Zakharov Evgeniy/adobe.com/AP

In the 15 years since she made her National Book Award-winning debut with Three Junes, Julia Glass has written a series of novels notable for their intricately braided narratives, dry wit, and generous embrace of flawed, fallible characters. Those gifts are on pleasing display again in A House Among the Trees, a lovely meditation on the mysteries of creativity and its costs, not just to creators, but to those who surround them. The artist in question here is Mort Lear, a famous childrens book author whose accidental death sparks a swirl of maneuvers and memories that ultimately lead to a fraught weekend of revelations and reconciliations.

Always deft with plotting, Glass builds to that weekend from her first sentence, Today, the actor arrives. Morty agreed to this visit, we learn, shortly before his fatal fall from the pitched roof of his Connecticut home. He was flattered that Oscar-winning movie star Nicholas Greene had been cast to play him in a biopic, but its just one more thing to deal with for Mortys longtime, live-in assistant, Tomasina Daulair. Tommy is reeling from the unwelcome discovery that Morty named her his heir and literary executor, assigning her a series of detailed responsibilities as variously remote from her experience as foraging for mushrooms or Olympic diving. The most unpleasant of these will be informing a New York museum happily anticipating the bequest of Mortys artwork, letters, and archives that he has reneged on that promise in his will.

Advertisement

With six densely packed but lucid pages of exposition, Glass sets the scene for all that follows and dangles tantalizing hints of disclosures yet to come, such as the reason for Mortys vindictive change to his will. Its a pleasure to be in the hands of a consummate storyteller, and Glasss mastery is particularly evident in her skillful use of Mortys obvious but never overbearing resemblance to the late Maurice Sendak. Yes, theyre both crotchety gay men from Brooklyn (by way of Tucson in Mortys case) who moved to Connecticut after establishing their reputations with controversial books once deemed too scary and dark for kids. From this factual scaffolding Glass constructs a fully imagined fictional figure. The traumas that inform Mortys art are quite different from those Sendak acknowledged to his biographer; more importantly, they resonate with the experiences of other characters as three-dimensional and engaging as he is.

Tommy stands at the center of this varied portrait gallery, wondering whether she gave up too much to spend 25 years as Mortys wife without the sex. This is the bitter assessment of her estranged brother Dani, still resentful that as a boy he was the unwitting model for the protagonist of the book that launched Lear like a NASA space shot. (Those familiar with Sendaks work will enjoy the clever allusions to Where the Wild Things Are in her descriptions of Mortys Colorquake.)

Get The Weekender in your inbox:

The Globe's top picks for what to see and do each weekend, in Boston and beyond.

Meredith Galarza, director of the jilted museum, also feels betrayed by Morty; his flirtatious letters and their bibulous lunches gave no hint of the rage he felt when she told him his art would be sharing space with the work of a younger, hipper childrens author in the museums expensive new building in trendy post-industrial Brooklyn.

Only Greene feels no ambivalence or animosity toward Morty; he understands from his own experience that the pursuit of art involves a certain level of selfishness requiring those around you to adapt or get out of your way. That may be why Morty before his death confided to Nick a startling truth about his childhood even more twisted than the story he publicly told of abuse by an older man.

It takes some plot manipulation to get Meredith and Dani in a car headed to Connecticut on the weekend Nick is visiting, but most readers will accept it. Glass has created such rich back stories for these appealing characters and interwoven them so compellingly that we want to see them work things out together. Putting all four in the same house at the same time may not be entirely plausible, but it feels artistically right. The weekend brings one more big reveal (and a charmingly unlikely tryst), but its central events are the quiet moments of reckoning between people who have learned to forgive each other and themselves. Avoiding clichs about tortured, exploitative genius, Glass crafts a thoughtful, warm-hearted tale about the choices each of us makes, with consequences inevitably both good and bad.

A HOUSE AMONG THE TREES

Advertisement

By Julia Glass

Pantheon, 368 pp., $27.95

Read the original here:

Selfish Sendak-like author's death spawns meditation on art and costs it exacts - The Boston Globe

Can you cure a stiff neck through meditation? The answer lies in the book Healing the Future The Journey Within, by Deepak Kashyap.

In 1999, I was in Goa, when I suffered from frozen shoulder and a stiff neck. Though I had been practising yoga and meditation, I couldnt move a limb in that condition. And then I wondered if meditation could heal my muscles? Soon, I slipped into a meditative state and remained that way for a good 90 minutes. After a couple of hours, I was perfectly fine, recollects Kashyap, referring to the first chapter, titled The Goa Miracle.

A civil servant by profession, Kashyap was struck by the idea of writing a book when he saw a conversation between an expert and a yoga enthusiast on TV. I once saw a foreigner ask a so-called yoga guru if its okay to meditate for a longer duration on one specific day. The guru compared meditation and hunger, and said, If you cant eat too much on one day and starve another day, then how can you do the same with meditation? To me, that reply was illogical, considering regularity is desirable but intensity only comes through practising meditation over extended periods of time, explains Kashyap.

The cover of the book Healing the Future The Journey Within.

Kashyap says that he was always interested in the occult sciences, and this interest was sharpened after meeting his guru. He first wrote Healing the Future 10 years ago, and now he has updated the book. I thought its important to write to bridge the gap between spiritual phenomena and the rational mind, he says.

His first-hand experiences, such as the Goa incident, have shaped this book. The actual writing of the book took seven to eight months, but before that it required a lot of preparation. One of the challenges was to experience everything myself before writing, he says.

