The gentle force behind a proposed Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden near the Sundial Bridge is seeking online votes for a monthlong grant competition that starts April 12.

Acupuncturist Michel Czehatowski and members of Redding Tai Chi have partnered with the Shasta County Arts Council and Turtle Bay Exploration Park to create a tai chi park near the Sundial Bridge.

A Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden project video has been submitted to the A Community Thrives (ACT) grant competition, which runs from 8:59 a.m. PST April 12 to 8:59 a.m. PST May 12. You can vote once daily by viewing the submission at this link.

A News Caf caught up with Michel, who runs Redding Acupuncture Health Care on Hartnell Avenue, to find out more about the garden project and what he hopes it will bring to the community.

Hi, Michel, and welcome to A News Caf. For those who dont know you, could you tell us briefly about yourself and your connection to Redding?

After attending and graduating from the San Francisco College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in 1984, we moved to Redding and I opened my first acupuncture practice that November. My daughter was 5 months old at the time; my son was born in Redding a couple years later. I consider Redding my home and enjoy living here very much.

Photos courtesy Michel Czehatowski / Foreground, Michel Czehatowski teaches tai chi.

I started learning tai chi in the mid-1970s and taught briefly in the early 80s and 90s. With a growing family and business, teaching tai chi was not a priority, but I always continued to practice on my own. A few years ago I started a class at Old City Hall and I also now teach through the Shasta College Community Education program. There are a lot of people in Redding interested in learning tai chi. When I offer a new class at either location, it always fills up quickly. I enjoy teaching and sharing my knowledge of tai chi and Oriental culture with my students.

We are glad youre herethank you for what you offer the community. A meditation garden seems like a natural fit for the Sundial Bridge. Could you walk us through how this concept originated and how its location was chosen?

My tai chi students and I practice tai chi outdoors in the McConnell Arboretum on the second Saturday of each month. Its beautiful and peaceful there, and we really enjoy it.

Tai chi in the McConnell Arboretum on a cold January morning.

Last summer I came across a news article about the David Chen Memorial Tai Chi Court in Rockville, Maryland. After David passed away, his tai chi students built an amazingly beautiful court for tai chi practice in his memory. I shared the article with my students, and we all thought how wonderful it would be to have one like that here in Redding. Because the arboretum is so beautiful and centrally located, our first thought was to build it inside the arboretum.

Yes, the arboretum is a lovely spot. Where did you take the meditation garden idea from there?

After deciding to go forward, we approached Debra Lucero of the Shasta County Arts Council. She liked the concept and offered to help. She introduced our project to several people, including Kim Niemer, Reddings director of community services. Kim liked the idea also and after we expressed our desire to build in the McConnell Arboretum, she contacted Mike Warren, president and CEO of Turtle Bay Exploration Park. That led to a meeting with Mike and some of his staff members. Mike suggested a place at the northwest end of the Sundial Bridge.

The spot couldnt be better. Theres a great view of the Sundial Bridge, the river, and easy public access. Its a perfect location to enjoy the outdoors. This spot will utilize an area that previously was a staging area for construction of the Sundial Bridge. Because of the construction fill it is not easy to grow plants there, so creating a use for it that does not require more intensive watering works well.

Left to right, architects Terry Topolski and Ryan Russell, with Michel Czehatowski, look at the project plans at the site location.

That does sounds like an ideal location and use of landscape. What excites you most about this project?

Im passionate about this project for several reasons. One, of course, is because I think tai chi is an exercise that could benefit a lot of people. Second, it will provide an area for seniors (and others) to practice low-impact meditative exercises and hopefully influence more to consider taking up those practices.

Another reason is that there are only two existing tai chi courts in the USA one in Houston and one in Maryland. Ours will be the third in the country and the only tai chi court on the West Coast. With our central location we are sure to draw a lot of interest to Turtle Bay and the city of Redding.

Thats really interesting that it would be only the third tai chi court in the country. Would you give a basic description of what tai chi is and how it relates to yoga or other martial arts?

Tai chi is a low-impact, meditative exercise that originated in China. Because it is rejuvenating in nature, it is very popular with middle-aged and senior citizens. With most exercises you will peak at a certain point and eventually you will have to stop, but with tai chi you actually improve with age. It is quite common for people to actively practice tai chi into their 80s and beyond.

