February news from Marin V.E.G.

[Guest guest]

February, 2009

Marin Vegetarian Education Group

 

Next Meeting: Note the New Venue

 

Saturday, February 28

6:00 PM Promptly - Please arrive early

Vegan Pot-Luck and Talk by

Raymond Francis of Beyond Health on

Optimum Health for Vegetarians

at

The Sunrise Center

645 Tamalpais Drive, Suite A

Corte Madera, CA

 

$2 - $5 sliding scale

 

 

Raymond Francis to speak on Optimum Health for Vegetarians

An MIT trained scientist, internationally recognized leader in health,

Raymond Francis is on the

cutting edge of biological science and internationally recognized

leader in the field of optimal health maintenance. Raymond is chairman

and

CEO of Beyond Health Corporation, a supplier of health

education and health supporting products to the public. In

addition to being an author of two best selling books, Never Be Fat

Again, and Never Be Sick Again, he has been a guest on more than 1,500

radio and television shows. Raymond Francis was a popular speaker for

the San Francisco Vegetarian Society, and we are pleased to welcome him

to Marin VEG on February 28.

 

We are also happy to be meeting at the offices of the Sunrise Center

(www.Sunrise-Center.org), an

organization that offers classes, events,

and workshops to help create sustainable relationships and a

sustainable world. Just one minute off the 101 Freeway at the Tamalpais

Drive exit, and on the south side of Tamalpais Drive, The Sunrise

Center is

a perfect venue for Marin VEG meetings. There is ample off

street parking in the lot in front of and alongside the building.

(Coming from 101, exit at Tamalpais Drive. You will pass a large

shopping mall and then a gas station on the right. After the shopping

center and gas station, the Sunrise Center is on the other side (left

side) of the street in the middle of the next long block. Make a U-turn

at Lakeside Drive, and the building will be on your right..)

 

Because this is a new venue, we ask that you arrive early so we can

start on time. We plan to start eating at 6:00 promptly, and our

speaker will begin at 7:00 on the button. Please bring a vegan dish to

share with 8-10 others, a plate, eating and serving utensils, a cup,

and napkin. We also need volunteers to bring extra folding tables

and folding chairs. The center has only enough for about 20 people, and

we are hoping to have many more than that attending. If you can bring

a table (bridge table or larger) or folding chairs,

please let me know by email before February 25.

 

 

 

Helping John Robbins

Helping a friend in need seems like a natural response to me. I

sent the following letter to about fifty people in the vegetarian

movement a few weeks ago. Since then another version of it has been

posted on

VegSource.com and other vegetarian web sites. I am sharing it here

with everyone on the mailing list of Marin VEG with the hope that those

of you who care about John Robbins might be moved to help in whatever

way you can. Words of encouragement with or without financial support

will be very much appreciated. My apologies if you already saw this

letter, and my thanks to those who already responded.

 

 

Dear Friends,

 

If you have ever been moved by the integrity of John Robbins' life, or

if you have opened your heart to animals because of his compassion, now

is the time to pay him back.

 

Stan and I just sent John Robbins the most generous cash gift we could

afford. I am writing to ask you to consider doing the same.

 

Along with hundreds of celebrities, charitable organizations,

universities, international banking institutions and even some small

towns, John and his family are victims of the criminal, fraudulent

Ponzi scheme of Bernard Madoff. The family learned last month that

they have lost their entire life savings. John and his wife Deo have

always lived frugally. They saved just about every dollar they could.

And they thought their money was invested safely. But it turns out that

their investments were stolen from them, and there is very little

chance they can recover any of these funds upon which they were living.

Now the Robbins family is facing a sudden and severe financial crisis.

 

To economize, the family has rented out every extra room in their

house and every spare space on their property. Still, it is not clear

if they will be able to pay their mortgage or keep the property they

share with their son, his wife and their two grandsons. Both Michelle

and Deo have taken on part time jobs, and Deo has also taken over the

formerly paid for day care for their special needs grandchildren. John

is writing a new book, but it could be many months before any income

may come from that effort.

 

I cannot imagine a man who has had a greater positive influence on the

vegetarian movement than John Robbins. Because of his books, countless

people around the world have changed their way of eating, dressing, and

relating to animals. Because of the integrity he has shown in his life,

countless people have found the courage to turn down job opportunities

and great financial gain if the work caused harm to others.

 

John's compassion for all beings, and his ability to share his vision

through his speaking and writing, are among the greatest gifts I have

witnessed in my life. I offered to send out this appeal for help when

I learned of this terrible injustice to a man who has dedicated his

life to ending injustice toward others.

 

If you can help John and his family now, please send a check made out

to him. Send it to John Robbins, c/o me, Patti Breitman, 12 Rally

Court, Fairfax, CA 94930, and I will send it along to him immediately

without opening the envelope. (I do not want his address to be

circulating on the internet, and I do hope you will forward this email

to everyone you know who knows of John's work and might want to help

him.)

