vegsoc_sg : Messages : 223-252 of 514

Singapore Meatout Week 2006 Comes to a Successful Close

Happy National Day

VSS News

Our August Wellness Seminar

VSS T-Shirt Now Available

Other News

New Study Suggests Change in Diet Treatment for Diabetes

Sophia’s Cooking Class (in Mandarin)

Vegan Ultramarathoner Wins Again, and Again

Veg Stall Opens in Woodlands

Class on Natural Remedies

Learn to Make Vegetarian Kimchi

Cooking Classes at CCs

The Wonders of Watermelon

VSS News

Singapore Meatout Week 2006 Comes to a Successful Close

Cutting meat consumption in Singapore is an urgent task, because decreased meat consumption can provide a range of benefits, including improved health, reduced suffering by other animals, a healthier environment, and more food available to the millions of people without food. This year’s Singapore Meatout Week will be remembered for the many steps forward that were taken.

Familiar food outlets once again offered Meatout discounts, new ones joined the list, and others contacted us about being included next year.

Our first-ever library exhibition at the National Library provided a focal point for people to learn about vegetarianism and VSS, and we’ve been asked to do an exhibition at Woodlands Regional Library later this year.

The Meatout dinner at Greenland Vegetarian Restaurant saw a largest-ever turnout of 300.

The Organic Tour sold out quickly, and now a tour company wants to organize more of the same for us.

The JC Essay Contest was another first-time event. The quantity of entries was disappointing, but please have a look at the winners at and see if you don’t agree that their quality helped compensate for lack of quantity: http://www.singaporemeatout.org/winners.htm.

Meatout received lots of publicity on various radio stations in a number of languages plus extensive coverage in The Straits Times supplement “Mind Your Body.”

Please send your own feedback on Singapore Meatout Week 2006 and your ideas for next year to info@.... We want to start early on the planning for Singapore Meaotut Week 2007.

Our August Wellness Seminar

The August VSS Wellness Seminar presents two videos that dramatically illustrate powerful reasons to go veg. The first video, Race for Life, highlights a woman in the U.S. who recovered from breast cancer by switching to a proper veg diet and doing lots of exercise. Not only did she beat cancer, she also went on to win triathlon races in her age group. In the second video, Devour the Earth, Sir Paul McCartney explains how our dietary choices affect the well-being of the environment. He pinpoints damage done by modern factory farming of our fellow animals for meat.

A short discussion and light organic refreshments follow the video screenings. Here are the details:

Date: 26 Aug (Sat)

Time: 2.30pm ~4pm

Venue: Living Space, Level 5, 17, Hong Kong Street (5min from Clarke Quay MRT)

Fee: $5 per person, light organic refreshments free

Registration: kee_yew@...; Pre-registration required.

VSS T-Shirt Now Available

The purple and yellow VSS t-shirt is now available for purchase. To see pictures of the front and back of the t-shirt, and to find out how to order, pls visit the new T-Shirt page on the VSS web: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/revamp/html/index.php?module=Static_Docs&func=view&f=t-shirt.htm.

And if you have ideas for other VSS products, please let us know: info@....

Other News

New Study Suggests Change in Diet Treatment for Diabetes

A low-fat vegan diet treats type 2 diabetes more effectively than a standard diabetes diet and may be more effective than single-agent therapy with oral diabetes drugs, according to a study in the August issue of Diabetes Care, a journal published by the American Diabetes Association. Study participants on the low-fat vegan diet showed dramatic improvement in four disease markers: blood sugar control, cholesterol reduction, weight control and kidney function. The randomized controlled trial was conducted by doctors and dieticians with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), the George Washington University, and the University of Toronto with funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Diabetes Action Research and Education Foundation.

Sophia’s Cooking Class (in Mandarin)

New Green Pastures Restaurant, 190 Middle Road, #04-22, Fortune Centre, is sponsoring a 4-session veg cooking class in Mandarin beginning 20 Aug for 4 Sundays, from 3-6pm. Learn from cooking guru Mdm Sophia Teh. Here are the details:

Investment: SGD200 (4 classes, includes dinners)

To register: Call 6336 8755 or 9451 2799

20 Aug

Fragrance Rice in Lotus Leaf

Sprouty Sushi

Wakame Delight

27 Aug

Slurpy Hor-fun

Butter Pumpkin

Bitterguord-in-Black

3 Sep

Cabbage Roll con Mushroom

Vegetarian Chicken Rice

Cloud-9 Hand-made Noodle

Prosperous Nori Soup

10 Sep

5-Spice Pumpkin Rice

Bean Curd Pillow

Mr Bean Returns

Vegan Ultramarathoner Wins Again, and Again

An ultramarathon is defined as any race longer than the marathon distance of 42.195 km (26+ miles). Probably the world’s top ultramarathoner is Scott Jurek, a vegan. Scott’s latest victory was in a race that covered 135 miles over 13,000 vertical feet from Death Valley to the base of Mount Whitney in the U.S., with temperatures often over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

We first heard about this from an electronic newsletter published by Karen Dawn who also does radio shows on animal topics: http://www.dawnwatch.com/index.htm.

Here’s what one newspaper wrote about Jurek:

Tall and trim but a bit less lanky than many hard-core runners, Jurek logs 55-70 miles a week on average, and 100-120 as he’s peaking before a big race – running as many as he can on wooded trails. In recent years, he’s added yoga, weightlifting and a vegan diet to his training regimen.

Instead of milk, eggs, steak and other staples of many meat-eating runners’ diets, Jurek eats a lot of tofu, tempeh (a high-protein food made of cooked soybeans) and whole grains, and adds things such as almonds, hemp seed and protein powder to the smoothies he often blends up for breakfast.

http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060706/NEWS/60706001/1005

Veg Stall Opens in Woodlands

SAN DE Vegetarian

Address: Blk 892C, Woodlands Ave 2.

In the 24hrs coffee shop at basement of the multi-storey carpark, but open from 6am-8pm.
Just opposite the Causeway Point. About 5 mins walk; have to cross over the bridge.

Class on Natural Remedies

Learn from the folks at Genesis Health Food Restaurant (#1 Lorong Telok, Raffles Place MRT) about natural ways to treat such problems as diarrhoea, flatulence, nausea, sore throat and ear infections. Sunday, 13 Aug, 4-5pm, $20, 6438-7118, genesishf@.... Pre-registration recommended.

Learn to Make Vegetarian Kimchi

Kimchi, spicy pickled cabbage, is the national dish of Korea. Attend this workshop to learn how to make healthy vegetarian kimchi. Here are the details:

Date: 12 Aug (Sat)

Time: 3pm ~ 5pm

Venue: Chyuan Shiang, 92, Lorong 27, Geylang Road, (3min from Aljunied MRT).

Fee: $5 per person, all materials provided

Registration: Call Ms Yeo @ 67-4553-67; 674-674-63.

Cooking Classes at CCs

Many CCs offer vegetarian cooking classes. PA has kindly provided this list of classes to be held later this year. Please contact the respective CC for details. A list of CCs can be found at http://160.96.187.35/NASApp/cconline/centerMain.do?GXHC_JSESSIONID=39e7408eedc4c6b7&.

Jurong Spring CC: 15 Aug, 2-5pm,

Jurong Spring CC: 29 Aug, 7-10pm

Gek Poh Ville CC: 04 Aug, 2-5pm

Ulu Pandan CC: 06 Sep, 7.30-9.30pm
Lam Soon CC: 17 Nov, 7.30-9.30pm

The Wonders of Watermelon

Watermelon is inexpensive, easy to find at most fruit stalls, sweet and great for cooling off on a hot day. Now, more evidence is emerging of watermelon’s health benefits, including that it’s rich in the phytochemical lycopene. Tasty and healthy too? Is that possible? Looks like it is: http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/jun02/lyco0602.htm.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#224 From: "Vegetarian Society $Singapore$" <george@...>
Date: Sat Aug 12, 2006 2:33 pm
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 14 August 2006 jacobs_george
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VSS eNewsletter Aug 14 2006

Vegetarian Magazine Plans Name Change

VSS News

August Wellness Seminar

Join the VSS Giro Scheme

Other News

Saute with Fruit Juice

More on Kimchi

Fair Trade Veg Products

Veg Cooking Class in Mandarin

Colon Cancer and Meat

VSS News

August Wellness Seminar

The August VSS Wellness Seminar presents two videos that illustrate powerful reasons to go veg. The first video, Race for Life, highlights a woman in the U.S. who recovered from breast cancer by switching to a proper veg diet and doing lots of exercise. Not only did she beat cancer, she also went on to win triathlon races in her age group. In the second video by the International Vegetarian Union (IVU), Devour the Earth, Sir Paul McCartney explains how our dietary choices affect the well-being of the environment. He pinpoints damage done by modern factory farming of our fellow animals for meat (for a transcript of the IVU video: http://vegetarismus.ch/video/vsuk_skripte.htm).

A short discussion and light organic refreshments follow the video screenings. Here are the details:

Date: 26 Aug (Sat)

Time: 2.30pm ~4pm

Venue: Living Space, Level 5, 17, Hong Kong Street (5min from Clarke Quay MRT)

Fee: $5 per person, light organic refreshments free

Registration: kee_yew@...; Pre-registration required.

Join the VSS Giro Scheme

To provide regular support for VSS’s activities, such as the recent Singapore Meatout Week 2006 – http://www.singaporemeatout.org – please consider signing up for the VSS giro scheme: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/downloads/vssgiro.pdf. Any amount – even $5/month – is appreciated. VSS is a non-profit, non-religious, registered charity.

Vegetarian Magazine Plans Name Change

The main benefit of VSS membership is knowing that your $30/year supports the Society’s education efforts. Another benefit is that you can subscribe at a reduced price to a veg magazine published in Australia: New Vegetarian & Natural Health:

http://www.vegetarian-society.org/revamp/html/index.php?module=Static_Docs&func=view&f=/membership.htm#5. This offer is only open to VSS members. If you want to subscribe to the magazine without being a VSS member: http://www.veg-soc.org/html/mag-issues/current-issue.html.

The magazine is planning to change its name. Here are the five candidates. If you have an opinion, please send it to the magazine’s editor, Mark Berriman at

avs@....

1. Natural Health and Today's Vegetarian

2. Natural Health and (the) Modern Vegetarian

3. Natural Health and Vegetarian Lifestyle

4. Natural Health and Vegie Living

5. Natural Health and Vegetarian Living

Other News

Saute with Fruit Juice

Here are some tips from the Mayo Clinic on why and how we should increase our fruit consumption. Among the tips is saut�ing with fruit juice instead of oil. Why not give it a try! http://health.yahoo.com/topic/nutrition/overview/article/mayoclinic/EF7CCB6D-D9D3-42BF-80E7D730CB0EC115

More on Kimchi

Our last issue mentioned a kimchi-making workshop, and one reader wrote to ask for more information. Here you go, plus some recipes: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2004issue2/vj2004issue2kimchi.htm and

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/document_display.cfm?section_id=22&document_id=190.

Fair Trade Veg Products

Fair Trade is a concept that promotes fair prices for small-scale producers in poor countries when they sell their handicrafts and agricultural goods for use in developed countries: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_Trade.

Villagexchange is Singapore’s first Fair Trade organization: http://www.villagexchange.org. They “promote Fair Trade as an equitable and sustainable form of exchange for alleviating global poverty, and offer fairly traded products from poor producers of less developed countries.”� Currently, there are only a small number of items for sale via their website, but they plan to expand. All of the items presently available are vegetarian.

Veg Cooking Class in Mandarin

Investment: SGD200 (4 classes, includes dinners)

To register: Call 6336.8755 or 9451.2799

20 Aug

Fragrance Rice in Lotus Leaf

Sprouty Sushi

Wakame Delight

27 Aug

Slurpy Hor-fun

Butter Pumpkin

Bitterguord-in-Black

3 Sep

Cabbage Roll con Mushroom

Vegetarian Chicken Rice

Cloud-9 Hand-made Noodle

Prosperous Nori Soup

10 Sep

5-Spice Pumpkin Rice

Bean Curd Pillow

Mr Bean Returns

Colon Cancer and Meat

This article, from the American Institute for Cancer Research, highlights continuing research suggesting that meat consumption, along with obesity, fibre and exercise, may be a key factor in colon cancer:

http://www.aicr.org/site/News2?abbr=pr_&page=NewsArticle&id=10150.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#225 From: "Vegetarian Society $Singapore$" <george@...>
Date: Sat Aug 19, 2006 1:36 pm
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 21 August 2006 jacobs_george
Send Email

VSS eNewsletter 21 Aug 2006

National Youth Environment Forum 2006

VSS News

IVU Congress in Goa

Meeting with Indonesian Veg Organisation

Other News

True Health Anniversary

Heavy Metal Goes Veg

Another Band Sings Veg

Indian Vegetarian Lunch Delivery to Offices and Homes

New Vegetarian Caf� at Serangoon North

Non-Leather Athletic Shoes

Is It Really Whole Grain?

VSS News

IVU Congress in Goa

VSS is a member of the International Vegetarian Union (IVU). You can read a recent self-report on some of the IVU’s activities at http://www.ivu.org/news/IVU_Annual_Report_2006.pdf.

IVU organizes the World Vegetarian Congress every two years. In 2004, it was in Brazil; in 2008, it will be in Germany. This Sep, 10-16, it’s in India: Goa to be exact. Details and online registration are now available at http://www.ivu.org/congress/2006. At least one VSS member will be attending. Please let us know if you will be attending: info@....

National Youth Environment Forum 2006

VSS will be participating in the National Youth Environment Forum 2006 on Sat, 2 Sep, 8am-6pm, at SMU: http://www.eco-singapore.org/forum. In particular, we will be highlighting the role of meat eating in environmental destruction and world hunger. Guest of Honour: Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources.

Meeting with Indonesian Veg Organisation

Last Tuesday, some VSS Exco members met with a group of visitors from KVMI (Keluarga Vegetarian Maitreya Indonesia): http://www.kvmi-online.org. Their website, mostly in Indonesian, contains a list of veg restaurants in various parts of Indonesia.

Among the topics discussed was VSS participation in an event in Batam to mark World Vegetarian Day: http://worldvegetarianday.org. Check this newsletter for more information as the date approaches.

Some online greeting card companies have special World Vegetarian Day e-cards: http://www.123greetings.com/events/world_vegetarian_day/index_ajax.html.

Other News

True Health Anniversary

True Health is a Catholic organization that promotes vegetarianism and other behaviours that are healthy for people and the planet. The organization celebrates its first anniversary on Sat, 26 Aug, from 10am to 3pm in the chapel of the Church of St Peter and Paul, 225A Queen St. The event includes an address by True Health’s spiritual leader, Father Anselm Phang, who has a recipe in the VSS cookbook, New Asian Traditions Vegetarian Cookbook, and a lecture “Towards a Healing Life” by Sebastian Liew, a naturopathic doctor, who also has a recipe in the cookbook. Afterwards an exotic vegetarian lunch will be served, to be followed by an exhibition that includes VSS, ACRES (http://www.acres.org.sg) and NSS (http://nss.org.sg). Tickets are $15. For more info: www.true-health.com.sg.

Heavy Metal Goes Veg

Cattle Decapitation is the name of a heavy metal band that advocates vegetarianism. Their website displays some of their album covers and lyrics. Warning – the site is not for the faint-hearted: http://www.cattledecapitation.com. Alternatively, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_Decapitation.

Another Band Sings Veg

Goldfinger (no connection to the James Bond movie) is a ska-punk band whose lead singer is a vegan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldfinger_(band). They did a song for a PETA video: http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/video.asp?video=free_me&Player=wm&speed=_med. In the video, Goldfinger sings “Free Me” while we see gory video from factory farms and slaughterhouses. Warning: explicit lyrics.

Indian Vegetarian Lunch Delivery to Offices and Homes

Monday through Friday, except public holidays, you can contact Mr Velu for delivery of Indian vegetarian lunches. For $5, these lunches typically include:

�

- steamed rice

- 3 side dishes

- curry /dhal

- 2 chappatis or other bread items such as poori.

Dishes include no onion or garlic. The menu changes daily. For more information: 6746.4164.

New Vegetarian Caf� at Serangoon North

Ci Ying Vegetarian House is a new vegetarian cafe at Serangoon North. Some of their specialties include dim sum, such as soon kueh, rice kueh, and carrot cake (1 pc type). Among their other dishes are: breakfast - dried minced meat noodles, char siew noodles, laksa, brown rice porridge; lunch - economical rice; dinner - cze char.

The caf� opens at 0700 and closes at 2030, but is closed between 1430 to 1630 for preparation time. Exact address: Blk 152 Serangoon North Ave 1 (opp two temples & Blk 114, just above 315 bus stop). Nearest MRT: Hougang.

Non-Leather Athletic Shoes

Some vegetarians also try not to wear clothing that comes from dead animals, such as leather shoes. Fortunately, this seems to be getting easier to do. For example, New Balance now has a range of athletic shoes made with synthetic leather. To find out the item numbers of the shoes, email New Balance at customer.service@.... Their website (http://www.newbalance.com) also tells where to find stores that carry their shoes.

Is It Really Whole Grain?

The following is from the newsletter of the Vegetarian Resource Group: http://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/index.htm.

We recently received the following question, "I heard that some 'whole wheat' pastas do not have enough fiber. Are the labels misleading?"

Blythe Tucker, a dietetic student, along with Reed Mangels, Ph.D., R.D.

answered: "When we think of whole wheat or grain products there is an automatic assumption that they are a healthier product. Yet, some whole wheat or whole grain products have a similar fiber and sugar content as the regular product made with refined white flour. You should be wary of just relying on the text on the front of the box.

There are products that have misleading text on them. The Whole Grain Council says producers print 'whole grain' on products which contain only minuscule amounts of whole grains. They recommend looking for their stamp on the front of the box or statements like 'Good Source of whole grain, 'Excellent Source of whole grain' or '100% whole wheat.'

The best possible way to ensure that you are getting the most wholesome product possible is by taking the product off the shelf, flipping it over, and reading the nutritional label. The Whole Grain Council lists the following ingredients as indicators that a product is whole grain: whole wheat, whole grain [name of grain], whole wheat, whole [other grain], stone ground whole [grain], and brown rice. Just make sure that these ingredients are the first to be listed, that shows that they are dominant in the product.

"If your main goal in eating whole wheat or grain products is a product with higher fiber content, then you should go a step beyond and read the total carbohydrates in your product, where fiber is listed. White pasta averages one to two grams of fiber per two ounce serving. Good wholesome, whole wheat pasta should have considerably more. I recommend brands with at least five grams of dietary fiber per two ounce serving.

"It is valuable to your body to reach for the pastas, breads, and cereals made from whole wheat or grain. For the best possible product make sure that that they are not loaded with refined sugar and have a high fiber content. The average adult man should consume between 31 to 38 grams of fiber and the average adult woman should consume 21 to 25 grams daily. Consumption of this amount of fiber can help ward off heart disease, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, constipation, and obesity. By eating three to five servings of whole wheat or grain products, you should be able to easily meet these requirements."

This information is not intended to provide personal medical advice.

Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#226 From: "Vegetarian Society $Singapore$" <george@...>
Date: Thu Aug 24, 2006 4:46 pm
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 25 August 2006 jacobs_george
Send Email

VSS eNewsletter 25 Aug 2006

If You Stop Receiving This Newsletter

VSS News

Running on Plant Power

VSS Flyers on the Web

Leafleting at WOMAD

Our Exhibition Posters Online

Other News

Corn, Olive and Cabbage Treats

More Veg Options for Lovers of Japanese Food

Veg Out at the Golden Arches?