Tai chi increases flexibility and balance. It reduces stress. The movements are very slow, which encourage deep breathing and relaxation. Some people describe it as a standing form of yoga or standing meditation. Thats why we use the word meditation in the name of our project.

Tai chi is different from other martial arts in that we dont emphasize the martial aspects. Truthfully, anyone can learn to fight in a few months. But to develop your inner self takes a meditative practice. Practicing tai chi can help tame the emotions and make you feel more harmonious in your environment.

What will the meditation garden look like?

The Tai Chi Meditation Garden will be about 50 feet in diameter or roughly 1,800 square feet and will be made of flagstone. By itself it will be a work of art functional art since we have a purpose for it. The design is that of the tai chi diagram which Americans commonly call the yin yang symbol. The tai chi diagram is where the exercise tai chi gets its name. The outer circle of the symbol represents the oneness of all things and the inner fish-shaped design represents the duality or opposites in all things, such as night and day, hot and cold, heavy and light, hard and soft, left and right.

An artists rendering of the proposed Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden.

How do you envision people actually utilizing the space on a given day? Will you teach classes out there? Can people do different activities on it at the same time?

I think people who practice tai chi will be there mostly in the early mornings or evenings. I plan to offer free instruction on Saturday mornings. This park is for everyone so we expect people who practice other low-impact exercises such yoga, dance, or breathing exercises like Qigong to also use it, and theres no reason why this all cant happen at once. There will be plenty of room. People can also sit on the benches and relax.

That sounds delightful. How much will it cost to build the garden? In addition to the ACT grant competition, how else are you seeking to raise funds?

We need $100,000 to build the park, and we must have those funds on hand before we are allowed to start construction. We believe that we have a good project for the ACT grant competition, but in order to be considered we need to be ranked in the top ten most popular videos in our category of Wellness. Thats why getting the word out and having people vote for the project is so important.

However, we are looking at other grants and we also accept donations. The Shasta County Arts Council is our fiscal sponsor so donations are tax-deductible. You can make a donation online with your credit card or paypal through their website.

Besides the people already mentioned, are there others working with you on this project?

First and foremost, the Wuwei Tai Chi Club in Rockville, Md., inspired us for the project. They have been sharing their experience in building their Tai Chi Court and most importantly they allowed us to use their architectural plans as a guideline for our project. We are very indebted to them for their help.

Besides our dedicated Redding Tai Chi students we have partnered with the Shasta County Arts Council. It was through the efforts of Debra Lucero and her awesome staff that we were able to make a top-notch video for the competition. Turtle Bay Exploration Parks Lisa Endicott, who is their horicultural manager, will be designing the landscaping around the project. We also have two fine architects, Ryan Russell of Russell Studio and Terry Topolski, modifying our plans for the site. Former Redding resident Hannah Grgich of Hook and Ladder Design has been donating her graphic arts skill. She has designed our project logo, artist rendering of the project, and created animations for our video.

The project logo is composed of the tai chi symbol (yin yang symbol) and the Sundial Bridge. Theres also a turtle in it for Turtle Bay (not everyone sees the turtle at first).

Is there anything else youd like to say about the project, or the upcoming grant competition?

This project will benefit the community on a lot of levels, and I believe it is a win-win for everybody. It provides a public area to increase health awareness and promote exercise, it creates a new feature to benefit Turtle Bay Exploration Park, and we hope it will increase tourism in our area. My goal is to have the park built when the Turtle Bay Sheraton Hotel opens.

This is a nationwide competition so you dont have to live in Redding to vote on it. If you like this project, encourage your family and friends to vote also. Winning the grant would make all the difference in the world in making this happen and wed love to have you be a part of our success.

Thank you, Michel.

You can view the Shasta County Arts Council video about the projecthere.

The top 10 voted submissions in the ACT grant competition will be reviewed by a panel of judges, who will award $50,000 or $100,000 each to their top three picks. Voting starts Wednesday here.

Follow project updates on Facebook search for Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden Project.

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Redding Tai Chi Meditation Garden Project Seeks Online Votes for Grant - A News Cafe

MENLO PARK, Calif., April 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- At a time when the World Health Organization announces that depression tops the list of ill health conditions, the Abide mobile app built by Carpenters Code reports that their guided Christian meditation platform is helping 4 million users in 210 countries alleviate their depression, anxiety and day-to-day worries. For more than a year, the fast growing mobile app has been ranked in the Top 10 by iTunes for the search term "depression." Abide users report that the guided meditations help them calm down wherever they are, regardless of the time they may have.