The result is a self-help guide that can enlighten one about the magic of meditation, the power of reiki, and the connection between the spiritual and the practical.

See original here:

Healing the Future: The wonder of meditation, discovered though a self-help book - Hindustan Times

FITNESS

Divine Joy Yoga Rincon United Church of Christ, 122 N. Craycroft Road. Visit divinejoyyoga.com to see all locations. 9-10:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. $6. 808-9383.

Yoga in the Buff Movement Culture, 435 E. Ninth St. Clothing optional co-ed. 4-5 p.m. Thursdays. $5. 250-2331.

Hot Yoga Rooted, 1600 N. Tucson Blvd. Full body flow. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. $10. 1-435-671-9033.

Vinyasa Yoga Tucson Chiropractic Center, 570 N. Columbus Blvd. Strengthen, stretch and tone. 8-9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. $5. 1-435-671-9033.

Tai Chi Balance Sunrise Chapel, 8421 E. Wrightstown Road. Mondays: Tai Chi basics; Thursdays: yang 10 for beginners. 11 a.m.-noon. Mondays and Thursdays. $10; $30 a month. 296-9212.

Tai Chi for Health Resurrection Lutheran Church, 11575 N. First Ave, Oro Valley. Improve balance, mental clarity, relieve pain and create an overall feeling of well-being through natural breathing and slow, gentle, meditative body movements. $10 per class; $60 for nine weeks. 1-2 p.m. Mondays. $60. 780-6751.

Tai Chi for Health St. Francis in the Foothills, 4625 E. River Road. Safe, effective and fun way to improve balance, mental clarity, relieve pain and create an overall feeling of well-being. 9-10 a.m. Tuesdays. $10 per class; $60 for nine weeks. 780-6751.

Seated Tai Chi for Health Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road. For those who want to improve their health but cant stand to exercise. 1-2 p.m. Wednesdays. $24 for four classes. 465-2890.

Martial arts/meditation and more

Taekwondo Wellness Intuition Wellness Center, 5675 N. Oracle Road Suite 3101. Learn traditional Taekwondo, philosophy and core principles, self-care, stress management, coping skills, social skills and mindfulness meditation. 4:15 p.m class for ages 7-12; 5:15 p.m. for ages 12 and up. 4:15 and 5:15 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. $20. 333-3320.

Capoeira for Kids Studio Ax, 2928 E. Broadway. Children learn the basics of Tucson Capoeira Martial Arts through games and exercises. Ages 5-12. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday. 990-1820.

Capoeira for Kids Studio Ax. Learn the basics of Tucson Capoeira Martial Arts through games and exercises. Ages 5-12. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Intro to Capoeira Studio Ax. Works the whole body, but also the mind. 7-8:15 p.m. Monday, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Brewery Bootcamp Dragoon Brewing Co., 1859 W. Grant Road. Bring a sweat towel, bottle of water and a mat or beach towel for something to lay on. Includes your first beer. Ages 21 and up. Registration opens at 10:45 a.m. 11 a.m.-noon. June 18. $10. 465-6895.

Kids Capoeira Movement Culture. Develop: balance, motor coordination, speed and strength. Wear loose pants/sweat pants and t-shirt, training will be in bare feet or martial-art/dance shoes. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Mondays. $10.

Learn to Meditate Workshop Kadampa Meditation Center, 5326 E. Pima St. Beginners. 6:30-8 p.m. June 19. $10. 441-1617.

Tucson Capoeira Beginners Class Movement Culture. Dance, acrobatics and music. 6-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays. $15.

Tucson Tuesday Laughter Yoga Quaker Meeting House, 931 N. Fifth Ave. To promote peace and healing. 6-7 p.m. Tuesdays. 490-5500.

Tucson Capoeira intro class Movement Culture. Introduction to the four core expressions of Capoeira: Movement, music, philosophy, and history. 5:30-7 p.m. Mondays.

See the original post:

Tucson yoga, Tai Chi, martial arts, meditation and more June 15-23 - Arizona Daily Star

It looks like a flower with unfurling petals.

The striking structure nearing completion on the shore near Kootenay Bay is the Yasodhara Ashrams new temple, which will replace the one destroyed in a fire three years ago. Its pure white, with multiple curved wings that spiral towards the sky.

Im very ecstatic. Its been a long process, the ashrams Swami Lalitananda told the Star.

We see this new temple coming up and its inspiring because its so unique and beautiful, and we dont know at each stage how it will unfold. Everybody here is pretty enthusiastic.

Its been almost magical.

To go from from having nothing there to seeing these amazing curved pieces stacked on top of each other, its been a really amazing time for us.

Yasodhara was hoping to have opened their temple doors by now, but construction delays have them now aiming for a public grand opening on Aug. 5. But before that, Lalitanada would like to welcome the community to their annual strawberry social on June 24 from 1 to 4 p.m., during which people can get a sneak preview temple tour.

Moving into a new phase

Lalitananda is effusive about the construction work being done by Patkau Architects, an elite team out of Vancouver who have earned recognition globally for their innovative designs. They took it upon themselves to make the ambitious goal of assembling an entire building out of curved forms.

We were attracted to them because they can work with curved forms. Our old temple was a dome, so we wanted a feeling that it was developing, or moving into its next phase, opening more.

While the old one was beautiful and traditional, this one will be innovative and organic.

Its like this unfolding, beautiful flower and everybody whos been working on it calls each of the pieces petals. Its very feminine, which is appropriate because our lineage is feminine we pass our teachings down through women.

