation as unwelcoming to the LGBTQ community. These are a few that stand out in my mind: 1) one of our deans co-authored an amicus brief defending the constitutionality of federal funding withdrawal from schools that refuse on-campus military recruitment in light of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell;[1] 2) VA attorney general and GMUSL alumnus, Ken Cuccinelli, advised that VA universities remove sexual orientation and gender discrimination from anti-discrimination policies;[2] 3) Cuccinelli was shortly thereafter welcomed on our campus to speak—leaving students to organize a protest against his LGBTQ policies outside; 4) the Christian Legal Society hosted Alliance Defense Fund on campus—an organization that describes the the “homosexual agenda” as the “principle threat to your religious freedom;”[3] and 5) the GMUSL website publishes as newsworthy a professor’s writing against marriage equality.[4]

Further, based on my own experience in the classroom, lectures assume heterosexuality with rare exceptions (to professors who mention same-sex issues in class, for example when discussing federal income tax and marriage, I sincerely thank you). Some students feel that professors reveal their anti-equality biases, however politely, in the classroom. The majority of self-identified LGBTQ students I have spoken to at GMUSL feel on the defensive at school. In this kind of atmosphere, it is difficult to know to whom it is safe to come out, and on whom one may count on if feeling sad or uncomfortable.

Considering all of these factors, it was very important for Kate and I that GALLA sponsor an event that would allow the GMUSL community to speak up and support equality. While I don’t seek to take away any person’s right to speak, I believe that expression at GMUSL must be a (respectful) two-way street in order to foster a dynamic and happy student body. Again, thank you to all those who participated!

[1] Brief Amicus Curiae of Law Professors and Law Students in Support of Petitioners at 6, Rumsfeld v. FAIR, 547 U.S. 47 (2006).

[2] Letter from Ken Cuccinelli, Attorney General, VA, to Presidents, Rectors, and Visitors of Virginia’s Public Colleges and Universities (March 4, 2010) (available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/05/AR2010030501582.html).

[3] Alliance Defense Fund, The Issues, Marriage & the Family, http://alliancedefensefund.org/Marriage.

[4] GMUSL, Current News, Lund in SF Chronicle: Prop 8 Judge Ruling Puzzling, http://www.law.gmu.edu/news/2010/lund_prop8_judge.

Vegan Treats at Arlington, VA's Bakeshop

2010-10-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, a Certain Someone and I hit up Vegan Day at Bakeshop in Arlington, VA--in celebration of Bakeshop's new vegan items. In short, I will def go back again when in VA (but if in DC, Sticky Fingers still takes the cake, no pun intended).

I ordered a rice crispy treat with dark chocolate and peanut butter. I would describe it as "good" but not "great." Why, you ask? Namely, I felt like I couldn't concentrate on anything because there were too many intense delicious flavors in my mouth. Looking back, I should have ordered the peanut butter cookie I sampled, with one end dipped in chocolate. That peanut butter cookie was legit. Bakeshop, if you're reading, I think you should sell a plain rice crispy (a vegan version of which is tricky to come by), and then keep up the PB choco cookies. But hey--that's just me.

Certain Someone, on the hand hand, did a way better job of ordering. To your right, there used to be a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting. I didn't order a cupcake because I tend to dislike the chocolate cake in chocolate cupcakes (but not in chocolate fudge cake). However, this chocolate cupcake was bangin'! From me, this is a HUGE compliment because I refuse to eat choco c-cakes from both Sticky Fingers and Hello Cupcake. On the down side, Bakeshop is STINGY with the frosting, which is best described as a mere dollop.

Certain Someone also had the bright idea of ordering two cupcakes. The chocolate mint, pictured on the left, definitely packed more frosting than the beloved choco vanilla--not sure why. I didn't try it because I don't believe in mixing mint with chocolate, and to be honest, Certain Someone gave it a standard rating--nothing special. Maybe he'll pipe up if I'm not doing the mint choco justice.

Interestingly, Bakeshop sells Coca Cola from Mexico, which does not contain high-fructose corn syrup AND comes in a glass bottle.

To my Celiac friends, I did not notice any treat to be marked gluten-free. Unfortunately, I forgot to ask if there was an unmarked GF goodie.

All in all, it was a nice visit, and where the quantity of frosting fell short, the quaint ambiance picked up the slack. I might have to do a finals study sesh here come November.

1025 N. Fillmore Street, Suite G
Arlington, VA 22201
(571) 970-6460

Mon: closed
Tues thru Fri: 8am – 8pm
Sat: 10am – 8pm
Sun: 12pm – 6pm

Whole Foods color-codes sustainablity of wild-caught seafood

2010-09-13T19:37:00.001-07:00

Like everything in life, Whole Foods (WF) has done some super awesome things and some super annoying things. Thankfully, today's report is super awesome!

If you haven't heard the news, WF is amping up its sustainability efforts by filling a gap in its treatment of wild-caught fish. While some of its wild-caught seafood at WF is MSC-certified ("meets the highest benchmarks for credible certification and ecolabelling programs, including the UN Food and Agriculture Organization guidelines and the ISEAL Code of Good Practice"), consumers are left to wonder about the rest--until now.

Enter Blue Ocean Institute and Monteray Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch--both of which use color coding to rate the sustainability of wild-caught seafood. WF is using these to cover wild-caught fish not from WSC-certified fisheries.

Groovy!

The Men's Journal advocates veganism

2010-09-09T14:55:00.000-07:00

Lemmie tellya--hegans are hard to find. The heternormative script of "masculinity" doesn't exactly reward men who love animals or cherish the earth. But if male health can be re-routed away from animal flesh and fat, maybe we will develop more cultural space for the hegan.

Enter The Men's Journal (thank you, Gluten Freeway, for the link). In it's September 7th post of "The Men's Journal Guide to Going Vegan," MJ claims that just three weeks of a vegan lifestyle has you feeling better head to toe. I can definitely corroborate the quick time line.

Aside from listing vegan supplements, proteins, bars, and grocery tips, MJ also talks about "what to expect." I've inserted my comments in orange.

II. What to Expect

Week One:

Your entire body will feel lighter, as the meat built up in your gut is literally forced out by the deluge of fiber from all the vegetables. You will also feel less sluggish. “You start to come out of this fog that many people have from eating heavy, fatty foods,” says Susan Levin, the director of nutrition education at the non-profit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. “When you give up dairy, you immediately breathe easier.” You’ll also have to deal with cravings for things like cheese. Find an appropriate substitute, like soy cheese. Your taste buds will adjust within a week. Uhhh...I don't know about any "cheese craving." But if you don't get enough healthy fats, you will crave animal products. When I first became a vegan, I was so busy eating beans, veggies, cookies, and rice, that I found myself craving meat. My friend told me my fat levels were likely down, and so I immediately incorporated nuts, seeds, and olive oil into my cooking and snacking. Voila! Also, soy is not the solution to all. It is generally over-processed, and there is controversy as to whether over-consumption has adverse health implications. Try making your own cashew cheese or picking up rice milk or almond cheese (available at Whole Foods).

Week Two:

You will have noticeably increased energy, and you’re likely to see some slight weight loss, because your overall calorie intake has likely gone down. “Not much weight loss,” says Levin. “We don’t want people dropping weight like crazy.” With increased energy, she says, you will find your workouts getting better and, as pro athletes have noted, your recovery time will become shorter. By the end of your second week, says vegan ultramarathoner Scott Jurek, you won’t feel as achy after your workouts.

With more energy, says Levin, comes a brighter mood and outlook. According to a 2009 Arizona State University study, people who cut all meat from the diets, including fish, showed less tension and stress.

Week Three:

“Enjoy everything you had in week two, but even more energy and probably a final layer of weight loss,” says Levin. But really, this week is where it gets molecular. “If you were someone who was meticulous and into blood labs, you’d actually see your blood sugars and cholesterol levels go down,” says Levin. “Your blood pressure will also fall as you’re breathing better and your arteries are clearing out.” If you are already in your target range of caloric-intake, a vegan transition likely won't result in weight loss. If you over-eat dishes with animal fat regularly, then perhaps. And don't forget--veganism still means cupcakes, cookies, brownies, fried seitan, and other deliciousness. Also, a note on the increased energy: it is true that you feel a crazy boost of energy. But then that becomes your everyday life, and the feeling normalizes over time.

How Big is "Too Big"?

2010-09-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

Cross-posted on GMUSL student publication, The Docket.

As I sat in a morning class of Federal Income Tax on my first day as a 2L, there was something particularly wonderful about the experience—there were only about twenty students around me. Looking forward to the joys of small class sizes to come, I suddenly wondered how the incoming class of around 300 1Ls would affect my GMUSL experience (Not to say all you 1Ls aren’t lovely. Shout out to my mentees). Even worse, if 1L classes keep getting bigger, tuition keeps rising, and SBA is not receiving increased funding, what exactly am I paying for?

After hearing about my concerns, Deans Polsby, Huber, and Kelsey were all kind enough to sit down with me and answer my questions. First, although the 1L class is unexpectedly large, our overall student body population is about 29 over the target 720-50. In 2007, GMUSL had an entering class of 267;[1] in 2008, the class size went down to 160;[2] in 2009, the number went back up to 247.[3] Although the new 1L class is bigger than usual, the difference makes up for smaller classes in the past.

Notwithstanding the extra bodies on campus, the 1L day sections are still sized appropriately because a chunk of the extra students are in the evening section. Also, the deans haven’t forgotten that our professor-to-student ratio affects our ranking. Dean Polsby is in conversations with the provost to get additional teaching help in the spring when it’s needed.

Next we moved onto tuition. If the 1Ls didn’t need an extra section, where is the extra money going? Turns out, GMUSL is responsible for only a small percentage of our tuition and a surcharge. Although the law school can increase the surcharge every year, it has only done so twice in GMUSL’s history. The rest of our tuition is in the hands of the Board of Visitors, and the law school is not at the table for tuition discussions. It was speculated that since tuition increases have less of an impact on cheaper undergraduate tuition and the law school is only about 3% of the total university, the Board doesn’t think it’s such a big deal. But it is, and Dean Polsby agrees. GMUSL attracts students because of our location, reputation, and price. Our 1L numbers demonstrate loud and clear that GMUSL has got the goods. Annual tuition increases are not sustainable, and the law school will lose its competitive edge if the trend continues. Dean Polsby believes our tuition should be as cheap as possible, consistent with other objectives. He along with other alumni are pushing to end the blind increases to our tuition, particularly in light of a 12% increase predicted for next year.

Aside from controlling the bulk of what we pay for school, the University also controls our SBA funding—not the law school (GMUSL does supplement certain academic activities like moot court). Although SBA funding has remained at about $200,000 throughout the years—even with a total student population bigger than what we have now—Dean Polsby will endorse any SBA request for increased funding.

And finally, the biggest question: how are we all going to get along on our small campus? For starters, the new building is scheduled to open in January 2011. Once the temporary wall in the atrium goes down, a lounge will open up into a new eatery. Law students will also have access to all lounge space in the new building, and we’re currently slated to get most of the 4^th floor (this is subject to change). If you ride your bike to school, then you’re in luck; the basement bathrooms will have showers. What’s more, the café downstairs will soon be vacated and turned into student space.

As for next year, Dean Polsby explained that getting back on enrollment target is a high priority. The school relies on a complex formula that is modified annually to guide the law school’s acceptance numbers. Since the University gives tuition back to the law school based on the enrollment target, as opposed to the actual numbers, GMUSL has to fight for every extra dollar—an incentive not to over-admit.

Until the new building opens, things might seem a little tighter on campus, especially in the library. So far it looks like we have come together to deal with it. Take the lockers, for example. While I am just as guilty as the next person for panicking in the face of a locker shortage, enough students made arrangements to share before they went on sale that we even had some leftover. SBA is also looking into temporary lockers if need be. In the meantime, looks like we’ll all make some new friends.

[1] http://www.law.gmu.edu/admissions/2007profile

[2] http://www.law.gmu.edu/admissions/profile2008

[3] http://www.law.gmu.edu/admissions/profile2009

The Elephant in the Room: Diversity & Conservatism at George Mason Law

2010-09-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

Edited version cross-posted on GMUSL student publication, The Docket.

While job interviewing last spring, I was asked how I liked George Mason. I answered that GMUSL is academically rigorous, but that I didn’t quite fit in with the campus culture at large. The hiring attorney replied, good—If you liked it, you wouldn’t fit in here, and I wouldn’t hire you.