The first step The World Health Organization recommends for recovery of depression is to speak to someone they trust. Meditation, a long held Christian tradition to connect with God, is making a big comeback through the Abide mobile application. Abide reaches millions daily through their partners, the YouVersion Bible app and Christian radio station KLOVE, and tracks more than 15,000 new downloads per month for the past two years.

"Christian meditation is one of the best ways to fight depression, the world's leading illness, which often can go untreated," said Neil Ahlsten, co-founder of Carpenters Code. "Our guided meditation app is designed to meet the often very private needs of people in the midst of very busy lives. Our users report that Abide helps them find pockets of time to connect with God for peace and stability in their lives."

Stats for Abide - Christian Guided Meditation

Stats for Depression - World Health Organization

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About Abide

Abide, built by Carpenters Code in Silicon Valley, is the leading digital platform for Christian meditation reaching 4 million users in 210 countries. The daily guided meditations, led by members of the Abide team and prominent guest leaders, offer a range of topics and guides based upon Scripture and proven meditational practices. Available for free or $29.99 a year with premium content through iTunes or Google Play.

Media Contact Stephanie Xavier 154459@email4pr.com 415-602-4035

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/four-million-turn-to-guided-christian-meditation-app-for-relief-of-depression-anxiety-and-spiritual-health-300437896.html

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Four Million Turn to Guided Christian Meditation App for Relief of Depression, Anxiety and - PR Newswire (press release)

Eunice Mesick-Local Columnist

You may say I dont have time to exercise. Or you may say I dont want to exercise. Take a look at some of the benefits of exercise.

Hi, this is Eunice from Diet Center.

Research has shown that even a little weight loss resulting from exercise can result in significant health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and better blood sugar control. The loss could be such a small amount that you dont have to see any significant physical changes. Researchers are also looking at how the small loss helps reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

What researchers are finding is that a modest loss in weight from exercise comes from fat lost under the skin, as well as loss of intra-abdominal fat. One study, in which participants lost a modest average of 3 pounds after joining an exercise program, showed that the participants lost 7 percent of their intra-abdominal fat. This amount of fat loss around the bodys internal organs is what can significantly benefit a persons health.

So try not to become discouraged if you have started an exercise program and the weight is not coming off as quickly as you thought that it would. You can be losing a good amount of body fat while improving your health.

Please dont forget that muscle tissue is actually denser than fat tissue. Therefore, a mass of muscle takes up less volume than a mass of fat that is equal in weight. If you are exercising to lose weight, you may find yourself losing inches without losing any weight. In fact, you may even gain a little from losing fat because youre gaining muscle. Its hard to not be disappointed when the scale doesnt move, and youve been dedicated to an exercise routine.

This is why its important to not just rely on the scale as a measurement of your success. Instead, think about your energy levels and how they may have increased. Think if you have seen numbers like your blood pressure and your blood sugar coming down. Examine how your clothes are fitting you. Has the waist band become looser? Are your pants not as tight around your thighs as they once were? Losing inches is a good sign of progress.

Just because the pounds arent dropping, doesnt necessarily mean youre not burning body fat especially when you are exercising! So try not to lose motivation when you are losing inches, but not pounds. You are probably losing fat and getting fit. Remember, the key to long-term success is a good diet along with exercise, and Diet Center can help you with that.

Thank you for reading Diet Centers exercise tip of the week.

If you are struggling with weight loss please contact Diet Center today at 928-753-5066 or stop by 1848 Hope Ave.

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Diet Center's Excercise Tip of the Week: Big Benefits - Kdminer

The centenary of Mahatma Gandhis Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat was celebrated at the Nehru Centre here on Monday, with the screening of a documentary depicting its founding and construction.

Titled Sabarmati Ashram: The Home of Gandhis Experiments with Truth, the documentary by London-based journalist Vijay Rana depicted to a discerning audience how Gandhi set it up on a 36-acre wasteland on the banks of the Sabarmati river, among other details.

The area was then full of snakes, but Gandhi insisted that none of them were to be killed.

It was at the ashram that many of his revolutionary ideas were conceived, such as economic liberation through spinning wheel and khadi, fight against untouchability, boycott of foreign goods, non-cooperation, peaceful civil disobedience and defying the Salt Law.