Shes pleased with the work Spearhead Timberworks has been doing too.

We were really happy to find this local Nelson company capable of creating the complex prefabricated wood components that create the shell of the temple, and that their advanced digital technology allowed them to successfully collaborate with Patkau.

She noted almost all of their contractors were from the region.

Also one of our goals in construction was to make the temple fit with our environmental initiatives. So the building will be energy efficient, with geothermal and photovoltaics for heat, with superior insulation and triple glazing.

A path of self-inquiry

Lalitananda first started attending the ashram in 1979, working her way over the years up to her current position as president of the organization. She was drawn to it because she wanted to challenge herself to think deeply and not follow old patterns.

What I liked from the beginning is that its a path of self-inquiry, so nobody was telling me what I needed to think. It seemed like a way of expanding my thinking and awareness without a dogma, she said.

But theres also something about the devotional part, and it wasnt a specific religion it was a path of calming my mind and using practices to experience different levels of mind or consciousness. I was becoming more myself, and realizing the potential of who I could be.

And she thinks the physical structure of the temple itself could aid in the spiritual process. There was some thought put into the number of entrances in the temple eight all that lead to the same destination. Lalitananda said this demonstrates how people of different faiths and backgrounds can come into a beautiful, transcendent place of light together.

We want it to be a magnet for people who need some hope, and a place where people can go into the space and look both inward and outward, because its so nestled in nature and the beauty of the forest around it.

The temple will be used for services, devotional practice, meditation and retreats. Theyre also looking to open it up to more cultural events, such as Slava Doval and her schools dance performance at the Aug. 5 opening.

Its been an emotional slog to get here.

The other temple had been there for 20 years, so for me and the whole community a lot of this has been about going through loss. The decision to build it differently, which some people liked and some people werent sure about, was something that helped us to learn together.

She lives right next to it, and loves the view.

Im looking out the window at it right now, and it is so beautiful.

Read more here:

Yasodhara Ashram ecstatic about rebuilt temple - Nelson Star

VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) TSX-V-listed juniors Commerce Resources and Ucore Rare Metals has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) outlining the integration of feedstock from Commerces Ashram project, in Quebec, with Ucores rare earths separation facility and strategic metals complex (SMC).

Under the terms of the MoU, Commerce will provide mixed rare earth carbonate concentrate mined from the Ashram deposit to perform bench and pilot-scale testing of the metallurgy and metals separation metrics of the prospective feedstock.

The bench work will establish a definitive assessment of the suitability of the Ashram concentrate as potential feedstock for the SMC, with a view to a subsequent long-term supply partnership and offtake relationship.

Testwork will be conducted by IBC Advanced Technologies of American Fork, Utah, with pilot-scale testwork expected to take place at the recently completed SuperLig-One Molecular Recognition Technology (MRT) pilot facility in Vineyard, Utah.

This is a significant development partnership for both Ucore and Commerce. Commerce has undertaken extensive research and testing resulting in a high-quality and high-grade mineral concentrate that will allow for cost-effective processing to our ideal feedstock and, therefore, looks to be a very promising candidate for processing via a MRT separation circuit, commented Ucore president and CEO Jim McKenzie in a news release on Monday.

The Ashram deposit has significant tonnage, good grade, hosts a well-balanced rare earth element (REE) distribution with an enrichment in the magnet feed REEs, and perhaps most importantly, is highly accessible, McKenzie said.

In combination with the SMC, Ashram promises to be a key link in a self-contained North American REE supply chain.

Commerce is well advanced with its metallurgical testing and flowsheet design to produce the Ashram concentrate, incorporating a conventional approach used by current and past rare earth producers. This involves an initial phase of beneficiation to produce a high-grade mineral concentrate of more than 45% rare earth oxides and at high recovery at about 75%, followed by a hydrometallurgical phase that further processes the mineral concentrate through to a mixed rare earth carbonate product suitable for separation. The Ashram metallurgical testwork and pilot plant is located and operated at Hazen Research in Golden, Colorado.

Ucore is now engaged in the detailed engineering and planning of the SMC rare earth separation facility, a joint venture with IBC. The SMC will use SuperLig MRT to separate the REEs, capitalising on advanced pilot-phase testing of the SuperLig-One pilot platform.

The SMC is being designed and engineered as a modular facility, capable of accepting feedstock from varying supply sources and a range of high-quality concentrates. Ucore expects to release a comprehensive design and build schedule for the SMC facility, including an economic analysis of supply sources, in the coming months.

With prospective supply sources located in Quebec, Alaska and the south-eastern US, the selection of the location of the SMC is contingent upon incentives and logistical considerations from multiple competing jurisdictions.

Originally posted here:

Commerce, Ucore ink MoU for rare earths development partnership - Creamer Media's Mining Weekly

To say that dining together is an importantaspect of our social lives is an understatement. The moment were born, food is associated with human connection, from the bond we form with the family members who feed us, to our first experience with eating lunch with friends at school, and to all the times we spend an evening with friends gathered around the dinner table at a restaurant. If youre cutting back on or avoiding meat and dairy, you may run into some challenges in terms of what were going to eat if the restaurant we choose to go to doesnt happen to be vegan. For example, the typical plant-based options at a steakhouse are almost always French fries and a salad and when it comes to the salad, you might have to inform your server that youll take your bowl of iceberg lettuce without the cheese and meat. But still, wego, because of the social experience.

