It is the year 1948 in England at a benefit dinner, and a well-known writer has documented quite a bit of confidential information in his latest book.

Keeping the book from being published, and a secret from being revealed, is something that one dinner guest might just kill for.

The Independence County Library Friends Foundation will present its Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre Fundraiser at 6 p.m. Sept. 16 in The Loft of the Barnett Building in Batesville.

The nonprofit organization was started in February by Vanessa Adams, library director, as a way to get the community involved with the library.

Instead of forming a Friends of the Library and a foundation, I took Darla Inos advice, the director of the White County Regional Library System, and formed one nonprofit organization, as she has done successfully. The ICLFF raises money for the library through an ongoing book sale in the library, Adams said.

The dinner theatre will be the foundations first major fundraiser, she said, and proceeds from the event will go toward purchases for the new Independence County Library, scheduled to open next summer.

Adams said an original play written by Georgette Sims, Vicki Lowery and herself will be presented at the event and separated into four acts.

Drinks and appetizers, prepared by ICLFF members, will be served before the play, she said, then dinner will be served in three courses between each act.

After the third act, audience members will have the opportunity to guess who the murderer was.

Those who guess correctly will be placed into a drawing for a prize, she said.

Adams said a silent auction will also take place at the event, and winners will be announced after Act Four.

Auction items include jewelry, paintings, autographed books, a Boston Red Sox autographed baseball, a Kindle e-reader, a Yeti cooler and gift cards, she said.

Tickets are $35 and must be purchased by Sept. 8 to reserve a seat.

Tickets are available at the Independence County Library, Citizens Bank Main Branch and First Community Bank Main Branch in Batesville.

An autumn-themed dinner featuring smoked squash salad, maple and cherry glazed pork loin, glazed carrots, herb-potato puree and a fig and an almond tart for dessert will be served by The Field & The Fork Catering Company, she said.

Adams said the ICLFF is important to her because it provides a way for members of the community to give back.

Ive had many people say to me that our library gives them so much, they have wanted a way to give back. The ICLFF is doing that by raising awareness of our needs and raising funds for us, she said.

Five members currently serve on the ICLFF board, but Adams said she hopes to expand to ten members within the next couple of months.

We have about 80 members now. Dues are $25 per year, which gives the members voting rights and discounts on book sale purchases and discounts on ticket purchases to our events, she explained.

Mary Beth Frensley, member of the ICLFF board, said members of the organization hope to promote the library while looking forward to their new location on Main Street in the near future.

Assisting the library through fundraising events and activities that make Independence County a better place is the foundations main focus, she said.

I also enjoy the opportunity to meet new people who have either returned or relocated to Batesville. Batesville has become my home and my desire is to give back to our great town, she said.

Frensley said she is excited about attending the mystery dinner and trying to guess the murderer herself.

Adams said the play is set in England at a time when people were still raw from World War II.

Lord and Lady Tilney are having a benefit dinner at their country estate and their good friend Simon Peters, who is a well-known writer has asked that certain guests be invited to the dinner. Hes written a tell-all book about certain members of society who have some secrets they dont wish to be revealed. All the guests are aware hes written a book, and they are nervous about it being published, she said.

How far are they willing to go to keep the book from being released?

Staff writer Kayla Baugh can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or kbaugh@arkansasonline.com.

Original post:
Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre to support library - Arkansas Online

Fans of author Jane Austen have celebrations planned in England and North American in 2017, the 200th anniversary of her death. The Bank of England is even printing a 20 pound note with her picture on it.

In the last century, many other authors have been inspired by her characters and her themes.

Some biographies about Jane Austen and books that have been inspired by her work are:

Jane Austen at Home: A biography, by Lucy Worsley. This biography focuses on the homes that Jane Austen lived, studied, worked and visited in during her short life from 1775-1817. Her writings and her possessions are tied to these locations.

The Jane Austen Project, by Kathleen Flynn. In this novel, two researchers from the future are sent back in time to London, 1815, in order to retrieve an unpublished Jane Austen manuscript and determine the illness that killed Jane Austen two years later. While doing this, they must not change the past.