While celebrating 100 years of Gandhis Sabarmati Ashram, this documentary is an attempt, in this age of social media when attention span is increasingly fractured, to retell Gandhis story with some interesting visual elements to the Internet generation, Rana said.

The film included an eyewitness account of the April 1930 Salt March by one of his disciples, Sumangal Prakash, who was one of the 78 ashram residents Gandhi had selected as his co-marchers.

AS Rajan, minister in the Indian high commission, said the documentary reflected the values of non-violence, peace, love and harmony that Gandhi espoused, while CB Patel, veteran editor and publisher of Gujarat Samachar and the Asian Voice published from London, remembered his first visit to the Ashram in 1949 as a 12-year-old.

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London documentary recalls 100 years of Sabarmati Ashram - Hindustan Times

The storied Beatles Ashram awaits beyond a long and winding road across the Ganges River in Rishikesh, the Himalayan town where The Beatles lived in 1968 and composed their curious chapter of renunciation.

Nearly five decades later, the ashram is derelict yet still alive, a peaceful yet eerie abandoned ghost village that the Rajaji Tiger Reserve is now slowly consuming like endless desires eating away humans and demigods of fame and fortune as The Beatles were circa 1967.

John Lennon (left) and George Harrison leave Londons Heathrow Airport for India on February 15, 1968. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr joined them later.

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The iconic British band met Transcendental Meditation founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in London in 1967, and their India odyssey followed. And worldwide media attention followed them.

I followed The Beatles to Rishikesh with my photographer colleague Raghu Rai, Saeed Naqui reported in Indian newspaper The Statesman. Almost every newspaper in the world had sent their senior reporters. Not to much avail, though. The ashram was out of bounds for the media.

We walked on til I spotted the Maharishi under a tree with The Beatles. I promptly sneaked Raghu Rai in and he took a shot with the aid of his zoom lens. The Statesman had its scoop.

The Beatles and their wives at Rishikesh in March 1968. The group includes Ringo Starr, Maureen Starkey, Jane Asher, Paul McCartney, George Harrison (1943-2001), Patti Boyd, Cynthia Lennon, John Lennon (1940-1980), Beatles roadie Mal Evans, Jenny Boyd, Prudence Farrow and Beach Boy Mike Love.

Four days before my visit to the ashram this month, the Fab Fours The Longand Winding Road was playing on the opposite bank of the Ganges at the 1960s-themed Dilmar Cafe, better known as The Beatles Cafe.

Lights in the Himalayan dusk turned the Ganges into a river of gold, as the Lennon-McCartney lyrics rang appropriately in this ancient town full of seekers of the true way:

The long and winding road, that leads, to your door Will never disappear, Ive seen that road before It always leads me here, lead me to your door . Why leave me standing here, let me know the way.

The Beatles Cafe menu carries The Statesman article on The Beatles initial days in Rishikesh, and their search for the way.

[John] Lennon was the reclusive one, Naqui reported, and [Ringo] Starr was the friendliest. Paul [McCartney] would come and lie down in the Maharishis secretary Suresh Babus cabin and leaf through the copies of the Junior Statesman [the popular Statesman youth magazine of the 1960s].

Artwork at the assembly hall dubbed the Beatles Cathedral. Nearly two generations of Beatles fans have left their mark on the Beatles Ashram.

Gaping windows, piles of dead leaves in rooms, graffiti on still-sturdy walls are all that are left of the modest bungalows that housed some of the worlds most popular stars.

Igloo-like concrete meditation huts facing the Ganges, a wooden shelf in a ruined room that may have held Paul McCartneys books, a bench in a courtyard where John Lennon might have played his guitar, doors of dwellings left still open like residents had popped out for quick chat and never came back.

Archival British news footage of The Beatles in Rishikesh, in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, northern India.

The Beatles came here to renounce worldly pleasures, and search for the richer treasure of inner peace and contentment. Then reality hit them that this was not the way.

The person most skeptical of the Maharishi, Transcendental Meditation and what The Beatles were up to, was Ringo Starr, the Beatles drummer, said the Statesman reporter. Within a day of his arrival, he told me with considerable amusement, Its like a Butlin oliday camp [Billy Butlins budget holiday camps were popular across England]. Starr left for London shortly after.

The Beatles composed about30 songs here (featured on Abbey Road and the White Album), so thisobviously was no serious meditation center.