Annalakshmi Reopens

Might Cows Moo with a Singlish Accent?

Cooking Classes from Palate Sensations

VSS News

Running on Plant Power

The SAFRA Sheares Bridge Run & Army Half Marathon is Singapore's largest mass-running event: https://www.safra.sg/safrasbr&ahm.

At this year’s event, Sun, 27 Aug, a group of vegetarian runners will be wearing a top with a message promoting vegetarianism. Supporting them will be Singapore's record holder for the marathon, M. Rameshon. Though Rameshon will not be wearing the vegetarian message top while running, as he is sponsored by Adidas, he will wear it after he finishes the race.

If you are interested in spreading the veg message at other such events, contact info@....

VSS Flyers on the Web

Won’t be a WOMAD or any of the other events where VSS will be and you want a copy of the VSS flyers: Why Vegetarian or What Is a Healthy Vegetarian Diet? Now, you can download them from the VSS web at:

http://www.vegetarian-society.org/download/VitaminMin_a.jpg

http://www.vegetarian-society.org/download/VitaminMin_b.jpg

http://www.vegetarian-society.org/download/Yveg_a.jpg

http://www.vegetarian-society.org/download/Yveg_b.jpg.

The flyers are not copyrighted; you are encouraged make your own copies. We have the same policy with our VCD. That is not yet on the Web, but we are planning to revamp our website and include a page for videos.

Leafleting at WOMAD

WOMAD, the World Music Festival, is taking place again this year at Fort Canning, on the evenings of 25-27 Aug, Fri-Sun. We will be distributing VSS flyers, thx to the generosity of our friends at The Brownie Factory B2 Food Hall, Takashimaya, tel: 6835-9579; opening hours - 10am-9.30pm daily.

Our Exhibition Posters Online

VSS has a wide variety of colourful posters with captions in Chinese and English. Most recently, we used them at our exhibition at the National Library during Singapore Meatout Week 2006. Some of the posters are now available for viewing online at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/downloads/poster/index.htm.

If you have suggestions for a place to exhibit the posters, please let us know: info@.... For instance, a yoga society will be borrowing some of the posters for an exhibition in Sep.

If You Stop Receiving This Newsletter

This electronic newsletter is sent out via Yahoo! Unfortunately, there’s a strange flaw in the Yahoo! system which causes Yahoo! to stop sending newsletters to some people, including even the editor of this newsletter.

Point being: if you stop receiving this electronic newsletter for a couple weeks, Yahoo! may have ‘bounced’ you. No worries, just write to info@..., and we’ll set things right. Plus, you can always read back issues of the newsletter at www.vegetarian-society.org.

Other News

Corn, Olive and Cabbage Treats

The experts at Genesis Health Food Restaurant, 1 Lorong Telok, are offering another of their informative and tasty cooking classes, this Sun, 27 Aug, from 4-6pm. As usual, the class begins with a health talk. This session, the topic is “What’s Nutritious about Corn, Olives and Cabbage?” Following the talk is a cooking demonstration of cream of corn soup, olive rice and Thai cabbage soup. Last, but not least, dinner is served!

Price = $40/pax. Contact info: phone: 643-87118n or genesishf@....

More Veg Options for Lovers of Japanese Food

Sakae Sushi, a chain of sushi restaurants with outlets all over the island, has expanded and revised its veg offerings:

http://www.sakaesushi.com.sg/promo%20-%20vege.php.

Veg Out at the Golden Arches?

A reader reports that Mcdonald’s has a Veg Out day on the 1st of every month. This means that some fruit and vegetable items, such as corn, apple slices, and salads, are sold at reduced price. There’s nothing about this on the McD’s Singapore website, and an email to McD’s Singapore has yet to be answered, but another reader visited a McD’s outlet and was told that Veg Out will happen the 1^st of Sep. A sign of the times?

Annalakshmi Reopens

Annalakshmi Restaurant has reopened at 104, Amoy Street. It’s near Raffles Place, Tanjong Pagar, and Chinatown MRTs. The hours are 11am-7pm, Mon-Sat, closed Sun, except for special reservations. Find out about their delivery service by visiting their web - http://www.annalakshmi.com.sg/index.htm - and clicking on Lunch Pack. Tel: 6223-0809. Plus, rumour is that Annalakshmi may be opening another restaurant in time for Deepavali.

Might Cows Moo with a Singlish Accent?

It seems that the way in which cows moo may vary according to where they live:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060823/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_cows_accent. Just like humans, cows’ behaviors are affected by their environment. Let’s hope that more people eat less meat so that more cows’ moos can be contented ones.

Cooking Classes from Palate Sensations

Palate Sensations Cooking School (www.palatesensations.com), 1 Whitchurch Road #03-05, opposite Col Bar, off Portsdown Road offers a wide variety of classes, veg and non-veg, as well as other services. In Sep, they are offering veg classes by people whose names will be familiar to readers of this newsletter, Danny Chu and Julia Jus. Here’s the info.

Shojin Ryori Japanese Vegetarian Cuisine by Danny Chu, Enso Kitchen

25 (Mon) and 30 Sep (Sat), 11am-2pm. Experience the cooking method taught in Zen temples, participate and present a vegan friendly meal which includes soymilk soup, scattered vegetable vinegared rice, lotus root tofu dumpling, ginger & mushroom tempura.

Fee: $85/pax or $160/2 pax

Raw Food with Julia Jus

15 Sep (Fri), 7pm-8.30pm: Why Raw. In this talk & demonstration, learn the following about Raw Food: how we are biologically adapted to the raw foods diet; the effects of heat and cooking on proteins, fats, micronutrients, and enzymes; the raw vegetarian food groups; food combining for better digestion.

Learn to make almond pesto cheese torte, caramel candies, chocolate mousse parfaits.

Fee: $50/pax

16 Sep (Sat), 11am-1pm: Forget Cooking. "Forget Cooking" will teach people how to create delicious foods out of whole, unprocessed, organic, raw ingredients. Learn to make almond milk, cream of zucchini soup, Mediterranean kale salad, not tuna salad, vegetarian sushimaki, zucchini noodles marinara, chocolate mousse.

Fee: $75/pax

17 Sep (Sun), 11am-2pm, Raw Basics. Learn how easy it is to transition to a raw diet with easy recipes for people on the go! In this class learn how to make seed and nut cheeses, appetizers, soups, dressings, Italian pasta and marinara, salad and dessert. These foods will impress even the most skeptical!

$75/pax

Enrollment for all classes: info@... or 6479.9025

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

http://www.vegetarian-society.org/downloads/VitaminMin_a.jpg
http://www.vegetarian-society.org/downloads/VitaminMin_b.jpg

http://www.vegetarian-society.org/downloads/Yveg_a.jpg
http://www.vegetarian-society.org/downloads/Yveg_b.jpg

#227 From: "Vegetarian Society $Singapore$" <george@...>
Date: Fri Aug 25, 2006 8:44 pm
Subject: Corrections to VSS eNewsletter of 25 August 06 jacobs_george
Send Email

URL Correction for VSS Flyers

Friday’s eNewsletter gave incorrect URLs for the two VSS flyers. There are two separate URLs for each of the two flyers. If the font is too small, you should have a way to enlarge the jpg file.

Also, the Download page on the VSS website has other materials you may find of interest. We apologize for the mistake in the previous issue of this eNewsletter.

#228 From: "Vegetarian Society $Singapore$" <george@...>
Date: Thu Aug 31, 2006 4:36 am
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 1 Sep 2006 jacobs_george
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VSS eNewsletter 1 Sep 2006

Woodlands Regional Library Exhibition Rescheduled to Jan07

VSS News

Seeds VCD Goes Google

URL Correction for VSS Flyers

Other News

The Amazing Eight Immortals

Vegetarian Becomes CEO of Multinational Company at the Age of 17

More on McD’s

Another Inconvenient Truth – Meat and Global Warming

New Veg Outlet Near Aljunied MRT

Mandarin Cooking Class Set for October

Crocodile Goes Veg

DOA Chickens

Brown Rice Sighting – Yew Tee

VSS News

SEEDS VCD Goes Google

VSS’s Seeds for a Better World VCD is now available on Google: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6603580570697459568&q=seeds+for+a+better+world. Someone must have copied it and put it there, which is great. We encourage people to mass produce Seeds and plant it everywhere they can.

To date, VSS has distributed almost 80,000 of this free VCD, and we’ll be printing another 10,000 later this month. Plus, we’re raising funds to produce a DVD with new content and higher quality images. Do donate, contact info@....

URL Correction for VSS Flyers

Here are the correct URLs for the two VSS flyers. We apologize for the mistake in the previous issue of this eNewsletter. After you open the hyperlinks, you will probably need to click to enlarge the size of the font.

Woodlands Regional Library Exhibition Rescheduled to Jan07

After our Singapore Meatout Week 2006 exhibition at the Central Library on Victoria St., VSS was invited to do a similar exhibition later this year at Woodlands Regional Library. However, the only space available then was on Level 4. Fortunately, NLB has kindly allowed us to have our exhibition on Level 1 in Jan (8-21 Jan).

Other News

The Amazing Eight Immortals

Eight Immortals is the name of a chain of 24 veg food stalls and one restaurant (at Jurong Reptile Park, 6265-2290). Eight Immortals was founded by Hum Wee Song, a former engineer with Phillips, and his wife. Both are long-time vegetarians.

Their stalls are mostly in shopping centres near MRT stations, but they are also at SMU, KK Hospital, SGH, Tan Tock Seng, Suntec (Basement 1), and Lau Pa Sat. The usual hours are 10am-10pm, but there are exceptions. Also, many of their outlets offer brown rice. There are no phone numbers for the outlets. Consult the list of veg food outlets on the VSS web for more info: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/revamp/html/index.php?module=Static_Docs&func=view&f=/index.php?module=Static_Docs&func=view&f=listing_area.htm.

Vegetarian Becomes CEO of Multinational Company at the Age of 17

Ananda Marga Yoga Society’s Project Youth Club is putting on a vegetarian BBQ, followed by an entertaining movie (to be announced) and more on Sat, 9 Sep, beginning at 5pm at 21 Jalan Pokok Serunai, (near Bayshore). Fee: $10.00. Contact: Rohita @ 97692746 or Shukla @ 90600926. VSS will be participating. Youth (15-25 yrs old) are particularly welcome.

More on McD’s

Here’s more on McDonald’s Veg Out days. In the excerpt below from an email from McD’s S’pore, ‘Fresh Sidekick’ refers to Corn Cup, Fresh Salad and Apple Dippers (served with low-fat caramel dip).

To further encourage our customers to eat more greens, we recently launched VEG OUT DAY in support of the Health Promotion’s Board “eat 2 servings of fruit +2 servings of vegetables” initiative. Essentially, on the 1^st day of every month, customers can purchase their choice of Fresh Sidekick at only $1 (versus usual price of $2.50) – no other purchase required. This message is being communicated on door decals in all McDonald’s restaurants.

Read about Suhas Gopinath, a life-long vegetarian and supporter of the welfare of our fellow animals. At the age of 17, he become CEO of a multinational company:

http://www.petadishoom.com/page3/wo_suhas-gopinath.asp.

Another Inconvenient Truth – Meat and Global Warming

A reader sent in this article from E/The Environment Magazine

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3312&src=. She also told us about a place to go to discuss the article: http://www.alternet.org/envirohealth/40639, but you’ve got to sign up to post: the yahoogroup's email is envstu@....

You can also discuss veg issues at VSS’s forum: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/forums/

New Veg Outlet Near Aljunied MRT

The area around Aljunied MRT is another one of Singapore’s veg oases, with lots of veg outlets, including Whole Earth Vegetarian Restaurant at 593 Geylang Rd, near Lorong 32. A reader wrote to tell us about another one:

Rice House (Vegetarian)
Blk 129 Geylang East Ave 2 #01-102
Tel: 6747.3739

Mandarin Cooking Class Set for October

Bright Hill Temple, a.k.a. Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, is launching a Mandarin, 8-lesson veg cooking class on Sun, 1 Oct at the temple. The class will meet every Sunday at 3.30pm. Mdm Tan Boo Bay is the instructor. Here’s the lineup of delectable dishes:

Lesson 1: 3 Types of Moon Cakes

Lesson 2: Soon Kway, Fa Gao, Sesame Ball

Lesson 3: Thai Green Bean Kway, Wah Kor Kueh, Fried Apple Pie

Lesson 4: Pumpkin, Crystal Bun, Aga Aga

Lesson 5: Steam Rice Kway, Curry Puff, Red Peach Kueh

Lesson 6: Oneh Oneh Cake, Watermelon Sago, Dessert Fragrance of Nirvana

Lesson 7: Half Fry Dumpling, Pizza, Yam & Pumpkin Cake

Lesson 8: Ang Ku Kway, Fragrant Coconut Vegetarian Cake, Sesame Roll

Fee is $60/pax. To register, call 6849.5332. Note: their last class had more than 100 people; so, please sign up early.

Crocodile Goes Veg

Here, from Kerala state in India, is the story of a crocodile who just eat red rice:

http://www.ndtv.com/environment/Wildlife.asp?id=92175&callid=1.

DOA Chickens

A piece in the meat industry journal, Watt Poultry (Aug. 2006), summarizes a study of dead-on-arrival broilers (chickens raised for their flesh). [Click the ‘Watt Poultry’ link above to read the entire summary.] DOA means that the individual died in transport from the factory farm to the slaughterhouse. According to the summary, the number of DOAs varies from a few dozen per load to a substantial percentage of the birds.

The study also found:

ü Microscopic pathological lesions (large, visible injured patches of skin caused by a disease) in 89.4% of carcasses

ü Signs of infectious diseases in 64.9%

ü Heart/circulation disorders in 42.4%

ü Trauma in 29.5%

Brown Rice Sighting – Yew Tee

A reader reports that the veg stall in the Family Food Courts on Level 2 of Yew Tee Shopping Centre not only has brown rice but they even have a sign in Chinese and English proudly proclaiming that fact. Please encourage your favourite outlets to offer brown rice and to advertise that fact. The Yew Tee stall is open 7am-9pm daily. In addition to the usual dishes, they also offer veg versions of laksa, chicken rice and nasi lemak. They try to use MSG sparingly. Contact: 9487.3755.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#229 From: George Jacobs <george@...>
Date: Fri Sep 8, 2006 4:33 pm
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 9 September 2006 jacobs_george
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VSS eNewsletter 9 Sep 2006

VSS News

Check Out the VSS Forum

VSS Website Revamp by Mar07

Subscriber # Nears 2500

Other News

Another Veg BBQ – Benefit for ACRES Wildlife Rescue Centre

New Veg Outlet in Yishun

Mag’s Bilingual Cooking Class at Kampung Senang near Aljunied MRT

Two Articles on Veg Kids

VSS News

Check Out the VSS Forum

Some people tell us that the best part of the VSS website – www.vegetarian-society.org – is the Forum - http://www.vegetarian-society.org/forums. Registration is required, but it’s free.

VSS Website Revamp by Mar07

A team of Singapore Poly students has agreed to revamp the VSS website as a final-year project. They plan to finish by early 2007. If you have ideas for how to improve the site, pls send them to info@....

Subscriber # Nears 2500

There are now about 2400 insightful souls who receive the VSS free eNewsletter that you are now reading. Let’s see if we can push the number above 2500 soon. The eNewsletter is a great way to give ourselves a regular reminder about why and how to be veg and to influence others towards veg. Folks can sign up at http://www.vegetarian-society.org/revamp/html/index.php?module=Static_Docs&func=view&f=vssgrp.htm.

Other News

New Veg Outlet in Yishun

Here’s the details on a new veg outlet in Yishun.

Name of Outlet: Cai Gen Xiang Vegetarian Cuisine

Address: Blk 236 # 01-1000 Yishun Ring Road

Nearest MRT: Yishun

Buses: 800 or 801 from interchange

Days Open: Every day except Mon

Hours: 7am to 915pm

Special dishes: Western and oriental cuisine

Brown rice: No

Organic: No

MSG: Yes

Onion & Garlic: No

Egg: No

Phone number: 6758.8588

Do they deliver?: They cater parties and birthday dinners

Another Veg BBQ – Benefit for ACRES Wildlife Rescue Centre

On the evening of Sat, 30 Sep, in aid of the Acres Wildlife Rescue Centre, ACRES (www.acres.org.sg) will be holding a vegetarian barbeque, along with some fun activities and games. Tickets, at $20, may be purchased in advance or on the night. However, you will need to confirm your attendance by 27Sep. To purchase a ticket, please call Acres on 6581.2488 or send an email to charlene@.... All proceeds will go towards the establishment of the wildlife rescue centre.

Mag’s Bilingual Cooking Class at Kampung Senang near Aljunied MRT
If you are interested to learn how to cook delicious vegetarian dishes and pickup some nutritional tips to benefit your family, this may be the class for you. Here’s the lineup:

Fragrant Vegetarian Chicken Rice
Vegetarian Chicken Drumstick
Tofu Wrap
Soup – simple yet delicious soup to go with the Chicken Rice
Stir-fried vegetables with Shitake Mushroom

Every participant will have a chance to make their own dishes.

Date:            Sun, 17 Sep
Time:            2.30 to 5.30 pm
Fee:             $45 per participant
Location:       Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Blk 106, Aljunied Crescent, #01-205
Registration: 6749.8509

Two Articles on Veg Kids

The first piece, from a U.S. newspaper, is on veg teens. One interesting point made in the article is that going veg can help kids pay more attention to what they eat, thus, helping them to choose healthier diet options. The second article, a short piece from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, looks at the moral reasons behind younger kids’ choice to go veg.

http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/features-1/115694948754550.xml&coll=6

http://www.gse.harvard.edu/news_events/features/2006/08/08_hussar.html

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#230 From: "Vegetarian Society (Singapore)" <george@...>
Date: Tue Sep 19, 2006 7:18 am
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 20 September 2006 jacobs_george
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VSS eNewsletter 20 Sep 2006

VSS News

VSS Rep Attends International Vegetarian Union’s World Congress

Another 10,000 VCDs

For Next World Congress, IVU Returns to Dresden after 100 Years

Other News

Cucumbers Are Cool

B6 and Parkinson’s Disease

More Details on Rice House near Aljunied MRT

Tom Low’s Workshop at Fort Canning

Asian Vegetarian Union Announces 2007 Conference

Award-Winning Veg Chef Holds Workshop

VSS News

B6 and Parkinson’s Disease

September’s VSS Wellness Seminar features a video that captured a lot of attention when it was shown at the Meatout exhibition at the National Library. The video, entitled Eating, focuses on the health dangers of eating meat and the benefits of going veg. Other harmful effects of meat production are also covered.

Following the screening of the 1-hour+ video, a wholesome organic veg afternoon tea will be served. To help participants practice a healthy diet, there will be a short food demo after the tea break. Two simple, nutritious recipes will be shared.

Venue:

Kampung Senang Holistic Lifestyle Centre

Block 106, Aljunied Crescent, #01-00

(5min walk from Aljunied MRT, tel: 67498509)

Date: Sat., 30 Sep

Time: 2pm ~ 4.30pm

To register: kee_yew@... or Kampung Senang @ 67498509

Price: $10 per person.

Another 10,000 VCDs

Last weekend, VSS supporters and members gathered to pack another 10,000 of the Seeds for a Better World VCD. That brings to 90,000 the number of this VCD that VSS has prepared for free distribution.