I was stunned. Where does the stereotype of a GMUSL student come from? Regardless of the school’s political affiliation, GMUSL has a reputation for its strong academics; “Mason Law has moved steadily up the ranks since first cracking the top 50 in 2001” and “remains the youngest law school ranked in the U.S. News top 50.”[1]

Notwithstanding its quality curriculum, has GMUSL’s reputation as conservative impacted the school’s ability to foster a more diverse student population? It seems that the school’s entanglement with social issues, whether justified or not, has potentially impacted its image and ability to attract a wide range of students (not to mention its ranking, which takes into account peer assessment and assessment by lawyers/judges).[2]

In early 2000, the ABA, disturbed by 6.5% of entering minority students, issued a site evaluation describing “serious concerns” with GMUSL’s "unwilling[ness] to engage in any significant preferential affirmative action admissions program"—although it noted that GMUSL has a "very active effort to recruit minorities."[3]

To secure its reaccreditation, GMUSL amped up diversity efforts by creating both a minority coordinator and “Minority Recruitment Council,” and raising the proportion of minorities in its entering class to 10.98% in 2001, 16.16% in 2002, 17.3% in 2003, and 19% in 2004.[4] The ABA was still unhappy because, of the 99 minority students in 2003 and 111 in 2004, the number of African Americans remained a steady 23 in both years.[5]

But those numbers are an unfair reflection of Mason’s diversity initiative; in fact, Mason had granted admission to 63 African Americans[6]—those students simply didn’t choose to attend. The question is, why not?

Additionally, GMUSL’s reputation might suffer from the association of high-profile GMUSL figures with controversial issues relating to sexual orientation. As law schools across the country sought to ban military recruiters in light of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” Congress reacted in 1996 with the Solomon Amendment—allowing the DOD to withdraw federal grant money from universities that prevent on-campus military recruitment. Essentially, an entire university could lose millions of research dollars from a ban particular to the law school.[7] An amicus brief, co-authored by Dean Polsby, countered allegations that the Solomon Amendment “violates the First Amendment by impeding the law schools' rights of expressive association and by compelling them to assist in the expressive act of recruiting."[8] Dean Polsby explained that the Solomon Amendment “merely conditions a university’s continuing receipt of federal funds on affording military recruiters the same access to the student body that the school grants to all other prospective employers. The Solomon Amendment thus is a perfectly ordinary contractual condition.”[9] A footnote read, “Amici do not take any position with regard to the policy’s merit”[10]

While loss of federal funding arguably impacts more students than those in the LGBTQ community (not to mention LGBTQ students would also be impacted by diminished school funding), one cannot deny the sting to a minority group and its allies. And just last spring, the same feelings were re-kindled when a GMUSL graduate, Virginia attorney general Ken Cuccinelli,[11] advised, “"[L]aw and public policy of the Commonwealth of Virginia prohibit a college or university from including 'sexual orientation,' 'gender identity,' 'gender expression,' or like classification, as a protected class within its nondiscrimination policy, absent specific authorization from the General Assembly."[12] However, shortly thereafter, the GMU Board of Visitors elected to keep GMU’s non-discrimination policy in place, and issued a resolution declaring that the Board “remains deeply committed to equal treatment of all persons...”[13]

Regardless of GMUSL’s association with touchy issues and its potential impact on public perception, the bigger question is “what is the on-campus experience for a ‘liberal’ student?” One classmate remarked that she felt a “general aggression towards anything liberal,” and noted a “nastiness that is not conducive to constructive dialogue.” Another student reflected on a professor who "was happy to throw out 'how is gay marriage different from bestiality or polygamy' and then not be terribly interested in the answer." In all fairness, another student observed that some liberal peers act “equally or even more judgmental” than conservative counterparts.

Personally, born and raised in Los Angeles, I had a difficult time adjusting to GMUSL campus culture. During my first year, I was most troubled by a lack of sensitivity in language choice on campus, and, as a Jew and advocate of female empowerment, bothered that several Internet sources attribute the genesis of “feminazi” to a GMUSL professor.

At the same time, despite a series of uncomfortable instances at school, I have cultivated very strong friendships with students both similar to and very different from me, as well as gained a new skill set in economics. While I have felt disrespected on campus at times, I have also been engaged in and benefited from discussions with students whose views greatly contrast mine. I wish that my experience at a “conservative school” could be less of the former and more of the latter. To the extent that my experience has been a mixture of both, learning how to succeed in a challenging environment is an invaluable skill that, retrospectively, I am happy to have acquired.

As we welcome a new class on campus, I know that some students who identify as liberal or as a member of a minority community are nervous about attending GMUSL. I know this because, while tabling at the perspective students fair, I was bombarded with questions from various potential 1Ls who saw the LGBTQ & Allies Law Association as the go-to for all liberal and diversity concerns. I hope that as we engage those around us, we can hold both polarized views, and respect for one another. That is the reputation I would like George Mason to have—and employers to hear about.

[1] GMUSL Current News, Mason Law Climbs to 34^th in US Ranking (2008), http://www.law.gmu.edu/news/2007/721.

[2] U.S. News Best Graduate Schools, Law Methodology (2008), http://www.usnews.com/articles/education/best-graduate-schools/2008/03/26/law-methodology.html.

[3] Gail Heriot, The ABA’s Diversity Agenda, Minding the Campus, July 8, 2008, http://www.mindingthecampus.com/originals/2008/07/by_gail_heriot_the_aba.html.

[4] Id.

[5] Id.

[6] Id.

[7] Jan Roh, Supreme Court Rules Against Schools in Military Recruiting Case, Fox News, March 6, 2006, http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,186936,00.html.

[8] Id.

[9] Brief Amicus Curiae of Law Professors and Law Students in Support of Petitioners at 6, Rumsfeld v. FAIR, 547 U.S. 47 (2006).

[10] Id. at 7 n. 4.

[11] Ken Cuccinelli, Education, http://www.cuccinelli.com/index.php/meet-ken (last visited Aug. 9, 2010).

[12] Letter from Ken Cuccinelli, Attorney General, VA, to Presidents, Rectors, and Visitors of Virginia’s Public Colleges and Universities (March 4, 2010) (available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/05/AR2010030501582.html).

[13] Mason Media Blog, Mason’s Board of Visitors Reaffirms Commitment to Nondiscrimination (2010), http://mediablog.gmu.edu/2010/03/masons-board-of-visitors-reaffirms-commitment-to-nondiscrimination/.

DC Vegan Goodness

2010-09-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

The most recent issue of VegNews brings great joy for the veg, the veg-friendly, the lactose intolerant, and the kosher.

Item 1: Founding Farmers now has a vegan menu. I cannot wait to taste test and report back.

Item 2: DC VegFest is in one week! If you don't have a mental image of what this entails, here is a picture from last year to get your mouth watering:

veganism and pro-choice politics are compatible

2010-08-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while, I hear the argument that, if a vegan valued life, a vegan would necessarily be anti-choice. This is incorrect.

For the sake of argument, let's talk first-trimester abortion. Pro-choicers, including myself, often hold that a fetus in its first trimester is not conscious and, as such, may be aborted without violating an ethical duty to the fetus.

The abortion debate from a pro-choice perspective can only logically relate to eggs--not animals. Animals are conscious, and many are intelligent. Like a fetus in its first trimester, however, a chicken fetus is also unconscious. By my same rationale, then, a chicken fetus could be aborted without violating an ethical duty to the fetus.

Then why don't vegans eat eggs?

I suppose different vegans may have different views on eggs, so I will only speak for myself. I do not abstain from eggs because I believe the chicken fetus is tortured in the egg production process; rather, I abstain from eggs because the hen is tortured in order to produce the egg (and free-range is legally meaningless).

Both the abortion debate and my vegan perspective on eggs turn on the same issue: the rights of the animal producing the offspring (humans are animals). I do not think that women or hens should be forced to reproduce, particularly when the circumstances are abusive or disenfranchising to either animal.

I'm sure some reader is wondering, then, whether I would eat an egg if it were produced without coercion in a natural setting. Honestly, that answer has changed over time. I have been a vegan for over 2.5 years. If I were given that option in year 1, perhaps it would have sounded appealing. But now eggs are so off my radar that I no longer frame them as food and have zero desire to consume them under any circumstances--apart from the unlikely event that I were starving and only eggs could save me.

Although I believe that a vegan can logically be pro-choice, I do not believe that an anti-choicer can logically be omnivorous. If one values unconscious life before birth, then it would seem one would certainly value conscious life after birth. Pigs, after all, are believed to have the intelligence of three-year-old children; chickens can process surrounding circumstances enough to flap wildly when shackled in the live hang.

I suppose the only scapegoat would be a brutal sense of speciesm where pre-human consciousness is priceless and animal consciousness is worthless. I find that problematic.

It is very difficult for me to wrap my head around a person who will protest an abortion, but be perfectly comfortable with the institutionalized torture of animals.

While I realize the narrator has an agenda, I think the footage speaks for itself.

GREENPEACE VICTORY

2010-07-31T18:02:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited to report that Greenpeace won its campaign in Slovakia to change Slovakian law, allowing local communities to weigh in on the establishment of uranium mines near them. This is particularly great news for me, as I worked on this campaign a couple years ago in Slovakia with the Greenpeace Organizing Term. Check out the full scoop from Greenpeace:

The campaign was started three years ago by a coalition of groups which included Greenpeace. In Slovakia, any petition gaining 100,000 signatures must be discussed by the country’s parliament. The coalition’s petition gained 113,000 and it was delivered to the parliament in September last year.

This week the campaign was victorious when, in a momentous decision, the Slovak parliament agreed on legal changes to geological and mining laws to give more power and control to local communities, municipal and regional authorities. This will allow them stop or limit geological research of uranium deposits and to stop proposed uranium mining.

This is a huge achievement for the Slovak environmental movement and should be an inspiration for groups around the world. For the first time in Slovak history non-governmental organisations were able to collect over 100,000 signatures, have an environmental issue submitted to the Slovak parliament by a petition, and to achieve a change in the law by a petition.

This does not mean a complete ban on uranium mining in Slovakia but gives significant powers to local and regional authorities in the mining permission process. All 41 municipal authorities facing proposed uranium mining projects in their territories have already declared their opposition. There’s an excellent chance that Slovakia’s uranium will never see the light of day.

Tarzana Whole Foods rocks the house, part II

2010-07-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

However brief my stint in LA, I always try to cram in as much deliciousness as possible before I return to the veg-mediocre District of Columbia. Thanks to the new Tarzana Whole Foods, the perfect meal is a hot 5 minutes from my house.

On my last trip to LA, I ranted about the new location's vegan baklava and to-go bar. On this trip, I had the pleasure of breaking in the sandwich bar. Although there are a few options, I hit up "Mediterranean Goodness" the first time and haven't been able to break the cycle since. It's honestly one of the best sandwiches I have ever had. What's more, it also passes The Dylan Test (More on the DT below).

The ingredients are simple enough: olive ciabatta, some kind of flavored hummus, a really rockin' babaganoush, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and I add onions. It doesn't sound exciting--but whatever herbs are in the hummus and baba really take the experience to a whole new level.

But, don't take my word for it. As my cousin once told me, "Vanessa, your politics impact your taste buds." My little brother, on the other hand, is the perfect taste-taster. Dylan is basically a black hole of hamburgers, french fries, and well, hamburgers and french fries. I always know when he likes something I eat, it really must be delish.

So what's Dylan's verdict? He thinks that the sandwich tastes like IN N OUT Burger, most likely because the flavor of the babaganoush and hummus together mimics a sort of thousand island dressing. In any event, he was so into Mediterranean Goodness that, after sampling mine, we returned the next day and had at it again.

Note: Dylan and I had a long discussion about whether pickles "match" the ingredients and should be added. He insists pickles do not go at all, but I'm thinking I might give it a try next time.

regulating female bodies the "French way"

2010-07-27T00:10:00.000-07:00

Upon reading "Aging Gracefully...the French Way," all I have to say is, there is nothing particularly "French" about it. It's the same old story: sexism + ageism = hyper-regulation of female bodies. New York Times author Ann Morrison spouts the same methods we see right here in good old America:

1. French women enjoy regulating their own bodies ("Frenchwomen I know regard the pampering of the skin, hair and body as an enjoyable, gratifying ritual").

2. French women feel as though exposing "flaws" somehow lessens them sexually or as women (“I never discuss these things in front of my husband”).

3. French women internalize the pressures of weightism and restrict caloric intake...even if it means spending extra dollars on pills and procedures ("Frenchwomen won’t get fat...If Frenchwomen don’t walk enough to stay en forme, there is always a pill, a lotion, a machine or a treatment to do the trick").

4. French women seek multiple treatments and services, spending large sums of money to preserve their youth ("Frenchwomen also recommend facials, massages and spa “cures” in their campaign against wrinkles, cellulite and saggy bottoms, bellies and breasts").

5. French women finance a multi-billion dollar skin care industry ("As for makeup, Frenchwomen of almost every age (except those teenagers) regard less as best...Of course, it’s easy to look natural if your skin is great. And that may be where the French secrets really are. According to a 2008 Mintel report, Frenchwomen spend about $2.2 billion a year on facial skin car").

6. French women get plastic surgery ("The objective of plastic surgery in France, according to Dr. Michel Soussaline, a Paris surgeon with more than 30 years of experience, is “to keep the natural beauty and charm of each individual woman, not to fit some current ideal of beauty.” After all, trends change. In the United States, he says, women who spend a lot of money on face-lifts want to show off their investments...Frenchwomen prefer results that look as natural as possible").