Beatles memories live on with wild elephants, tigers, monkeys and public art, as the ashram is now part of Rajaji National Park.

Starr had compared Maharishis enterprise to a holiday camp after seeing idlers in ashram robes. Even the Buddha admitted householders straight away into the order of monks, but instituted a three-month trial for ashram dwellers, to see if they could fit into the hard-working discipline needed in his meditation centers.

Given that idling and irrationality did not get them success, The Beatles could not accept that aBand-Aid solution of mantras, or chanting a word, could deal withall of their personal and cosmic problems.

Graffiti on a white wall near the entrance to the Beatles Ashram declared:You cannot escape your demons, you can only slay them.

As I have experienced over the past 24 years, slaying these inner demons needs penetrating depths of the mind, where they are created and multiply as harmful thought patterns.No miracles orgurus can liberate. I often heard Burmese-born Vipassana principal teacher Sayagyi U Goenka (1924-2013) say: Never fall into the clutches of a guru; be self-dependent. The guide shows the way, and the student strives hard to walk on it.

The Beatles with actress Jane Asher, Maureen Starkey and Pattie Boyd in Rishikesh celebrating George Harrisons 25th birthday on February 25, 1968.

The Beatles Rishikesh saga ultimately became a failed quest for the way.

Like realistic people grounded in common sense, they became uncomfortable with the Jai Gurudev cult around the Maharishi, and they found no way to slay inner demons in dungeons of the mind.

John Lennons wry take on The One Word, The Mantra. His Happy Rishikesh Song ends with a painful Something is wrong, something is wrong.

The disillusioned Beatles left first Ringo Starr, then McCartney a month later, and two weeksafterward Lennon and Harrison. They left behind ghosts of their Himalayan saga, of those here going away without finding the way.

Amid people doing quality work and selfless service, I see such spiritually exploited and exploiters continuing to haunt Rishikesh: victims of marketers of mantras, commercial yoga firms, ritualistic practices, and dangerous delusions of the kind that corrupted a fully Enlightened Super Scientists suffering-ending universal practice into a sectarian distortion called Buddhism (Why the Buddha was not a Buddhist).

The Beatles suffered from bad timing, arriving in India a year too earlyandmissing the path that in 1969, from Mumbai, began flowing again like the Ganges of Dhamma (laws of nature) in the land of its origin.

This timeless path looks for the person when the time ripens, through someone informing that there exists such a way, this practice of experiential wisdomshared entirely free of cost. I wish I had done this sooner, is a common feedback I have heard.

So theres time for you yet, Paul and Ringo, to see ifthis is the wayfor which you took the long and winding Himalayan road.

Raja Murthy is an independent journalist based in Mumbai contributing to Asia Times since 2003, The Statesman since 1990, and formerly for Times of India, Economic Times, Elle, Wisden.com etc. He shuttles between Mumbai and the Himalayas.

Continued here:

The Beatles haunt a Himalayan 'Long and Winding Road' - Asia Times

Go vegan

Would you like to have a healthier lifestyle, help prevent animal suffering and do something to save the environment?

A vegan (total vegetarian) diet can help you achieve all of the above.

Todays factory-farmed animals are crowded so closely together they cannibalize and self-mutilate due to intense stress. They are de-horned, de-beaked, tail-docked and castrated without anesthesia. These farm animals are deprived of sunlight, fresh air and all aspects of a normal life. The inspection process at the slaughterhouse is so fast that farm animals are frequently treated inhumanely.

The production of animal products is very detrimental to the environment. Tons of manure generated by billions of livestock often foul the nations waterways, causing water pollution and the death of many forms of aquatic life. So many parts of the United States experience drought conditions; the raising of livestock and marketing the finished product uses a lions share of precious water, exacerbating the problem.

A vegan diet protects against cancer, and because it contains zero cholesterol will not cause heart disease, high blood pressure or diabetes. It has been proven that the consumption of animal products can cause these detrimental conditions.

A vegan diet, one that contains a wide variety of plant-based foods, contains all the essential nutrients a human body needs, except vitamin B-12, which is easily supplemented daily. It has been proven that vegans have the strongest bones.

For a free packet of vegan recipes and nutrition information, call 224-1361.