Emma: A modern retelling, by Alexander McCall Smith. In this retelling, heroine Emma Woodhouse is a recent university graduate who has come home to Hartfield as an interior designer. She finds her father obsessed with germs, and her governess spending her time online. Hartfield needs her help.

First Impressions: A novel of old books, unexpected love, and Jane Austen, by Charlie Lovett. In this novel, a recent graduate of Oxford, Sophie Collingwood, is working in an antique bookstore. A customers request for a rare book leads Sopphie into a deeper mystery of whether Jane Austen plagiarized Pride and Prejudice. Alternating chapters follow the young Jane Austen as she writes her first novel with the supportive friendship of the older clergyman Richard Mansfield.

Jane and the Waterloo Map: Being a Jane Austen mystery, by Stephanie Barron. In this 13th mystery in the Jane Austen mystery series, Jane is in London in 1815 nursing her ill brother Henry. In a rare opportunity to visit the prince regents library, Jane stumbles across a dying war veteran who mentions the words Waterloo Map to her. With the help of a spy, she solves the mystery of the killer and the importance of the map.

Learn to Play Bridge: 6:30-7:45 p.m., Thursdays, Sept. 7, 14, 21, 28. Registration required. The classes provide basic instruction in the card game bridge. Sponsored by the Friends of the Chaska Library.

Tails for Reading: 10:30-noon Saturday, Sept. 9. Preschool and school-age children are welcome to read books out loud to therapy dogs to encourage confidence in reading. Presented by North Star Therapy Animals. Children read for a 15-minute session on a first come, first served basis.

Mail Fraud, Postal Scams, and Identity Theft: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 7. Learn how to prevent becoming a victim of mail fraud and identity theft. U.S. Postal Inspector Jeff Long will discuss mail and types of e-mail that should cause you concern. Registration required.

Teen Advisory Board: 6:30-7:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 11. Ages 13-18. Join other teens to help plan programs, activities, and volunteer as Teen Advisors. Discuss new books and have some snacks. Bring a friend if you wish.

Club Book author talk by P.J. Tracy is 6:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 14. P.J. Tracy is the pseudonym for Traci Lambrecht. She co-wrote with her mother the internationally bestselling Monkeewrench mystery novels. The most recent book in the series is Nothing Stays Buried.

Writers Group: 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Sept. 16. Join other aspiring writers for support and advice.

Free Online Classroom: 6-8 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 14. Register. This workshop will provide participants with an overview of popular free online learning platforms. Come explore the endless opportunities for online learning.

Storytimes at Carver County Libraries resume the week of Sept. 11.

Kathy Bognanni is the branch manager of the Chanhassen Library and the Victoria Library, Carver County Library. She can be reached at kbognanni@co.carver.mn.us

See the article here:
Library: Celebrating Jane Austen - SW News Media

The British Library Releases 570 Pages of Leonardo da Vinci's Manuscripts Online

A collaboration between theBritish LibraryandMicrosoft, titledTurning the Pages 2.0,made 570 pages ofLeonardo da Vinci's'Codex Arundelavailable for free online. Now anyone can navigate the writings of one of the most inventive minds of the Renaissance. In the hundreds of digitized pages are ideas for airplanes, helicopters, parachutes, submarines and automobiles, centuries before they were developed and brought to the world.

During his lifetime, part of his ideas and reflections were recorded in his notebooks. Some of these manuscripts have been lost over the centuries, and those that remain have become rare objects accessed only by a select group of collectors and historians - until now.

Painter, sculptor, architect, mathematician, engineer, botanist, historian, musician... it seems thatLeonardo da Vinci'slist of aptitudes is truly universal - and perhaps that is precisely why he is one of the most famous artists in the world, inside and outside the art circles.

The process of digitization began in 2007 today it is possible to "turn" the pages of the da Vinci's manuscript as if it were a real book, including notes from the British Library.

Browse the texts and drawings of Leonardo da Vinci's manuscriptshere, and to know more about the life and work of the inventor, seehere.

Source:Openculture

See more here:
The British Library Releases 570 Pages of Leonardo da Vinci's Manuscripts Online - ArchDaily

It became too difficult for students and teachers to reconcile eating meat with caring for abandoned animals.