 

I first discovered the truth of all life being connected through

John's books. And while I am saddened that this criminal financial loss

has happened to him, I am thrilled to be able to pay him back in small

measure for all he has given to me through his work and his life

choices.. Thank you for sending the most generous contribution you

can for this extraordinary man of peace whose many contributions have

saved countless lives and moved countless more toward peace.

 

With appreciation and love,

Patti Breitman

12 Rally Ct.

Fairfax, CA 94930

 

Veg E-News

One of the very best monthly e newsletters I've seen is Veg E-News from

Canada. To to this excellent, free source of news about all

things vegetarian, go to

http://www.lholmesassociates.com/cgi-bin/veg/nologo/nologo_newsletter_.pl

The current issue includes the following story, summarized from an

article on Planetsave.com

 

 

 

 

Is there a vegan in the White House?

Full story: Planetsave.com

 

Soon-to-be-President

Barack Obama has appointed animal advocate Cass Sunstein to head the

relatively obscure, yet powerful Office of Information and Regulatory

Affairs.The regulatory czar, as the position is generally called, is

responsible for every regulatory agency in the country, such as the EPA

[Environmental Protection Agency], and will oversee all administration

rules. Sunstein is best known for his balanced views between government

regulations and cost-benefit analysis and for his theory of behavioral

economics and he is widely considered to be a great choice for the

office. However, a new controversy is arising over his views on animal

rights and animal welfare. Sunstein, a vegetarian, co-authored the book

Animal

Rights: Current Debates and New Directions, and has advocated

for much stricter regulations of almost every industry that uses

animals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

T. Colin Campbell to Speak during

McDougall Advance Study Weekend

China Study author T. Colin Campbell is among the guest lecturers

at

Dr. John McDougall's Advance Study weekend in Santa Rosa February 20 -

22. The cost of the weekend is $395 per person (not including

accommodations). For more information about this life changing

educational experience, visit www.drmcdougall.com

 

 

Next Marketplace Dinner

in Berkeley: Sunday, : February 22

The next Marketplace dinner at the beautiful,

historic Hillside Club in Berkeley is on Sunday Feb. 22 at 4:00

pm. The menu is posted at www.hillsideclub.org Join

vegan chef Barry

Schenker in preparing a gourmet meal from ingredients fresh from the

farmer's market, and dine with others who are learning the many

benefits of plant based dining. The cost is $30 per person, or $25

for members of the Hillside Club. RSVP before February 16 to Barry:

510-649-0449 or write to barryschenker

 

Valentines Day - Buy Fair Trade Chocolate Only

If you are going to buy chocolate for Valentines Day (or on any

other day), look for fair-trade chocolate and make a commitment to

never buy chocolate that isn't "fair trade." As globalmarch.org

reports, "Hundreds of thousands of children are involved in the

production of

cocoa, the primary ingredient of chocolate. They are often working in

the most abusive conditions at cocoa plantation. Children are forced to

work in extreme heat for many hours conducting backbreaking physical

labor. Often this work is forced upon the children by their parents,

by poverty or by slave traders." To read more about protecting children

and promoting fair trade in the chocolate industry, visit

www.globalmarch.org/fairchocolate/

 

Bay Area Veg

For a calendar of restaurant outings, vegan dinner parties, a listing

of restaurant reviews, opportunities to leaflet or write letters, and

countless ways to meet with other vegetarians, visit

www.BayAreaVeg.org.

Promoting community, advocacy, and education, Bay

Area Veg usually lists about a dozen events every month around the Bay

Area. If you click on "news" and "Subscribe," you will not miss a

single new event or call to action. And if you can make a contribution

to this entirely free community service organization, you will be

helping them reach a growing number of people who are curious about

moving toward a plant based diet and a more compassionate world.

 

Kids are Becoming Vegetarians

An Associated Press article by Mike Stobbe in the January 12

edition of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that nation wide about

one in twelve children are now defining themselves as vegetarian.

Among older teens it could be even higher. Concern for animals and the

environment is what motivates most kids. To read the article, go to

www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2009/01/12/MNKT157GTS.DTL.

 

Vegetarian Starter Kit Now On Line

The wonderful Vegetarian Starter Kit from Physicians'

Committee for

Responsible Medicine is now available on line. You can now forward the

newsletter via email to anyone you think ought to see it! Visit

www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/index.html

to see the on line edition of this powerful publication.

 

**********************************

 

To contact us, write to VegetariansInMarin

or call

415-459-1666. We appreciate contributions of any size. We will thank you for a

contribution of $20 or more with a 1-year subscription (or a 1-year

continuation of a current subscription) to VegNews magazine. Send

contributions to Marin Vegetarian Education Group, 12 Rally Ct.,

Fairfax, CA, 94930.

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