At BOA, a steakhouse in Santa Monica, California, new plant-based options to the menu will ensure that nobody, whether you are a meat-eater, vegan, vegetarian, or flexitarian will walk away feeling unsatisfied. Simply put, theyre the type of offerings that you would expect to find at swanky vegan restaurants such as Isa Chandra Moskowitzs Modern Love or Pamela Elizabeths Blossom.

BOAs plant-based options show that even if a restaurant is a steakhouse, the vegan options need not be limited to fries and salad, a dish that could easily be ordered at any other restaurant. Instead, they are showing their customers that you can create innovative, flavorful, and crave-worthy dishes that truly make their menu stand out from other steakhouses.

According toNPR social science correspondent Shankar Vedantam, eating the same food as your dining companion increases trust and cooperation.With options like these, BOA will likely attract not only more customers with plant-based preferences than ever before, but also customers who may have never ordered plant-based. We hope that more meat-centric restaurants follow BOAs example. Food, especially delicious food, will always be an important part of socializing and their new menu options will no doubt bring people together.

If you love cooking plant-based foods, we highly recommend checking out the Food Monster App, which is available for bothAndroid and iPhone. With over 8,000 vegan recipes (and over 10 new recipes added daily), youre going to find something you love!

Lead image source: BOA/Facebook

More here:

This Steakhouse in LA Has Better Vegan Food Than Anything You've Ever Tried - One Green Planet

For 10 years, Vanessa Helmick worked as a waitress and listened patiently whenever diners reeled off long lists of needed alterations to menu items. She doesnt want to be that customer.

I dont like being the person who modifies the dish so much that it annoys the chef, said Helmick, who lives in Portland.

But heres the rub: Shes allergic to dairy, and even when she carefully questions wait staff about any milk lurking in a dish, too often she ends up eating some forgotten drops, maybe hidden in the sauce or slipped into the salad dressing, and paying the price afterwards.

As a result Helmick, who is an omnivore, told me she is more comfortable going to a vegan restaurant. In Maine, which has only a handful of all-vegan restaurants, she frequents veg-friendly eateries and orders vegan dishes, which never contain dairy products.

Turns out Helmick isnt the only non-vegan ordering vegan restaurant dishes.

According to the most recent Harris Poll commissioned in 2016 by the Vegetarian Resource Group, 37 percent of Americans regularly order vegan and vegetarian meals when dining out. This is striking since the same poll found only 3.3 percent of Americans are full-time vegetarians and vegans.

The Northeast and presumably Maine although the survey wasnt broken down by state is home to the countrys highest concentration of full-time vegetarians, clocking in at 5.4 percent of the population, according to the survey. A whopping 42 percent of people in the Northeast report regularly ordering vegan and vegetarian meals at restaurants.

For years, chefs and restaurant owners across Maine have told me how their vegan dishes are being snapped up by meat-eating customers. So I decided to investigate further. What I discovered is a sizable group of people who eat meat at home but order vegan meals when they dine out.

Lelia Zayed is a member of this tribe who, like Helmick, has a dairy allergy. She also doesnt like asking for menu modifications and regularly orders vegan dishes.

We have so many great kitchens in this town, said Zayed, who lives in Portland, and I like to experience a dish exactly as the chef intended. With a dairy allergy, that can be tough to do. When I order vegan options because they were designed to be dairy-free I experience the complete dish just as it was meant to be enjoyed.

Judy Paolini, who lives on Long Island in Casco Bay, said she doesnt mind asking for simple modifications such as leaving off the sauce, cheese or mayonnaise but the results are often really dry and she regrets missing the full experience of the menu item. She prefers ordering vegan. Paolini, who is lactose intolerant, has avoided dairy for 42 years, but she said it has only been in the last 10 years that ordering vegan has become a regular option for people like her. If it says vegan next to it, Ill order it, she said.

Suzanne Madore of Saco doesnt have a dairy allergy but she too regularly orders vegan dishes in local restaurants.

Ill usually order vegan because other options on the menu feel too heavy or too much, Madore said. Often, the vegan option just sounds delicious, and it often is. Im also not a meat eater that demands meat and dairy at every meal.

Jenna Smith of Portland, who describes herself as a meat-loving omnivore, orders vegan when dining out because her family of four is committed to eating meat only from local, organic farms and farmers they know.

Occasionally we find ourselves at a farm-to-table restaurant that has local meat on the menu, Smith said. I certainly consider it. But Im so comfortable ordering vegan meals when out that I just stick with it.

The Vegan Meltaway, a vegan grilled cheese filled with tomatoes and caramelized onions at Sillys in Portland. Staff photo by Derek Davis

One veg-friendly restaurant whose owners have thought a lot about the trend is El El Frijoles, a burrito spot in Sargentville. Chef Michele Levesque said in the past four years the number of customers ordering vegan and vegetarian dishes has doubled. I dont think theyre hardcore vegetarians at home, Levesque said, but when they eat out, theyre concerned about meat and the quality of meat.

Michael Rossney, who owns El El Frijoles with Levesque, said the restaurant attracts the sort of customer who understands the realities of modern food production.

A lot of people ask, Where does your meat come from? Rossney said. He explains that their pork comes from a cooperative farm in Quebec and the chicken is antibiotic-free but comes from away and is mass-produced.

At this point, Rossney said, about half of those who ask are happy to have the Quebec pork and the other half go ahead and order one of the vegetarian options.