The German International School in Chennai, India, has gone entirely vegan. Students used to dine on chicken, fish, beef, and cheese, but the school ran into an ethical dilemma when it started opening its doors to abandoned and injured animals. Suddenly, eating meat felt much more uncomfortable. As one school advisor, Thomas Pallushek, told the Times of India:

It became tough to eat mutton with a pet goat on the lawns nearby. We felt it was ethically not right. We wanted to reduce the human impact on the environment and eating less meat is the simplest way.

The process was gradual. School staff began by reducing the amount of meat and dairy served to kids in the middle of 2016, and then decided to eliminate it completely. Now the menu consists of legumes, beans, quinoa, hemp seeds, seitan, and homemade vegan cheese made from cashews The menu ranges from cucumber avocado toast, zucchini bread and apple sauce, to ratatouille, flavoured rice with dal curry, pumpkin spice muffins and fruit smoothies.

To facilitate the transition to veganism, the school showed documentary films, held debates in ethics classes, and organized a banquet that introduced many families to how delicious, nutritious, and satisfying vegan cuisine can be. Some parents have been pleasantly surprised by how willing their kids are to eat vegetables. Says Neha Banerjee, whose 9-year-daughter is non-vegetarian at home:

At home, I can't get her to eat vegetables. But in school, she is eating a variety of vegetables and also other grains such as ragi and barley, and getting wholesome nutrition.

India is a good place to start exploring veganism, as much of the population already embraces vegetarianism and eats legumes on a daily basis. What makes this situation unusual, though, is that the transition has occurred in a German school, whose culinary tradition is very meat-centric.

Even in Germany, however, change is happening. The country has the fastest growing market for vegan food products in the world, and its environment minister Barbara Hendricks made international headlines for saying no more meat would be served at official functions.

More here:

German International School in India goes vegan - Treehugger

No animals were harmed in the making of this event

August 29, 2017Lisa BeebeFood

The herbivores are getting wild. The occasion? Vegan Street Fair Nights, two nights of animal-friendly delights, setting up shop at The Federal Bar in North Hollywood on Friday, September 1, and Saturday, September 2, 2017, from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.

Curated by Tim Moore (better known as the Instagram celeb@veganfatkid), the night-market style fair features vegan food and drinks from vendors from L.A. and beyond, including Bling Bling Dumpling, S + M Vegan, Taqueria La Venganza, and The Wild Chive. Satisfy your sweet tooth with treats from Cocobella Creamery, Donut Friend, and Scandylous Delights. Full menus to whet your appetite are available on Vegan Street Fairs website.

Photograph by @VeganFatKid

When youve eaten your fill, dance your butt off to two DJs and a live performance by the 80s cover band FlashPants, relax in the beer garden, or play oversized lawn games. You can also make friends with other vegans and talk about vegan things (suggested topic: tofu or tempeh and why?).

Its like having all of our closest friends over for a party packed full of delicious vegan food from across SoCal, and since VeganFatKid hand-picked the food, you know its going to be off the chain, Jessica Schoech, the events creator, said in a statement.

Photograph by @VeganFatKid

Friday night is for adults only; ticketholders must be 21 or over (and drinks from the bar can be enjoyed anywhere in the event, rather than confined to designated zones). Saturdays event is family-friendly, and children 12 and under are free. General admission tickets are $24 per night when purchased in advance or $30 at the door, and get you entry to the event, but food purchases are up to you. Upgraded VIP Passport tickets go for $80 to $164 and include food, drinks, and the ability to skip any lines.

Photograph courtesy of Vegan Street Fair

RELATED:Her Vegan Pastries Are So Good You Will Forget Butter Even Exists

Tags: vegan

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This Vegan Night Market Is the Stuff of Food Dreams, and You Need to Taste Everything - LA Magazine (blog)

Ok so by the title of this post, youre probably either angry or excited!Ill admit that even though I eat meat, Im not an enormous bacon fan. I dont love bacon in salads or other lighter fare. I dont believe that bacon makes everything better. I love the saltiness of it but its usually too indulgent and greasy for me. In the summer, I want lighter foods that make me feel good.

I learned how to make vegan bacon from my friend Laura Wright. This bacon recipe comes from her book, The First Mess. And the rest is, well, everything that youd put on a tomato sandwich: vegan mayo, heirloom tomatoes, butter lettuce and salt and pepper. Its simplicity at its finest!