In conclusion, the "way" of female aging is the same in France as in America: fight it at all costs.

cancer, neurotoxicity, and cosmetics

2010-07-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

Remember The Story of Stuff? Well, Annie Leonard is at it again with The Story of Cosmetics.

From a gendered perspective, heteronormative women suffer the most from toxic cosmetics; it's difficult to reap the social "rewards" of sexism without some makeup, nail polish, and a good perfume.

If you're concerned about what you're rubbing on your face or buying for your family, check out the Environmental Working Group's cosmetic safety database, Skin Deep.

And yes, I realize that toxins in moderation may not be poisonous--but we're talking about using several products a day, every day, for a lifetime (while drinking contaminated water, breathing contaminated air, and eating contaminated food, no less).

PETA is on crack

2010-07-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

My dear friend over at Gluten Freeways really threw me for a loop when he sent me PETA's ranking of the top most veg-friendly cities in North America.

I moved to DC from LA--and how the bleep is DC ranked #1 and LA #8?

LA owns DC when it comes to vegan options and convenience. Aside from the disparity in veg-friendly hot spots, a veg girl can't even ask ingredients around these parts without getting a puzzled face or an attitude.

See the ranking for yourself.

giving back to your dry cleaner

2010-07-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm a working woman in a walking city, my dry cleaning bill has more than quadrupled since my days of air conditioning during LA gridlock.

Aside from the added expense, I began suffering from another increase--an army of fugly metal hangers in my closet. For months, I have felt too guilty to throw them away (you know, one-timers headed straight to the landfill)--until I had a brilliant idea.

Why don't I just return the hangers to the dry cleaner? My dry cleaner does not advertise itself as eco-friendly, but was still mighty happy to take all the hangers back for re-use. Awesome.

The Vanishing of the Bees, part II

2010-06-29T19:34:00.000-07:00

Nearly a year ago, I blogged about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

In sum, billions of bees are dying faster than they can be replaced. Their dead bodies reveal pathogens and disease. While the exact cause is unknown, all fingers point to modern agriculture: we are poisoning bees with our excessive use of toxic agro-chemicals, and severely straining them by transporting and working them year round.

A 2007 National Academy of Sciences report "blamed the decline of pollinators around the world on a combination of habitat loss, pesticides, pollution and diseases spilling out of greenhouses using commercial bumblebees."

Today I had the opportunity to chat with a very reputable scientist in the agricultural world. Turns out, the honey bee situation has not improved in the last year. According to her, at this rate (40% loss in one decade), domestic produce production will die within 10 years...almost.

Turns out, climate change is prompting the migration of the africanized honey bee, also known as the "killer bee." The Center for Invasive Species Research reports:

Immigration of africanized honey bee results in a greater density of highly defensive bee colonies. Africanized honey bee respond to activity near their colonies with increased numbers of stinging bees over much greater distances. This can make them life-threatening, especially to people allergic to stings or with limited capacity to escape (the young, old and handicapped), and to confined livestock or pets. In each country into which they have migrated, they have killed humans and animals. Beekeeping is also disrupted by africanized honey bees, which are more difficult to manage and transport. Maintaining colonies of European bees in areas with africanized honey bees is the best defense, but to do so beekeepers face greater expense, more difficulty finding sites for bees because of public fear, and greater liability concerns.

With regard to using our domestic bees are a defense, my source told me that because of vanishing bee populations, the killer bees will just take over.

Obviously, I prefer highly-aggressive bees to no bees (and thus no domestic produce), but the situation ain't pretty. While the exact cause of honey bee disappearance remains "unproven," the writing is on the wall. Just another price we pay for modern agro business...

a note on high horses and the vegan delusion

2010-06-27T09:28:00.000-07:00

"I know that all revolutions must have ideologies that spur them. That in the heat of conflict those ideologies tend to be smelted into rigid dogmas claiming exclusive possession of the truth, and the keys to paradise, is tragic." --Saul D. Alinsky, Rules for Radicals

Although we often get lumped together, vegans can be very different from one another. Some of us are militant, some low-key, some freegan, some eco-conscious, some animal focused...the list goes on. I dedicate this post to the high horse vegan (HHV).

In short, a HHV is self-righteous, or "smugly moralistic and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others." Now, there is a fine line between developing a personal set of ethics, opinions, and disagreements...and being self-righteous. Perhaps it is even an art.

My most recent [virtual] encounter with a HHV took place yesterday. Potentially developing asthma, I am currently on a steroid inhaler to counter my lung inflammation. I've been a vegan for 2.5 years, and in the doctor's office struggling for a deep breath of air, I didn't think to talk ingredients. A couple of hours and a lot of money later, I purchased and used an Advair inhaler--which, after reading the directions, turns out to contain lactose.

Bummed I didn't inquire when chatting with the doc, I get online to google vegan asthma medication. I stumbled upon an online forum where an asthmatic vegan articulated concerns similar to mine. One of the responses came from a stereotypical HHV:

"Even if it does not contain animal products, it was definitely tested on animals. Just wheeze."

Hell to the no. First, animal testing on an approved drug already on the market is a sunk cost. Second, this commentator is living what I call the "vegan delusion." The vegan delusion is the idea that, by being a strict vegan, you do not harm animals. This is wrong. Being a vegan means reducing harm to animals where possible--not reducing all harm (which is impossible).

Why? Because simply existing necessary displaces and inevitably harms animals. Your home, your city, your beloved co-op, your yoga studio are currently situated in former ecosystems. That sustainable local farmer you love so dearly? S/he displaces animal populations by planting fields of veggies. Tractors invariably run over and kill some field animals. The list goes on.

For any human being to exist in a modern setting, some amount of animals will be displaced and/or die. As a vegan, the most you can do is reduce that number where humanly possible and where it is efficient to do so. Take my inhaler for example. Seeing as I mistakenly purchased an animal product, from an environmental/efficiency perspective, I am not going to throw away a perfectly usable inhaler. Under this same rationale, I grandfathered in my old leather products when I stopped purchasing new ones (and I am likewise comfortable with recycled leather).

If there is no lactose-free inhaler alternative, I will continue to purchase inhalers as needed. Again, as being a vegan necessarily means mitigating harm to animals where possible (as opposed to eliminating harm all together), in the matter of breathing, this is one corner I cannot reasonably cut.

Is it speciesism to value my life more than the cow tortured for its lactose? One can make that argument. However, it is not only humans that necessarily occupy space and displace others--it is all living things. Call it natural selection, call it the circle of life--whatever you'd like. I am comfortable existing and occupying space, so long as I eliminate harm where I reasonably can.

If you do avoid anything containing any trace of animal and anything ever tested on animals, that is honestly very wonderful. However, the truth is that the vegan delusion of zero harm is and will always be just that--a delusion.

Hey Cosmo, female shaved heads are not "skanky"

2010-06-25T14:54:00.000-07:00

I thought this discussion ended once Britney's extensions blended in with some of her own hair...but I was wrong. I'm sure my readers remember when Allure magazine called bald a "beauty breakdown"--it spurred a heated blog post and a Facebook group in support of bald women. Now Cosmo wants to play.

In its July issue, Cosmo showcases a picture of Mel B--who rocks the half buzz--and impliedly calls a female shaved head "skanky" (as opposed to "sexy").

To be exact, men with "missing shirts" are "sexy," and women with "missing hair" are "skanky."

And Cosmo is just plain uneducated. Hegemonic gender performance is largely heteronormative and varies across cultures and throughout time. To say that two holes for a set of pearl earrings is "good" and one for an eyebrow piercing is "bad" demonstrates how inherently meaningless dominant cultural assessments actually are. Any assigned value would be a classist assessment (that wouldn't even be accurate in 2010 among a large portion of medium- to high-income urbanites).

Hair is a form of self-expression. It need not be so loaded. But in a gender-, race-, and class-stratified world, the shaved and half-shaved female head does carry a message. The message isn't "skanky" and it isn't "sexy"--it's "I do as I please."

It's no mystery that mainstream fashion magazines targeted to women (haven't analyzed those targeted to men) discourage high self-esteem (see overwhelming tips on caloric restriction, ab exercises, and photos of starving women)--but they pretend to champion the opposite. I don't buy the idea that flashing articles on sexual pleasure and career women makes an establishment empowering to women. I believe that loving women means encouraging them to be healthy, not hungry...to be active, not underweight...to recognize that being a woman means different things to different people.

I digress. The bottom line is, if Cosmo wants to pretend to care about independent, empowered women...it should respect the buzzer, not call it skanky.

Tell Cosmo what you think about female shaved heads here.

And speaking of the side shave, check out the actress in this video against commercial whaling.

victory for whales

2010-06-25T14:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks to grassroots pressure, the moratorium on whaling is fully in tact. And no thanks to Obama, who supported lifting the ban.

Sprinkles rocks the vegan cupcake

2010-06-04T18:34:00.001-07:00

I don't know if I mentioned this, but The Colonic is done with year one of law school, taking a breather from a super stellar summer job in food safety, and enjoying the LA heat for some much-need vacay.

What's number one on the vacation list of a sugar-obsessed vegan, fresh out of a culinary nightmare? (okay--a veg nightmare would be somewhere in the south...but DC is no LA, lemmie tellya) DELICIOUS FOOD, that's what.

Enter my first adventure back to Sprinkles since I became a vegan, 2.5 years ago. Since I left Sprinkles for the last time several years ago, I have not found a mind-blowing non-dairy cream cheese frosting alternative...until today.

I'm not talking just any mediocre veg treat. The vegan red velvet cupcake at Sprinkles made my Very Vegan Top 3 Desserts list. I actually just made that up right now, but if I did have a Very Vegan Top 3, it would include (in no particular order):

1. Coconut cake from Sticky Fingers
2. Red velvet cupcake from Sprinkles
3. Banana cupcake with vanilla frosting from Hello Cupcake

ooohhhhh, wait. Make that the Very Vegan Top 4 and add the baklava from the Tarzana Whole Foods.

oil spill--blessing in disguise?

2010-06-02T15:25:00.000-07:00

While coverage of the oil spill makes me cry, the disaster might prove beneficial after all. In its nascent stage, the spill cast energy reform as a "political impossibility," primarily because compromises expanding offshore drilling attracted otherwise-opponents to the measure. Post-spill, those compromises would be pulled, and opposition would increase.

But that assessment was nearly a month ago. Six weeks later and still no solution, the spill has become truly frightening. So frightening that, despite my heated criticism of Obama's stagnant efforts to push an energy bill in the past, looks like we are both singing different tunes. Now the President is actually willing to do something, and now I believe it.

The New York Times reports:

President Obama will call Wednesday for rolling back billions of dollars in tax breaks to oil companies, and will vow to push for climate change legislation “in the coming months,” setting the stage for another potentially divisive battle in Congress. full article

Holler.

new Whole Foods in Tarzana, CA is the vegan money spot

2010-06-02T14:45:00.000-07:00

Now that I am visiting LA, I had the pleasure of experiencing the valley's newest glory: the Tarzana Whole Foods (the older glory being Madeleine Bistro).

Before I rave about how veg-friendly it is, I would like to say that there was no visible compost or recycling bins. I'll have to take a second trip to see if they were there and I was just too excited from the gooey vegan baklava to notice (you best believe if there is no compost, I will host a complain campaign). I was also annoyed that the utensils were plastic instead of biodegradable.

Okay, okay...I digress. Back to vegan nirvana. First of all--do you see this?

Aside from the Vegan Bar, dishes are also appropriately marked "vegan" or "vegetarian" throughout the rest of the bar. While I could not find vegan doughnuts, I did find vegan cherry/apple turnovers, brownies, cookies, and...drum roll...BAKLAVA.

I know vegan goodies have a bad rep, but let me tell you: I had no problem giving up animal flesh, but if the dessert was bad I would never have made 2 1/2 years of being a vegan. As with any type of food, you can get something disgusting or something delicious. That being said, this baklava was OFF THE CHARTS.

The brand is called Nutty Baklava, but I can't find it online (WTF? I was planning on getting that ish shipped to the vegan baklava desert known as Washington, DC). Aside from being dairy-, egg-, and honey-free, this doughy delight features ZERO hydrogenated oils, ZERO preservatives, ZERO refined sugar, ZERO trans fats, and uses 100% unbleached fillo. For two ginormous hunks of heaven, I think a price of $6.99 is reasonable.

finally, productive media coverage of bulimia

2010-05-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

This piece came out in the NY Times in late April, but I've been too consumed with law school to give it proper blog coverage.

Although the article is powerful, I'm not very crazy about the organization, so I have included parts below that I find particularly strong. I highlight these segments to draw attention to eating disorders as psychiatric illness, not extreme diets of "superficial" or "stupid" [white] girls.

Some background: Melissa, age 19, died of a heart attack after 5 years battling bulimia. Her mother is now making a documentary about eating disorders.

It wasn’t until Melissa’s third round of in-patient treatment...that her father began to fully understand. “I really said, ‘Wow this is almost like heroin addiction,’ ” he says in his film interview. “They need to purge because it makes them feel high and it’s something they need to do. I never appreciated that.”