Any ideas for how to distribute these VCDs in Singapore? If so, contact info@.... For example, one person is giving out 1000 at her wedding. We do ask for cost recovery for bulk orders of the VCD.

VSS Rep Attends International Vegetarian Union’s World Congress

The International Vegetarian Union (IVU, www.ivu.org) held its 37^th World Vegetarian Congress 10-16 Sept in Goa, India. VSS President, Dr George Jacobs, attended. The president of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (http://presidentofindia.nic.in/scripts/presidentprofile.jsp), who is a Muslim vegetarian, was among the many Indian dignitaries who sent a letter of congratulations to the delegates.

Highlights of the Congress included the opening address by J.P. Vasnami, head of the Sadhu Vaswani Society, who called on the delegates to work passionately to promote vegetarianism. Another highlight of the Congress was the enthusiastic delegation of more than 20 people from the newly Chinese Vegetarian Union (www.cvu.org.cn). George spoke with them about sharing some of VSS’s Chinese language materials.

George’s presentation was on the intelligence, emotions and personality of our fellow animals. For a copy, email info@....

For Next World Congress, IVU Returns to Dresden after 100 Years

The first IVU Congress was held in Dresden, Germany in 1908. For its next Congress, IVU will be returning to scenic Dresden from Sun, 27 Jul – Sun, 3 Aug, 2008 http://www.ivu.org/congress/2008/index.html.

Other News

Cucumbers Are Cool

Cucumbers are actually classified as fruit, though they’re not often recognized as such because they are not very sweet. With a crisp, mild flavor, they’re reliable sources of Vitamin C, Vitamin K, and potassium. Cucumbers are great to eat raw and contain more nutrients than pickles.

Cucumbers can also be used in juices. A large-scale, 10yr study, published in The American Journal of Medicine, suggests that drinking fruit and vegetable juices may delay onset of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers hypothesize that the antioxidants in the juice may be the key: http://www.nutritionhorizon.com/newsmaker_article.asp?idNewsMaker=11956&fSite=AO545&category=26&page=1

Research suggests that Vitamin B6, found in such foods as whole grains, nuts, and beans, can reduce the risk of Parkinson’s Disease:

http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=69580-vitamin-b-folate-parkinson-s-disease.

More Details on Rice House near Aljunied MRT

Meat eaters may soon start complaining that they can’t find anything to eat near Aljunied MRT J. Earlier this month, we announced that another veg restaurant had opened in the area. Here are more details.

Name: Rice House (Vegetarian)

Location: Blk 129, Geylang East Ave 2, #01-102, 5 mins walk along path below Aljunied MRT track towards Paya Lebar station

Tel: 6747 3739

Open: Every day except Monday

Hours: 10.30am - 10pm

Specialties: Porridge, beef noodle, stew, duck rice

MSG: No, plus no salt added, and no glutten. Also, oil at a minimum

Brown rice: Not yet

Tom Low’s Workshop at Fort Canning

Tom Low is an entertaining, irrepressible health advocate who is still going strong into his 7^th decade. Long an advocate of eating lots of fruits and vegetables, Tom fairly recently went 100% veg. Here’s info on a workshop he’s doing later this month.

Title: Detox & Energize

Goals: Lose weight, tone your body, revitalize and boost your immune system

Date: Sat, 30 Sep

Time: Registration at 08.45am; Workshop from 09.00 to 17.00

Place: Fort Canning Lodge, 6 Fort Canning Road

Includes: Healthy buffet, herbal tea breaks, instruction manual & impact exercise instrument, tasting of fresh juices

Price: $268/pax, with early bird discount of $248 by 20 Sep. VSS members: $208

More info: 6288.1733; ahealth@...

Asian Vegetarian Union Announces 2007 Conference

The Asian Vegetarian Union plans to hold its 3^rd conference in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, 2-7 Nov, 2007. For more information: thirdavc_taiwan@....

Award-Winning Veg Chef Holds Workshop

David Jackson Tan won the Flavors of the World Cooking Competition at the Singapore Food Expo held 28 May at Singapore Expo.

On Sun, 1 Oct, David will be demonstrating Bubble & Squeak (Mash Potato), Watermelon Salad, Eggless Oatmeal Waffles, Apricot Healthy Candy and Avocado Mousse. Here are the details:

Time: 4pm to 6pm (Dinner provided at 6pm)

Fee: $10.00 per person

Place: 6 Ashwood Grove (near Singapore American School)

Organizer: Mark Chan, Adventist Community Services

Registration: Call or sms 97438362

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#231 From: "Vegetarian Society (Singapore)" <george@...>
Date: Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:31 pm
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 26 September 2006 jacobs_george
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VSS eNewsletter 26 Sep 2006

VSS News

Official Opening of Kampung Senang’s Holistic Lifestyle Centre

World Vegetarian Day on Batam

VSS Mini-Library Now Open

Other News

New Veg Stall on Ubi Av

The Veg Tennis Champion

Seminar on Having Organic, Veg Kids

VSS News

World Vegetarian Day on Batam

September’s VSS Wellness Seminar features a video that captured a lot of attention when it was shown in July at the Singapore Meatout exhibition at the National Library. The video, entitled Eating, focuses on the health dangers of eating meat and the benefits of going veg. Other good reasons to give up meat are also covered.

Following the screening of the 1.5hr video, a wholesome organic veg afternoon tea will be served. Plus, to help participants practice a healthy diet, there will be a short food demo after the tea break during which two simple, nutritious recipes will be shared.

Venue:

Kampung Senang Holistic Lifestyle Centre

Block 106, Aljunied Crescent, #01-00

(5mins walk from Aljunied MRT, tel: 67498509)

Date: Sat., 30 Sep

Time: 2pm-4.30pm

To register: kee_yew@... or Kampung Senang @ 6749.8509

Price: $10 per person.

Our veg friends on Batam are putting together a big exhibition/food fair for World Vegetarian Day and VSS will put putting up an educational stall. The event is this Sat and Sun, 30 Sep/1 Oct. If you’re interested in going over, contact Jowly in Batam at 62-855-651-1881 or jowlyyohan@....

VSS Mini-Library Now Open

VSS has put together a small library of books and other materials related to vegetarianism. The materials can be read, but not borrowed. As VSS does not have its own premises, we are fortunate that Kampung Senang (http://www.kg-senang.org.sg) has kindly allowed us to use a room at their new Holistic Lifestyle Centre at Block 106, Aljunied Crescent, #01-00, (5mins walk from Aljunied MRT, tel: 6749.8509).

Official Opening of Kampung Senang’s Holistic Lifestyle Centre

VSS will be taking part in the official opening of Kampung Senang’s (www.kg-senang.org.sg) Holistic Lifestyle Centre on Sat, 7 Oct, from 10.30am-7.30pm. Guest of Honour will be Mr Matthias Yao, Mayor, South East District and MP for MacPherson SMC. Events include a Food/Fun Fair, tour of a herb farm, Lantern Festival Celebration and organic food tasting. The new KS Centre is located at Blk 106 Aljunied Crescent, just 5 mins from Aljunied MRT. For more info: 6749.8509.

Other News

New Veg Stall on Ubi Av

A new vegetarian food stall (Shen Yuan) is opening on 1 Oct, at Blk 301 Ubi Ave 1. Specialties include kway chap and wanton noodle, in addition to the normal pick & choose rice meals for lunch. Vegetarian beehoon is less oily and zhi char is also available besides. Toufu goreng and light snacks are available for afternoon tea, and sometimes hot banana fritters are on offer from 2pm onwards. Nearest MRT station - Eunos MRT, Buses stopping at Ubi Ave 1 are SBS Bus 8,22,65,66 & SMRT bus 61. Buses stopping at Jln Eunos Rd are SBS 8,15,22,25,51,55,59,63,65,66,93,94 & SMRT bus 61, 854.

1. Ample carpark space available. Just beside the Blk.

2. Handphone number, 9188.3955, Ms Ng

3. Brown Rice is served for lunch & different specials meals are served on different days

4. Less salt & minimal MSG are used

5. Stall is opened 7 days a week 7am to 9pm except for Tue & Fri, when operating hours are from 7am to 3pm.

The Veg Tennis Champion

Earlier this month, Martina Navratilova (veg since 1993) - http://www.martinafanpage.net/eng/newsother.php - concluded her tennis career by capturing an incredible 59^th Grand Slam title at the unheard-of age of 49.

Seminar on Having Organic, Veg Kids

On 16 Aug, My Paper ran an article about Mdm Huang Yanni, who has had two children on an organic, veg diet. Here, in italics, are a couple of excerpts (translated from Chinese by a kind reader) from the article.

During these five years, she consumed a variety of organic fruits and vegetables. When she dined out on occasion and was left with little choice, she would also choose only vegetarian dishes. Although aware that free-range or organically-fed meat was available, her family chose to go organic without harming animals”

During both her pregnancies, her gynaecologist advised her to abandon her organic vegetarian diet in order to absorb nutrition from meats as well. However, she was adamant on sticking to the vegetarian diet, insistent on taking in nutrition from non-animal sources.

On 15 Oct, 9am-5pm, Yanni will be taking part in a seminar, entitled “Beautiful Mommy, Healthy Baby”, at World Business Group (the people who bring us Indonine veg restaurants) HQ #25-03, Suntec Tower 2, Associates Floor. Price: $68, inclusive of 1 Lunch and Tea Break, $50 redeemable for a minimum purchase of $200 worth of HUNZA products in a single receipt. Spouses are half price for each full-price customer. More info: 9111.4909 or 6333.9505.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#232 From: "Vegetarian Society (Singapore)" <george@...>
Date: Wed Oct 4, 2006 9:00 am
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 4 October 2006 jacobs_george
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VSS eNewsletter 4 Oct 2006

Official Opening of Kampung Senang’s Holistic Lifestyle Centre

VSS News

Tom Low Does His Show for VSS Oct Wellness Seminar

An Inconvenient Truth Comes to Singapore

Online Letter Published in ST Forum

Other News

Website on Veg Nutrition

Happy Belated ‘Hug a Vegetarian Day’

Open Source Veg Guide

VSS News

Official Opening of Kampung Senang’s Holistic Lifestyle Centre

Tom Low Does His Show for VSS Oct Wellness Seminar

Tom Low is an inspiring, entertaining, well-informed presenter on health matters. Tom has kindly agreed to lead Oct’s VSS Wellness Seminar, to be held on Sat, 28 Oct, from 1pm, at Kampung Senang Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Block 106, Aljunied Crescent, #01-00 (5mins walk from Aljunied MRT, tel: 67498509).

Title: “Eat, Drink & Sing Your Age Away” (English and Mandarin)

Time: 1pm ~ 4pm [Talk 1pm ~ 2.15pm; Food demo 2.30pm ~ 4pm]

Fee: $12 (with Food Demo) or $5 (without food demo)

Tom Low, the author of "Your Kitchen Is Your Pharmacy", will share his experience in maintaining good health as he steps into his golden age (late 60s). Tom will also demonstrate Karaoke singing as an exercise that can alleviate stress, improve breathing function and boost the immune system to delay aging and fight disease. Following the food demo, Kampung Senang will also educate participants on healthy food/beverage preparation.

To register: kee_yew@vegetarian- society.org or Kampung Senang @ 6749.8509

Book early to reserve your place.

An Inconvenient Truth Comes to Singapore

VSS plans to buy a block of 50 tickets for the documentary An Inconvenient Truth. The film, about the dangers of global warming, was a hit at the US box office, and is coming to Singapore near the end of this month. It will be at Golden Village cinemas.

Stay tuned to find out the time and place that VSS has tickets for, and how to buy tickets. Most likely is will be 7.30pm, Thu, 26 Oct, at GV at Plaza Sing. Tickets will cost $8.

Online Letter Published in ST Forum

On 26 Sep, the Online Letters section of the ST Forum published the following letter from a VSS Exco member.

Denying links with animals allows us to treat them like mere objects

I REFER to the column, 'Irwin's 'final lesson' was his most valuable' by Ong Soh Chin (ST, Sept 16). A key point of the column seems to be that we humans are very different from our fellow animals.

Yes, I agree we do differ from other animals, but just as it is wrong to engage in anthropomorphism and overemphasise our similarities to other members of the animal kingdom, so too is it wrong to be in 'anthropodenial', a term used by Professor Frans de Waal, director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Centre of Emory University in Atlanta in the United States.

Anthropodenial refuses to acknowledge the many similarities between other animals and ourselves. This is despite growing research evidence that other animals have a range of mental abilities, possess distinct personalities and experience an assortment of emotions.

Denying our links with other animals allows us to treat them like mere objects we can eat, drive to extinction and submit to anything else that suits our fancy.

Other News

Website on Veg Nutrition

Here’s a website on nutrition put together by Prof Winston J Craig, PhD, MPH, RD; Chair, Nutrition and Wellness Department; Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, USA. Prof Craig has been a speaker for ADA (American Dietetic Association: http://eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/index.html) at four of their annual conventions over the past 8-10 years. He has been a vegetarian for five decades and a vegan for 30 years:

www.vegetarian-nutrition.info.

Happy Belated ‘Hug a Vegetarian Day’

Organizations often invent special days to promote their causes. Here’s a nice one - International ‘Hug a Vegetarian Day’, 29 Sep: http://www.peta2.com/feat/hug/index.asp?c=p2m33. We missed it this year, but every day is a good day for a hug. Even meat eaters need them; maybe they need them even more.

Open Source Veg Guide

With the open-source VegGuide.org, anyone can help create a guide to veg eating around the world. The more complete and well-known this site becomes, the easier it will be for people interested in eating veg to explore the world, including their own backyard. http://www.vegguide.org. Last time we checked, Singapore had about 90 listing, the most in Asia, but the VSS guide to local veg eating has many more listings, as you can see if you click the link below.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#233 From: "Vegetarian Society (Singapore)" <george@...>
Date: Mon Oct 9, 2006 11:13 pm
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 10 October 2006 jacobs_george
Send Email

VSS eNewsletter 10 Oct 2006

VSS Talk on the Environment at Woodlands Regional Library – 14 Oct

VSS News

New VSS Registered/Mailing Address

Tickets for First Public Screening of An Inconvenient Truth

International Meatless Day in Penang

Other News

The Future Is Meatless

Oxygen High Fibre Class

Recipes for Mango Lemonade and Cucumber Soup

A Common Complaint about Veg Food

VSS News

VSS Talk on the Environment at Woodlands Regional Library – 14 Oct

Woodlands Regional Library is having a series of talks on environmental protection. VSS will be doing this month’s talk, focussing on the destruction caused by meat production. Unfortunately, most people are ignorant about this reason for staying away from meat. Here are the details on the talk:

Date: Sat, 14 Oct

Time: 3.00 pm to 4.00 pm

Place: Woodlands Regional Library, 900 South Woodlands Drive
Woodlands Civic Centre, #01-03 - Amazon Room

Tel: 6332.3255

MRT: Woodlands

Buses: TIBS 169, 178, 187, 856, 858, 900, 901, 903, 911, 912, 913, 925, 926, 960, 961, 964, NR2, (SBS 168 goes to Woodlands Interchange/MRT Station)

More details: http://www.nlb.gov.sg/CPMS.portal?_nfpb=true&portlet_7_7_actionOverride=%2FIBMS%2FLibraryBranch%2FlibraryDetails&_windowLabel=portlet_7_7&portlet_7_7branchCode=WRL&portlet_7_7commonBrudCrum=Woodlands+&_pageLabel=CPMS_page_visitus_RL

New VSS Registered/Mailing Address

VSS has a new registered address and for correspondence only: 10 Collyer Quay, #11-06, Ocean Building, S. 049314. VSS has this mailing address at no charge, thanks to our Vice President, who for the last two years has been allowing VSS to use his office as our registered and mailing address at no charge to VSS. VSS thanks Vijay and his staff for their kindness.

This address is not the VSS office. VSS has no office, as we seek to avoid the expense in terms of money and person hours involved in maintaining an office. However, VSS does have a Point of Contact with the public: Saturdays, from 10am-1pm, Kampung Senang Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Block 106, Aljunied Crescent, #01-00 (5mins walk from Aljunied MRT, tel: 6749.8509). Also, as you know from reading this Newsletter, VSS has many public events.

Tickets for First Public Screening of An Inconvenient Truth

VSS has purchased 50 tickets for the first public screening of the must-see documentary An Inconvenient Truth. The film vividly describes the dangers of global warming and urges people to do something about it, even if it is inconvenient to do so. One thing to do is to eat less or no meat.

Here are the details:

Date: 26 Oct
Time: 7pm

Place: Golden Village Plaza Singapura, Cinema 4
Seating: Free Seating (doors open about 6.30)

Price: $8 (this is the same price VSS is paying for the tickets)

For tickets: email info@... or come to the VSS Point of Contact on Saturdays from 10am – 1pm, Kampung Senang Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Block 106, Aljunied Crescent, #01-00 (5mins walk from Aljunied MRT, tel: 67498509)

To learn more about the film and the campaign to promote it: http://www.eco-singapore.org/campaign/ait

The Future Is Meatless

Title: “Eat, Drink & Sing Your Age Away” (English and Mandarin)

Time: 1pm ~ 4pm [Talk 1pm ~ 2.15pm; Food demo 2.30pm ~ 4pm]

Fee: $12 (with Food Demo) or $5 (without food demo). Proceeds go to Kampung Senang

Tom, the author of "Your Kitchen Is Your Pharmacy", will share his experience in maintaining good health as he steps into his golden age (late 60s). During the sharing session, Tom will also demonstrate Karaoke singing as an exercise that can alleviate stress, improve breathing function and boost the Immune System to prevent aging and disease. Following the food demo, Kampung Senang will educate participants on healthy food/beverage preparation.

To register: kee_yew@vegetarian- society.org or Kampung Senang @ 6749.8509

Book early to reserve your place.

Other News

60 Minutes is a famous U.S. tv news magazine show, featuring the commentary of Andy Rooney. Recently, he had this to say:

"I often pass a farm with cows grazing in the field and I think to myself how terrible it is that human beings grow other animals just to kill them and eat them. Most of us think of vegetarians as nuts and I'm not a vegetarian but I wouldn't be surprised if we came to a time in 50 or 100 years when civilized people everywhere refused to eat animals. I could be one of them. Of course, I'd be pretty old by then."

To watch Rooney’s entire commentary: http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id=2054124 (you have to watch an advert first).

International Meatless Day in Penang

International Meatless Day is held every 25 November. Penang is always the centre of activities in SE Asia, and this year is no exception. More than 100 vegetarian dishes will be available at the International Meatless Day Charity Carnival 2006 to be held at the Esplanade on Penang island on 19 Nov. The event has been included in the Penang Tourism Calendar.

The carnival is jointly organised by the state government and the Malaysian Meatless Day Campaign Committee with the support of Tourism Penang. Those interested in setting up stalls at the carnival can call 04-2610126 or 016-4526132.

Oxygen High Fibre Class

Mrs Tracy Seng Yu will be leading a class on Oxygen High Fibre recipes on both Sat, 14 Oct and Sat. 28 Oct, 2pm-3.30pm, at Kampung Senang’s Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Blk 106, Aljunied Crescent (5 mins from Aljunied MRT. Info: 6749.8509. These are two separate classes. Fee: $12.