Eggplant is booming and thriving at the markets right now and I consumed them at nearly every meal. Im so grateful that the things I love to eat are usually healthy and delicious.

Hope you find the time to give this eggplant-bacon a try because its super savory and delicious!

Want to eat more veggies? You won't even realize this BLT is vegan and full of vegetables. (Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of Fresh Tastes)

Yield: Makes 4 sandwiches

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. Shes a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

Continued here:

A Spin on the Classic Sandwich, Vegan BLT - PBS

Like many of the people you may know who go vegetarian or vegan, Griff Whalens journey started with a documentary.

You know, those dang documentaries that shock, mortify and guilt you into swearing off all animal products. Youve probably been encouraged to watch one.

Big difference, however, is that you and your friends are probably not NFL players.

As far as he knows, Whalen is the only player in the league that does it 100 percent.

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady attributes his longevity to the vegan diet he has for much of the year. This offseason, Pro Bowl Washington Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams went vegan, but hes not sure how long hell keep it up.

Whalen has been doing it for four whole years. At first,he intended for it to just be a trial run a 28-day program. A week into it, he started doing major research into how sustainable it would be long term.

I felt so much lighter, Whalen said. My joints felt smoother, everything felt better. I could run and breathe easier.

The biggest difference Whalen found was that his recovery periods were much shorter. After a strenuous workout, he would feel fine a day later instead of two or three days later. He attributed it to better blood flow from not having as much saturated fat.

Ive always been a guy who has done everything I can to help myself, he said. Any little advantage I can find, Im going to do it. I felt like this really gave me an edge.

It shouldnt be surprising that Whalen has that mindset.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound wideout went undrafted out of Stanford in 2012. He spent three years with the Indianapolis Colts before bouncing between three teams last season (Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots).

The Ravens signed Whalen in late July soon before the start of training camp. He immediately transferred his strict diet to Baltimores Under Armour Performance Center. Other than vitamins, he doesnt use any other supplements.

Heres Whalens typical daily diet, which he shared with Mens Fitness:

Breakfast: Overnight oatmeal with 1 cup oats, 1 cup cashew milk, 2/3 Tbsp. maca powder, Tbsp. hemp seeds, Tbsp. chia seeds, 1/3 Tbsp. cocao powder, 1 date, a dash of cinnamon and Himalayan pink salt

Snack (post-workout): Smoothie with 1 banana, 1 cup almond milk, 2 dates, 1 Tbsp. chia seeds, cup blueberries, 2 Tbsp. hemp seeds, handful spinach and arugula

Lunch: Large portion of grains with vegetables like peas, broccoli, spinach, and legumes like black beans, chickpeas, or lentils

Snack: Raw vegetables and hummus, banana, or a cup of berries

Dinner: Big spinach or kale salad with a ton of toppings like olives, carrots, avocado, corn, cucumbers and sunflower seeds, dressed with apple cider vinegar and olive oil or a scoop of hummus; side of rice

That actually sounds kinda delicious.

Its not too tough now, Whalen said. I would say the first six months, maybe a year, is pretty tough because youre totally reprogramming what you look for to fill your plate up. Like anything, its tough when youre starting over.

The Ravens make sure Whalen has the food he wants both at home and on the road, even if it means cooking up something special for him.

He says most of his teammates have asked him about his veganism. In a profession in which diet and your bodys performance is so important, players care even ones that begin the conversation by busting Whalens chops.

Theyre like, So you dont eat meat, fish, dairy or eggs? Whalen said. And then they look at their plate and its basically all animal products. Its just a huge change from what Americans typically eat. Hey, I grew up in Ohio eating your typical Midwest diet.

One hundred percent of the people say they could never do that. I usually say they dont have to. I think thats a flaw for a lot of people, thinking that if they want to try being vegetarian or vegan, they have to do it 100 percent. The point is to be more healthy, so if you just eat more vegetables and more grains and more fresh whole foods and less processed foods and less meat and less dairy, thats better for you.

Whalen said hes not trying to convert anyone. He just answers whatever questions they have.