Once, [her brother] explains, in the middle of a bitterly cold night, he looked out the window and saw Melissa on the curb, going through the garbage. “I went outside and I yelled her name,” he recounts in the interview, his voice breaking. “Just the way she looked back at me — it was so empty, vacant. It was a deer in the headlights, but that doesn’t even explain it.”

[Her mother] took her to a pediatric gastroenterologist who said Melissa probably had an eating disorder. “I reacted the way most parents do: ‘That’s not possible,’ ” Ms. Avrin said. “We didn’t go back to him.”

In the early stages, the Avrins did not really see what was going on, in part because Melissa wasn’t visibly underweight, in part because they didn’t want to.

Ms. Avrin wrapped the fridge in locks and chains, hid her purse and made sure never to leave money lying around. “It didn’t have to be good junk food — if she wanted to go on a binge, it could be a dozen eggs,” Ms. Avrin said of Melissa. “Anything that wasn’t nailed down, she would eat.” full article.

In the sneak peak of the documentary (visit the article and press play), Melissa's father says "Even when it was diagnosed as bulimia, I still--I didn't even understand. I didn't accept that it was really anything."

While eating disorders are truly twisted and frightening diseases, I can understand what is going on. I can see the addiction; I can see the cognitive distortions; I can see the self-destructive underpinnings; I can see the need for escapism; I can see the need to drug one self. What I will never be able to wrap my head around is the denial of many parents--or when a parent learns of the eating disorder but doesn't understand, and that parent will not take on a duty to to research and learn more.

If a child had cancer, I am sure most parents would stop at nothing to learn about cutting-edge treatment, the whys and hows, and what-to-do next. Sadly, this is largely not the case with parents of ED victims.

In truth, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric illness. There is no shame in being a victim--and there is certainly no shame in being a survivor. I believe that recovering from an eating disorder is one of the most difficult tasks in life. While other addicts can separate themselves from the substance and substance-abusing company, you cannot separate yourself from food. I truly believe that if you can recover from an eating disorder, you can do anything.

If you have any questions about eating disorders, signs, symptoms, and/or treatment, please email me.

cancer caused by environmental exposure is "grossly underestimated"

2010-05-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

In advocating for energy reform, it's important to recognize that climate change is ultimately immaterial in taking a stance. Global warming in only one piece of the puzzle; even without it, the overall picture is crystal clear.

Case in point: the recent 240 page report published online by Obama's cancer panel, stating

[the] proportion of cancer cases caused by environmental exposures has been “grossly underestimated.” It warns of “grievous harm” from chemicals and other hazards, and cites “a growing body of evidence linking environmental exposures to cancer.” full article

This comes as no surprise. Check out an older post on the dangers of living in proximity to a coal plant. The biggest problem is that, where people live near such facilities, making causal connections is much easier. When it comes to water, air, and food contamination for people sprawled around the country at large, it's more difficult to make correlations.

Some more on the report:

Nearly 80,000 chemicals are in use in the United States, and yet only a few hundred have been tested for safety, the report notes. It criticizes the nation’s regulatory approach, calling it reactionary rather than precautionary, which means that the government waits for proof of harm before taking action, instead of taking preventive steps when there is uncertainty about a chemical. Regulation is ineffective, the panel says, in part because of inadequate staffing and financing, overly complex rules, weak laws, uneven enforcement and undue industry influence.
The report looks at contaminants from a variety of sources: industry, agriculture, air and water, medical imaging and contaminated military sites. It also considers natural hazards, like radon gas in homes and arsenic in drinking water. The report concludes, “At this time, we do not know how much environmental exposures influence cancer risk.” more

This is not without criticism. An epidemiologist from the cancer society claims the work is

“unbalanced by its implication that pollution is the major cause of cancer,” and had presented an unproven theory — that environmentally caused cases are grossly underestimated — as if it were a fact. more

We'll see how the issue progresses. Frankly, Obama has made it clear to me where he stands. See Obama's Betrayal and Dirty Little Energy Secrets.

energy reform is a political impossibility

2010-05-07T14:45:00.000-07:00

While my immediate reaction to the oil spill was sadness, my secondary reaction was optimistic. Now Obama would be forced to back-peddle on his proposal to expand offshore drilling.

That was an incomplete assessment.

Senator Graham, chief sponsor of a Senate energy bill, called energy politically impossible for now. The bill tempered opposition by amping up offshore drilling. With drilling off the table, say buh-bye to any compromises. Additionally, Democrats are focusing on immigration, putting energy reform back where it was during the health care debate--on the back burner (well...not that it ever left the back burner).

Obviously I say "thanks, but no thanks" to offshore drilling--but I am willing to accept a diluted energy package over nothing at all. Sadly, even a limp bill is looking unrealistic.

While there is talk about making moves ("Never let a crisis go to waste. It is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before"--Rahm Emanuel), nothing will happen unless Dems get their priorities straight.

Really, the only option at this point is consumer activism. I'm all about Thomas Friedman's re-casting of capitalism as favorable to the environment. Consumer pressure can enact change faster than government action. I'll have to dig up the Lexus and The Olive Tree and blog some examples (e.g. consumer pressure forcing large tuna companies to go "dolphin free" when net restrictions were lifted).

Regulators Approve First Offshore Wind Farm in U.S.

2010-04-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Factory farms? No. Wind farms? Yes, please.

Check out some exciting news:

After nine years of regulatory review, the federal government gave the green light Wednesday to the nation’s first offshore wind farm, a highly contested project off the coast of Cape Cod.
The approval of the 130-turbine farm gives a significant boost to the nascent offshore wind industry in the United States, which has lagged far behind Europe and China in harnessing the strong and steady power of ocean breezes to provide electricity to homes and businesses.

But hold your horses:

Several regulatory hurdles remain, and opponents of the wind farm have vowed to go to court, potentially stalling Cape Wind for several more years. full article

Obama made moves last week

2010-04-18T18:56:00.000-07:00

Obama is amping up coal mine safety reviews and widened medical rights for same-sex partners.

and looky, looky...a presidential memo urging reconnection with the earth.

loosey goosey coal mining regulations

2010-04-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

The safety regulations of coal mining is perhaps as horrifying as its environmental impact. The recent West Virginia coal mine explosion (that left no survivors) shines light on limp violation-reduction policies that keep dangerous coal mines up and running.

[T]he mine had received 204 violations that were deemed serious and significant over the previous two years, well above average...Since the start of 2009, the records show, the mine had at least 50 notices of problems that Massey knew existed but failed to correct. more

Why didn't a pattern of violations warrant closure of the mine?

Officials of the mine safety agency said that they were bound by the current regulations, which require them to issue warning letters, and that if companies successfully reduce their rate of violations by 30 percent, they are not to be found to have a pattern of violations...Companies can escape the added oversight even if they continue to be worse than the national average. more

and coal companies rigorously appeal their citations:

Massey appealed at least 37 of the 50 citations for serious safety violations that it received last year...At a hearing in February, Representative George Miller, Democrat of California, complained that the growing number of appeals by coal companies threatened to “render the federal efforts to hold mine operators accountable meaningless.” Mining safety experts have expressed similar concerns. more

Seems like appealing citations is the least offensive defense tactic on Massey's list. Massey CEO Don Blankenship

poured in $3 million, to unseat a justice he expected would rule against Massey in a lawsuit. It was so much money, his strategy backfired. Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the newly elected state justice was too tainted by Blankenship's money to rule on the case. more

If you're a frequent reader of The Colonic, Massey Energy might sound familiar. Recall that in September of 2009, Massey and Verizon teamed up and threw an anti-environmental hoopla at the West Virginia coal mine to rally against the American Clean Energy and Security Act.

NY says no more outdated nuclear cooling

2010-04-05T07:50:00.000-07:00

Great news:

In a major victory for environmental advocates, New York State has ruled that outmoded cooling technology at the Indian Point nuclear power plant kills so many Hudson River fish, and consumes and contaminates so much water, that it violates the federal Clean Water Act.

The decision is a blow to the plant’s owner, the Entergy Corporation, which now faces the prospect of having to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build stadium-size cooling towers, or risk that Indian Point’s two operating reactors — which supply 30 percent of the electricity used by New York City and Westchester County — could be forced to shut down.
...But the strongly worded letter from the Department of Environmental Conservation, issued late Friday, said flatly that Indian Point’s cooling systems, even if modified in a less expensive way proposed by Entergy, “do not and will not comply” with New York’s water quality standards.
...Sucking so much water causes plankton, eggs and larvae to be drawn into the plant’s machinery, or entrained, and the water pressure also causes fish to be trapped, or impinged, against intake screens, the state said.

Full article

India's Bald Model

2010-03-27T09:08:00.000-07:00

Check out Diandra Soares, who recently kicked off Lakme Fashion Week.

THE GLUTEN-FREE CHALLENGE

2010-03-26T05:27:00.000-07:00

I had never heard of Celiac Disease until I met best friend/heart throb, Stephen. Unlike what you may have heard, eating gluten-free is not a weight-loss plan or a dietary fad; neither is Celiac Disease an allergy to gluten. It's an autoimmune disease. Most people who have CD have no idea.

If you know me in real life, you know all about my whacky stomach acid craziness. As my CD test results were "inconclusive," I've been meaning to give the GF lifestyle a go and see if it helps at all. Of course, with everything going on in life, it keeps getting pushed back.

Enter the Gluten-Free Challenge. The information below is taken from Stephen's blog, The Gluten Freeway.

WHAT: To raise awareness for Celiac Disease (a digestive disease that can lead to malnutrition if not treated) as well as more expansive gluten intolerance, the public is invited to participate in a Gluten-free Challenge--to eat one gluten-free thing a day for a month and on the final weekend, eat completely gluten-free for one weekend.

Celiac Disease affects 1 in 100 Americans. The only cure is to adhere to a gluten-free diet. The goal of the Gluten-free Challenge is to bring family and friends to the dinner table to see that you can still enjoy a delicious and satisfying meal as a family--whether it be a regular meal or a holiday event. The Challenge will also empower people to learn more about this easily treatable disease and help bring awareness to the choices faced by those who adhere to a Gluten-free diet face.

WHEN:

April 1: Registration begins for the Challenge
April 21-May 21: Registrants will receive a daily 'Tip of the Day' and 'Recipe of the Day' email to encourage daily experimenting and to prepare for the Gluten-free Challenge Weekend
May 22-23: Gluten-free Challenge Weekend
May 29-30 (bonus): Visit a participating restaurant in the gluten-free "Chef to Plate" program

WHERE: Nationally

WHO: Everyone

Victoria's Secret mocks the "love your body" movement

2010-03-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, I would like every person to love hir own body, whether it conforms to a cultural standard of "good" or not. Loving your own body is inter-connected with mindfulness and self-love--something we all need.

That being said, the "love your body movement" did not emerge from the "tens," "dimes," runway models, or otherwise culturally idealized figures. Rather, the movement gained momentum in response to unrealistic and largely destructive images of [particularly] women, but also men, portrayed top-down from the media, and perpetuated bottom-up through cultural compliance and self-regulation.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, see create your own positive images for women, love yourself through thick and thin, Love Your Body! Project, and Love Your Body Day. If that isn't enough, a simple google search will reveal pages and pages of resources.

Enter the Victoria's Secret "I Love My Body Campaign." It has been really hard for me to gather my thoughts, namely because this is so offensive and shocking to me. This catalog has been sitting on my counter angering me for over a week (not to mention, why is this even coming to my apartment?).

Let me try and recap. VS is co-opting the language of the body-acceptance movement, and superimposing it over a culturally praised figure that represents somewhere around 1% of the population--and is likely used as "thinspiration" on pro-ana/pro-mia sites all over the internet. Not to mention, the model on the cover is a member of an industry riddled with eating disorders, disordered eating, and/or drug abuse.

I can cope [not happily, but cope] with the fact that VS is not interested in using models that represent the range of what healthy female bodies may look like--a range including bodies that young girls can relate to, that young girls can feel empowered by. But this infuriates me. Leave our movement alone.

If my readers need a refresher on images that represent the "love your body" movement, recall a recent photo from Glamour, or visit an older post of mine, Fat Rolls and Roll Models.

If you have ever struggled with body image issues, supported friends and family with body image issues, or counseled teenagers, college students or adults--you know the grueling effort this movement demands. You know how truly painful, difficult, and scary these issues really are. And you know that it is about something deeper than the body; it's about self-love and self-worth.

I am truly disappointed in Victoria's Secret for stooping to a new low. If you would like to send VS your thoughts, please do so here.

2009 LCV scorecard is out

2010-03-17T17:30:00.000-07:00

How did your members of Congress score? Check it out.

EARTH HOUR

2010-03-10T10:54:00.000-08:00

Here's the deal:

On Earth Hour hundreds of millions of people, organizations, corporations and governments around the world will come together to make a bold statement about their concern for climate change by doing something quite simple—turning off their lights for one hour. In the U.S. where we are already feeling the impacts of climate change, Earth Hour sends a clear message that Americans care about this issue and want to turn the lights out on dirty air, dangerous dependency on foreign oil and costly climate change impacts, and make the switch to cleaner air, a strong economic future and a more secure nation.