Recipes for Mango Lemonade and Cucumber Soup

The following two recipes appear in Vegan Meals for One or Two, http://www.vrg.org/catalog/oneortwo.htm, by Chef Nancy Berkoff)

Mango Lemonade

(Makes 4 servings)

2 peeled and cubed ripe mangoes or 2 cups thawed, frozen mango cubes

2 cups cold water

1 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar (sweeten to taste)

Place mango in a blender. Cover and process until pureed.

Pour into a pitcher. Add water, lemon juice, and sugar; stir. Allow

lemonade to cool before serving, or pour over ice.

Total Calories per Serving: 131 Total Fat as % of Daily Value: <1%

Protein: 1 gm Fat: <1 gm Carbohydrates: 35 gm Calcium: 15 mg

Iron: <1 mg Sodium: 3 mg Dietary Fiber: 2 gm

Cool-As-A-Cucumber Soup

(Makes 2 servings)

1 cup peeled, chopped cucumber

1/2 cup cold vegetable broth

1/4 cup silken tofu

2 tablespoons chopped green onions white pepper to taste (about 1/2

teaspoon)

1/8 cup shredded carrots

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Place cucumber, broth, tofu, onions, and pepper in a blender. Process

until just smooth. Pour into serving bowls and top with carrots and

parsley. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Note: This cold soup is a great light summer entree and will last for

up to 2 days in the refrigerator.

Total Calories Per Serving: 36 Total Fat as % of Daily Value: 2%

Protein: 3 gm Fat: 1 gm Carbohydrates: 5 gm Calcium: 28 mg

Iron: 1 mg Sodium: 257 mg Dietary Fiber: 1 gm

A Common Complaint about Veg Food

Last week a reader wrote to VSS about what she sees as the unhealthy quality of much of the veg food on offer in Singapore. There is not much that VSS can do about this, although we have worked with Health Promotion Board to improve veg food. The key is to do what the reader has done; we need to make our voices heard and to vote with our $s for healthy veg food.

Recently, I went to a newly opened vegetarian stall, and found that the food was very saltish. The person at the stall said she had a friend staying around that area who said people staying there like to eat saltish food, so her food was saltish. I went back a few more times, and the food was still very saltish, although I had asked her for less salt. Do we have to take saltish food because some people want it, even though it means having an unhealthy diet? The person at the stall mentioned that one of her friends had a medical problem probably because of her eating habits. So, she understands the link between diet and health, but it seems like running a successful business is more important.

Similarly, one of the stalls in Geylang that was recently mentioned in your newsletter serves very few vegetables. Instead, they mostly serve mock meat. Why? The reason they gave is that they want to promote vegetarianism to people who don’t eat vegetables. After sometime, I went back to the stall and found that the situation had improved slightly, probably because others had requested too, but their vegetables were overcooked.

The govt is encouraging us to take 2 servings each of vegetables and fruits each day. Why don’t the veg stalls help us reach this goal? Are they will thinking only about themselves, only about getting business to come in?

A related problem is the food served at student care centres. Even where there is a veg menu, the food isn’t healthy. A teacher at the centre where my daughter goes once explained that the children there don’t like green vegetables, so the centre only serves them about twice a week.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#234 From: "Vegetarian Society (Singapore)" <george@...>
Date: Mon Oct 16, 2006 10:00 pm
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 17 October 2006 jacobs_george
Send Email

VSS eNewsletter 17 Oct 2006

Tickets for First Public Screening of An Inconvenient Truth

VSS News

VSS on the Radio

Metta Charity Banquet – 4 Nov 2006 * Swissotel, The Stamford

Earthlings DVD

Other News

Acres Moves to Open Wildlife Rescue Centre

Cooking Class and Osteoporosis Talk

Vegetarians Have Been Saying This All Along

John Robbins’ Latest Book

Food Encyclopedia Now Updated

Want Another eNewsletter?

Culinary Classes by Oh Chong Fah

More on Veg Hawker Food

VSS News

VSS on the Radio

For three days, 23-25 Oct, Mon-Wed, a VSS member will be offering recipes in Mandarin on radio station 95.8 FM, after the 7.30pm news, one recipe each day for 5-10 minutes. Happy listening and happy cooking!

Tickets for First Public Screening of An Inconvenient Truth

Here are the details:

Date: 26 Oct
Time: 7pm

Place: Golden Village Plaza Singapura, Cinema 4
Seating: Free Seating (doors open about 6.30)

Price: $8 (this is the same price VSS is paying for the tickets)

For tickets: email info@... or come to the VSS Point of Contact this Saturday from 10am – 1pm, Kampung Senang Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Block 106, Aljunied Crescent, #01-00 (5mins walk from Aljunied MRT, tel: 6749.8509)

To learn more about the film and the campaign to promote it: http://www.eco-singapore.org/campaign/ait

Cooking Class and Osteoporosis Talk

Title: “Eat, Drink & Sing Your Age Away” (English and Mandarin)

Time: 1pm ~ 4pm [Talk 1pm ~ 2.15pm; Food demo 2.30pm ~ 4pm]

Fee: $12 (with Food Demo) or $5 (without food demo). Proceeds go to Kampung Senang

Tom, the author of "Your Kitchen Is Your Pharmacy", will share his experience in maintaining good health as he steps into his golden age (late 60s). During the sharing session, Tom will also demonstrate Karaoke singing as an exercise that can alleviate stress, improve breathing function and boost the immune system to combat aging and disease. Following the food demo, Kampung Senang will educate participants on healthy food/beverage preparation.

To register: kee_yew@vegetarian- society.org or Kampung Senang @ 6749.8509

Book early to reserve your place.

Earthlings DVD

VSS has a fairly large collection of DVDs. Contact us at info@... to arrange a showing. Here’s information on one of the DVDs: http://www.waterloochronicle.ca/wat/viewpoint/viewpoint_627654.html

Other News

Metta Charity Banquet – 4 Nov 2006 * Swissotel, The Stamford

Metta Welfare Association is dedicated to the active promotion of humanitarian causes by initiating and assisting a wide range of community projects reaching out to over 900 beneficiaries through its nine centres, including a vegetarian deli that employs graduates of its special education school at 32 Simei St 1. On Sat, 4 Nov, Metta Welfare is holding a charity banquet at 6.30pm at Swissotel The Stamford (Level 4). GoH is Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, Minister of State, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. For info: 6580-4615; http://www.metta.org.sg/mt_event.asp.

Acres Moves to Open Wildlife Rescue Centre

In an important new step to protect our fellow animals from the illegal wildlife trade, Acres (Animal Concerns Research and Education Society) plans to open the Acres Wildlife Rescue Centre (AWRC) on a two hectare piece of land at Sungei Tengah. To build and maintain such a centre requires a large amount of funding. Donations can be made at http://www.acres.org.sg. Note: This centre is only for individuals who are rescued from the wild animal trade; it is not for domestic animals, such as abandoned cats.

On Sun, 29 Oct, Genesis Health Food Restaurant is offering another of their combination events, featuring a talk by a nutrition professional, a cooking demo, and a delicious dinner.

Talk:                  Factors for and against osteoporosis

Cooking Demo:     Tomato salad, colourful siew mai, potato-carrot supreme, and non-dairy ice-cream

Dinner:               After the talk and demo

Date:                 Sun, 29 Oct

Place:                Genesis Health Food Restaurant, 1 Lorong Telok

Time:                 4pm-6pm

Price:                 $40/pax

Info:                  6438-7118

Please pre-register and pre-pay.

Vegetarians Have Been Saying This All Along

Last Friday’s Straits Times had a great article on p. 28 of the first section, ‘Golden Age Is Fast Wilting’ by Gwynne Dyer. The article predicts possible world food shortages, and puts some of the blame on meat production. Here’s a quote from the article:

As incomes rise, so does the consumption of meat, and feeding animals for meat is a very inefficient way of using grain. It takes between 11 and 17 calories of food (almost all grain) to produce one calorie of beef, pork or chicken, and the world’s production of meat has increased fivefold since 1950. We now get through five billion hoofed animals and 14 billion poultry a year, and it takes slightly over a third of our grain to feed them.

Actually, the global figures (from the UN) for human’s consumption of our fellow animals is about 50 billion/year, not counting marine animals. And, the food shortage is already here, as hundreds die daily (UN figures) due in part to lack of food). Please share this information with the next meat-eater you meet.

John Robbins’ Latest Book

Here’s an interview with John Robbins, whose Diet for a New America, helped convince many people to go veg and stay veg. His latest book is about aging: http://www.vegsource.com/articles2/robbins_healthy_100.htm.

Robbins helped to found EarthSave, http://earthsave.org, an organization that promotes vegetarianism. BTW, VSS recently invited him to speak in Singapore, but his office replied, “Unfortunately John is not able to travel out of the country [the U.S.] due to commitments here.  But he has asked me to tell you he appreciates your thinking of him, and to thank you for your work.” Does anyone have contacts with good speakers who we might invite?

Food Encyclopedia Now Updated

The Encyclopedia of Foods and Their Healing Power is an illustrated, research-based, three-volume set. You can read, but not borrow, it at the VSS mini-library in Kampung Senang’s Wholistic Lifestyle Centre in Aljunied. Volume 1 describes the pluses and minuses of 600+ foods. Volume 2 talks about which foods can help in the treatment and prevention of 140+ specific diseases. Volume 3 talks about setting up a healthy kitchen and includes about 300 recipes.

The encyclopedia was updated in 2004. The price is S$380, with a 10% discount for subscribers to this Newsletter. No GST, no postage: the 3 volumes will be delivered to your home. For information, contact Home Health Education Service, sheewai@..., 9743.8362.

Want Another eNewsletter?

The Australian Vegetarian Society publishes a free monthly eNewsletter full of international news of interest to vegetarians. To subscribe: http://www.lholmesassociates.com/cgi-bin/veg/avs/avs_newsletter_subscribe.pl

Culinary Classes by Oh Chong Fah

Oh Chong Fah is one of VSS’s favourite chefs. You can sample his dishes at Kampung Senang’s Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Blk 106, Aljunied Crescent, #01-205. Also, Chong Fah will be sharing his knowledge via the following cooking classes.

1. Fermented Food Workshop

Date: 22 & 29 Nov, Wed

Time: 7:30-9:30pm

Venue: Ulu Pandan CC

Tel: 6463.7333

Fee: $65 (inclusive of ingredients)

2. Wholesome Bakery

Date: 13 & 20 Dec, Wed

Time: 7:30-9:30pm

Venue: Ulu Pandan CC

Tel: 6463.7333

Fee: $65 (inclusive of ingredients)

3. Fermented Food Workshop

Date: 5 & 12 Nov, Sun

Time: 10am - 12pm

Venue: Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Blk 106, Aljunied Crescent, #01-205

Tel: 6749.4471

Fee: $65 (inclusive of ingredients), $5 discount for early payment

4. Healthy Culinary Workshop

Date: 3, 10 & 17 Dec, Sun

Time: 10am-12pm

Venue: Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Blk 106, Aljunied Crescent, #01-205

Tel: 6749.4471

Fee: $85 (inclusive of ingredients), $5 discount for early payment

Note: First two sessions focus on raw food

More on Veg Hawker Food

Another reader wrote to comment on veg hawker food. Here is what he said, followed by a reply. Let’s see if we can put our heads together to come up with solutions, even if they are just small victories.

A reader writes: I do agree with what the reader said about the veg food situation in Singapore. Most of the time, I feel that those stalls selling vegetables and meat dishes have healthier choices. Most of the veg stalls sell fried stuff and plenty of mock meat. Even though they have a few vegetable dishes, they’re not cooked as nicely as in the veg/meat stalls. There’s a need to educate those vegetarian stall owners about cooking healthy food; otherwise, in the long run, people will associate vegetarian food as being unhealthy and will decide against taking up a veg diet.

A VSS member replies: I see the problem, but I’m not sure that the meat stalls treat their veggies better. For example, once at Maxwell St Market, the veg stall was closed and the Indian one was also closed; so I went to the fried rice stall and asked for veg fried rice. If I hadn’t asked him to use less oil, it would have been just as oily as the food in many veg outlets and I had to ask for extra veggies, otherwise it would have been mostly rice.

One option is that, time permitting, we can ask the veg stalls for the dishes that are specially prepared rather than the ready-to-serve dishes. Then, we can ask for less oil and less cooking. Another idea is that we could suggest that veg stalls give the cucumber slices that some meat stalls do, just to introduce a bit of raw food.

Another VSS member replies:

Some people tend to set higher expectations on the veg stalls, which inevitably leads to disappointment. At the end of the day, demand begets supply. If there are more consumers asking and voting with their wallets for healthier food, standards will improve. For this to happen, a mindset change of the masses is required. More educational campaigns by the HPB and VSS will go some way to make this a reality.

Thx for writing to VSS. We have talked to HPB about this. Any more ideas?

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#235 From: "Vegetarian Society (Singapore)" <george@...>
Date: Sat Oct 21, 2006 8:56 am
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 21 October 2006 jacobs_george
Send Email

Some people have reported trouble with the way the Newsletter appears on their computer screens. We are trying to address this. Thx for your patience.

VSS eNewsletter 21 Oct 2006

Depavali and Hari Raya Greetings!

VSS News

Letter from VSS Exco Member Appears in ST Online Forum

Poll

Our Smoothie in the Blogosphere

Other News

China Study

Two New Veg Outlets

Walnuts Improve Artery Flexibility

Even If You Like Meat Flyer

Muses from Catherine Lim

Download a Book on Veganism

More on Healthier Hawker Fare

VSS News

Our Smoothie in the Blogosphere

Title: “Eat, Drink & Sing Your Age Away” (English and Mandarin)

Time: 1pm ~ 4pm [Talk 1pm ~ 2.15pm; Food demo 2.30pm ~ 4pm]

Fee: $12 (with Food Demo) or $5 (without food demo). Proceeds go to Kampung Senang

Tom, the author of "Your Kitchen Is Your Pharmacy", will share his experience in maintaining good health as he steps into his golden age (late 60s). During the sharing session, Tom will also demonstrate Karaoke singing as an exercise that can alleviate stress, improve breathing function and boost the immune system to combat aging and disease. Following the food demo, Kampung Senang will educate participants on healthy food/beverage preparation.

To register: kee_yew@vegetarian- society.org or Kampung Senang @ 6749.8509

Book early to reserve your place.

Poll

VSS is thinking of moving to electronic payment for such things as VSS membership. To get your reaction, we have put an electronic poll on the homepage of our website: www.vegetarian-society.org. Please take a moment and participate. Thx.

On page 88 of the VSS cookbook, New Asian Traditions Vegetarian Cookbook, is the recipe we most often demonstrate, the Meal-in-a-Drink Smoothie. Recently, former Olympic swimmer, Desmond Koh, featured the drink in his blog: http://www.sportinc.net/2006/10/nutrition-meal-in-drink-smoothie_16.html#links.

Letter from VSS Exco Member Appears in ST Online Forum

On 19 Oct, the following letter from a VSS Exco member appeared in the online section of the ST Forum: http://straitstimes.asiaone.com/portal/site/STI/menuitem.d101d0824e62a86feb0f0210a06310a0/?vgnextoid=dc12758920e39010VgnVCM1000000a35010aRCRD

I refer to the article by Gwynne Dyer, "Golden Age if fast wilting" (ST, Oct 13).

The author notes the great inefficiency of meat production, stating that between 11 and 17 calories of food (mostly plant food, such as grain) must be fed to chickens, cows and other of our fellow animals to produce just one calorie of meat. Ms Dyer goes on to point out that meat's inefficiency threatens our ability to feed humans.

Not only does our rising meat consumption mean less food for humans, at a time when hundreds of millions lack enough to eat, but meat's inefficiency also damages the environment in at least two ways.

First, more forests are cut or burned down to clear land for growing all the extra food needed to feed our fellow animals so that we can later feed on them. Second, these animals produce a huge among of waste, more than all 6.5 billion humans combined. This waste contains methane, a greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide.

The inefficiency of meat offers each of us a small, yet easy way to increase the Earth's food supply and decrease the threat of global warming. Every meal at which we choose plant foods instead of meat we do our bit to step lightly on our path through life.

George Jacobs, Ph.D.

President, Vegetarian Society (Singapore)

Walnuts Improve Artery Flexibility

Other News

China Study

One of the top medical books of the past year is "The China Study": http://www.thechinastudy.com. The lead author is Cornell University emeritus professor T. Colin Campbell.

Drawing on the project findings in rural China, but going far beyond those findings, The China Study details the connection between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes and cancer. The report also examines the nutritional confusion produced by powerful lobbies, government entities, and opportunistic scientists. The New York Times has recognized the study (China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project) as the “Grand Prix of epidemiology” and the “most comprehensive large study ever undertaken of the relationship between diet and the risk of developing disease.”

The findings? “People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease … People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease. These results could not be ignored,” said Dr. Campbell.

If you go to http://www.vegsource.com, and then scroll to the lower right of the homepage, you'll see a place to view a video talk by Prof Campbell.

Two New Veg Outlets

Here’s the good news about two new veg eateries:

1. Green Connection

Address: 05 Angus Street, Merchant Square

Phone: 6536.1770, 9662.7887

Internet: melleosplace@..., www.melleosplace.com

Food: Local dishes and Mediterranean

Brown Rice: Yes

MSG: A little in the local dishes

Plus: Cooking classes, corporate functions, birthday parties, catering, talks, workshops.

MRT: Clarke Quay

Buses: 51, 143, 174, 186, 608

Open: 11am-9pm, Mon-Sat

2. Green Sense

Address: 15 Jasmine Rd (After Thomson Plaza)

Tel: 64517553

Specialties: Shepherd’s pie, wheat- and gluten-free dishes, no eggs

Brown rice: Yes

MSG: No

MRT: Bishan

Bus: 410, 162, 166, 167, 855, 132, 980, 52

Open: 11am-8.30pm, Closed Tues

Many people we speak to seem to neglect to eat many nuts and seeds, and the nuts and seeds they do eat are often fried and highly salted.

A new study from the American Journal of Cardiology shows that adding walnuts (a healthy plant source of omega-3 fatty acid) to a high-fat meal reduces negative changes in arteries. Researchers from Barcelona’s Hospital Clinical compared how arteries are affected by five teaspoons of olive oil versus eight walnuts when added to a fatty meal. While both walnuts and olive oil decreased inflammation, walnuts increased the elasticity and flexibility of the arteries (called flow-mediated dilation, or FMD) by 24 percent for those with high cholesterol, and FMD was unchanged in the healthy control group. In comparison, those who consumed olive oil showed a 36 percent and 17 percent decrease in FMD for high-cholesterol and control participants, respectively.

Cortes B, Nunez I, Cofan M, et al. Acute Effects of High-Fat Meals Enriched With Walnuts or Olive Oil on Postprandial Endothelial Function. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2006; 48:1666-1671.

Even If You Like Meat Flyer

The organisation Vegan Outreach produces a range of flyers which they distribute at universities in North America. These flyers can be read online, downloaded (no need to ask for permission), or ordered through the mail. One of their flyers specifically addresses those who say they love eating meat too much to give it up:

http://www.veganoutreach.org/EIYLM.pdf. If you cannot open the file, you may need to download the free Adobe Reader software to read pdf files: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html.

Here’s what one person in the U.S. wrote after reading the flyer:

I was at my local Starbucks where I found the pamphlet entitled Even If You Like Meat. As a self-proclaimed animal-loving omnivore, I was prompted to read it. I was really impressed with the even-handed approach that was used to present the topics. People who eat meat were not belittled and painted as less evolved. There were some great middle-of-the-road approaches to decreasing animal cruelty on factory farms. And I really thought it was a good appeal to meat-eaters. I for one will try to think of a few more plant-based recipes for my family.