BARBARA BONSIGNORE

Concord

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Opinion | Column

not not true

After a 24 hour closure for repairs over the alumni weekend, Duke students and alumni alike were shocked to find that every restaurant in the newly-renovated West Union had been repealed and replaced by the vegan-only restaurant, Sprout.

Gone are the stations of Indian fare, the $10,000 pizza oven shipped over from Italy and the ramen station. All have been replaced by sprouts of the Unions least popular vegetarian and vegan outlet, Sprout. The pok have been replaced with a make-your-own-kale-salad station, the caf turned into an almond-milk-only station and the Faculty Commons succeeded by a farm-to-table tofu restaurant.

According to YikYak, recent postings on the Duke Fix My Campus Facebook page and the two juniors recently back from Copenhagen whom I overheard on the C1, students are outraged that theyve lost the dishes they had learned to love to hate.

An anonymous first-year who proudly received a B- in Econ 201 last semester told Monday Monday, Id eaten Sitar every day for lunch for four months and I was only just now learning how to complain about the monotony of the Duke Dining experience to my friends and neighbors. What am I supposed to do now? The laws of supply and demand wont keep this up. LMo will have to make the change back.

A small group of students have begun assembling in the upstairs teaching kitchen, demanding the Duke administration bring back the crepe station with the watery nutella at the very least, in addition to establishing a $15 minimum wage and abolishing all prisons in the contiguous United States.

Tents have sprouted up in the past hour as more and more students join their protest, which was quickly dubbed W-Ville for continuitys sake, even if it doesnt rhyme with K. The administration has already begun alternative plans for the demonstration schedule on Earth Day by celebrity chef, Guy Fieri.

When asked about the recent changes, Doctor, Vice President of Student Affairs, Grandfather, Email Enthusiast and Vegan Czar Lawrence Moneta, PhD, admitted he was pretty excited about these changes.

Im not going to lie, he told Monday Monday. It was all me. The whole West Union? Yeah, it was me. Oh, and the vegan thing? It was me too. Did you know Im a vegan?

He noted that the lack of soda in the West Union was his first step at total health domination. The Italian soda was a cute afterthought to try and appease the student body while he executed his real plan for making the student body subsist on a powerful, plant-based dietfree of dairy, processed sugars and meat.

According to Moneta, most of the new eateries in the West Union will be sustained by the Duke Campus Farm which that weird P-Wild kid from down your hall goes to on occasion. Students were shocked to learn that the campus farm actually existed, as most only knew it as a sticker found on the laptop of the edgy TA who went to Bard for undergrad. However, because its only early spring, most of the vegetables will be shipped in from local places like Ecuador and Costa Rica.

This shift in the West Union towards strict veganism is symbolic of a larger change on Dukes campus towards freedom and diversity of thought. Moneta added that 2017 would bring a number of sizable changes to the gothic wonderland that students had begun to know and bemusingly despise. The university has already committed to destroying Central Campus and building a new center of campus by 2025, assuming that mold doesnt sprout up and take over before then.

The mold is vegan too, Moneta added excitedly.

He said the faculty council had made big plans to hire one conservative public policy professor before 2020, though political science professor and token Republican Peter Feaver had been told by President-Elect Vincent Price not to hold his breath.

The change Moneta is most hopeful about, however, is the committee of students, faculty and staff he has been leading, titled, Veganism: A Culture Under Siege. An anonymous Duke Student Government Representative and McKinsey 2017 summer analyst on the committee added they were incredibly excited about the findings, which concluded that the only way to properly establish a culture accepting of Veganism at Duke was to create a question on the application for admission. They added that the application for the Class of 2022 will feature a drop-down menu in which students can choose their meat consumption identity. The common application will feature Carnivore, Pescetarian, Vegetarian and Vegan choices, in addition to a write-in-your-own meat consumption identity.

Dean of Admissions and avid sunhat wearer Christoph Guttentag is hoping to use this method as a way of expanding the diversity of the class. The dean, who only reads applications for the exotic island of Manhattan, noted that the new question will distinguish the candidates from Horace Mann, Stuyvesant and Fieldston more distinctly, in addition to giving them direct insight into their parents earnings and potential Duke Annual Fund giving, despite a need-blind application.

You think a kid from Midtown who eats a strictly green, ovo-vegetarian diet has parents who arent going to give $1,000 to Duke Forward in the coming year? Please, Guttentag said, after ordering an unsweetened vanilla almond milk, holding the coffee.