Participation is easy. By flipping off your lights on March 27th at 8:30 p.m. local time you will be making the switch to a cleaner, more secure nation and prosperous America. View the toolkits, to find out what else you can do to get involved including leading the Earth Hour movement in your community.

Set Your Clock

On Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 8:30 p.m. local time, Earth Hour will once again cascade around the globe, from New Zealand to Hawaii

Sparking a Movement

Since its inception three years ago, Earth Hour’s non-partisan approach has captured the world’s imagination and became a global phenomenon. Nearly one billion people turned out for Earth Hour 2009 – involving 4,100 cities in 87 countries on seven continents.

Last year, 80 million Americans and 318 U.S. cities officially voted for action with their light switch, joining iconic landmarks from around the world that went dark for Earth Hour, including:

Empire State Building
Brooklyn Bridge
Broadway Theater Marquees
Las Vegas Strip
United Nations Headquarters
Golden Gate Bridge
Seattle’s Space Needle
Church of Latter-Day Saints Temple
Gateway Arch in St. Louis
Great Pyramids of Giza
Acropolis and Parthenon in Athens
Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro
St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City
Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London
Elysee Palace and Eiffel Tower in Paris
Beijing’s Birds Nest and Water Cube
Symphony of Lights in Hong Kong
Sydney’s Opera House

more info

Tell Your Legislators To Support The Clean Water Protection Act (H.R. 1310)

2010-03-10T10:43:00.000-08:00

Take action here.

DIRT! The Movie explains:

The Clean Water Protection Act (H.R. 1310) in the House and the Appalachia Restoration Act (S. 696) in the Senate—will sharply reduce mountaintop removal coal mining. These bills will protect the quality of life for Appalachian coalfield residents who face multiple challenges as a result of mountaintop removal coal mining.

what to do with sludge?

2010-03-09T11:35:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed this resource regarding sludge alternatives from Sludge News:

Prevention -- the cost effective solution -- is the place to start: prevent hazardous waste from entering the sewer in the first place, prevent the exploitation of the myth that wastewater treatment and its associated technologies can fix any problem, and prevent the poisoning of our food supply with sewage sludge.

...Next, initiate a moratorium on the land application of sludge -- because there is no scientific evidence that this practice is safe.

...implement policies that discourage the use of water to carry wastes.
...What to do with the tons of sludge leaving wastewater plants each day?
Don’t put it on food chain crops, ball fields, parks, gardens, or yards. Instead, treat it as the hazardous waste it is. Keep it away from the public - isolate it from life. Put sewage sludge - whether “treated” or not - into lined sanitary landfills with proper leachate collection systems. If it fails the TCLIP test, it should go to a RCRA Subtitle C landfill for hazardous waste. Otherise it should go to a Subtitle D landfill.

Landfills are the only safe interim option we have until we can find other solutions, solutions that do not put sludge into the air (incineration), on our food (land application), or in our water (disposal at the outfall pipe).

say no to sewage sludge in San Francisco

2010-03-09T11:26:00.000-08:00

If you haven't read my post on sewage sludge, take a gander, and then take action here.

Here is an update from the Organic Consumers Association:

Sewage sludge contains everything the sewage treatment plant was able to remove from the sewage - plus every new chemical and pathogen formed in the mad synergy of this chemical soup, including virulent, antibiotic-resistant bacteria created through horizontal gene transfer.

San Francisco public officials have helped the toxic sludge industry score a major victory in the Bay Area, where they've been able to convince hundreds of regional (non-organic) farmers to spread the hazardous material on farm land and pasture, and have actually been able to get city residents to take hundreds of thousands of pounds of toxic sludge and spread it over their backyard and community gardens.

San Francisco is a strategic battleground to stop the sludge industry from poisoning more farms and communities. In 1998 the organic community rose up and banned the use of sewage sludge in organic farming. Now it's time to ban its use on farms, gardens, lawns, and land in general.

IMPOSTER

2010-02-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

Ecorazzi recently posted about a new line of faux fur, Imposter, which has received tons of celebrity support. Each faux piece sports a blinging "IM" embellishment, indicating it's an Imposter. I suppose that only means something for people who know what Imposter is...

The faux doesn't look faux at all. I know there is a movement against faux fur, which holds that its use encourages the use of real fur. But if you want to sport some fur without taking it from an animal, Imposter is a great way to go. You can also pick which animal charity you would like a portion of your payment to go to.

Skin Trade: what's your skin worth?

2010-02-22T10:49:00.001-08:00

Check out this documentary coming out on the fur industry:

Admittedly, the trailer is kind of odd. What's with the intro and weird background music?

Visit Skin Trade The Movie for more info

eco woes: Obama continues to disappoint

2010-02-18T09:54:00.000-08:00

If you've been following Obama Watch: The Environment on The Colonic, it should come as no surprise that my profound disappointment in Obama only grows. (Note my shock that the League of Conseravtion Voters rated him a B+...more on this in another post).

Earlier this week, Obama announced a loan guarentee of $8.3 billion for the construction of two nuclear reactors in Georgia.

In his speech, Mr. Obama portrayed the decision as part of a broad strategy
to increase employment and the generation of clean power. But he also made clear
that the move was a bid to gain Republican support for a broader energy
bill.

...Don Stewart, a spokesman for the Republican Senate leader, Mitch
McConnell, said that Mr. McConnell had repeatedly praised Mr. Obama for favoring
additional loan guarantees for nuclear power plants. But, he said, this would
not translate into support for a cap on carbon dioxide emissions.

“It won’t cause Republicans to support the national energy tax,” Mr.
Stewart said. He added that Republican and Democratic ideas on energy policy
overlapped in some areas, but that much of Mr. Obama’s energy program did not
fall into those areas. full article

In short, 3 things have happened:

a) Obama has taken a step backward in clean energy and conservation.
b) The regression will not even have the added benefit of garnering Republican support for energy reform.
c) Environmentalists are not happy.

Erich Pica, president of Friends of the Earth, whose political arm endorsed
Mr. Obama’s candidacy for president, said that Mr. Obama’s recent policy
emphasis amounted to “unilateral disarmament.”

“We were hopeful last year; he was saying all the right things,” Mr. Pica
said. “But now he has become a full-blown nuclear power proponent, a startling
change over the last few months.”

“I think we all had higher hopes,” said Bill Snape, senior counsel for the
Center for Biological Diversity. “We expected a lot in the first year, and
everyone agrees they didn’t quite live up to it. But there is recognition that
he and the whole administration will get another stab at it.”
Mr. Snape said
his group was particularly disappointed that the administration did not
designate the polar bear as endangered by global warming and that it could not
push a climate change bill through Congress.

“You can’t get anything right,” he said, “unless you get the polar bear
right.”

Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, one
of the administration’s most stalwart supporters up to now, also expressed
disappointment in the president’s new focus on nuclear power and his mention in
the State of the Union address of “clean coal technologies.” full article

Sea Shepherd activist sneaks onto whaling boat to execute citizens arrest

2010-02-15T14:31:00.000-08:00

Ecorazzi reports:

Both the Sea Shepherd and the Institute of Cetacean Research are reporting that Pete Bethune, captain of the sunk Ady Gil, earlier today boarded the Japanese whaling security vessel that hit his boat.
According to Paul Watson, Bethune boarded the Shonan Maru No 2 under the cover of darkness using a jet ski — most likely the same one that was on-board the Ady-Gil. “His mission is to attempt a citizens arrest of the skipper of Shonan Maru No 2 for the destruction of the Ady Gil and attempted murder of six Ady Gil crew,” Captain Watson said.

He said Mr Bethune had a bill for $3 million to present to the Japanese boat’s skipper and a demand for surrender.

Watson added that he anticipated Bethune would be kept as a prisoner — but more likely is the fact that there’s no easy way to return him. In a press release, the ICR noted that a similar stunt by the Sea Shepherd two years ago ended when an Australian ship acted as a mediator and returned two activists that had illegally boarded.

“In this latest incident, there is no vessel available to act as a go between to return Mr Bethune,” the press release concluded.

More details as we get them.

[UPDATE: From a Sea Shepherd release]

Captain Bethune boarded the whaling ship under cover of darkness from a Jet Ski as the Shonan Maru 2 was travelling at 14 knots in the Southern Ocean. His first attempt failed when he fell into the frigid waters, but despite this the crew of the Shonan Maru 2 failed to see him and he successfully boarded the whaler without detection.

Captain Bethune’s breaching the security of the whaling fleet security vessel remained undetected for one and a half hours.

At 0800 Hours, once the sun had risen, Captain Bethune calmly knocked on the bridge wing door, entered the wheelhouse, and presented himself to the Captain of Shonan Maru 2 where he informed the skipper that he was under arrest for the sinking of the Sea Shepherd ship Ady Gil on January 6th, 2010.

All radio communications with Peter Bethune ceased at 0805. The Shonan Maru 2 did acknowledge that Bethune was onboard.

toilet sludge growing your food

2010-02-10T18:27:00.000-08:00

As if hormones, genetic modification, nutritional deficiency, and unsustainable agricultural practices weren't bad enough, here comes sewage sludge. The following information is made available by the Organic Consumers Association and the Institute For Agriculture and Trade Policy:

Several million dry tons of sewage sludge, also known as biosolids, are used as fertilizer on agricultural lands and given away or sold for use by homeowners and landscape contractors annually in the U.S. Sewage sludge is the semi-solid to solid matter left over following municipal wastewater treatment. It commonly contains nutrient-rich fecal matter along with bacteria, viruses, parasites, heavy metals, pharmaceuticals and other chemical contaminants—many known to cause health effects.

For farmers, sludge is a less expensive alternative to synthetic fertilizers, but use of sewage sludge as fertilizer for food production increases our risk of exposure to sludge
contaminants and their associated health effects. Due to the persistent nature of some of these contaminants, repeated applications to the same piece of land can increase soil contaminant levels and possibly food contaminant levels for centuries to come.

What’s in sludge?

Though the types and levels of contaminants in sludge are
variable, sludge contaminants fall into three main groups,
including:

1. Disease-causing microbes. Sewage treatment reduces but does not eliminate disease-causing microbes in sludge. Those commonly found in sludge include: 18 human-excreted viruses, including Hepatitis A and Polio; 19 parasites, including Cryptosporidium and Giardia; and 31 bacteria, including strains causing food poisoning (Salmonella and E. coli 0157:H7), as well as more virulent, antibiotic-resistant strains.

2. Synthetic chemicals. More than 500 synthetic chemical compounds, typically derived from fossil fuels, have been identified to date in various sludges, including chemicals from medicines and consumer products such as antidepressants, steroids, flame retardants, detergents, fragrances, disinfectants and more. Other chemicals still detectable in present-day sludge, such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), have been banned from use for decades.

3. Heavy metals. Arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and other heavy metals are commonly detected in sludge, though concentrations have decreased for some metals over time. Also, radioactive material, both naturally occurring and from human-made sources (such as feces and urine from people undergoing radiation therapy), can be found in sludge.

While I took this information verbatim from the OCA, please follow the link to reach the PDF if you are curious about sources behind these facts (Click on "read more" under "Smart Guide on Slude Use and Food Production").

What can we do about sludge? I will be posting on this more to come, but for now: buy certified organic when possible, get to know farmers at local markets and inquire as to their farming practice, plant your own food (urban/community gardening), and get in touch with your elected officials. I will be posting sludge campaign information as it comes to my attention.

More on the history of sludge.

the eating disorder you should know about

2010-01-24T14:42:00.000-08:00

While anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder are highly stigmatized, misunderstood, and largely ignored, I argue that, for the most part, most people are conceptually aware of these disorders.

But most people have no clue about EDNOS--eating disorder not otherwise specified.

While a person with obsessive, ritualistic, and restrictive eating behaviors may not be underweight enough to qualify as "anorexic," this person likely suffers from EDNOS. The same goes for an individual who under-eats/starves all day, and binges at night. Essentially, these are eating disorders that fall through the cracks because they do not fall within a few widely-accepted categories, although they still merit treatment.

If this confuses you, you are not alone. Many health care professionals either do not understand or do not legitimate EDNOS. Facing criticism of being vague to the point of non-existence, EDNOS is mostly ignored. So much so that I was impressed to see a recent NY Times piece on the disease. Here is a snippet:

Kris Shock, for example, used laxatives and restricted her food for years, but she never threw up or binged, and her weight was average. She did not seek psychiatric help for what she and her husband called her “eating problem” until age 31, when she became addicted to the diet pill ephedra, she said in a recent interview.
Now 37 and the director of a child care center in Atlanta, Ms. Shock said that when she finally got her diagnosis of Ednos, “it was like, ‘Ah, I am sick enough to get help and have the recovery experience.’ ”

In our culture, a disproportionate preoccupation with food is acceptable and even praised. In this context, the compulsive yo-yo dieter may never receive appropriate therapy to address underlying psychological, emotional, and/or chemical imbalances that prevent peace with self, others, and food.