Muses from Catherine Lim

One of Singapore’s most celebrated authors, Catherine Lim, has been publishing her creative musings in TODAY newspaper. Here’s one (from 26 Aug 06), reprinted with her permission, that gives us pause to think about our impact on our fellow animals.

MUSES

It is bad enough we humans

To save ourselves from disease

Use animals in cruel tests

And kill them by slow degrees

Far greater should be our shame

When a small

Creature bleeds

To meet vanity’s insatiable needs

Download a Free Book on Veganism

Erik Marcus is a well-known writer and speak on veg issues. At www.vegan.com, you can download an entire copy of the revised edition of his book Vegan: The New Ethics of Eating. Plus, if you’re into podcasts, on the same web, you can find out about Erik’s podcasts.

More on Healthier Hawker Fare

In response to our recent discussion of how to improve veg hawker food, a reader wrote in with something of a success story. It shows that sometimes one lone voice can make a bit of a difference.

I read with interest some readers’ feedback on the unhealthy style of cooking at most veg stalls in our food centres. I do feel the same, but each and every time I order my food, I will always ask for no MSG, less oil, and no deep fried stuff. I get stares most of the time, but many nowadays oblige, and if many customers do the same, the situation will improve. I have not encountered any problem since I started on veg food a few years ago.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#236 From: "Vegetarian Society (Singapore)" <george@...>
Date: Wed Nov 1, 2006 8:11 am
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 1 Nov 2006 jacobs_george
Send Email

VSS eNewsletter �1 Nov 2006

Informative Exchange of Letters in TODAY

VSS News

Please see An Inconvenient Truth

Jane Goodall to Speak at 2008 IVU Congress

Other News

New Veg Outlet

Corrected Reprint of Catherine Lim Poem

Motherhood Magazine’s Positive Article on Veg Pregnancy

Annalakshmi at Chinatown Point

Study Suggests Vegetables Are Good for the Brain

Food Encyclopedia Available at Local Shops

VSS News

Informative Exchange of Letters in TODAY

This past week saw an exchange of letters in TODAY newspaper concerning the role of meat production in environmental destruction. Letter (1) (Mon, 23 Oct) is from VSS president, George Jacobs. Letter (2) (Wed, 25 Oct), by Yuen Xiang Hao, attempts to refute some of the points in George’s letter. Letter (3) is a reply from VSS Exco member Lai Nam Khim, published Sat, 28 Oct. Letters (4) and (5) have yet to be published. They were written by Dr Shawn Lum, a science lecturer at NIE and VP of Nature Society (Singapore) and George, respectively. VSS appreciates Yuen Xiang Hao’s willingness to exchange ideas on this important topic. Note: the headlines are by TODAY, not the letter writers.

Letter (1) What meat-eaters, haze have in common

IN THE News Comment “Waiting for clear days” (Oct 19), Professor Ooi Giok Ling

makes many valid points. To clear the haze problem, people throughout the region need to adopt a more cooperative attitude towards nature and our neighbours.

In addition to threatening our health and our economy, the forest fires polluting

our air pose yet another risk: They contribute greatly to the worldwide problem of

global warming, as the fires emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Global warming is fast reaching a tipping point. This issue is brought home by a powerful documentary arriving in Singapore theatres this week: An Inconvenient Truth. The film’s title comes from the fact that if we are serious about global warming, we will need to do some things that are inconvenient, such as reduce our use of fossil fuels.

Another truth that may be inconvenient is that meat production is a very inefficient

use of our resources. We have to feed at least 5kg of food to our fellow animals to obtain just 1kg of meat from their bodies. Meat production’s huge waste of food, water, and fuel worsens global warming. For example, the inefficiency of meat means that much more land must be cleared to grow the food that we feed to those that we later eat.

Furthermore, the solid, liquid, and gaseous excretions of these fellow animals are much greater than all such waste we humans create. Some of the animals’ waste contains methane — a greenhouse gas that is 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide. Fortunately, reducing our meat consumption, as suggested in the website for An Inconvenient Truth — www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/whatyoucando/index4.html

— is not really that inconvenient.

Singapore is blessed with a large supply of readily available and affordable vegetarian food at supermarkets, food courts and restaurants. Indeed, even most restaurants that specialise in meat also offer tasty vegetarian options.

Letter (2) Meat-eaters are not the culprits

IN “WHAT meat-eaters, haze have in common” (Oct 23), Mr George Jacobs raises the following objections to eating meat: 1. Meat is inefficient. 2. Meat causes global warming, as meat animals produce methane. Let’s take point 2 first. While it is true that cows produce methane, ice-core studies show that the rise in atmospheric methane began to climb steadily not after the wholesale cultivation of cows,

but after the large-scale cultivation of rice. A brief visit to a rice field will confirm the presence of methane and hydrogen sulphide, as a padi field is in effect a cultivated swamp.

As for point 1, while it’s true that eating cows is less efficient than eating corn, as cows “waste” a lot of energy, cows are not necessarily fed on corn. We feed animals on food that we humans cannot eat, so unless one believes we could replace the

grass in Dutch meadows or alpine slopes with cornfields, meat animals are the only way to turn that energy into energy useful to humans.

Letter (3) Getting to the meat of pastoral land use

IN THE letter “Meat-eaters are not the culprits” (Oct 25), Yuen Xiang Hao admits that meat is a less efficient source of energy, but contends that the animals are fed on “food that we humans cannot eat” and they graze on land not otherwise suitable for cultivation. I am sure many believe likewise, but this is far from the truth.

Grazing land is typically cleared from forests. Forest lands are not “unproductive” — they act as “lungs” of the planet in absorbing carbon dioxide and are important for water retention. Large-scale destruction of forest leads to environment problems such as soil erosion and flooding.

The main reason that there is abundance of meat at relatively affordable prices today is the adoption of intensive farming practices. Cattle now spend minimal time grazing the meadows, and some not at all. They are fattened with grains such as soy, barley, sorghum, corn and oats before they are sent to the slaughterhouse. In addition, poultry and animals like pigs do not feed on grass, but grain.

The fact is, today, more grain is produced for animal feed than for human consumption. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation: “Feed use accounts for nearly 60 per cent of total use of coarse grains.”

Meat production uses up far more land and water to provide the same amount of energy that we could otherwise consume directly from the plants. In addition, the amount of animal waste produced in the process adds to the pollution problem.

Few people are aware of the connection between meat consumption and the environment. There are many resources in our local libraries and online, which the environmentally-conscious reader can look into.

A simple change in our diet — reducing meat consumption — can make a big difference to the environment.

Letter (4)

In an age where information is so accessible and with an education that is the envy of much of the world, I still find it surprising how little many of us know about basic – but important – issues. These include knowing about where our food comes from or the causes of global warming, arguably the most serious environment threat facing humankind today.

As a case in point I refer to the letter “Meat-eaters are not the culprits” (Today, 25 October). Without wishing to enter in the debate about the merits of giving up meat in one’s diet, I can say that the writer of the letter either substituted conjecture for fact, or perhaps simply did not have an adequate level of environmental understanding. In either case, I feel that this is a cause for concern with regards to public education, scholarship and general literacy. Here are some well-documented, and readily accessible, facts:

Methane production by livestock is a significant source of greenhouse gases, as is wet rice production. In 2003, livestock “enteric fermentation” (i.e. methane produced in the digestive systems of livestock and released as flatulence) accounted for slightly over 20% of the human-related methane produced in the U.S. (www.epa.gov/methane/sources.html). Meat consumption tends to increase along with rising national average incomes, which implies that more livestock-produced methane may well result in the future.

The claim that “we feed animals on food that we humans cannot eat” shows a misunderstanding of the industrial meat production. Across the world, grain is grown and fed to cattle and other meat sources in ever-increasing amounts. In 2002, Jeremy Rifkin wrote in The Guardian that “the worldwide demand for feed grain continues to grow, as multinational corporations seek to capitalise on the meat demands of affluent countries. Two-thirds of the increases in grain production in the US and Europe between 1950 and 1985, the boom years in agriculture, went to provide feed grain.” (www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,717044,00.html)

And with respect to cows feeding in alpine meadows, research conducted by Swiss ecologists at the University of Basel demonstrated that meadows fertilised by manure produced by a high density of grazing cows led to significant declines in the diversity of flowering plants and butterflies on those meadows.

There is no reason to think that we cannot have a better understanding of how what we use and what we eat impacts the environment. Only an informed consumer is empowered to make rational choices that minimise our impact on our planet as well as benefit our health. I am convinced Singapore can lead the way in scientific and environmental literacy, given our excellent education system and our accessibility to information. Maybe all we need is to do is to make connections between that information and the world around us.

Letter (5)

In Meat-eaters are not the culprits, YUEN XIANG HAO paints an out-of-date picture of how we get our meat. Long gone are the days when the animals roamed freely, with chickens strutting around the yard, pecking the ground in search of food.

Nowadays, most of the meat we eat comes from huge factory farms where 1000s of our fellow animals are locked indoors, deprived of anything resembling a natural life. For example, the amount of space given to the average chicken is roughly equivalent to an A4 size piece of paper.

Plus, the chickens' beaks are cut so they don't peck each other, and they are fed growth hormones so they grow quickly. Then, they are sent for slaughter after less than 7 weeks of life. All this crowding, cutting, hormone feeding, and rushing to slaughter means that we have cheap chicken to eat.

Also, in many countries, a significant proportion of the harvest of grains, soy beans and other food crops goes to feed animals whom we later eat. For instance, the Worldwatch Institute, estimates that in the U.S., 70% of the grain is fed to animals. The same pattern is repeating itself in developing countries as meat consumption rises. For instance, in China, the share of grain fed to livestock rose from 7 percent in 1960 to 20 percent in 1990.

Thus, we need to realize that meat eating is not only cruel to our fellow animals but also very harmful to our fragile environment, especially given the dangers of global warming.

Please see An Inconvenient Truth

On 26 Oct, VSS took part in the first public screening of the documentary An Inconvenient Truth at Golden Village, Plaza Sing. The documentary dramatically explains why Global Warming poses such an imminent threat to life on earth.

VSS and other organizations have joined together to promote the movie: http://www.eco-singapore.org/campaign/ait/seethetruth.php. We feel there is an urgent need for all of us to understand the situation that we as a human race have created for this planet. Although the consequences portrayed in the movie may or may not be certain to occur in all their horror, there are definite and real consequences of the way we mistreat the Earth.

Thus, there is a real need for us to awaken to the reality and make a shift in the way we see the planet we all share, because all of life is connected. This is a serious matter and pertinent to everyone, especially for our future generations.

The movie explains truths which may be inconvenient to us. At VSS, we are elaborating on another inconvenient and important truth that the movie does not highlight but which is well documented and should be made widely known: Our growing meat consumption harms the environment; in particular, it worsens Global Warming.

Jane Goodall to Speak at 2008 IVU Congress

Yes, it’s still only 2006, but we thought you’d like to hear the exciting news that Jane Goodall, who has done so much to increase our knowledge about and concern for our fellow animals, has agreed to speak at the International Vegetarian Union’s 2008 Congress in Dresden, Germany: http://www.ivu.org/congress/2008/dresdentour.html.

Other News

New Veg Outlet

Simple Food, Blk 462 Tampines St 44, #01-64 (opp Tampines JC), Tel: 6782.6142. Open 7 days a week, 7.30am-9pm. MRT: Tampines; Buses 28, 29, 293.

Corrected Reprint of Catherine Lim Poem

On Sat, 18 Nov, 2pm-5pm, Kampung Senang’s Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Blk 106 Aljunied Crescent #01-205, is hosting a 3hr class on Macrobiotic Vegetarian Cooking, to be taught be Ms Doreen Chua. Price is $60/members, $70/public, or $90 for a member and their caregiver, $100 for a non-member and their caregiver.

Kampung Senang’s Holistic Lifestyle Centre focuses on helping people maintain and regain health, with a special emphasis on cancer patients. Among the many activities available there are sea salt & mud bath hydrotherapy, yoga/qigong, meditation,

calligraphy and arts & craft.

We missed a line in the reprint of Catherine Lim’s poem in Today, 26 Aug 06. Here’s the correct version.

It is bad enough we humans

To save ourselves from disease

Use animals in cruel tests

And kill them by slow degrees

Far greater should be our shame

When a small creature bleeds

For that special cream or scent

To meet vanity’s insatiable needs

Motherhood Magazine’s Positive Article on Veg Pregnancy

The Nov issue of Motherhood magazine features an article that says that having a veg pregnancy is nothing to worry about as long as the mother-

to-be exercises the normal dietary precautions. While the article doesn’t claim that going veg is better for baby and mum, it does dispel myths that veg diets are inadequate for pregnant women.

Motherhood can be found at bookshops and newsstands all around Singapore. You can also purchase it online through www.motherhood.com.sg.

Annalakshmi at Chinatown Point

Annalakshmi, one of Singapore’s best known Indian veg restaurants, has a second location at 133 New Bridge Road, B1-02 Chinatown Point, Podium A (use Chinatown MRT Exit E). They are open 7 days a week from 11am to 10pm for lunch, tea and dinner. Plus, they do catering and delivery. Tel: 6339.9993

Their other location, which opened earlier this year, is Annalakshmi Janatha, at 104 Amoy St. Tel: 6223.0809. Learn more about both outlets online at annagov@... or www.annalakshmi.com.sg.

Study Suggests Vegetables Are Good for the Brain

A new study suggests that eating vegetables may protect brain function in aging adults. As part of the Chicago Health and Aging Project (CHAP), researchers at Rush University Medical Center examined the association between rates of cognitive change and dietary consumption of fruits and vegetables among 3,718 participants, aged 65 years and older. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/D/DIET_VEGETABLES_AGING?SITE=DCUSN&SECTION=HEALTH&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Those people who consumed greater than 2.8 servings of vegetables per day had significantly slower rates of mental decline than those who ate fewer servings. Green leafy vegetables, in particular, were most strongly associated with a decreased rate of mental decline. Fruit consumption was not associated with cognitive change.

Morris MC, Evans DA, Tangney CC, Bienias JL, Wilson RS. Associations of vegetable and fruit consumption with age-related cognitive change. Neurology. 2006;67:1370-1376.

Food Encyclopedia Available at Local Shops

Earlier, we announced that a new edition of the 3-volume Food Encyclopedia was available in Singapore. Now, you can find the 2005 edition at the following organic shops.

Green Sense Organic Restaurant, 15 Jasmine Rd, 6451.7553

Organic Cottage, 722 Clementi West St. 2, #01-160, 6779.1455

Organic + +, 50 East Coast Rd, 01-43, Roxy Square, 6346.2125

New Green Pasture Caf�, 190 Middle Rd, #04-22 Fortune Centre, 6336.8755

Yogi Hub, 28 Stanley Street, 6220.4344

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

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#237 From: "Vegetarian Society (Singapore)" <george@...>
Date: Sun Nov 5, 2006 8:35 am
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 6 Nov 2006 jacobs_george
Send Email

VSS eNewsletter 6 Nov 2006

VSS Participates in Wellness Weekend at Fort Canning

VSS News

Interview with Designer-Distributor of “Love Us, Not Eat Us” Sticker

Shanghai Opera Charity Event – Pls Support VSS

Letter on Global Warming and Meat

Web Resources on the Link between Global Warming and Meat

Other News

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Most Self-Aware Elephant of Them All

Veg Population in US Seems To Be Growing

Free Downloads from the Vegan Society (UK)

World Series Baseball Manager Is Long-Time Veg and Animal Advocate

Bird Flu Book

American Idol Goes Veg, Loses 45 Kg

Holiday Recipes

Cow Story from China

VSS News

VSS Participates in Wellness Weekend at Fort Canning

Once again, VSS looks forward to participating in the Wellness Weekend, Sat-Sun, 18-19 Nov, 10am-8pm: http://www.holisticliving.com.sg/newsletter/content1.htm.

Admission is $3, children under 12 free. Food will be provided by Annalakshmi.

In addition to our usual display and handouts, we’ll be doing two workshops, one on ‘Global Warming and Meat’ on Sat at 1pm and the other on ‘The Rave Diet: What and Why’ on Sun at 5pm. Other interesting looking workshops include one on the book The Peacemaker’s Way and another on Tibetan Singing Bowls.

Interview with Designer-Distributor of “Love Us, Not Eat Us” Sticker

Editor’s Note: T Y Lee is a Singapore vegetarian who came up with a great idea for spreading the word about going veg to help our fellow animals. T Y conceptualized, designed and printed the colourful decal that you can view and order at http://www.loveusnoteatus.com.

The design juxtaposes non-human animals who we often eat with ones who we often bring into our lives as companions. Via this juxtaposition, T Y challenges meat eaters to ask themselves why they treat some of our fellow animals so nicely while treating others so cruelly by subjecting them to factory farming and an early death.

Below is an online interview with T Y.

1. How long have you been a vegetarian?

Not long at all, just coming to two years.

2. Did you go veg overnight, or was it a longer process? What is your favourite vegetarian dish?

It was very much of an overnight thing. Once I made up my mind to become vegetarian, it took me just a few days to get over not eating animals. I like Indian vegetarian food, in particular the dry and spicy Potato Masala.

3. What gave you the idea for the sticker?

Shortly after I became vegetarian, I thought it would be nice to have some kind of decal to stick on my car to promote vegetarianism but I couldn't find any nice ones. Therefore I decided to make my own! I figured that there are also many other vegetarians that would like something like this, so I decided to produce and distribute them for free.

The idea came from the irrational thinking of most people that while they agree it is cruel to eat dogs and cats, it is okay to eat, for example, cows and pigs. People are conditioned to think in this way from a very young age. By mixing 'food' and 'non-food' animals together in the design of the decal and showing how lovable all these animals are, the intention is to break down this kind of conditioning. I hope that the design and the positive and direct slogan, will enable more people to see and realize the truth of meat-eating.

4. Have you ever had any pets/companion animals?

Yes, I have two cats. I love cats!

5. How big was the original sticker? Why did you start making the smaller size? Which size is more popular? Why?

The original was a car decal about 32cm in length. The new version is slightly more compact at about 30cm long. There is also a sticker which is 20cm long. The car decals seem to be more popular in places like Europe, Australia and the USA. The stickers seem to be more popular here in Singapore and the Asian region.

6. How do you promote the sticker?

Mainly through my website: www.loveusnoteatus.com. I also use Google Adwords, which enables me to reach out to people in countries all over the world. I now get many requests from people who have told me that they have either seen the decal on a car or a sticker around somewhere.

7. To date, how many have been sent out?

I really don't keep track of any numbers but I think they number in the tens of thousands.

8. In what languages is the sticker available?

Right now in English and Chinese as far as I know. I have made the design free from copyright so that anyone can reproduce and translate the decals if they wish to do so.

9. To how many countries has the sticker been sent?

As of now, to more than 40 countries all over the world.

10. What are your favourite stories about people's reactions to the sticker?

I've been told more than once that cats and dogs should not be included in the design as people don't usually eat them. I just ask them to think about why they are included, and quite often the reason dawns on them as if they have suddenly become enlightened. I have also received more than a few letters from people telling me that they have decided to become vegetarian after seeing the decals!

What is really satisfying is the positive response from people all over the world. I have had people from diverse places like Bulgaria and Bhutan, Cyprus and Chile, Finland and Ghana, Mauritius and Latvia, South Africa and Sweden, etc. writing to me requesting for the stickers and telling me how much they like it. This kind of international reaction and popularity is truly way beyond what I could ever have expected when I first started this project.