Work is gearing up for the end of mud season and the return of full food service later this month at the four lodges that make up the Maine Huts & Trails network in western Maine. Operations manager Sarah Pine anticipates her staff will once again accommodate hikers who eat meat at home but opt for vegan meals while on the trail. Pine said the trend has become more visible in the last three years, also attributing it to dairy allergies and concerns about the quality of meat, as well as a desire to reduce the quantity of meat eaten.

They think the vegan option is a safer option instead of mystery meat, Pine said. They are also concerned about the environmental impact of meat.

Pine said some hikers request vegan meals ahead of time and then change to the meat-based dish after they arrive and learn that Maine Huts & Trails sources its food locally.

One of Portlands best-known veg-friendly restaurants is Sillys at the base of Munjoy Hill, where owner Colleen Kelley also has seen rising numbers of non-vegans ordering vegan. Just a few years ago, non-vegans were highly skeptical, she said, but the public has become more open to trying vegan food. Also, meat-eaters at Sillys often order vegan when dining with a vegan, Kelley said, so sharing can go on. But dairy allergies are the biggest driver, she said: It takes the guessing out of it for lactose-intolerant people.

Helmick, the former waitress who is allergic to dairy, travels often for work. She finds plentiful vegan options on the West Coast and few in the South. Overall, she said, the picture is bright.

There are so many more options now, Helmick said. Because in general people are opening up to the idea of vegan.

Correction: This story was updated at 6:29 a.m. on June 7 to correct an inaccurate headline.

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

[emailprotected]

Twitter: AveryYaleKamila

Read the original here:

Those who eat meat at home increasingly like to order vegan ... - Press Herald

Im not vegan, but I am food non-conforming veg-curious.

That was my tweet from April that caused PETA to reach out to me via Twitter and start an interesting conversation about the struggle Ive been having with my food choices.

It wasnt long thereafter, that someone reached out from PETAs Celebrity Relations division, asking to send me a gift to help with the journey. Would it be a still-beating chicken heart showing me what an asshole Ive been for the first 37 years of my life? Or is PETAs reputation misunderstood in the public?

I wanted these questions answered, but I also knew it was time for me to make a change, and either make a conscious decision about what I eat, or have the science to back up why Im not making changes.

So, on June 12th, the Dogma Debate podcast will feature controversial activist group, PETA. Ben Williamson, the Senior International Media Director for PETA is based near my new studio in Los Angeles. So it only makes sense to have this discussion face to face.

For many of you wondering Why PETA? Why not [insert your personal favorite organization here] whos much better?!

My answer? PETA reached out. No others did. I expressed vegan interest on Twitter and didnt mention a single organization. PETA found me and engaged in respectful dialogue. Thats why PETA.

Now lets move on.

When I posted this on social media, you erupted with claims of PETA being a terrorist organization, and even vegans and vegetarians flocked to my pages to compare them to ISIS. Yes, ISIS.

Claims of PETA murdering animals and kidnapping pets flooded my messages. I heard from many of you on vegan vs. vegetarianism, and several fights broke out (shocker), but a lot of you provided scientific evidence either for or against going vegan: to the tune of nearly 700 comments.

For those of you who were productive: I personally thank you. It helped a great deal. And you just may hear your name on the show if your comment is used.

So Ive taken many of your claims, along with anti-PETA audio clips and videos, and prepared them for PETA directly. With just the two of us in studio, youll hear what happens when I play these clips and ask for a response.

In a crazy twist back to humanism, this all started with a private conversation I had in Texas with one of my favorite preachers to debate, Eric Hernandez.

We both attended a live event, and were hanging out afterward, discussing the atheist vs. preacher dynamic. We were talking about some of the tough questions our opposition asks, and he told me about one question that often gets to himwhich incidentally, was a question I asked him on one of our encounters

How can a Christian be eternally happy in Heaven, knowing people are being tortured in Hell?

He said he didnt really have an answer to that, when it hit me. I decided to help him out with one.

I said You could always say: Humans have a unique way of blocking negativity from our minds, just like we can enjoy a vacation, or the birth of our child, knowing that people are suffering somewhere everyday.

And after a brief pause, I continued

Just like we can enjoy steak, chicken, and bacon, knowing that many of those animals are tortured, live horrible lives in tight cages, and are slaughtered in painful ways. We put it out of our minds, and go on with our happiness, ordering that #4 from the drive through, and we somehow enjoy it.

The truth is, if I believed a heaven existed, and someone asked me that question, thatd probably be my answer.

Of course, he joked about me being a great apologist some day, and we laughed it off, but I have no doubt that if you ask him that question today, youll get a similar answer. Because it works.

At that moment, I realized I had a dogma that I wanted to attack head on.

I spend many hours per week calling preachers, pastors, conservatives and liberals out on their dogmatic views, and holding my head up high for keeping sanity in the world.

And yet, many nights after the show, I hop on my motorcycle and go eat some animal that I know was poorly treated and had a horrific impact on our environment.

What the hell am I doing?Am I really as logical as Id like to think? Am I a hypocrite?

I believe I am. And heres why

I sold my V8 Pick-Up Truck in Texas, and bought a clean-engine motorcycle and a Prius to reduce my carbon footprint. Meanwhile

According to Cowspiracy and other peer-reviewed fact checkers cited below:

Animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all transportation exhaust combined.

Livestock and their byproducts account for at least 51% of all worldwide greenhouse gas emissions.

Methane from livestock is 25-100 times more destructive than CO2, and has a global warming potential 86 times that of CO2.

Livestock is responsible for 65% of all human-related emissions of nitrous oxide a greenhouse gas with 296 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide, and which stays in the atmosphere for 150 years.