When considering whether or not a loved one suffers from a disordered relationship with food, the most important factor to consider is that weight is not a reliable indicator in evaluating eating behaviors. In fact, the majority of bulimics are average to over-weight.

You may find that EDNOS over-extends and abuses an "eating disorder" diagnosis. Really, I don't care what you call it (although I recognize and legitimate EDNOS as a valid "eating disorder"). Perhaps it is fair to say that victims of EDNOS do not suffer the same health ramifications as anorectics, bulimics, or binge-eaters. But at the end of the day, regardless of the label you choose to apply, these behaviors are unhealthy, sad, counter-productive--and need to be addressed.

oh snap--filter that tap

2010-01-17T09:43:00.000-08:00

A big concern I hear about conservation is that it is just too much effort. This is a myth. There are tons of ways one can conserve without much difficulty. In fact, conservation conserves more than natural resources--it conserves your dollars. Case in point: bottled water.

Bottled water kills me. Sure, sure...getting a bottle here and there is no biggy. But keeping a filter at home and bringing a reusable water bottle around with you is the yellow brick road to less trash and more cash.

But what if I recycle my bottles? Recycling takes energy. Honestly, I'm not even convinced recyclables get recycled. The best ways to conserve are to reduce and re-use, and recycle what's left after that.

In you are concerned about transition from bottled water to filtered water, here is a great resource that can help: the FilterForGood campaign.

I particularly enjoyed the fact section, which I took directly from the site for your convenience (the best facts are at the bottom in red):

Why is bottled water waste a concern? Here are just a few reasons...

Americans used 50 billion water bottles in 2006 and sent 38 billion water bottles to landfills, the equivalent of 912 million gallons of oil.1, 2, 3, 4 If laid end to end, that’s enough bottles to travel from the Earth to the Moon and back 10 times.5 If placed in a landfill or littered, those bottles could take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.2
In 2006, the average American used 167 disposable water bottles, but only recycled 38.1
Americans used about 50 billion plastic water bottles in 2006. However, the U.S.'s recycling rate for plastic is only 23 percent, which means 38 billion water bottles — more than $1 billion worth of plastic — are wasted each year.1

Ditching bottled water keeps Mother Earth and your wallet green.

One Brita pitcher filter can effectively replace as much as 300 standard 16.9-ounce bottles. So you can get great-tasting water without so much waste. Talk about refreshing.
The average Brita pitcher filters 240 gallons of water a year for about 19 cents a day.6 Put in perspective, to get the same amount of water from bottled water would require 1,818 16.9-ounce water bottles a year.6
For about $10 each, you can purchase a 16-ounce or 32-ounce Nalgene bottle, saving you hundreds of dollars a year on bottled water.
Hydration at its best — carry the water you need and reduce your impact on the environment — one Nalgene bottle can last for decades, making it easy to stop buying single-serve bottled water to fulfill your everyday hydration needs.

Many people drink bottled water because they believe it to be of a higher quality, cleaner and better-tasting, but that's not necessarily true.

In the United States, 24 percent of bottled water sold is either Pepsi's Aquafina (13 percent of the market) or Coke's Dasani (11 percent of the market). Both brands are bottled, purified municipal water.1
If you don't like the taste of your tap water, try Brita. Nine out of 10 consumers say "Brita clearly tastes better," according to an in-home usage study. They preferred the taste of Brita water — filtered through pitchers — to tap.8
Dr. Gina Solomon, a senior scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, told The New York Times that "there is no reason to believe that bottled water is safer than tap water."9
In the U.S., public water is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which requires multiple daily tests for bacteria and makes results available to the public. The Food and Drug Administration, which regulates bottled water, only requires weekly testing and does not share its findings with the EPA or the public.9

bt dubz

2010-01-13T20:11:00.001-08:00

The ads that you see on The Colonic are banners of brands that I like and want to share. They are not paid advertising. It would sicken me to have ads on my blog and see diet pills pop up and who knows what else.

Cheers.

earliest and most distant galaxies ever seen

2010-01-13T20:04:00.000-08:00

oooooohhhhhhh:

Astronomers announced in a series of papers over the fall and in a news conference last week that Hubble had recorded images of the earliest and most distant galaxies ever seen, blurry specks of light that burned brightly only 600 million to 800 million years after the Big Bang.

...The new galaxies, along with other recent discoveries like the violent supernova explosion of a star only 620 million years after the Big Bang, take astronomers deep into a period of cosmic history known as the dark ages, which has been little explored. It was then that stars and galaxies were starting to light up vigorously in larger and larger numbers and that a fog of hydrogen that had enveloped space after the Big Bang fires had cooled mysteriously dissipated.

...one of many astronomers who have been working with the observations, said, “We’re reaching the beginning where galaxies formed for the first time.”

...The most distant, he said, was about 600 million years after the Big Bang. The universe is about 13.7 billion years old, cosmologists agree, meaning that the light from these galaxies has been on its way to us for 13 billion years.

so juicy. keep reading.

monkey talk

2010-01-13T19:58:00.000-08:00

While only some animals have a say in our culture (namely "pets"), the truth is, a lot of them are talking. Check out this great article on monkey communication.

The Campbell’s monkeys give a “krak” alarm call when they see a leopard. But adding an “-oo” changes it to a generic warning of predators. One context for the krak-oo sound is when they hear the leopard alarm calls of another species, the Diana monkey. The Campbell’s monkeys would evidently make good reporters since they distinguish between leopards they have observed directly (krak) and those they have heard others observe (krak-oo).
Even more remarkably, the Campbell’s monkeys can combine two calls to generate a third with a different meaning. The males have a “Boom boom” call, which means “I’m here, come to me.” When booms are followed by a series of krak-oos, the meaning is quite different, Dr. Zuberbühler says. The sequence means “Timber! Falling tree!” full article

Happy Belated Birthday to The Colonic

2010-01-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

Things have been pretty hectic as I begin my second semester of law school, so I wanted to wish The Colonic a belated happy birthday. The Colonic turned 3 on January 9th and, as a parent of a growing blog, I feel very proud.

The blogosphere is both a very big and a very small place. There are so many blogs out there, and so many readers--so I just want to say that I have been deeply moved by all of my readers who have taken the time to visit my blog, share their personal stories, follow me on Twitter, join The Colonic Facebook fan page, and even send me emails. I actually just got a lengthy and thoughtful comment on Fat Rolls and Roll Models that left me feeling so happy that my readers are able to connect to my posts--and that I even have readers at all.

If you've been a reader for a while, or have fiddled around in my archives, you probably notice what I do--that my writing style has slowly evolved and is (in my opinion) a lot better and more mature these days. Unfortunately, law school has taken a toll on my posting frequency, and I hope that I can champion a balanced schedule and work ethic to prevent The Colonic from suffering greatly. But, just an FYI, the more I hear back from my readers, the more I get giddy about posting.

Thanks again.

Much love,
The Colonic

the wing man, the grenade, and the fat friend

2010-01-04T15:15:00.001-08:00

My blood recently started boiling while I was watching a show on MTV called Jersey Shore. I don't own a TV, but at the gym I have started to channel surf. The show is like a bad car accident--atrocious, but keeps you staring.

This was all fine and dandy until one of the male characters went on and on and on about "being the wing man"--perhaps he said "taking a grenade" or perhaps someone else told me that phrase--and repeatedly insisting that the "grenade" was "busted" and the like.

Scene 2. Enter Asher Roth. I'm having an awesome time bopping around to "She Don't Wanna Man" when after a while I finally start hearing the words:

"...ask him, yo can you take her fat friend? He laughs and then digs in hell yea ill be your wing man"

In this case, the weightist attitude is implied. "Taking" the fat friend does not explicitly mean that being fat is "undesireable," but it is the whole "taking one for the team" and getting with the "fat girl" to prove your brotherhood and then--what is the verb, bragging, exclaiming, excusing?--it afterward. Don't get me wrong: canoodling with someone you find unattractive so that your friend can interact with the unattractive person's friend is not what disgusts me.

A casual sexual exchange does not upset my ethical code. The fact that the Jersey Shore goof ball thinks he is getting it on with someone unattractive does not bother me. What bothers me is parading around and degrading a person's body--especially after two adults had some sort of consensual exchange. But the story doesn't end there.

The most mystifying part is how this degradation is somehow culturally praised. How is at all funny to degrade a person's body, and diminish a person's sexual being? What part of that could possibly be humorous, or warrant a high-five or whatever these people do?

My only answer is that behind this behavior is a desire to feel powerful and in control, and that a combination of insecurity to assert some sort of "ideal" self coupled with a superiority complex replaces any respect for boundaries and personhood. When you look at culturally praised constructions of hyper-masculinity, the whole scenario is not very surprising. (This is not to say that women don't exhibit this type of behavior. From my experience, it is more prevalent and pronounced among heterosexual males. Feel free to comment if you disagree).

Regardless of a gendered analysis, I still don't understand how this is fun or funny, so chime up if you have an answer.

fat rolls and "roll models"

2009-12-26T18:19:00.000-08:00

Forget cutting carbs. I'm talking about cutting self-criticism and becoming a true "roll" model.

This post was inspired by the image above, taken from Glamour, as part of a "body image revolution." The photo struck me because I have seen healthy, normal-sized models--even plus-sized models--but I have never seen an unedited fat roll on any type of model. The fat roll is actually what makes this image so provocative.

You know. Pooch. Muffin Top. Roll. Whatever you want to call it. Many of us, men included, spend our lives fighting against the roll, hiding the roll, being ashamed of the roll. This picture champions the opposite. Roll with the roll. Love the roll.

While critics of the media cast the "thin hype" as a top-down phenomenon (we are victims of what we see), there is a bottom-up mechanism that is absent from mainstream discourse. Two scholars come to mind. Of course, this has Foucault written all over it (we self-regulate, and self-discipline. Think panopticon). More strikingly, feminist scholar Marilyn Frye remarks on the way that we participate in our own oppression: "We acquiesce in being made invisible, in our occupying no space. We participate in our own erasure."

While men, women, gender queer, and trans people suffer from body image issues, this post focuses on women, simply because I am speaking from my own experience. In reclaiming our bodies, I think that one of the most helpful tools is considering the ways that our choices and self-regulation oppress other women by promoting a standard and encouraging destructive behavior. In this way, we judge and punish ourselves, and in doing so, judge and punish the bodies of other women, whether we do so knowingly or not.

Forget cutting carbs. I'm talking about cutting self-criticism and becoming a true "roll" model. What's a roll model? It means loving your healthy self and eating delicious things openly, and providing younger girls with better alternatives than deprivation and weakness. It means eating well-balanced meals, and indulging in life and desserts. It means being fit and active and having the energy to lift weights or swim or bike or kick box or whatever gets your goat. It means being truly focused with your friends and partner because you are not freaking out about what you are eating, or missing the gym to enjoy a night out. It means having energy to focus at work or to accomplish your goals because you have eaten enough food. It means appreciating your life, and letting it rub off on other people. It means you can be sexy and attractive and have some flesh on your body.

I am by no means advocating being "fat"--whatever that means. I am promoting being healthy--whatever that means. Being healthy looks different on each body. I feel for women who are naturally very thin and are constantly being accused of having eating disorders. After all, being active and fit looks different on each body. While I can't say what this means for each individual woman, I can tell you that for the vast majority of is, this means fat on our bodies. Millions of years of evolution don't care about your modern feminist agenda; even if you want to be a professional workaholic without children, your body has typically evolved to carry some abdominal fat to protect the fetus, plain and simple.

For women to reclaim our bodies, we need to reclaim the roll. I know there is that special moment in nearly every relationship where, in the midst of a cuddle or what not, the fat roll makes its debut. For a lot of us, this is a really mortifying moment. It totally kills the mood. We are embarrassed. Millions of thoughts begin to race, and we lose focus on our partner.

I'm saying that we need to reclaim that moment, and understand that fat is a part of our healthy bodies, and respect that part just as we respect the rest of us. If your partner finds this off-putting, I really hope that you do not emotionally or legally bind yourself to that individual. Call me crazy, but I think your partner should enjoy your healthy self--not some restrictive, self-deprecating, and calorie-obsessed version of you that can't concentrate in a romantic moment if you see a fold of flesh.

Beyond just you, young girls need to look around and see that they can eat and enjoy food, that they can be strong and active, and that they can be themselves, as well as successful, happy, and loved. When you are proud of your pooch, your life becomes more enjoyable, and you can potentially help another woman cope with body image issues. So I'm saying eat a fucking cupcake, and enjoy your life.

While women play the largest role in learning to love their rolls, their partners have an impact as well. It continues to amaze, disappoint, and sadden me to hear the way that (I am going to be heterosexist here) men talk about female bodies in discussing their attractions. The following conversation took place with a particularly (insert pejorative adjective here) heterosexual male earlier on in the semester:

Him: So-and-so is really hot.
Me: What does she look like?
Him: She's skinny and...