Well, he may be changing some diets unintentionally. Defensive tackles Carl Davis and Michael Pierce expressed interest last week on Twitter. Safety Eric Weddle not so much.

Read the original here:

The Caw: Ravens WR Griff Whalen Is Vegan, and He May Be Converting Teammates - BaltimoreRavens.com

Two new plant-based restaurants opened in Maine this summer, expanding the short list of vegan restaurants in the state.

In Brunswick, Farm Fresh Cafe opened as part of a medical center, and in the Mount Desert Island village of Northeast Harbor, a local restaurateur and a teacher opened Crudo. Both restaurants emphasize raw vegan food.

Not counting vegan juice bars, Maine is home to only two other vegan restaurants: Olive Branch Cafe in Lewiston and Taste of Eden in Norway. For the past two summers, celebrity chef Matthew Kenney operated a high-end plant-based restaurant in Belfast (under a different name each summer), but it didnt re-open this season.

Portland used to have a long-running vegan lunch spot with Little Lads Bakery (first on Exchange Street and later Congress), but it closed last year to focus on its retail products (including health food store favorite Herbal Corn).

Meanwhile, plant-based restaurants have grown in prominence and number in major cities around the world, even in such notoriously meat-loving food capitals as Paris. In Maine, a handful of enduring all-vegetarian restaurants (including Chases Daily in Belfast, Cafe DiCocoas in Bethel, and Green Elephant in Portland) are scattered across the state. But plant-based restaurants remain a rarity.

We both thought the town needed a healthy alternative, said Katelyn Moore, who opened Crudo with her sister-in-law Whitney Ciancetta in Northeast Harbor. Moore owns Fork & Table, which has a traditional menu and is located around the corner. She said business is starting to pick up at Crudo as word spreads about the restaurant, which offers a juice and smoothie selection alongside sandwiches, salads and to-go items.

Dishes at Crudo include a tofu banh mi, raw vegan tacos, a coconut bacon BLT, and raw carrot cake cupcakes. Two menu items are vegetarian rather than vegan, and like many restaurants near Acadia National Park, the business is seasonal and will shutter in late fall.

The feedback has been that people are excited to have us here, said Moore.

The menu at Farm Fresh Cafe in Brunswick is also mostly raw, with a changing rotation of soups cooked in a clay pot, such as red lentil and corn chowder. The menu changes every day. Other dishes featured this summer have included spring rolls, watermelon-tomato gazpacho, pineapple-cucumber gazpacho, and a raw flatbread pizza topped with cashew-almond cheese, green olive tapenade, cucumbers, tomatoes and fennel.

Spring rolls with Thai peanut dipping sauce and raw flatbread pizza are featured on the summer menu at Farm Fresh Cafe, a new plant-based restaurant in Brunswick. Photo by Avery Yale Kamila

Im making crackers for this flatbread pizza with zucchini, flax seeds and walnuts, said Faith Crooker, who oversees the cafe and is a nurse at the health center, Therapia, which opened last year. Therapia offers treatments for people with chronic illnesses, particularly Lyme disease, diabetes and heart disease. Therapia practitioners recommend a plant-based diet and since Maine has few restaurants that specialize in such food, the owners realized they needed a cafe to serve patients, and they decided to open it to the public.

We are close to raw and all organic and all gluten-free, said Crooker. We stay away from the word vegan because we do use a little bit of honey.

Organic, heirloom tomatoes from Five Colleges Farm in Hadley, Massachusetts, which Crooker owns with her husband, Ted Crooker, feature prominently on the Farm Fresh menu. Ted Crooker, a former owner of Crooker Construction in Topsham, is also an owner of Pulse Cafe, a 9,000-plus-square-foot vegan restaurant that opened earlier this month in Hadley, Massachusetts, near the college towns of Amherst and Northampton.

Farm Fresh Cafe is also in a college town, but far from campus in the Brunswick Industrial Park. Yet its out-of-the-way location is enhanced by an apple orchard and a kitchen garden. A picnic table allows for garden dining.

In contrast, Crudo is located on the tourist circuit in the Northeast Harbor village, where Moore sees potential for more plant-based restaurants.

Maine is very geared toward a healthy lifestyle within most communities with hiking, farmers markets and even health education in the school systems, Moore said. People are becoming more aware of the benefits of a plant-based diet.