Written while enjoying day-old vegan pumpkin bread from Vondy.

The Chronicle is your source for Duke news, sports, culture and dialogue.

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Vegan Czar Larry Moneta declares war on junk food - Duke Chronicle

And each of us can do something about it, today, by taking what we eat as seriously as we take climate change.

The effect of greenhouse gas emissions seems like an intransigent problem to curb, much less to solve. How can we play a role in influencing what humans are doing to the planet? And how can we approach these issues when political and economic forces can undermine efforts to address the climate crisis?

One answer lies in the choices that we make every day: what we eat.

Within that spectrum, fewer animal products are what's best for the planet, and our collective future. The Mediterranean diet alone (one that includes lower amounts of animal products) will still result in increased emissions, and the pescetarian diet (a vegetarian diet that includes fish) will lead to only a small degree of reduction in emissions.

However, a global vegetarian diet, the same study showed, would be the most effective of all diets (not including vegan) in achieving a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a decrease in agricultural land demand and land clearing.

So, what keeps us from following a plant-based diet? It requires overcoming our habits and our tastes, learning new ways to cook, planning during travel, and navigating the social aspects of eating and meal sharing. However, when seen through the lens of the fate of Earth's climate and resources, don't these challenges all of a sudden seem minuscule?

Choosing plant-based diets can promote environmental sustainability.

It is rare that a single choice of ours can have a broad and decisive impact on the climate crisis. We have a moral imperative to choose and advocate for plant-based diets for the health of our planet and the well being and survival of generations to come.

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Go vegan, save the planet - CNN.com - CNN

On the top floor of the Robert Hoag Rawlings Public Library on Sunday, a group of about two dozen Puebloans gathered in the Ryals Special Events Room to eat, socialize and listen to presentations from speakers who'd come to discuss their ideals on National Farm Animal Day.

The event was like many held at the Ryals Room: impassioned speakers, engaged listeners, informative pamphlets and a full spread of food for those who wandered into the event with an empty belly.

The primary difference between this event and others like it, however, is that at Sunday's happening the food, the message and the majority of the people were all vegan.

National Farm Animal Day is a nationwide annual event that began in 2005 as an initiative by animal activist Colleen Paige to shed light on the plight of animals that are abused and slaughtered on farms.

Joshua Chappell and Sandrah Burrier, co-organizers of the event at the library and orchestrators of the Pueblo Vegan and Vegetarians group on meetup.com, said that the goal of the National Farm Animal Day event was to prompt thought and discussion about the role that animals play in relation to human diets.

"I would hope that somebody would walk away from this event really contemplating their relationship to non-human animals," Burrier said.

"I think most of us want to call ourselves animal lovers or consider ourselves animal lovers, but eating and killing someone when you don't have to -- since humans don't biologically need meat or dairy to live -- isn't an act of love. And our culture does a really god job of keeping our eyes closed to that."

Since moving to Pueblo about 9 1/2 months ago, Chappell and Burrier have organized about 18-20 events in Pueblo to promote veganism and animal rights with film screenings, documentaries, potlucks, community meetings and even game nights.

In organizing Saturday's event, Burrier said the group chose to feature speakers who have seen firsthand the production side of the animal agriculture industry.

"Kind of our theme was to have speakers that have been on both sides of the industry, so people who have willingly participated in commodifying animals and then who have kind of had an awakening so to speak, and are now speaking on their behalf," Burrier said, "Each of our speakers in some way has been involved in animal agriculture."

The day's speakers included Julia Cameron Weingardt, the founder of a Greeley-based activist group called The Greeley Cow Save and Becky Bottomley Bernholtz, an Animal Rights Activist with Direct Action Everywhere.

The keynote speaker of the event was Renee King Sonnen, a well-known figure in the vegan activism community who lives in Texas and addressed the crowd via Skype.

"She started with (a blog called) 'Vegan Journal of a Ranchers Wife' -- she essentially married a cattle rancher, had no idea what cattle ranching entailed, fell in love with the animals and then essentially bought her husband's entire herd and turned their 90-acre cattle ranch into a sanctuary to protect these animals. She's like a huge name within the vegan community right now," Burrier said.

Although not every participant at the National Farm Animal Day occasion came to, or left the library as a vegan, the non-vegans in attendance undoubtedly departed with a fuller understanding of what veganism means.

"We try to sum it up with three main angles," Chappell said.