I was really blown away that "skinny" was the first attribute listed. Why skinny? Why not healthy, or active? It's really disgusting to me to think that a male would know or have reason to know that he was dating a woman who was depriving herself, and find this attractive. My mind goes back to an article I read a couple years ago by a man, reflecting on his college years. He talked about a severely restrictive and underweight former girlfriend. After their breakup, he began dating a healthier girl and curvier girl, with whom he loved eating pasta (which the previous girl would never eat). The former and underweight girl, feeling jealous I suppose, commented, "Oh, I didn't know you liked fat girls." The man shared in his article, "It's not that I like fat girls. I like happy girls."

That was really meaningful to me. If men want to be part of female empowerment, they need to understand that affirming unhealthy bodies is destructive to women. Even more to the point, I think some men need to seriously think about why they are attracted to a woman who is depriving herself and punishing herself to maintain a weight that is not natural or healthy for her. This is not to say that men should not be attracted to thin women. There are women who are naturally thin. I am talking about rewarding and affirming women who engage in self-destructive behavior to maintain their weight. Note that self-destructive behavior need not include a diagnosed eating disorder, but disordered and restrictive eating in general, coupled with destructive and self-deprecating thoughts and behavioral patterns.

Aside from loving your own body, and finding a partner that loves your healthy body, the other important part to this movement is changing the way we interact with our friends. The number one thing you can do to help your friends is to stop entertaining them when they deprecate their own bodies. This means cutting off friends who talk about how fat they are, or how many calories or carbs they ate. This is not helpful or productive for anyone. If your friend is seriously being unhealthy, then that is a legitimate conversation that has nothing to do with weight. It has to do with lifestyle. The irrational obsessions of "does this make me look fat," or "I gained so much weight this week" need to stop if women are ever going to be free of this obsession and live in the moment.

Their are many of us who have lead unhealthy lives, and we are in the process of getting on the right track. During this process, we may experience frustration about our bodies. It seems hard and counter-intuitive to love your current body when you know you are undergoing a process that means your body will be changing (presumably losing weight). In this context, it's hard not to obsess. This is when it's helpful to know that your body may change, but to realize that you love your body where it is today.

Their are also many of us who internally obsess over destructive thoughts about ourselves, and can't seem to stop them. This calls for the "fake it til you make it" approach, where you pick a one-liner and repeat it in your head until you force destructive thoughts out. This can be anything as simple as, "I love my body" over and over and over again. The goal is to stop entertaining your own destructive thoughts, the destructive thoughts of your friends, and the destructive thoughts of your partners, and hope that you can be a roll model along the way.

(Note that men also experience pressure to self-regulate their bodies. See "rethinking the beef cake: weightlifting and the regulation of male bodies")

the new BFF: interspecies friendships

2009-12-21T19:48:00.000-08:00

I was perusing one of my new fav sites, Animal Intelligence, and really enjoyed the following video

"sorry vegans: brussels sprouts like to live, too"

2009-12-21T15:59:00.000-08:00

The best part about stumbling on the article "sorry vegans: brussels sprouts like to live, too " is that I'm a vegan and I had literally just washed the olive oil off my hands from munching on baked brussels sprouts before I touched my keyboard to hit up the New York Times. Funny.

Now back to the article. The overall science included in the article is fascinating:

Just because we humans can’t hear them doesn’t mean plants don’t howl. Some of the compounds that plants generate in response to insect mastication — their feedback, you might say — are volatile chemicals that serve as cries for help. Such airborne alarm calls have been shown to attract both large predatory insects like dragon flies, which delight in caterpillar meat, and tiny parasitic insects, which can infect a caterpillar and destroy it from within.

...Dr. Hilker and her colleagues, as well as other research teams, have found that certain plants can sense when insect eggs have been deposited on their leaves and will act immediately to rid themselves of the incubating menace.

...“Plants are not static or silly,” said Monika Hilker of the Institute of Biology at the Free University of Berlin. “They respond to tactile cues, they recognize different wavelengths of light, they listen to chemical signals, they can even talk” through chemical signals. Touch, sight, hearing, speech. “These are sensory modalities and abilities we normally think of as only being in animals,” Dr. Hilker said.

This is all great stuff (and so Avatar, if you've seen it). Although I have to say, the delivery is quite poor. The fact that the article is addressed to "ethical vegans" seems like the author is giving those who abstain from animal consumption the middle finger, as if our compassion for animals and environmental impact is now irrational because plants sense danger and can communicate.

First, let's get real--I'm not going to starve to death. Second, I am not convinced that some sort of chemical sensory perception and communication is the same as experiencing emotions, socializing, etc. Third, assuming arguendo that plants are on equal footing as animals, plants are not slowly tortured to death the way animals are to obtain flesh, lactation, and the like. Lastly, the environmental impact of farming animals is much larger than harvesting crops.

It's nothing new that ecosystems are inter-connected and inter-dependent. Shall I prance around and eat foie gras now because plants communicate with one another? I'm not really sure what the author is asking for, nor did I appreciate her method of framing what is otherwise extremely interesting scientific understandings of plant sophistication.

At the end of the day, ecosystems are alive. Make conscious choices, try to take only what you need, appreciate it, and give back as best you can.

Monsanto's Roundup Ready 1 Patent to expire in 2014

2009-12-18T07:23:00.000-08:00

After the Roundup Ready 1 soybean patent expires in 2014, Monsanto will allow farmers to use it as a generic--instead of producing the heavily anticipated, more expensive, Roundup 2. I'm very curious what went on behind close doors with this decision. Perhaps it has something to do with the antitrust litigation Monsanto is facing. Perhaps not.

Hopefully this will end the litigation threats and seed-saving drama of small farmers whose crops have been contaminated by Roundup simply because these genetically altered seeds are in the air and blow around.

But it certainly is getting harder for seed companies to avoid using the Roundup Ready bacterial gene, which makes the plants impervious to the widely used herbicide glyphosate, which Monsanto sells as Roundup.
That allows farmers to spray their fields to kill weeds without harming the crops. More than 90 percent of the soybeans grown in the United States contain it. So do about two-thirds of the nation’s corn and cotton crops, though those are protected by different patents that expire later than the soybean patent. full article

Delicious. I need to look into whether organic products can be treated with Monsanto and still maintain certified organic status. Will get back to you on that one.

doing good with your dooty

2009-12-14T10:48:00.000-08:00

Just as fruits and veggies can be composted to eliminate waste--so too can your poo! Waste management is an energy-intensive endeavor, not to mention the water required for a flush. Joseph Jenkins has a simple solution.

Poo in a bucket.

Not just any old bucket. A bucket with a toilet seat on top. Then toss on some saw dust for odor elimination. Tests reveal that after the appropriate composting time has elapsed, fertilizer made from human manure has no trace of fecal bacteria.

Read the full article

happy channukah to myself

2009-12-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to make an eco-friendly holiday gift list...but law school finals have been a shock to the system (note my lack of posts).

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about my life post veganism. Actually, I find that I am happier and calmer than I have been since I was youngin'. I wouldn't say that is the exclusive result of being a vegan--but I definitely think that becoming a vegan has been significant part of a bigger project to live, let live, and love life.

In celebration, I really wanted a fun vegan charm necklace. I found the perfect one, inspired by an E.E. Cummings poem, made by Vaute Couture (from recycled aluminum). Check it out. Note that there are two other styles.

ocean acidification: the other carbon problem

2009-12-01T20:54:00.000-08:00

Whether or not you legitimate claims of human-made climate change, there is another carbon problem--ocean acidification.

The ocean is praised as a carbon sink, or place that carbon can go instead of the atmosphere. But as we continue to pollute and the ocean continues to absorb carbon, the ocean becomes more acidic. The acidity is starting to dissolve seashells. This has major effects on underwater ecosystems, and people who depend on them.

At this rate, we will profoundly alter the ocean's chemistry, and who knows what sea life will adapt.

cashew cheese and Stella McCartnies: reflecting on two years of veganism

2009-11-26T19:24:00.000-08:00

Wednesday was my two-year veganversary. Last year, commemorating my one-year mark, I came out of the shoe closet in a very honest post, Soy Milk and Manolos. I admitted my true vegan plight: my wardrobe is abusive to the environment.

That post was actually clever and humorous at times. However, since I'm in law school now, I have lost most of my wit in general--so forgive the dry account of the last year of my life.

At this very moment a year ago, I was wondering whether or not I could become a leather-free consumer. I was coming to grips with a very classist reality that certain high-fashion purchases felt very important to me. I was also wondering why I felt the need to purchase multiple over-priced variations of the same thing. To top it off, the miles my garments had traveled across the world to reach my department store become a bother as well.

I have not purchased any new leather, wool, or silk in over a year. I still wear my old stuff, and I still conveniently consider my mom's wardrobe second-hand and acceptable. That being said, I notice that I consume less. I realize I am inclined to make purchases when I am stressed, as if having the power to buy something will somehow make me feel more in control of my life, or more relaxed, or happier. It's just not true. It becomes one more thing tossed in the jungle that is my closet. I'll think it's ugly tomorrow anyway. No more "retail therapy" for me.

Correction: now I buy organic, colorful fruits and vegetables to channel my need to purchase and control. I find that examining all of the fruits in the bin for the brightest findings is a calming way to reconnect with myself.

I'm also discovering more and more vegan, eco-friendly, high-fashion alternatives. Stella McCartney, olsen Haus, and Vaute Couture to name my favs.

But something else has been happening in the past year. When I first became a vegan, I ignored the wardrobe issue. As I began tackling the wardrobe issue, I ignored the face/body/hair product issue. I by no means pile on loads of makeup--however I am addicted to cleansing, exfoliating, moisturizing, and conditioning. I do enjoy mascara, a good eye brow pencil and gel, and definitely rock the red lipstick on weekends. Perhaps you have read my mani/pedi experiment a few posts down.

And so, to be completely corny and not at all clever, a new chapter of my vegan journey begins. Looking forward to sharing my findings.

economies of scale and eating local

2009-11-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

Very interesting article in Forbes magazine, "The Locavore Myth" (hat tip to Veg News). The article opens by considering other factors in calculating the energy cost of food production beside transportation (water usage, fertilizer types, processing methods and packaging techniques).

Perhaps more interestingly, the author then considers economies of scale in determining the energy cost of food transportation:

To choose a locally grown apple over an apple trucked in from across the country might seem easy. But this decision ignores economies of scale. To take an extreme example, a shipper sending a truck with 2,000 apples over 2,000 miles would consume the same amount of fuel per apple as a local farmer who takes a pickup 50 miles to sell 50 apples at his stall at the green market. The critical measure here is not food miles but apples per gallon.

The one big problem with thinking beyond food miles is that it's hard to get the information you need...This is an opportunity for watchdog groups.

This adds an interesting twist to the dilemma of organic v. local. I go for organic when I have to pick one or the other, and perhaps that might be the more eco-friendly decision, depending on the shipment. But who knows at this point? No one, really.

And so I appreciate the author's conclusion: skip meat instead.

Until our food system becomes more transparent, there is one thing you can do to shrink the carbon footprint of your dinner: Take the meat off your plate. No matter how you slice it, it takes more energy to bring meat, as opposed to plants, to the table. It takes 6 pounds of grain to make a pound of chicken and 10 to 16 pounds to make a pound of beef.

vegetarian food pyramid

2009-11-26T14:53:00.000-08:00

The American Dietetic Association has released a vegetarian food pyramid that is vegan-friendly. The image above was taken from the site. Click here for more details.

hat tip Veg news

Copenhagen gone bust

2009-11-19T17:15:00.000-08:00

If your week was boring, he is something to ruffle your feathers. At the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit (APEC), world leaders "announced on Sunday morning that a legally binding deal on climate change would be impossible to achieve at the U.N. summit on global warming in Copenhagen next month."

What's going on?

The reason is simple: the deadlock between developed nations and developing ones. Developing nations refuse most responsibility for climate change, arguing that warming is primarily the fault of rich industrialized countries, and want the developed world to take on strict short-term emissions reduction targets. Developed nations, led by the U.S., argue that fast-growing developing nations like China and India will emit the vast majority of future carbon emissions, and that any deal that exempts them from action — as the Kyoto Protocol did — is a farce. Despite months of negotiations in Barcelona, Bangkok and other world cities, that gap remains vast.

At the same time, the failure of the U.S. Senate to pass carbon cap legislation leaves American negotiators in a difficult position at Copenhagen. Read the full article

ocean absorbing less emissions

2009-11-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

Oceans are becoming less efficient at absorbing carbon dioxide, and can no longer be considered a permanent "carbon sink" for heat-trapping gases.

The slowdown in the rise of the absorption rate resulted from a gradual change in the oceans’ chemistry, the study found. “The more carbon dioxide the ocean absorbs, the more acidic it becomes and the less carbon dioxide it can absorb,” said the study’s lead author, Samar Khatiwala, a research scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University and a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
“It’s a small change in absolute terms,” Dr. Khatiwala said. “What I think is fairly clear and important in the long term is the trend toward lower values, which implies that more of the emissions will remain in the atmosphere.”
...Yet much work remains to be done to confirm the results and to expand upon them, Dr. Khatiwala said. read the full article

going nude: an un-manicured social experiment

2009-11-17T15:41:00.000-08:00

Before this experiment began, I did not remember the last time I saw my own bare fingernails. Yes, I had a more grungy phase where I let my nails chip and found this to be rebellious--but that's about it.