At the Olive Branch Cafe in Lewiston, which was opened by the Auburn Seventh-day Adventist Church four years ago, kitchen manager Kim St. Clair said the states restaurant scene is lagging behind the times, judging by the demand she sees for vegan food.

She said the restaurants customers include a number of regulars who will drive 40 minutes to come here because there just arent any options where they live.

People are constantly asking: Are you going to put one in South Portland? In Augusta? St. Clair said. I think there is a growing demand as people are learning that plant-based food can be delicious.

Michael Tardif, who owns the Taste of Eden in Norway with his wife, Sonya Tardif, gets the same requests. The Tardifs ran the restaurant in Bethel for six years before moving the business to Norway nine years ago.

People ask us to go everywhere, Michael Tardif said. They find us in this little town of Norway, Maine, and say, I wish I had one of these in my hometown.

Avery Yale Kamila is a food writer who lives in Portland. She can be reached at:

[emailprotected]

Twitter: AveryYaleKamila

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Vegan restaurants spreading in Maine, one plate at a time - Press Herald

At churches from Maine to Maryland to Mississippi, the annual community supper means one thing: lobsters.

To animal rights activists, thats a problem.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the prominent advocacy group, has honed its focus on one beloved tradition in Episcopal churches across the country, the lobster boil. The animal-rights group sent a letter Friday to Bishop Michael Curry, the presiding bishop and primate who leads the nationwide church, asking him to end the practice of lobster dinners in favor of something more vegetarian.

Most of us grew up believing that killing lobsters and other animals for food is what must be done, but if we contemplate it, all killing requires conquering, violence, and separating ourselves from the rest of creation, PETA wrote to the bishop. God designed humans to be caretakers, not killers.

[Religious leaders gather in Washington to show moral opposition to Trump]

The letter cited both the Old and New Testaments and the writer David Foster Wallace, who examined the practice of boiling lobsters alive for consumption in his well-known essay Consider the Lobster. PETA described the practice as cruelty that I know doesnt reflect the tenets of the Episcopal Church.

Ben Williamson, a spokesman for PETA, said he didnt know if there was any particular link between Episcopalians and lobsters, and several Episcopal church leaders whom The Washington Post asked about the connection didnt have an answer either. But PETA staff noticed a pattern of lobster dinners as church fundraisers, and decided to look into it. They identified 28 Episcopal congregations advertising lobster fundraisers in more than 10 different states.

The PETA staffers looked into how many lobsters each church cooks at a fundraiser and got answers ranging from 75 to 2,000. In total, PETA said Episcopal churches kill well over 10,000 lobsters a year, a total that could not be verified by The Post.

Its evident, however, that the number is high St. Timothys Episcopal Church in Greenville, N.C., for instance, boasts on its website that its annual fundraiser has sold more than 65,000 lobsters since 1978. Put in perspective, weve sold around 40 tons of lobsters, or the equivalent of a couple of school buses, the website says, with accompanying jovial clip art of buses. (Lobsters at St. Timothys cost $16 each, and children can also enjoy a bouncy house and a hay ride.)

[Raised up by God: Televangelist Paula White compares Trump to Queen Esther]

A spokeswoman for the Episcopal Church said that Curry is on vacation and did not respond to further questions about how the church would respond to PETAs request that it abandon its lobster fests. Many of the churches on PETAs list did not respond to a reporters inquiry.

At St. Christophers Episcopal Church in Springfield, Va., the Rev. Peter Ackerman said that his church would continue its lobster dinner, but PETA raises a thoughtful point. I have shared this with our church board in the hopes that we can respond in a way that keeps the annual celebratory dinner gathering intact but also brings forth our awareness and sensitivity to how we interact with Gods creatures. That sort of reflection, he said, would be in line with the churchs social action activities like offering free physicals and school supplies to local children.

The letter to Curry is one of the first activities of PETAs newly reorganized Christian outreach arm, which in its prior incarnation helped persuadea Wisconsin Catholic church to end its 44-year tradition of human vs. pig mud wrestling, which ended with dozens of pigs being slaughtered after taking a beating. The church replaced the event with human vs. human football in the mud.