11. Do you have any plans for other stickers or other projects?

No plans now, but I'll be open to any new ideas that will help promote or create more awareness of vegetarianism and animal rights.

Shanghai Opera Charity Event – Pls Support VSS

Tang Renaissance Communicators - http://www.tang-renaissance.com - is bringing the world-renowned Shanghai Yue Opera, which includes 100 master performers, to Singapore for two concerts at the Esplanade Theatre in December, and they have generously given tickets to charities such as VSS.

Subtitles are provided in Chinese and English. Here are the details on the operas:

Dec 22 – Fri – 8pm – Esplanade Theatre – Dream of the Red Mansions

Dec 23 – Sat – 8pm – Esplanade Theatre - The Meilong Inn

For more information about the shows (but not the tix): 6842-7266 or visit the Tang Renaissance web: http://www.tang-renaissance.com

Ticket prices range from $88-$168, but VSS will be selling its 60 tickets for $68, although donations in excess of $68 are most welcome. VSS keeps 100% of the price you pay for the ticket. For tix, email info@..., or come to the VSS Point of Contact on Saturdays from 10am – 1pm, at Kampung Senang Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Block 106, Aljunied Crescent, #01-00 (5mins walk from Aljunied MRT), or call 9389-8360.

Please support VSS’s vital educational efforts.

Letter on Global Warming and Meat

VSS sent the following letter to Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan (Mayor, South West District & Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources)

Dear Dr Khor

This is written on behalf of Vegetarian Society (Singapore) to provide input on Singapore’s efforts to cope with global warming. We believe that meat production contributes greatly to global warming in at least two ways:

1. Meat is a very inefficient food source. A recent Straits Times article estimated that we need to feed other animals between 11 and 17 calories of plant food in order to obtain one calorie from meat. As a result of this inefficiency, a great deal more forest land must be cleared to grow all the extra food needed. As you know, forests are a key element in controlling our planet’s carbon dioxide balance.

2. The animals whose flesh we eat produce a huge amount of solid, liquid and gaseous waste. As we eat about 50 billion of our fellow land animals every year, it is no surprise that their waste greatly exceeds the amount humans produce. Methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide, is contained in some of this waste.

The attached file [see the next story in the issue of the VSS eNewsletter] contains a variety of web resources on the meat-global warming connection.

Of course, Singapore’s meat consumption isn’t large on a global scale, and we appreciate the fact that persuading people to eat more plant foods is difficult. That said, every little bit helps, and many people are unaware of the link between environmental destruction and meat eating. As a first step, perhaps awareness could be raised.

Thank you for considering this. Please let us know if you would like additional information or discussion.

Web Resources on the Link between Global Warming and Meat

Editor’s Note: The release of the documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” is just one of the events that has brought increased attention to global warming. However, much of the focus in addressing global warming ignores or minimizes the role of animal-based foods. Production of animal-based foods worsens global warming in two main ways: (1) the inefficiency of meat production; (2) the methane content of the waste produced by our captive fellow animals.

Here are some web resources that may be helpful in raising this issue.

1. Gideon Eshel and Pamela Martin are University of Chicago researchers. Their work suggests that changing to a veg diet can be as helpful in reducing global warming as changing from a gas-guzzling car to a car that burns less fossil fuel.

http://geosci.uchicago.edu/~gidon/papers/nutri/nutri.html

2. A story from the US tv network, ABC, about the Eshel, Martin study described above in #1.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/TenWays/story?id=2119267&page=1

3. Devour the Earth is a 20-minute documentary produced in 1995 (but still relevant today) by the UK Vegetarian Society and narrated by “Paul McCartney. The script is available at:

http://vegetarismus.ch/video/vsuk_skripte.htm.

4. This is a report from EarthSave, titled “A new global warming strategy: How environmentalists are overlooking vegetarianism as the most effective tool against climate change in our lifetimes.”

http://www.earthsave.org/news/earthsave_global_warming_report.pdf

5. An article from The Aquarian, titled “Another Inconvenient Truth: In the modern world, it is impossible to reconcile a carnivorous diet with environmental responsibility.”

http://www.aquarianonline.com/Eco/anotherinconvenienttruth.htm

6. “Another Inconvenient Truth” is a popular title for articles and talks linking meat and the global warming. Here an article from E Magazine, titled “Another Inconvenient Truth: Meat is a global warming issue.”

http://www.emagazine.com/view/?3312

7. This webpage from Northern Territories University (Australia) explains how our fellow animals produce methane: “Emission of methane from livestock.”

http://www.cs.ntu.edu.au/homepages/jmitroy/sid101/uncc/fs032.html

8. A webpage from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: “Where does methane come from.”

http://www.epa.gov/methane/sources.html

9. The Meatrix is a web-based spin on the trilogy of Matrix films. Opposed to factory farming but not completely veg. This page discusses methane:

http://www.themeatrix.com/learnmore/wasterecycling.html

10. Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (USA) are trying to find ways to reduce the amount of methane produced by our fellow animals.

http://ard.unl.edu/rn/0302/methane.html

11. “Methane emissions” is the simple title of a Canadian government web document, with accompanying video and teachers’ guide.

http://www.science.gc.ca/default.asp?Lang=En&n=7F9A808A-1&edit=off

12. “Global warming: The inconvenient truth about what we eat” by Stephen Leckie, July 4, 2006, provides an overview of various greenhouse gases and how human actions generate them via our food choices, including eating food that is transported long distances. http://www.veg.ca/issues/e-climate-change.html

Other News

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Most Self-Aware Elephant of Them All

A recent study shows that elephants can recognize themselves in a mirror: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061030/ap_on_sc/self_aware_elephant.

Why is this self-awareness important? “Self-recognition may underlie the social complexity seen in elephants, and could be linked to the empathy and altruism that the big-brained animals have been known to display, said researcher Diana Reiss, of the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the Bronx Zoo.” This is just one more piece of evidence that our fellow animals are thinking, feeling beings who should not be treated as objects.

Veg Population in US Seems To Be Growing

In the US these days, almost everybody seems to have a family member, a cousin, a colleague or a friend who is vegetarian. Even large corporations have become greatly interested in vegetarian and cruelty-free items. For example, Colgate recently purchased control of Tom’s of Maine, a maker of toothpastes, soaps, etc. that use no animal products or animal testing, for $100 million. Silk (a maker of soy milk, which is now becoming available in Singapore) and its parent company White Wave were bought by Dean Foods, the largest U.S. processor of dairy foods. Here are the results of a 2006 poll of people in the U.S. conducted on behalf of the Vegetarian Resource Group: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue4/vj2006issue4poll.htm.

Someday, VSS hopes to have the funds to conduct such a poll. We are confident that Singapore can successfully compete with the U.S. in terms of the number of vegetarians here.

Free Downloads from the Vegan Society (UK)

The Vegan Society (UK) has recently published a free 16-page full-colour booklet on Healthy Eating Without Animal Products.

Based on the book Plant Based Nutrition and Health by IVU (International Vegetarian Union) Science Coordinator, Stephen Walsh, Ph.D. (see www.vegansociety.com/shop), the booklet can be obtained from The Vegan Society, 7 Battle Road, St Leonards on Sea, East Sussex TN37 7AA, United Kingdom or downloaded free from:

http://www.vegansociety.com/html/publications/leaflets.php

Other free booklets available are Why Vegan and the recent environmental booklet Eating the Earth. Both can also be downloaded from the website.

All three booklets are free of charge, though donations from those who can afford it are always welcome.

World Series Baseball Manager Is Long-Time Veg and Animal Advocate

Not many people in S’pore follow U.S. baseball, but it’s nice to know that the manager of the St Louis Cardinals baseball team, winners of the recent World Series, has long been active in promoting the welfare of our fellow animals. Here’s an article which mentions that fact, along with providing information on the veg food sold at baseball stadiums in North America: http://www.goveg.com/f-topballparks06.asp. What about stadiums in S’pore?

Fruits and Vegetables Improve Male Fertility

Could eating more fruit and veg be part of the answer to S’pore’s baby shortage?

A new study shows that eating fruits and vegetables can improve fertility in men. Researchers from the University of Rochester compared the dietary intake of antioxidants in 10 fertile and 48 infertile men and correlated the findings with sperm motility. Infertile men were twice as likely to have a low intake of fruits and vegetables (less than five servings per day) compared with fertile men. Also, men with the lowest overall intake of dietary antioxidants had lower sperm motility than men with higher intakes.

Lewis V, Kochman L, Herko R, Brewer K, Andolina E, Song G. Dietary antioxidants and sperm quality in infertile men. Paper presented at: Annual Scientific Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine; October, 2006; New Orleans.

Bird Flu Book

Michael Greger, M.D. is Director, Public Health and Animal Agriculture at The Humane Society of the United States. He also has a website “Vegan MD”, http://www.veganmd.com, along with a newsletter: http://www.DrGreger.org/newsletters.html.

His latest contribution is an online book about bird flu: http://www.BirdFluBook.org. Bird Flu doesn’t receive the publicity that it used to, but it’s still out there killing people and other animals, as well as developing new strains.

American Idol Goes Veg, Loses 45 Kg

Ruben Studdard, American Idol winner in 2003, once weighed about 180kg, but he recently shed about 45kg, thanks in part to going veg: http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/bawnews/studdard1017.

Holiday Recipes

The Vegetarian Society UK is offering a leaflet with a range of Xmas recipes, http://www.vegsoc.org/christmas/2006/form.html, including both healthy and not-so-healthy veg fare.

Cow Story from China

The following is a bit dated, but we hear similar stories from other people who spent their childhoods with some of the animals whom humans often eat.

My Dear Cow

by Jan Jan Ng, as reprinted by Professor Bob Blaisdell in his article "Jan Jan", in the journal "Academe", September-October, 1994, volume 80, number 5, page 43.

I grew up in the countryside of China, but now I live in a city. Beef is an important meat where I live now. A lot of dishes here are made with beef. Every restaurant has beef on the menu. Most people like to eat beef. But I never eat beef. I never eat it not because I am scared of getting fat but because my worst memory is about a cow.

My hometown was in the south of China. China was a poor country. We didn't have machines to do the farm work. As a result, a cow was the important tool for us to use for work on the farm. That was why we didn't have beef to sell on the market. My family also had a cow. She was very kind and friendly to my family. She helped us to plant our rice fields. All of us loved the cow. I took her to a field every day after school. She was happy every day, even if she had to work on the farm a whole day.

Whenever she saw me, she would use her head to touch me. I thought she had human feelings. For example, one day, I had a bad stomachache. I felt terrible. Maybe she knew what was happening to me when she saw my face. She bent down so that I could sit on her back. Then, she carefully carried me home. When I reached home, my mother immediately called a doctor to our home. After he had examined me, the doctor said that if I hadn't come home early, I might have become dangerously ill. He said I should thank the cow.

Later, when I was ten years old, the cow wasn’t able to work as well as before, since she was old. Therefore, my parents wanted to sell her and buy another cow. I cried for a few days when I heard this. I tried my best to persuade my parents not to sell her. Finally, my parents didn't sell her. Instead, my parents borrowed money from my grandmother to buy another cow. I was very happy about my parents’ kindness. I continued to visit the cow, bringing her outside the barn to eat grass and brushing her hair.

One day after school, I went to take our dear cow outside. I saw a lot of people in the cow's barn. I ran over to find out what was going on. I was so upset and pained when I saw what was happening. They were killing my cow. My dear cow was being killed by those stupid people. I tried to get in and stop them, but they wouldn’t let me in. I saw the cow looking at the people. Maybe she hoped they would let her go. They just wanted some beef to eat, since no beef was sold in the market. My heart was torn by what they did to my cow, and I could not stop them.

Finally, the people left. I didn't know what to do. They gave some beef to my family. I took it outside and dug a hole in the grass field. I put the beef inside the hole. If the cow had feelings, I hoped she could rest in the heaven. I was mad at my parents because of the cow's death. I refused to talk to them. My mother was upset by my behavior. She said, "The master of the village wanted to kill the cow. What could I do? He would have given us trouble if we didn’t let him kill it. I feel upset also." I dreamt that night. I saw my cow was in heaven and she had a good life.

Whenever I see beef, I always remember my cow. I don't eat any beef in order to make myself feel better. Even though I couldn't stop the people who killed my cow, I can stop eating beef.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

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#238 From: "Vegetarian Society (Singapore)" <george@...>
Date: Sat Nov 11, 2006 10:35 am
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 12 November 2006 jacobs_george
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VSS eNewsletter 12 Nov 2006

Wellness Weekend Sat and Sun, 18-19 Nov, at Fort Canning

VSS News

Shanghai Yue Opera Charity Event – Pls Support VSS

Letter to McD’s about Their Fries

As Always, Volunteers Needed

Other News

Cooking Class and Talk on the Importance of Fibre and Its Sources

Thailand Organic Farm Tour

Japanese Veg Cooking on Channel U on Monday

Fishy Questions

Last Days of An Inconvenient Truth

VSS News

Wellness Weekend Sat and Sun, 18-19 Nov, at Fort Canning

Once again, VSS looks forward to participating in the Wellness Weekend, Sat-Sun, 18-19 Nov, 10am-8pm: http://www.holisticliving.com.sg/newsletter/content1.htm.

Admission is $3, children under 12 free. Food will be provided by Annalakshmi.

Shanghai Yue Opera Charity Event – Pls Support VSS

Tang Renaissance Communicators - http://www.tang-renaissance.com - is bringing the world-renowned Shanghai Yue Opera House, which includes 100 master performers, to Singapore for two concerts at the Esplanade Theatre in Dec, and they have generously given tickets to charities such as VSS.

Subtitles are provided in Chinese and English. Here are the details on the operas:

Dec 22 – Fri – 8pm – Esplanade Theatre – Dream of the Red Mansions

Dec 23 – Sat – 8pm – Esplanade Theatre - The Meilong Inn

For more information about the shows (but not the tix): 6842-7266 or visit the Tang Renaissance web: http://www.tang-renaissance.com

Please support VSS’s vital educational efforts.

Letter to McD’s about Their Fries

In response to a reader request, as well as our own curiosity, VSS sent the following letter to McDonald’s Singapore.

McDonald’s Restaurants

Corporate Office, Public Relations

11 King Albert Park, #02-00

Singapore 598292

To Whom It May Concern:

This is written on behalf of Vegetarian Society (Singapore) to ask about your French fries. We will gladly share your answer on our website and in our eNewsletter which goes out to 2300 addresses.

People have written to us expressing confusion as to whether your fries are vegetarian (no meat, including from marine animals, or meat by-products) and/or vegan (contain no animal source products, such as milk). If you could supply an ingredient list which elaborates on the various ingredients, such as what ‘natural flavouring’ means, that would help people gain clarity.

Below are some of the sources of people’s confusion.

The main McDonald’s website in the U.S. says the following at http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.categories.ingredients.index.html#1.

French Fries:
Potatoes, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural flavor (beef, wheat and dairy sources), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (to preserve natural color). Cooked in partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (may contain partially hydrogenated soybean oil and/or partially hydrogenated corn oil and/or partially hydrogenated canola oil and/or cottonseed oil and/or sunflower oil and/or corn oil). Contains derivatives of wheat and dairy.

Ketchup Packet:
Tomato concentrate from red ripe tomatoes, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, salt, natural flavors (vegetable source).

Please note that under ‘ketchup’ it says that the flavours are from a vegetable source. Thus, McDonald’s does seem to be aware that some customers are concerned about this. Also, this matter was highlighted in The Straits Times Stomp Forum earlier this year.

There was also a story on MSNBC: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11326937.

We realize that there are differences in the products sold at the McDonald’s in different countries. Therefore, your French fries may differ from those sold in the U.S. What we would like is that you share with the public, if you have not already, exactly what all the ingredients are in your French fries.

I’ve enjoyed the fresh apples at your restaurants a couple times in the past. Thank you for considering this matter.

As Always, Volunteers Needed

VSS has about 150 members, but very few are active members. There’s so much to do to promote vegetarianism – humans eat about 50 billion of our fellow animals every year, and that doesn’t include marine animals – please contact info@... to offer your services.

Other News

Cooking Class and Talk on the Importance of Fibre and Its Sources

Genesis Health Food Restaurant is offering its 10^th vegetarian cooking class. This time the topic is the importance of fiber and its sources. After a talk, there will be cooking demonstrations of pomelo salad, green curry and durian pancake, with a full dinner to follow, all for the price of $40 per person. Here are the other details.

Date:            Sun, 19 Nov
Time:            4 pm to 6 pm
Place:           Genesis Health Food Restaurant, 1 Lorong Telok (Raffles Place MRT)
Contact:           6438-7118 or genesishf@...

Thailand Organic Farm Tour

Kampung Senang will be leading a tour to Thailand to visit an organic farm and other educational sights. The dates are 10-15 Jan, 2007. Registration closes 21 Nov. For more information: email@..., 6785-2568.

Japanese Veg Cooking on Channel U on Monday

calligraphy and arts & craft.

Danny Chu, the Zen veg chef, will be featured on Channel U on Mon, 13 at 8.30pm with a repeat telecast at 12.30am on the same evening. For info on Danny’s catering services: danny@....

Fishy Questions

Some people think that vegetarians eat fish. Not true. This page from the UK Vegetarian Society website explains why: http://www.vegsoc.org/fish/facts1.html.

Last Days of An Inconvenient Truth

The acclaimed documentary on Global Warming, An Inconvenient Truth, will be leaving Singapore soon. Attendance wasn’t a stampede. Looks like not many people found it convenient to learn that we’d better do something about global warming. So, why not take a friend, and afterwards you all can go for a veg meal!

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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#239 From: "Vegetarian Society (Singapore)" <george@...>
Date: Sun Nov 19, 2006 12:28 pm
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 20 November 2006 jacobs_george
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VSS eNewsletter 20 Nov 2006

Story Behind the Shanghai Yue Opera House Charity Event

VSS News

VSS Exhibition and Talk at Southeast Asia Geography Conference

Volunteer Opportunities

Other News

Must Reading for Anyone Planning a Pregnancy

Other Animals Want Fairness Says Wall Street Journal

Another Place on the Web for Veg Food Listings

Vegetarian Movie Star – Joaquin Phoenix

Free Email Consulting for Chefs and Other Food Professionals

Coming Attractions – Must See Movies

Talks by Dr Clarence Ing and Mrs May Ing, Plus Health Screening

Workshop on Zen Vegetarian Cooking

VSS News

Story Behind the Shanghai Yue Opera House Charity Event

Dec 22 – Fri – 8pm – Esplanade Theatre – Dream of the Red Mansions

Dec 23 – Sat – 8pm – Esplanade Theatre - The Meilong Inn

For more information about the shows (but not the tix): 6842-7266 or visit the Tang Renaissance web: http://www.tang-renaissance.com

Please support VSS’s vital educational efforts.

The person who put all this together is a big fan of Zhejiang Opera and she appears in local performances. Recently, her husband passed away from cancer. Now, she and a group of opera fans are bringing this famous opera troupe to Singapore and have given some tickets to charities related to the fight against cancer. Most of the tickets went to Kampung Senang, which has a cancer support group and promote organic food etc. You may also wish to buy tickets from Kampung Senang.

VSS Exhibition and Talk at Southeast Asian Geography Conference

VSS will have an exhibition at the Southeast Asian Geography Association’s 2006 conference to be held at Nanyang Girls’ High School, 27-29 Nov. We will also do a talk on ‘Meat and the Environment’. Details at http://www.hsse.nie.edu.sg/staff/changch/seaga/seaga2006.htm.