Ever since I posted about the toxic chemicals used in nail products--including harsh effects on both human health and the environment--in the pedicure predicament, I knew the time had finally come to address the elephant in the room. And so began my cuticle cold turkey.

Before I get into my thoughts of being mani/pedi-free (and nail polish all together) for three months now, I thought I would address the need for poisonous pedicures in the first place.

1. Classism. Whether or not one chooses to use words such as "lady-like" or "classy," the fact of the matter is that outsourcing your manis and pedis makes a statement about a) your extra resources and b) your extra time.

2. Sexism. Related to classism, gendered relations of power create a standard wherein culturally praised "femininity" entails specific (costly and waste-producing) hyper-grooming (I say "hyper" because I think a certain degree of grooming is inherent in any social creature, including animals). While regulation of the body may be mirrored in men (see re-thinking the beefcake: weight lifting and the regulation of male bodies) the manicure mandate has no hegemonic male counterpart. While men may receive manicures and pedicures, I believe there is a different social psychology behind it that can be debated later, if my readers so desire.

3. OCD. I think the ocd/conception of hygiene/need to control element of this issue is likely related to class, but it creates its own life force all together. Most of my manicure compulsions have to do with control, perfection, thorough removal of cuticles and dead skin, completely evenly filed nails, no flaws expressed through the chipping of nail polish.

4. Let's not forget, happy colors make people happy. I do believe this is similar to sunny weather.

Throughout my experiment, I have found that all four factors have come into play. I made a rule that I couldn't tell many people about my experiment, because then it was like I was just making excuses for the deplorable condition of my nails. It's been interesting to track my own thought process over the months. In the very beginning, I was dreading bare toenails more than bare nails. I think it had to do with the idea of making my feet "cuter." You know, because they are so gross and germs jump all over them when you walk in flip flops...or perhaps because my mother always respected women with painted toe nails in open-toe shoes. Who knows.

But surprise, surprise--once I finally took off the polish, I realized that I had really cute, fresh, happy-looking feet, even if my toes were not painted. In fact, I was very fascinated by the look. This even forced me to get over my foot phobia and touch my own feet (raw shea butter to cope with the lack of pedicures).

This lasted for a good 2 months. Now we're in month 3. I have to say, life is more peaceful without having to worry about chipped nails and making appointments and scheduling the gym around my appointments. But the whole fascination with the natural is getting old. I got a cuticle infection on one of my fingers because, let's get real, I'm not very skilled at cuticle removal. I occasionally and increasingly envy a good cherry red polish with a perfect file. And now, all sorts of thoughts are creeping in.

What about all of my job interviews coming up? What about when I meet people I want to impress? What about when I'm stressed studying for finals?

I'm thinking about breaking. What kind of break? Should I bring my own eco-friendly products? Should I go for the maintenance, but not apply a polish? Will I eco-justify an occasional mani-pedi as better than a biweekly visit?

I haven't decided. I'm letting the chips fall where they may. But let me just say, I never thought I would make it this far, and am definitely happy that I have broken the "need."

In any event, if you are addicted to nail polish, I encourage you to take the challenge and let The Colonic know how it goes.

it doesn't get much cooler than this

2009-11-15T14:00:00.001-08:00

How cool is this? I have never seen brussels sprouts on the stalk. Who knew they even grew this way?

I am so excited to bake these. Word on the streets is it's easy and yummy to throw the stalk on the BBQ.

By the way, I happened to purchase this beauty at Trader Joe's--which is nice, seeing how frustrated I have been that most of the vegetables at TJ's come wrapped in plastic.

strange humor

2009-11-15T08:24:00.001-08:00

I was watching a youtube clip from The Little Mermaid, and I realized that this scene is actually very traumatic.

hot for Vaute

2009-11-12T09:49:00.000-08:00

I always say that the hardest thing about being a vegan is not eating--it's dressing. Well-made, high fashion pieces are harder to come by in the world of the animal-friendly and eco-conscious.

Enter Vaute Couture. Beyond striking, this collection of coats is made for cold weather (wind resistant, snow resistant, heat retaining, and soft for sensitive skin). You can also get your coat of choice in a recycled version.

Will give you the final verdict when I get mine in the mail.

party favors with a purpose

2009-11-11T10:34:00.001-08:00

My roommate came home from a baby shower the other night and, as she caught me up on the chocolate bar and drinking games, set down a party favor on the counter.

I can appreciate the cultural need to send guests home with some sort of gendered doo-dad--but honestly, does it need to be something that is headed straight to the landfill? What about a party favor with a purpose? Perhaps a reusable water bottle with ballet slippers on it? A rosy coin pouch? A pink pill holder? There is room for creativity and personality here.

Resources: limited. Landfill space: limited. Room in your friends closet: limited. So what's with all of the worthless junk? How about handing out something that can be used (and better yet, re-used).

tell Obama to attend Copenhagen in person

2009-11-11T10:29:00.000-08:00

Tell Obama it's game time, and he needs to attend Copenhagen in person. Sign the petition here.

would you like water or air pollution with that?

2009-11-09T15:24:00.001-08:00

In response to respiratory illnesses caused by yellow smoke emissions from coal-fired power plants (and several lawsuits), Allegheny Energy tried a new approach: installing scrubbers to clean the plant's air emissions.

The "victory" was short-lived.

Each day since the equipment was switched on in June, the company has dumped tens of thousands of gallons of wastewater containing chemicals from the scrubbing process into the Monongahela River, which provides drinking water to 350,000 people and flows into Pittsburgh, 40 miles to the north.

...Much power plant waste once went into the sky, but because of toughened air pollution laws, it now often goes into lakes and rivers, or into landfills that have leaked into nearby groundwater, say regulators and environmentalists.

...The Environmental Protection Agency projects that by next year, roughly 50 percent of coal-generated electricity in the United States will come from plants that use scrubbers or similar technologies, creating vast new sources of wastewater.Yet no federal regulations specifically govern the disposal of power plant discharges into waterways or landfills.

Read the full article

are you eating beef that's eating poop?

2009-11-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

Lovely:

A coalition of food and consumer groups that includes Consumers Union and the Center for Science in the Public Interest has asked the Food and Drug Administration to ban the practice. McDonald's Corp., the nation's largest restaurant user of beef, also wants the FDA to prohibit the feeding of so-called poultry litter to cattle.

Members of the coalition are threatening to file a lawsuit or to push for federal legislation establishing such a ban if the FDA doesn't act to do so in the coming months.

Farmers feed 1 million to 2 million tons of poultry litter to their cattle annually, according to FDA estimates.

Using the litter -- which includes feces, spilled chicken feed, feathers and poultry farm detritus -- increases the risk of cows becoming infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease, said Michael Hansen, a senior scientist at Consumers Union. full article

hormonal milk is not safe, says cancer expert

2009-11-08T18:30:00.000-08:00

Special thanks to Organic Consumers Alert for the tip:

The Cancer Prevention Coalition is criticizing a widely publicized recent report, "Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin" (rBST) which claims that milk from cows injected with this genetically engineered hormone is safe.

The report was authored by eight paid consultants to rBST companies, including Elanco and Monsanto, points out Dr. Samuel S. Epstein, Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition. "All of these consultants were paid for their so-called 'safety assessments,'" he says.

What's the big deal? Well...

* rBST makes cows sick. Monsanto has been forced to admit to about 20 toxic effects, including mastitis, on the label of Posilac, the rBST product that when administered to cows makes them produce more milk. Monsanto's Posilac product was acquired by Eli Lilly in 2008.

* rBST milk is contaminated by pus, due to mastitis, an infection of the udder commonly induced by the hormone, and also by antibiotics used to treat the mastitis.

* rBST milk is chemically and nutritionally different than natural milk.

* Milk from cows injected with rBST is contaminated with the hormone, traces of which are absorbed through the gut into the blood of people who consume this milk or products made from it.

* rBST milk is supercharged with high levels of the natural growth factor (IGF-1), which is readily absorbed through the gut.

* Excess levels of IGF-1 have been incriminated in well-documented scientific publications as causes of breast, colon, and prostate cancers. Additionally, IGF-1 blocks natural defense mechanisms against early submicroscopic cancers. full article

Does Monsanto sound like a familiar name you've read about on The Colonic? Recall a recent blog post regarding Obama, Monsanto, and the FDA.

Maine votes against equality

2009-11-04T07:21:00.000-08:00

Maine voters repealed the state's same-sex marriage law:

With 87 percent of precincts reporting early Wednesday morning, 53 percent of voters had approved the repeal, ending an expensive and emotional fight that was closely watched around the country as a referendum on the national gay-marriage movement. Polls had suggested a much closer race. full article

many apologies

2009-11-01T20:48:00.000-08:00

Dear readers,

The Colonic is really slacking. I've been slaving away doing legal research for a predictive memo.

Perhaps if I had the time, I would tell the story of how I was pied with dead animal flesh this weekend. While this was particularly offensive and disgusting for a vegan to endure, I imagine anyone would be disheartened to get baconed.

Slaughtered pig aside, the gravamen of the offense was the utter disregard of my boundaries and sense of bodily security.

Back to work.

that's why a bear can rest at ease.

2009-10-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

Obama pushes for coal

2009-10-25T08:50:00.001-07:00

Finally Barack Obama takes a break from health care reform and shouts a holler to energy legislation...of sorts.

On Friday, Obama spoke at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on energy and the environment, and called for “the best use of resources we have in abundance, through clean coal technology, safe nuclear power, sustainably grown biofuels and energy we harness from wind, waves and sun.” full article

Wow. Wait to start with a bang. "Clean" coal and "safe" nuclear?

Naturally, The Colonic is not surprised, seeing how Mr. Yes We Can rejected FOIA requests for Secret Service logs revealing the identities of big coal executives visiting the White House.

Can we be fair and say that Obama is pulling the strategic political strings by touting clean coal and nuclear, and tacking on renewables at the end?

Maaaayyybbbeee. But probably not. Change We Can Believe In handed the FDA over to Monsanto, attempted to suppress the democratic process of FOIA requests to hide his meetings with coal companies, and has done nothing of substance in to merit a leadership role in time for Copenhagen.

campaign viability: the cost of coaliton-building and casting a wide net

2009-10-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

Campaign strategy presents a terrible conundrum: how wide can you cast your net before you start to repel your original campaigners?

Coalition-building is a good-faith attempt to strengthen the movement. Obviously, a minority of people will have limp impact. So here we go, re-framing our issue to appeal to different life perspectives and interests.

The benefit? Bigger numbers, more money, more interest, more impact. The cost? There is potential for the message to become diluted, modified, redirected, or otherwise misrepresented.

Exhibit A: Me.

Yesterday I participated in a Washington DC event for the International Day of Climate Action (I somehow thought this would be bigger and better than VA Power Shift--I was wrong, and sorry). Aside from the fact that I rolled up to extremely disappointing numbers (I'm guessing the thunderstorm was a large deterrent for many), the only speakers that I was able to stomach really angered me.

The first offense was relating the climate and environment to a biblical story. Wherever the delicate line is--appeal to the theists without offending the secular-minded--was definitely crossed.

Aside from pulling the religious card, the next offense is harder to articulate into words. Statements were thrown around such as "love is the solution...blah blah blah...start the revolution." GAG ME.

Yes, my interest in the environment is motivated by a love for life, but ultimately, my goals and passions are pragmatic. I am at this event for a very specific reason--public attention, networking, and political mobility--and I do not appreciate counting rainbows in the sky instead. It gets nothing done (maybe it motivates some?), and it's off-putting to the more goal-oriented, objective participants.

Sorry, love is not the solution. It's offensive to say that people who don't recycle or don't actively try to reduce their waste don't love. Lots of those people even love me.

The solution is recycling, reducing, reusing, eliminating waste, getting organized, and staying organized.

I suppose my main problem with the event is that I felt it was misrepresenting the real goal by dressing it up in some Noah hoo ha and fuddy duddy love junk--both of which are not all-inclusive perspectives. I felt silly being there. That is not why I care about the environment. Those statements do not motivate me. In fact, they prompted my departure. I do not care to participate in things that misrepresent me and my beliefs.

Of course, I suppose casting a wider net may deter original campaigners at some point or another, but if those original campaigners were ever truly dedicated, they are not going to up and leave. Instead, they create their own individual strategies and are more likely to cherry pick and criticize when appropriate.

step up for Kuwaiti women

2009-10-21T08:21:00.000-07:00

Groovy

Kuwaiti women will be able to obtain their own passport without the consent of their husbands, following a ruling by the country's constitutional court.

But

Women activists welcomed the passport ruling but say they still need equal access to government housing and the right to pass citizenship to their children. full article