"The first and most important, we believe, is the rights of the animals -- that they're individuals with individual experiences. So today is primarily focused on that aspect. The other two are the impacts on your personal health, which are very profound, as well as the impacts the food industry has on the environment, so that's the trifecta of veganism we say."

zhillstrom@chieftain.com

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Vegan group hosts National Farm Animal Day event - Pueblo Chieftain

Hey everybody! What do you get when you combine your favorite soul food and a vegan restaurant? Savannahs first vegan-only spot: Natural Selections Cafe.

Its still so surreal, says owner/operator Davida Harris, laughing. The other day I sat in the parking lot across the street and watched people come in and eat. I just sat there and said, Im a restaurant owner. Im a vegan restaurant owner.

Davida opened her doors in early March and already the response has been so huge, shes extended to evening dinner hours.

Its fun, she says. Oh, yeah. Its my food. I want to be here with it.

And you wont believe the menu.

We have macaroni and cheese and greens old Southern favorites leave out of the door like hot cakes, she says.

Let me say as a dairy-loving, devout carnivore, this food is really good! You wont know its not the real thing.

But theres also a hearts of palm Crabby Cake, a seitan (a common vegan staple) Not Chicken Salad that youd swear your mama made (this is my favorite tastes great and even the texture is perfect) and an incredible cinnamon roll cheese cake that Davida says she cant keep in the store.

Davida started cooking vegan for herself 15 years ago, but it wasnt until five years ago that she started catering vegan meals. This past summer, she had an event that was way too large for her in-home kitchen and decided it was time for a restaurant.

The customers come in and thank me for opening this, she says. I know how difficult it was for me to find places to eat in Savannah that were all vegan. Most vegans dont want to eat in a kitchen that has meat or dairy products cooked in it.

Davida went vegan for health reasons but says she wasnt willing to give up the taste. And her customers approve.

Were part of Savannah Veggies and Vegans and they were posting about it, says Bluffton resident Meredith Johnson, sitting next to her husband Jason Telmos. They were posting photos of the mac n cheese and me being a pregnant vegan, I was like, Were driving 45 minutes to get this mac n cheese.

Technically, they were in town for an appointment with their midwife, but couldnt pass up the chance to check out Natural Selections. So far, they love everything theyve tried.

Oh, it was fantastic, says Jason. The crab cake was really, really good. Meredith picks it up from there: The crabby cake was amazing.

About that cheesy southern staple

Mac n cheese was on point, says Jason. Meredith adds, You would never know it was vegan. Tastes just like mac n cheese; it was amazing.

Jason takes it one step further, It was really, really good. And the baby approved. Meredith laughs and agrees.

The whole time my photographer Drew and I were in the restaurant, there was never less than three tables (there are about 10 tables total) with customers enjoying Davidas fine vegan cuisine and there were constant take-out orders. That says something for demand when customers are seeking out a brand-new vegan restaurant open for barely a month.

She also has what you think of as more standard vegan fare: kale, brown rice and quinoa. But it was the vegan soul food that really surprised me.

One side note: the prices are really reasonable. The most expensive thing on the menu is $10 and most items were way cheaper. Not to mention, you can get half sizes on the sandwiches and salads and a smaller serving of soup.

You can also order and pay online at NaturalSelectionsCafe.com.

Like Davida says, she didnt give up the taste, and its paying off in happy customers and a good time.

This is fun, she says. This isnt even like work, this is fun cause I like cooking. Its fun and I like to see people eat my food.

To see more of Davidas story and learn more about Natural Selections Cafe, tune in to The Bridge on WSAV at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Rene LaSalle is co-host of The Bridge, which airs at 11 a.m. Monday-Friday on WSAV. Contact her on Facebook by searching Rene LaSalle WSAV, on Twitter @WSAVReneeL or email her at rlasalle@wsav.com.

Rene LaSalle is co-host of The Bridge, which airs at 11 a.m. Monday-Friday on WSAV. Contact her on Facebook by searching Rene LaSalle WSAV, on Twitter @WSAVReneeL or email her at rlasalle@wsav.com.

Natural Selections Cafe

Address: 1526 Bull St.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday; noon-5 p.m. Sunday

Info: NaturalSelectionsCafe.com, 912-660-0878

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The Bridge: Natural Selections Cafe offers all-vegan options on Bull Street - Savannah Morning News