Emissions for agriculture is projected to increase 80%by 2050.

So by getting a Prius and feeling better about myself, havent I just said the atheist equivalent of Ill pray for you to the Earth, and patted my righteous self on the back?

By continuing to frequent fast-food establishments, restaurants, and BBQ joints, or cooking pork chops, ribs, and chicken on the grill at home, Ive been doing way more harm than driving a V8 could do in a hundred years.

So, I sat out to discover if going vegan truly is the most environmental and ethical way to move forward in my life. And if PETA really is the anti-scientific terrorist organization many of my listeners have claimed they are.

I started my research with evolution.

Did humans evolve eating meat?

PETA says no, paleontologists say yes. On June 12th, youll hear me share an article with PETA on the evolution of humans, with evidence showing how meat-eating may have actually been responsible for our ability to obtain speech, and advance even faster.

But does it matter? Even if we did evolve eating meat, does it mean we should continue especially under the grotesque corporate circumstances in which animals are kept and slaughtered?

Is going strictly vegan the healthiest thing for a human? PETA says yes. And they may be right. But it appears that the data and sample sizes may be too small to confirm that just yet.

Veganism as an ideology has only been around since the early 1980s, so we dont really have a lot of life-long subjects to study. There are a handful, but not enough to confirm that veganism is the best way to go.

Im not sure that a strict vegan diet can supply all the vitamins needed for a healthy lifestyle.

PETA disagrees, and demonstrates this on their website by citing specific examples, including long-living vegan tribes, and even body builders, proving that cow-killing isnt necessary to build muscle.

In fact, Vegetarianism has been around for over 2,500 years. Say what you want about the beliefs of Seventh Day Adventists, but as strict vegetarians, theyre some of the longest living, and healthiest people in America. Look it up.

While PETA still believes many animals are harmed in the making of vegetarian meals (and recommend that you go full vegan), they do understand that becoming vegetarian causes less harm, and is a step in the right direction.

One thing is for sure. Americans eat way too much red meat. And its killing us.

The National Institutes for Health reports

A research team led by Dr. Frank Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health studied over 120,000 people, in the largest sample size on record. During this 30+ year study, almost 24,000 participants died, including about 5,900 from cardiovascular disease and about 9,500 from cancer. Those who consumed the highest levels of both unprocessed and processed red meat had the highest risk of all-cause-mortality, cancer, and cardiovascular disease The researchers estimated that substituting 1 serving per day of other foodslike fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy and whole grainsfor red meat could lower the risk of mortality by 7% to 19%.

Not to mention, several studies now show that eating red meat has been linked to making many diseases, such as varioustypes of cancer, much worse.

PETA is a very cut and dry-type organization. No meat, period.Dieticians dont seem to agree on this 100%.

Some say to reduce meat, some say fish proteins are the perfect replacement for red meat, and others actually say a very small amount of red meat now and then can be good for youeven psychologically, citing neurogenesis and brain health as beneficiaries of moderate red meat intake.

But absolutely none of them say we should be eating the 207 pounds per person each year that we did in 2007, according to an NPR report. (Which I recommend you read at the link below for many other interesting facts about meat consumption.)

So what if we raise our own meat, or only buy grass-fed beef, or free-range chicken? Doesnt that solve the problem?

If making yourself feel better about your morals is the goal, then sure. As long as youre like me, and stop thinking about it when the meat hits your squeaky cart in the grocery store.

But PETA points out that even if the chicken or cow or pig youre eating was ethically raised, it was more than likely taken to the same big slaughter houses that we see those horrific hidden videos from. Not only is there no way to verify the claims on the packages, but the way animals are slaughtered is just inhumane and unethical.

Most local farmers dont slaughter their own animals. They take them to major slaughterhouses to do the dirty work.

PETAs point is: animals are not ours to eat. Period.

Maybe theyre right.

And since youve made it this far, before I wrap up, Im happy to inform you that no, PETA did not send me a still-beating chicken heart. They were very kind, and shared factual information, a wonderful vegan cookbook, a clever t-shirt, and a few more gifts to spark vegan ideas in a veg-curious person like myself.

But Ill leave you with this

As a humanist, likely a person who acknowledges the facts of evolution, isnt it a little hard to walk down the meat isle of the grocery store, and see chunks of bodies youre related to, wrapped in plastic for you to put in your mouth?

Its hard for me. And its becoming disgusting.

I know my ancestors did it; but they did a lot of things I dont do today. And I know wild animals do it, but again, we are different in a lot of ways.

Is it time to make a change? Is it time for me to stop being dogmatic about my meat, and listen to the data?

Maybe PETA is on to something.

But with Vegans and Vegetarians having a 70%-84% failure rate (meaning eventually returning to some type of meat-eating) is PETAs stance too extreme? Are their tactics too overboard?

Or do we all need to stop and listen to what they have to say, and stop having our Heaven while we cause Hell for our animal kin?

Im still on my journey, and I think I know where Ive landed for now.

Ill announce it on June 12th with PETA in studio on episode #315 of Dogma Debate.

My question for you is, when does your journey of honesty begin?

Cowspiracy Animal Agriculture Statistics:http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/

National Institutes for Health:https://www.nih.gov/news-events/nih-research-matters/risk-red-meat

NPR A Nation of Meat Eaters: How It All Adds Up:http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/06/27/155527365/visualizing-a-nation-of-meat-eaters

PETA:http://www.peta.org

Link:

Should All Humanists Be Vegan? - Patheos (blog)

Its true. Strict vegan diets do not contain all essential nutrientsheres a guide to what vegan diets can be missing. However, says dietitian Sharon Palmer, an expert in plant-based nutrition, the crux of this announcement is not so much a recommendation against raising your children as vegans as much as it is a recommendation to ensure that the diets are well-planned.