Volunteer Opportunities

Last issue, we asked for more volunteers. One reader responded by asking what kind of volunteer help is needed. The short answer is: whatever your talents and interests are, there’s almost certainly something for you to do to promote vegetarianism. Below is a longer answer.

1. Your own idea. Why wait for someone else to think of an idea? Get things going yourself. Contact our president, George, for feedback on your idea: george@....

2. Talks and exhibitions. Look for places where we can give talks and exhibitions where we can participate. Contact our Education Officer, Yeow: yeow@vegetarian-society.org.

3. Outings. These are social events for VSS members. They can be outdoors, such as camping, bicycling, hiking or kite-flying, or more relaxed, such as book discussions or visits to art exhibits or movies. Contact our Social Officer, Violet: violet@vegetarian-society.org.

4. Fundraising. VSS needs money for its work. Contact our President, George: george@....

5. Newsletter. Write for or compile information for our electronic newsletter. Contact our Newsletter Editor, George: george@....

6. Newsletter. We need to send highlights from past e-newsletters to people without email. Contact our Honourary Secretary, Nita: nita@....

7. VCD distribution and production. Our VCD is a powerful tool. We need to distribute it widely but carefully, to improve it and to produce more. We also have flyers and decals to distribute. Contact our Education Officer, Yeow: yeow@vegetarian-society.org.

8. Translation. We need to translate VSS materials into languages other than English. Contact our Education Officer, Yeow. yeow@vegetarian-society.org.

9. Design of print materials. We need graphic artists to give our materials a professional, attractive look. Contact our Education Officer, Yeow: yeow@vegetarian-society.org.

10. Shopping. Where can people buy certain hard-to-find vegetarian ingredients, such as brewer’s yeast flakes and non-leather shoes? If you’d like to source for them, contact our president, George: george@....

11. Photography. Take photos at VSS events. These photos will go in our Annual Report and elsewhere. Contact our Honourary Secretary, Nita: nita@....

12. Food outlet liaison. Link VSS with restaurants, hawker stalls, and food stores. This includes not just vegetarian outlets but also non-veg outlets that seek to attract vegetarian customers. Contact our Social Officer, Violet: violet@....

13. Membership. Seek regular and corporate members for VSS, and strengthen ties with members. Contact our President, George: george@....

14. Listing of Vegetarian Outlets. Our lists of vegetarian outlets – restaurants, stall, stores – always needs updating. Contact our Webmaster, webmaster@... .

15. Website. Suggest ways to improve the VSS website. Contact our Webmaster, webmaster@... .

Other News

Must Reading for Anyone Planning a Pregnancy

The November issue of Motherhood magazine, available at newsstands, is important reading for anyone planning a pregnancy. The cover story is titled, “Vegetarian & Expecting: Four mums lead the way to healthy pregnancy.” VSS contributed to the story by helping the author find mums to talk to. The article shows how all the necessary nutrients are readily available on a veg diet.

The article also recounts the differing stories of four veg mums and how they dealt with well-meaning family and friends who tried to dissuade them from a veg pregnancy and from raising their children on veg diets. For example, one of the mums, Eileen Tan, remembers that:

Naturally all around me were concerned when I was pregnant. The older generation, in particular, found it hard to accept. Many would tell me that I should eat some meat for the good of the baby. But now that they see my baby is doing fine, they do not comment when I tell them that she will remain a vegetarian.

November’s Motherhood is at a special price of only $2.50. Our only slight quibble with the excellent article is that in addition to the sufficiency of a well-planned veg diet, actually there are health benefits for baby and mum.

Other Animals Want Fairness Says Wall Street Journal

Here’s an article from the Wall Street Journal that describes research with some of our fellow primates. The research suggests that they have a sense of justice and fairness. Let’s try to convince our fellow humans to develop our own species’ sense of justice and fairness towards other animals. http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116311525774919204-s9j6S8FIvDewxKJQOwfD1Z8etEE_20071109.html?mod=rss_free

Another Place on the Web for Veg Food Listings

VSS Forum member Winson Seow (wingls@...) has started a site that lists veg food outlets: http://sg.vegetarian-food.net. There’s also the VSS listings under ‘Food Outlets’ on the home page of the VSS web: www.vegetarian-society.org. Help is always needed to keep the listings updated; so, we are grateful to the people who write to info@... to let us know when places open, move or close. Other places on the web for veg food listing are: http://sgvegedaily.eq-network.com/TopPick.html
http://www.happycow.net/asia/singapore/index.html .

Finally, if you’d like to take part in VSS’ free online forum, please go to: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/forums. Some people tell us that it’s the best thing about our web.

Vegetarian Movie Star – Joaquin Phoenix

Known for his roles in Gladiator and Walk the Line (for a list of his movies: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001618), Joaquin Phoenix is also known as an activist for animals. For example, he narrated the sombre DVD Earthlings. The theme of the DVD is that we and are fellow animals are all inhabitants of the same planet and that maybe we should treat our fellow animals better. VSS has a copy of the DVD. Contact us at info@... to arrange for public showings.

To learn how a fishing trip at age 3 influenced Joaquin’s move to go veg and to learn why he finds it easier to be veg than it used to be, visit http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1064075.

Free Email Consulting for Chefs and Other Food Professionals

The Veg Advantage is a new U.S.-based web that you’ll want to recommend to people you know who prepare food for a living: http://www.vegadvantage.com.

Here’s part of their blurb, edited slightly.

Our chefs have helped dozens of restaurants, universities, primary and secondary schools, and businesses incorporate vegetarian selections into their menus and cafeterias—and our consulting services are available to you free of charge. Whether you need menu suggestions, or tips on working with new vegetarian foods, just contact us at Info@...

Coming Attractions – Must See Movies

Two movies that all vegetarians will want to see are coming out soon (at least in Hollywood – don’t know yet about S’pore). Charlotte’s web is a classic tale, an absolute must-read about a spider and a girl who save the life of a pig. This film is a new version with lots of celeb voices, including Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey and Robert Redford. The film’s web (pun intended) has games for kids: http://www.charlotteswebmovie.com/site/index.php.

The other film is Fast Food Nation (http://www.foxsearchlight.com/fastfoodnation), inspired by the book by the same name by Eric Schlosser. The best-selling book traces the history of fast food and its effects not just on diet but also on economics and culture. The film, on the other hand, uses fictional narrative to get across the non-fiction book’s revelations. It released this month in the U.S. to somewhat mixed reviews: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809423122/info.

Talks by Dr Clarence Ing and Mrs May Ing, Plus Health Screening

Dr Clarence Ing of the Weimar Institute, California, USA, and Mrs May Ing are long-time vegetarian health professionals who used to work in Singapore and return here regularly to offer their advice. This year, Dr Ing will be giving a free talk on Fri, 24 Nov, 7pm-9.30pm at Bethel Hall @ St Hilda’s Centre, Level 2, 41 Ceylon Road, 6449.3233, eleverage@.... At 5pm the same day, Dr Ing will be available for health screenings on a first-come-first-served basis. For info, contact Irene at 9658.3133.

Workshop on Zen Vegetarian Cooking

Danny Chu will be conducting workshops on Japanese Shojin Ryori Zen Vegetarian food on Thu, 23 Nov and Sun, 25 Nov, 11am-2pm (both days) at Palate Sensations Cooking School, 1 Whitchurch Road, #03-05. Contact: 6479.9025, info@....

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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#240 From: "Vegetarian Society (Singapore)" <george@...>
Date: Sun Nov 26, 2006 12:18 am
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 27 November 2006 jacobs_george
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VSS eNewsletter 27 Nov 2006

Even If You’re Not an Opera Fan, …

VSS News

Another Volunteer Opportunity

Bringing in a Noted Speaker

Veggiedemic Starts at IVU World Vegetarian Congress in Goa

What To Do If You Stop Receiving This Newsletter

Other News

Cakes and Cookies for Everyone

Meatrix 2.5

New Address for Bodhi Vegetarian Restaurant

Veg Trip to East Malaysia

VSS News

Another Volunteer Opportunity

Help is need with transport. VSS often does road shows. For example, on 18-19 Nov, we were at Fort Canning, this week we’re at the Southeast Asia Geography conference, in early December we’re at a school, and we have a month-long exhibition running at a yoga centre.

We have a full set of exhibition panels, a sculpture, a tv, a projector system, and our flyers, VCDs and stickers. That’s a lot to carry, but it can fit in a large car or a van. If you’ve got a vehicle that size or bigger, please contact the VSS Education Officer, Yeow: yeow@.... And, even if your only vehicle key is your EZ Link card, you can still help with setting up the exhibitions, as the display panels especially are a bit of a challenge.

Bringing in a Noted Speaker

Have you heard of or read the book "The China Study": http://www.thechinastudy.com? It is based partly on a huge study done in China of the link between diet and health. The study was a collaboration between China’s Ministry of Health, Oxford University and Cornell University. The book also brings in a wide variety of other research to support the adoption of veg diets. The book is on sale in Singapore, and the Chinese version is due out soon.

The book’s main author, Professor Colin Campbell, has expressed interest in speaking in Singapore. Prof Campbell has a distinguished career as a researcher in cancer and other areas. His fee for two 1.5 hour talks is US$6000, not including transport from the U.S. and accommodation. That leads us to the next item in this newsletter.

Even If You’re Not an Opera Fan, …

Not everyone likes hip-hop, not everyone likes opera, but all the readers of this newsletter like vegetarianism. So, please support VSS by buying a ticket to one of the two opera performances in the next-to-last week of Dec. What some people have done is to purchase tickets but not taken the tickets, allowing an opera fan to go in their place.

Here are the details on the operas:

Dec 22 – Fri – 8pm – Esplanade Theatre – Dream of the Red Mansions

Dec 23 – Sat – 8pm – Esplanade Theatre - The Meilong Inn

For more information about the shows (but not the tix): 6842-7266 or visit the Tang Renaissance web: http://www.tang-renaissance.com

Ticket prices via Sistec range from $88-$168, but VSS will be selling its 60 tickets for $68, although donations in excess of $68 are most welcome. VSS keeps 100% of the price you pay for the ticket. For tix, email info@... or call 9389-8360. You may also wish to buy tickets from Kampung Senang.

Please support VSS’s vital educational efforts.

Veggiedemic Starts at IVU World Vegetarian Congress in Goa

One person from Hong Kong who attended the IVU World Vegetarian Congress this past Sep in Goa, India was so switched on by the experience that he decided to start his own blog, with the great name of Veggiedemic: http://veggiedemic.blogspot.com

Here’s how he explains it: �

Where previously I kept a low profile about my food choice, I have now become more open in discussing vegetarianism with my family and friends. Another thing I have done, in consultation with two other conference participants (we didn’t know each other before the Congress but traveled together afterwards and have become good friends) is to create a blog which I hope will get people to share ideas and experiences about promoting vegetarianism.

What To Do If You Stop Receiving This Newsletter

This e-newsletter is sent using Yahoo! Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/. Like everyone and everything else, Yahoo! Groups isn’t perfect. Specifically, it has a tendency to ‘bounce’ (exclude) members for no apparent reason. Why don’t we switch to another provider? They too have their problems.

Point being: if more than two weeks pass without you receiving your regular dose of the VSS eNewsletter, just write to info@... and we’ll try to fix things. Also, please keep us updated if you change your email address or seldom open mail for a particular address. As a last resort, you can read back issues of the newsletter by going to the VSS homepage – www.vegetarian-society.org – and scrolling down the left frame until you see ‘Newsletter’. Sorry for the bother.

Other News

Cakes and Cookies for Everyone

The Conscious Choice offers a wide variety of cakes and cookies for people whose tastes are a bit outside the mainstream (hopefully, the main stream will soon flow in a different direction). They bake gluten-free, wheat-free, and vegan cakes and cookies. But, The Conscious Choice is not a shop. Instead, their products can be purchased at Whatever Caf�, 20, 29A & 31 Keong Saik Road, see http://www.whatever.com.sg/cafe.php?q=1 for a list of desserts) or in the bake shop in the basement of Tanglin Mall. You can special order or arrange for delivery (an extra $10) by contacting Sabreena at 6735.4880, 98167974, or info@....

Meatrix 2.5

The Meatrix is an animated satire of the meat industry based on the Matrix films. The latest version, Meatrix 2.5 is just out: http://moremeatrix.com.

New Address for Bodhi Vegetarian Restaurant
Bodhi Vegetarian Restaurant has moved from Beauty World Center. They want all their customers to know that they are now at 530 Upper Serangoon Road, 6283.9673.

Veg Trip to East Malaysia

Dec 12-14 (3D/2N) are the dates for a trip to the Borneo Highlands Resort – www.borneohighlands.com.my - at Kuching, Sarawak, organized by Home Health Education Service. The trip includes organic veg meals, health talks, a massage, and nature hikes. The cost is RM740 twin sharing, excluding airfare on Air Asia. For details, contact Mark Chan at markchan@..., sheewai@..., or 9743.8362.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#241 From: "Vegetarian Society (Singapore)" <george@...>
Date: Sun Dec 3, 2006 6:06 am
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 4 December 2006 jacobs_george
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VSS eNewsletter 4 Dec 2006

VSS Participates in Labrador Park Event, Sat, 9 Dec

VSS News

Just 75 More to Reach 2500

Last Chance for Opera Tickets

Yoga @ ECP, Sun, 10 Dec

Other News

Brownie Factory at Xmas Fair at OUB Centre

Prof Colin Campbell on Changing Tastes in Food

Ark Caf� No Longer Fully Veg

UN Report on Global Warming

The Obvious Becomes More Obvious, and More People Act on the Obvious

New Year E-Cards from Physicians for Social Responsibility

Meatrix 2.5 Reloaded

Cartoon

VSS News

Just 75 More to Reach 2500

There are now 2425 addresses subscribed to the free VSS electronic newsletter. We only need 75 more to reach our goal of 2500 by 1 Jan. Why not encourage your friends, family members or colleagues to sign up as part of a New Year resolution to eat less or no meat? They can sign up by going to the VSS web – www.vegetarian.org – clicking ‘Mailing List’ near the bottom of the left frame, and then typing their address into the box that says ‘Join VSS emailing list’. If that doesn’t work, drop a line to info@..., and we’ll add the person to the list. Thx.

Last Chance for Opera Tickets

This Wed is the deadline for buying opera tickets to support VSS and to enjoy a unique cultural experience at a world class venue. Otherwise, we will be returning the unsold tickets. 100% of your purchase goes to VSS, a registered charity.

Here are the details on the operas:

Dec 22 – Fri – 8pm – Esplanade Theatre – Dream of the Red Mansions

Dec 23 – Sat – 8pm – Esplanade Theatre - The Meilong Inn

For more information about the shows (but not the tix): 6842-7266 or visit the Tang Renaissance web: http://www.tang-renaissance.com

Please support VSS’s vital educational efforts.

VSS Participates in Labrador Park Event, 9 Dec

NParks is organizing a Xmas Fiesta Bazaar at Labrador Park Nature Reserve (Seafront Promenade near Carpark B), on Sat, 9 Dec, 5.00pm - 9.00pm. VSS will be participating. Below are excerpts from the NParks blurb. More info at http://www.eventshub.sg/Default.aspx?CalID=2&CatL1ID=10&CatL2ID=76

Looking for some unique gifts? At the mini bazaar you will be able to find unusual items like organic clothes and crafts, handmade jewellery with semi precious stones, ladies accessories, plants, books, homeware, decorations and much more. Join tours to the secret Labrador Tunnels and Fort Batu Berlayar - open to the public for just 1 day (Proceeds from the tour will benefit Club Rainbow). Gain some insights at our gardening/craft workshop or simply unwind at performances by our local buskers.

Families can also look forward to an interACTive performance (presented by ACT 3 International) titled "How the first letter came to be".� The story is about a young girl who goes on a hunting trip and meets a myriad of characters along the way. Having to send messages back to her village (the alphabet had not been invented yet) she begins to draw. Along the way, the messages get misinterpreted and lost in translation! The story will encourage participation from the audience to help the characters out of their dilemmas. They will also input on how the story can end and the performers will improvise on the spot to perform the story's conclusion.

Plus, there will be hourly lucky draws. The first 150 visitors with a bus service Parks 408 (from Harbourfront Interchange) ticket stub will be entitled to a goody bag.

For more info: Eugene Tan � Head - Recreation � National Parks Board � Tel: +65 6465.3370.

Yoga @ ECP, Sun, 10 Dec

In honour of World Animal Rights Day, one of VSS’ favourite yoga teachers, Bala, will be leading anyone interested in yoga from 8am-12noon at East Coast Beach near Big Splash (take the underpass behind Parkway Parade). For doing yoga, you might like to bring a poncho or a straw mat. Either way, be sure to bring your smile J. For details: smilingyogi@... or 9046-4179.

Other News

Brownie Factory at Xmas Fair at OUB Centre

From 1-23 Dec, the Brownie Factory will set up at the Xmas Fair at OUB Centre, Raffles Place. The Brownie Factory has cooperated with VSS on many events including this year’s WOMAD Festival. Their shop in the basement food court of Takashimaya includes a variety of brownies for chocoholics of various tastes.

Prof Colin Campbell on Changing Tastes in Food

The VSS eNewsletter is running excerpts from the book ‘The China Study’ by Professor Colin Campbell. Prof Campbell was born in the U.S. in 1934.

Personally, since coming upon these findings [the findings on the diet-disease link, as described in The China Study], my family and I have managed to change our diets substantially. I know what it's like to eat meat. I was raised on a dairy farm and I milked cows from the time I was 5 until I was 21. When I went away to school, I eventually got my Ph.D. in animal nutrition at Cornell [Cornell University is one of the Ivy League universities], where I worked on a project to produce animal protein more efficiently. So both my personal life and my professional life were entirely on the other end of the research findings that we've been getting.

We started changing our diet when our children came along, and we have been changing ever since. In the short run, people who are accustomed to a high-salt, high-fat diet are not going to like healthier foods at first. But if you have a little patience, you will find that after two or three months, perhaps longer, you will pick up new tastes. Tastes do change. You will then discover that you are happier and more fit than ever before.

Ark Caf� No Longer Fully Veg

A reader wrote that The Ark Caf� in the SAFRA Town Club at 29 Carpenter St is no longer fully veg.

UN Report on Global Warming

Just (29 Nov) out is a UN report linking cattle to global warming and other env damage: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=20772&Cr=global&Cr1=environ. For instance, the report states that 33% of global arable land is devoted to growing plant food for livestock. However, it seems that when it comes to remedies, the reports authors don’t mention eating less or no meat.

The Obvious Becomes More Obvious, and More People Act on the Obvious

For years, humans have attempted to differentiate ourselves from our fellow animals, but as the Miami Herald (USA) newspaper reports, http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/15975425.htm, one by one, these bases for human superiority, such as tool use, have crumbled in the face of evidence. Indeed, anyone who has had the good fortune to spend time around our fellow animals, knows that they are intelligent, feeling beings.

Now, more people are insisting that our fellow animals be protected. The most recent example comes from the Netherlands, where the Party for Animals won two seats in the Nov 06 parliamentary elections: http://asia.fullcoverage.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061123/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_dutch_election_animals. For a bit of background on the party: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/19/europe/EU_POL_Netherlands_Animals_Party.php.