Just considering how many Christians there are in the U.S., wed be doing a disservice if we dont cater an animal rights message to them, Williamson said.

Asked what the churches should do to raise money for their parishes and charities, in place of a lobster dinner, Williamson replied, Vegan bake sales would be great.

Want more stories about faith? Follow Acts of FaithonTwitteror sign up forour newsletter.

My church taught me my virginity was lost. But Im re-choosing abstinence.

A white supremacist pointed a gun at me in Orange County. Theyre in all of our communities.

The public will be allowed to visit the Mormon Temple on the Beltway for the first time in 46 years

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Episcopal churches cook thousands of lobsters. PETA asks them to consider vegan bake sales instead. - Washington Post

Written by Katherine Sullivan | August 29, 2017

Did you know that many surfboard wax recipes contain beeswax? Unfortunately, surf wax recipes are often safeguardedas theyre considered trade secrets by many makersand arent regularly listed on packaging labels. This could complicate things if youre hoping to use only animal-friendly wax. Luckily for all you soul surfers, weve got your backand your boardcovered. Check out these vegan, cruelty-free surf-wax options, and hang loosetheyre all a perfect 10.

This company offers four different types of specially formulated surf wax: Original, Quick Humps, Really Tacky, and Bodyboard. Sex Wax uses paraffin wax for a base material, which the company believes helps create what it considers the best surf wax on the planetThe best for your stick since 1972.

The Southern Californiabased company has been family-owned and -operated since 1971, when founder John DahlThe Wax Manfirst launched Wax Research. Since then, Sticky Bumps has evolved immensely, enhancing wax performance and joining surfers on hundreds of millions of waves, producing over 4 million bars of wax annually. According to the companys website, All of our Sticky Bumps products are tested, designed and made for surfers, by surfers, period. Vegan surfer Tia Blanco, who is part of the Sticky Bumps team, even starred in a peta2 ad in 2014 and again this year.

This company is the proud manufacturer of surf fins, leashes, and equipment as well as Double Barrel Surf Wax. This wax is available in cool and cold surf varietiesas well as an all-temperature base coatand is available for purchase on Amazon.

This companys surf wax has been manufactured on a 25-acre farm in Santa Cruz, California, since 1988. The manufacturing team uses 10 percent organic ingredients grown on the farm. The eco-friendly surf wax is nontoxic and biodegradable, and the wrappers are printed with recycled ink on 100 percent recycled paper.

Not only does this company offer surf wax for four different water temperaturescold, cool, warm, and tropicalit also sells two types of wax: the original Famous Surf Wax and an eco-friendly Famous Green Label Surf Wax, which is petrochemical-free, organic, and completely biodegradable. In addition, the company features recycled FSC-certified packaging and printing with soy ink.

*****

Beeswax is obtained by melting a honeycomb with boiling water and then straining and cooling it.

Its not unusual for farmers at larger bee farms to cut off the queen bees wings so that she cant leave the colony or to have her artificially inseminated on a bee-sized version of the factory-farm rape rack. When the beekeeper wants to move a queen to a new colony, shes carried with bodyguard bees, all of whomif they survive transportwill be killed by the bees in the new colony. Large commercial bee farms may also replace the honeywhich bees produce and need to get through the winterwith a cheap sugar substitute that lacks the nutrition of honey. Many bees are killed or their wings and legs are torn off because of haphazard handling.

A vegan lifestyle means embracing every opportunity to reduce the suffering ofall animals, regardless of their species. With their populations in a state of alarming, steady decline, there has never been a better time to give bees a break and make the switch to bee-free products.

Billions of animals are used for food, clothing, and entertainment every year, and just as many arepoisoned, blinded, and killed in archaic product tests for cosmetics, personal-care products, household cleaning products, and even fruit juices.Whether youre waxing up a freshie, choosing a cake for your wedding, or applying mascara before a night out, you dont want to contribute to this cruelty. Luckily, PETA Living E-News makes it easy to stay up to date on the latest animal-friendly trends. Click the buttons below to start getting fashion, recipe, and lifestyle tips delivered straight to your inbox today.

PETA is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide websites with a means to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

See original here:

5 Cruelty-Free, Vegan Surfboard Waxes - PETA