The bottom line is that vegan diets are acceptable and appropriate for infants and children, according to Palmer. A recent position paper from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) agrees. AND states that appropriately planned vegan diets can be nutritionally complete. Research shows health benefits for eating a vegan diet for children, including lower rates of obesity and chronic disease later in life. Hereare more health-related benefits of a vegan diet. But its also true that a vegan diet can be incomplete and unhealthy.

vaaseenaa/Shutterstock

Parents committed to a vegan lifestyle can provide a completely balanced diet for their children, with proper planning. Palmer, author of the book Plant Powered for Life, encourages parents to include a balance of nutrient-rich foods, including soy foods, fortified soy milk, beans, grains, healthy fats, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Kids require enough calories, protein, fats and all vitamins and minerals for growth and activities.

For infants, Palmer recommends breastfeeding for a nutritionally complete dietvegan diets just dont hit the mark. When thats not an option, feed infants commercially prepared vegan formulas. Never use milk alternatives, such as plant-based milks, which are low in protein and other nutrients essential for the foundation of a babys diet. Weaning off the bottle needs to move to fortified soy milk, which is nutritionally similar to cows milk, according to Palmer.

To cover potential nutritional shortfalls of a vegan diet, Palmer has some advice. Vitamin B12 is only available in animal-based foods, she points out, and vegans should supplement with this nutrient, which is key for neurological function, DNA synthesis, and red blood cell formation.

Vegan children will also need vitamin D, essential for bone mineralization and neurological development. Although kids typically get the nutrient in fortified cows milk or fish, they can also get it in fortified cereals and orange juiceand through sunlight. If your child isnt getting these sources, a supplement is necessary.

Parents may want to supplement with essential omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA); these are vital for the brain and immunity, and theyre primarily found in seafood. Vegan sources include algae, walnuts, hemp and chia seeds. Research published in the Medical Journal of Australia found plasma, blood, and tissue levels of omega-3 fats are significantly lower in vegetarians compared to omnivores.

Pinkyone/Shutterstock

Iron is another concern, because the good iron (heme) is primarily found in red meat. Vegetarians have lower iron stores than omnivores, probably due to the lower quality iron (non-heme) they get from dark leafy greens and other vegetable sources. Children with iron-deficiency anemia have depressed immune function, according to a recent study published in Medicine. Fortified breads and cereals are an iron-rich alternative for vegan children, but supplementation may be required.

While most children get their bone-growth-stimulating calcium from milk and cheese, vegan children can easily consume adequate calcium from tofu and other soy products, almonds, fortified fruit juices, and calcium-rich vegetables such as bok choy, kale and turnip greens. Another concern is how well the body is absorbing the calcium it gets. The high-fiber, high-phytic acid nature of vegan diets can flush calcium through the digestive tractor bind with itbefore it can help shore up bones. Ensuring adequate calcium intake in children is essential, and parents should consider supplementation.

For peace of mind and professional advice, find a registered dietitian nutritionist in your area if youre considering raising vegan children. In fact, Palmer recommends consultation before the child is born. The Vegetarian Resource Group provides a My Plate version for vegans, providing a simple well-balanced visual to ensure inclusion of all food groups. Misinformation abounds on the internet, so seek out an expert in your area or through the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group.

Go here to see the original:

Vegan Diets CAN Be Good for KidsBut Only If You Follow This Rule - Reader's Digest

HRH Prince Khaled Bin Alwaleed joins us for an informal chat

HRH Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed isa hip, young vegan Saudi Prince who invests in clean energy and supports animal rights.

Earlier this year, his storywas picked up by multiple outlets includingOne Green Planet.This Saudi Royal, now 38, is the son of the 26th wealthiest person in the world (billionaire investor and philanthropistHRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal,often referred to as the Saudi Arabian Warren Buffett).

Part of the Princes journey started when he had a head injury in his teens while jet skiing in the south of France. He had to learn to walk again and witnessed his dad, a person he looked up to as strong and invincible, weep with worry in his hospital room. Somehow, when confronted with the fragility of life and the effect it can have on loved ones, it makes a person realize that being true to ones own self is the only way to live. His social media feeds (Twitter and Instagram) are filled with animal welfare posts, vegan food posts, and in the case of Instagram, plenty of goofy comedy.

Several years ago, Prince Khaled was diagnosed with high cholesterol and started to change his diet. As he began exploring what it meant to adopt a plant-based diet, he became more and more knowledgeable about the challenges our current animal agriculture-based food systems place on personal and animal health and, especially, the environment.

An enthusiastic consumer of media exploring these topics, books such as How Not to Dieby Dr. Michael Greger and documentaries such as An Inconvenient Truth and Before the Floodalso shaped his interests. Born and university-educated in the U.S., he keeps a foot firmly planted in the Middle East.He started his business career withhis fathers investment company, Kingdom Holding Company, and then branched out to start KBW Investments. KBW Investments has holdings on five continents in the areas of construction, property, engineering, automation, finance and hospitality. Following that, he founded KBW Ventures, which focuses exclusively on venture capital, value creation and growth equity.

He is a business leader, not only for the millions he has invested in emerging and established businesses, but for standing in contrast to his home countrys biggest export: oil. He long ago divested any interests in dirty energy and oil, and owns one car, a Tesla.

The weekend that U.S. President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia, Khaled was speaking at a panel and meeting with other plant-based food leaders at the Reducetarian Summit in New York.

For our first meeting, I chose the DC vegan diner that I had mentioned in my article for Triple Pundit about plant-based dairy, Fare Well.

He showed up unaccompanied and actually Ubered to our brunch from the Four Seasons. Of course hes familiar with the famed hotel its management company is 45 percent owned by an investment company controlled by his father. For brunch Khaled wore baggy jeans, black Converse sneakers (he owns a number of pairs) and a hoodie. Doron, the owner of the diner and DCs famed vegan bakery Sticky Fingers was there that day and we cracked jokes. Khaled took it all in, in good humor, and after our meeting, was off to CrossFit and a meeting with some documentary filmmakers.

A month later atthe Reducetarian Summit, he was on a panel discussing conscious capitalism and the role business and investment have in moving the needle towards a more sustainable food system. He talked about his own journey to veganism and told stories like the time he took an omnivorous tennis pro to Cross Roads in LA and didnt tell him it was plant-based until after the meal. He explained that he has taken on the role to bridge the gap and create awareness for the benefits of a plant based lifestyle in the region. He even convinced his father to go vegan.

Khaled greeted me warmly and with familiarity, like friends. Following his session, we stepped outside for an interview. I specifically wanted to explore his involvement in the plant-based food movement and his new involvement with documentary media. This interview has been edited lightly for clarity and length.

TriplePundit: How did the relationship with [vegan chef] Matthew Kenney start? What are your future expansion plans?

Khaled bin Alwaleed: We wanted to open a plant-based caf in the Middle East. Originally, we were looking into a restaurant in Bali, Alchemy, that does plant-based and coincidentally at the same time we heard about Matthew Kenney. He seemed a much better fit. We looked into the licensing fees and I thought Why am I paying him a fee, when I can just invest in the company? We invested and decided to make [Bahrains]Plant Caf a branch of Matthew Kenneys restaurants. Were going to have tenmore in the region by 2019.

3pLast time we met, you mentioned backing a documentary about the plant-based food movement. Tell me about the name of the project and what are the plans for distribution?

KbA: ThatsEating Our Way to Extinction.Were working closely on an agreement with Ludo [Brockway] and his brother to make this film happen, but its early days on that one. They actually just got back from the Arctic where they were shooting some footage, but they havent shot much yet. Its early days. [Ludo and his brother Otto are slated to start shooting in around September 2017 for a 2018 possible release.] Another film were working on, which is further along in production, profiles former UFC fighter James Wilkes, and other elite vegan athletes. Itsa documentary about athleticism and veganism. The filmmakers areclose to finishing and were working with them to see how we can help with distribution.

For both, were looking at online distribution, and for the athleticism one, going through the proper channels of the festivals first as well.

3p:And so this has been in the last year or so that youve begun to get involved with media production?

KbA: The last year? No, this has only been the last two months.

3p: This is exciting, that youre looking towards media because its a big influencer [in lifestyle decisions]?

KbA: Oh, its not just an influencer, its what tipped the point for me. I was on and off being vegan, but it was films like Food, Inc., Food MattersHungry for Change

3p: It changed your life.

KbA: It really did. It opened up my eyes to what exactly is really happening.

3p: How do you think we can work to have a more sustainable food system? People are still starving and others eat far too much of the wrong things- what are your thoughts on how society can address these problems?

KbA: One of the main things, I think, is How do you feed 9.7 billion people by 2050? Thats the biggest issue that food innovators are addressing right now. Companies like Hampton Creek, companies like Memphis Meats are working to solve these problems. The main problem is that governments need to back these initiatives as much as they are backing the animal agriculture industry. There are gross inefficiencies within the animal industry, when you look at calories in versus calories out.

3p: Moving on to tech and innovation, weve talked previously about specifically sustainable hardware companies like iameco computers and Fairphone. As a connoisseur of all things tech, how do you think that the hardware business can become more sustainable? What are your thoughts on innovation toward sustainability in this area?

KbA: I think that companies like Fairphone and Apple each have their own markets and it lies with each company to work to make themselves more sustainable. For example, Apple just did this huge initiative where they took phones and recycled them to make other phones. Id love to see this type of initiative with companies like Samsung and Huawei. Fairphone will continue to grow in its niche market, but you have to address these big companies

3p: Its like shopping- not everyone is going to shop at Whole Foods, you have to address WalMart.

KbA: Exactly, yes.

3p: You have many years left to work with numerous other positive innovators to do even more- what are the kinds of projects that catch your attention and interest?

Khaled bin Alwaleed: Im a big believer in technology. I truly believe that technology is changing and will change the world even further. Im not too big on brick and mortar, analog types of companies as opposed to digital companies. What gets me excited are new things that are changing the world, as clichd as that sounds.

3p: So ideas you havent heard of before?

KbA: Yes, its ideas that make me open my eyes and say Wow, this is actually happening in this world, where we say, we just have to get in there no matter what.

For someone who is equally at home in traditional Saudi attire as he is in a hoodie and baseball cap, Prince Khaleds outlook can be summed up by the quote that greets you when you open his personal website, Never let anyone limit your aspirations.

Photo credits: Lisa Dietrich, Green Product Placement

Read the original post:

The Vegan, Saudi Prince Investor - Triple Pundit (registration) (blog)