New Year E-Cards from Physicians for Social Responsibility

Physicians for Social Responsibility, an organization that promotes vegetarianism, is offering 7 free e-cards to send to friends ahead of 2007: http://support.pcrm.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pcrm_holiday_ecards&autologin=true&AddInterest=1981&JServSessionIdr011=d3sc1185t2.app6b

Meatrix 2.5 Reloaded

One reader reported having trouble opening The Meatrix 2.5 until he went to the following address: http://www.moremeatrix.com The Meatrix is a series of animated satires of the meat industry based on The Matrix films.

Cartoon

Dan Piraro is the U.S.-based author of the Bizarro cartoons, which sometimes have pro-veg themes. Here’s a recent example, which refers to the U.S. Thanksgiving Day holiday (the 4^th Thu of Nov), in which people traditionally eat turkeys: http://www.veganoutreach.org/enewsletter/images/Bizarro.gif.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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#242 From: "Vegetarian Society (Singapore)" <george@...>
Date: Sun Dec 10, 2006 1:06 am
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 11 December 2006 jacobs_george
Send Email

VSS eNewsletter Dec 11 2006

Prof Colin Campbell on How to Go Veg

VSS News

Just 51 More to Reach 2500

Drop by the VSS Point of Contact

IVU Developments

Other News

Veg Cooking Class Starting 28 Jan

Carl Lewis on Being Vegan

Nature Society’s 10 Suggestions for Rolling Back Global Warming

Vegan Baking

Coming Attractions – CSI – But Don’t Know When

International Crusader for Our Fellow Animals Passes Away

Free Delivery of Organic Products

Cooking Class at Green Circle Eco-Farm – 17 Dec

Talk and Baking Class at Kampung Senang

Build Your Veg Vocab

VSS News

Just 51 More to Reach 2500

There are now 2449 addresses subscribed to the free VSS electronic newsletter. We only need 51 more to reach our goal of 2500 by 1 Jan. Why not encourage your friends, family members or colleagues to sign up as part of a New Year resolution to eat less or no meat? They can sign up by going to the VSS web – www.vegetarian.org – clicking ‘Mailing List’ near the bottom of the left frame, and then typing their address into the box that says ‘Join VSS emailing list’. If that doesn’t work, drop a line to info@..., and we’ll add the person to the list. Thx.

Drop by the VSS Point of Contact

Need more VSS flyers or VCDs? Stop by the VSS Point of Contact, Saturdays 10am-1pm, Kampung Senang’s Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Blk 106 Aljunied Crescent #01-205, 6785-2568.

IVU Developments

VSS is part of the International Vegetarian Union (IVU): www.ivu.org Ten countries from Asia and Australasia/Oceania were represented at the IVU’s World Vegetarian Congress in Goa this past September, the highest number ever. And, here’s a new veg group in Korea: http://www.vegetariankorea.org

As a result of exciting developments in our part of the globe, IVU has divided the Asia into two regions: Region 1: South & West Asia - Regional Coordinator Shankar Narayan, President of the Indian Vegan. Region 2: East/SE Asia & Oceania - Regional Coordinator Susianto Tseng, C.O.O. of the Indonesian Vegetarian Society - http://www.ivs-online.org/v2/index.php

Other News

Veg Cooking Class Starting 28 Jan

Bright Hill Temple (Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery) in Bishan will be starting its Vegetarian Cooking Class - 5th Intake - on 28 Jan 07. The class will again be conducted by one of VSS’ favourite chefs, Oh Chong Fah of Kampung Senang, but the dishes will be entirely different from those at the course Chong Fah conducted at Bright Hill in Jun 06. For details: T.H. Hauw, 6849.5332, thhauw@...

Carl Lewis on Being Vegan

9-time Olympic Gold Medal winner Carl Lewis was in town recently. In this YouTube video, he talks about how he and his teammates decided to go vegan and how it helped his career:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=744765316519516434&pr=goog-sl

Prof Colin Campbell on How to Go Veg

Here’s another excerpt from The China Study (p. 244):

[T]he biggest obstacle to the adoption of a plant-based diet: most people who hear about it don’t seriously consider it, despite the truly impressive health benefits. If you are one of these people—if you are curious about these findings but know in your heart that you will never be able to give up meat—then I know that no amount of talk will ever convince you to change your mind. You have to try it.

Give it one month. You’ve been eating cheeseburgers your whole life; a month without them won’t kill you.

A month isn’t enough time to give you any long-term benefits, but it is long enough for you to discover four things:

Tune in next week to see what Prof Campbell says you’ll discover.

Nature Society’s 10 Suggestions for Rolling Back Global Warming

Our friends at Nature Society (Singapore) have put together a list of 10 ways to do fight global warming. Among them is eating less or no meat. It’s all in the NSS online Nov-Dec newsletter: http://www.nss.org.sg/pdf/naturenews_2006_11_12.pdf

Singapore has a surprisingly large amount of nature to enjoy, if you know where to look, and the NSS folks can show you: http://www.nss.org.sg

Vegan Baking

Here’s an interview from the Washington Post with the author of two vegan cookbooks. She describes the ingredients she uses – all available in Singapore – to do vegan baking: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/28/AR2006112800251_pf.html

Coming Attractions – CSI – But Don’t Know When

An upcoming episode of the TV show, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, takes on the topic of factory farming. In the episode, a series of murders, including the death of a rock star who speaks out against an industrialized chicken farming operation, leads the CSI team to investigate the unpleasant truth about what really goes on behind closed doors at a chicken slaughterhouse. One of the show’s leading actors, Jorja Fox, is a vegetarian activist: http://www.goveg.com/f-jorjafox.asp

If anyone finds out when the episode will be broadcast in Singapore, pls let VSS know: info@...

International Crusader for Our Fellow Animals Passes Away

One of the videos that VSS plays most often is Eat Less Meat by Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) – http://www.ciwf.org

Last month, CIWF’s founder, Peter Roberts of the UK, passed away. A former dairy farmer, Roberts founded CIWF in 1967. For more about his life and work: http://ciwf.org/home/news_peter_roberts.shtml

There’s a great obituary in the 30 Nov issue of The Economist. It’s not available F.O.C. online, but here are a couple excerpts:

WHAT commonplace activity that most people never think to condemn will one day be seen as a profoundly shameful crime deserving of nothing but moral outrage? Those are the terms in which Tony Blair was talking this week about the slave trade, and it would be an incurious soul who never thought to ask whether future generations will not similarly come to condemn some practice that is today widely accepted. Some may speculate that the offensive activity will turn out to be waging wars, practising abortion or driving 4X4s. Peter Roberts, however, would surely have suggested 21st-century man's treatment of farm animals. …

And this leaves aside the cruelty of much production. Across the world over 50 billion farm animals are killed each year, nearly 100,000 a minute. Even in countries that consider themselves humane, animals can be treated as little more than objects.

Free Delivery of Organic Products

Sukahouse, at 705 Sims Drive, #02-09 Shun Li Industrial Complex, is a warehouse offering free delivery (with no GST) of organic products, such as brown rice for orders of $30 and more. For details of products and prices: http://www.sukhahouse.com

Nearest MRT: Aljunied, Buses: 64 and 125, Nearby landmarks: Geylang Lor 17 all the way in. Near Manjusri Secondary School; It is a blue and yellow strip building; Open: Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm; Tel: 6842.6795 / 9853.8618 / 9199.9708.

Cooking Class at Green Circle Eco-Farm – 17 Dec

This Sunday, 17 Dec, get away from the city and attend a Cookery Treasure Hunt at Green Circle Eco-Farm. Learn from Dada Kamalesh of the Ananda Marga Yoga Society how to use the many vegetables, herbs and weeds that grow in at this organic farm. Dada comes highly recommended, having much experience. He can show the many concoctions of spices that we can prepare, that are nutritious and convenient to use. If time permits, he will give some introduction on Hatha Yoga, Breathing Techniques and Simple Meditation Exercise.

The program:

9.00 am Introductory Talk on Yoga by Dada

9.30 am Guided walk and harvesting for cooking

10.30 am Morning herbal tea with healthy organic tidbits

10.50am Cooking

1pm Lunch and chit-chat

2pm More on organic farming and yoga

The price per person is $75. For details, contact Evelyn at 6861.9286 or email soo@.... Best to register before 15 Dec. Directions to the farm at 155 Neo Tiew Road can be found at http://www.greencircle.com.sg

Talk and Baking Class at Kampung Senang

1. Speaker: Dr Claudia Zechel

Date: 11^th Dec Monday 7.00pm~9.00pm

Fee: Donation is appreciated

Topic: Practices that Heal People and Earth

2. Bakery Class (2 session)

Date: 7^th & 14^th Jan 07 10.00 am ~ 12.00 pm

Fee: $60 (Member) $70 (Public)

The venue for the above event is Kampung Senang Holistic Lifestyle Centre,

Blk 106 Aljunied Crescent #01 – 205. For registration, please call 6749.8509 or email@....

Build Your Veg Vocab

Here’s a relatively new term: veg*n. It’s an umbrella term that includes both ‘vegetarian’ and ‘vegan’ (people who don’t eat any animal products, such as dairy or egg): http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=veg*n

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#243 From: george jacobs <george@...>
Date: Sun Dec 17, 2006 3:03 pm
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 18 December 2006 jacobs_george
Send Email

VSS eNewsletter 18 Dec 2006

www.vegetarian-society.org

VSS News

VSS New Year�s Card Ready

We Need 45 More to Reach 2500 � It�s the Smart Thing To Do

How To Make a Bleeding Chicken Poster with Dripping �Blood�

Other News

Veg Nutrition Newsletter

Scott Jurek � Vegan Ultramarathon Champ

Brown Rice Milk Developed at S�pore Poly on Sale at GWC

Burp Vaccine to Cut Methane Emissions from Sheep, Cows

Green on Earth Caf� Opens at Beauty World

Do Smarter People Go Veg?

Prof Campbell on What People Will Discover If They Try Veg

VSS News

VSS New Year�s Card Ready

Once again, VSS has put together a Season�s Greetings card. This year�s card is a PowerPoint file with a Global Warming theme. The file is about 800KB and can be found at http://www.ivu.org/news/online/newyear07.pps

Please consider sending the card to those on your Season�s Greetings lists, as a way to send a meaningful message, one that shows your concern for the recipient and for the world we all share with present and future generations.

We Need 45 More to Reach 2500 � It�s the Smart Thing To Do

There are now 2455 addresses subscribed to the free VSS electronic newsletter, up only 6 from last week�s count. So, we need 45 more to reach our goal of 2500 by 1 Jan. Why not encourage your friends, family members or colleagues to sign up as part of a New Year resolution to eat less or no meat? They can sign up by going to the VSS web � www.vegetarian.org � clicking �Mailing List� near the bottom of the left frame, and then typing their address into the box that says �Join VSS emailing list�. If that doesn�t work, drop a line to info@..., and we�ll add the person to the list. Thx.

See the IQ article below to see why going veg is the smart thing to encourage others to do.

How To Make a Bleeding Chicken Poster with Dripping �Blood�

Chickens are the most-eaten of our fellow land animals, with at least 40 billion eaten by humans every year. Yeow, Education Officer of VSS, helped design the following poster to illustrate their plight. Please have a look at http://www.ivu.org/articles/net/poster.html

Here is Yeow�s advice on why and how to construct your own version. For help and to share ideas, contact him at yeow@...

The purpose behind creating the bleeding poster was to add a sense of reality, to give life to the suffering of our fellow animals without coming across as too gory. The poster grabs viewers� attention to the message... and it works! The "bleeding" works by just a simple siphon. Please see the diagram at http://www.ivu.org/articles/net/poster.html No electrical pump used.

Some tips: use red poster colour with a dab of black or brown [food dyes would be too transparent]. 2 little "sakura" bottles of poster colours were mixed with 4 litres of water. The poster should be mounted on compact styrofoam and laminated to prevent ink from being absorbed by paper. To initiate the siphoning, a syringe was used to fill about � a metre of plastic tubing with water from below, after unplugging the needle.

Any ideas for other visuals to illustrate veg issues?

Other News

Veg Nutrition Newsletter

Vegetarian Nutrition is a group within the American Dietetic Association. They have a website and a monthly newsletter: http://www.vegetariannutrition.net/index.htm

Some of the information is available only to group members, but quite a bit is available to anyone.

Scott Jurek � Vegan Ultramarathon Champ

We�ve mentioned Scott Jurek, the vegan ultramarathon champion, before. Among his accomplishments: Runner's World Hero of 2005; UltraRunning Magazine's Ultrarunner of the Year 2003, 2004, 2005. Here�s an excerpt from Scott�s website: http://www.scottjurek.com/bio.php

On his own journey towards optimal health, Scott began transitioning to a vegetarian whole foods diet in 1997, while competing in several ultra trail races per year. In 1999, he adopted a vegan diet out of further health and environmental concerns. Scott continues to fuel his body on a completely vegan diet while competing in 10-12 ultramarathons per year in addition to his rigorous training schedule. All seven of his consecutive wins at the Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run were performed on vegan fuel.

Brown Rice Milk Developed at S�pore Poly on Sale at GWC

VSS had an email the other day from a young SMU graduate, Stanley Tey, who, after a personal health scare, decided to launch a company to promote healthy food. So, he teamed up with people from S�pore Poly�s Food Science dept to launch a collection of brown rice milks. The flavours include Almond, Bandong, Chocolate and Mocha.

The rice milk has gained in-principle approval from HPB to be listed as a Healthier Choice. Furthermore, it is prebiotic, meaning it helps to stimulate the growth of good bacteria in the colon and, hence, can create a healthy microflora environment in the colon which may reduce colon problems. The drink is sold at Stanley�s NatuRiz shop located at Great World City Mall, B1 at Cold Storage, beside the Guardian Pharmacy. Hours: 10am-10pm daily. For more info, call Stanley at 9817.6974.

Burp Vaccine to Cut Methane Emissions from Sheep, Cows

That�s right � a vaccine to stop burping! Why? Because, as you�ve read here before, some of our fellow animals whom we raise for food emit large amounts of methane, a greenhouse gas 20+ times more powerful than carbon dioxide.

http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn6431 and http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn10786-cows-pigs-and-sheep-environments-greatest-threats.html

Of course, instead of reducing burps, a healthier, faster, tastier, more compassionate solution would be for humans to stop eating foods that come at the expense of our fellow animals.

Green on Earth Caf� Opens at Beauty World

Recently, we reported the relocation of a veg outlet at Beauty World Centre. We�re happy to report that a new veg outlet, with a very apt name has just opened there:

Green On Earth Caf�. This outlet is supported by the palate-pleasing folks at Yogi Hub. Here are the details.

Address:        144 Upper Bukit Timah Road, #04-03, Beauty World Centre

Tel:              6468.4748

Email:           greenonearth@...

Hours:           Mon-Fri, 11am-9pm; Sat-Sun, 8am-9pm

The finer details would be:

- catering services

- no MSG added

- no onion, garlic (only a few of the cakes have eggs)

- eggless cakes available.

Do Smarter People Go Veg?

A study involving over 8000 people, published in the British Medical Journal, found that children with higher IQs were more likely to become vegetarians later in life, a study says. The study�s lead researcher, Catherine Gale, stated:

"The finding that children with greater intelligence are more likely to report being vegetarian as adults, together with the evidence on the potential benefits of a vegetarian diet on heart health, may help to explain why higher IQ in childhood or adolescence is linked with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease in adult life."

http://health.yahoo.com/news/170005;_ylt=Ar0jfBmeU1ChT3MmcszYXz0Yu7cF

Prof Campbell on What People Will Discover If They Try Veg

In the previous VSS eNewsletter, Prof Colin Campbell, author of The China Study, suggested people try going veg for a month. Here is what he says people will discover over their month on plant food (from p. 245).

1.                  There are some great foods you can eat in a plant-based diet that you otherwise may never have discovered. You may not be eating everything you want (desire for meat may last longer than a month), but you will be eating lots of great, delicious foods.

2.                  It�s not all that bad. Some people take to this diet quite quickly and love it. Many take months to fully adjust to it. But almost everyone will find that it�s a lot easier than they thought.

3.                  You�ll feel better. Even after only a month, most people will feel better and likely lose some weight, too. Try having your blood work done both before and after. Odds are, you�ll see significant improvement in even that period of time.

4.                  Most importantly, you�ll discover that it�s possible. You may love the diet, or you may not, but at the very least you�ll come away from your one-month trial knowing that it�s possible. You can do it, if you choose to. All the health benefits discussed in this book are not just for Tibetan monks and fanatical Spartans. You can have them too. It�s your choice.

Next issue, Prof Campbell discusses five challenges of transitioning to veg.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Click here to notify us of new places

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#244 From: "Vegetarian Society $Singapore$" <gmjacobs@...>
Date: Sun Dec 24, 2006 2:08 am
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 24 December 2006 jacobs_george
Send Email

VSS eNewsletter 24 Dec 2006

Start 2007 with a Gift That Keeps on Giving – VSS Giro

VSS News

VSS New Year’s Card

We Need 37 More to Reach 2500

Other News

Organic Outlet Moves to Race Course Road

Simple Food Opens in Tampines

Letter in The New Paper about GST, Meat and Cancer

What to Do When Your Spouse Isn’t Vegetarian

Animals Count Political Party Launched in UK

Vote for Your Favourite Veg Restaurant

Yao Ming Says No to Sharks Fin Soup

Prof Campbell on Five Challenges of Making the Transition to Veg

VSS News

VSS New Year’s Card

In case you didn’t see in last week, here’s VSS’s 06-07 Season’s Greetings card. The card is a PowerPoint file with a Global Warming theme. The file is about 800KB and can be found at http://www.ivu.org/news/online/newyear07.pps

Please consider sending the card to those on your Season’s Greetings lists, as a way to send a meaningful message, one that shows your concern for the recipient and for the world we all share with present and future generations.

We Need 37 More to Reach 2500

There are now 2463 addresses subscribed to the free VSS electronic newsletter, up 8 from last week’s count. So, we’re not likely to reach our goal of 2500 by 1 Jan, but who knows. Why not encourage your friends, family members or colleagues to sign up as part of a New Year resolution to eat less or no meat? They can sign up by going to the VSS web – www.vegetarian.org – clicking ‘Mailing List’ near the bottom of the left frame, and then typing their address into the box that says ‘Join VSS emailing list’. If that doesn’t work, drop a line to info@..., and we’ll add the person to the list. Thx.

Start 2007 with a Gift That Keeps on Giving – VSS Giro

Donating to VSS is a very cost-effective use of your money, for two reasons. First, as VSS has no office and no staff, overhead costs are low. We don’t even pay for our mailing address, as that is generously supplied by our vice-president. Second, by supporting free distribution of VSS’s educational materials, you help improve human health, show compassion for our fellow animals and help protect our fragile environment, all with one donation.

So, please consider joining our giro scheme. You can download the form at:

http://www.vegetarian-society.org/downloads/vssgiro.pdf

Other News

Organic Outlet Moves to Race Course Road

The following organic outlet has moved from Golden Landmark:

Nam Hua Natural Land

440 Race Course Road

Tel: 6396 7090

MRT: Farrer Park or Bus 145 from Lavendar MRT

Hours: 10 am - 6 pm (Mon - Sat), 10 am - 8.30 pm (Tue), Closed Sun.

Products include: organic dried food, vegetables, seasonings, drinks, biscuits and titbits.

Simple Food Opens in Tampines

Simple Food is the name of a new veg coffeeshop in Tampines, started by a chef from The Ark, a restaurant that used to be completely veg. Here are the details:

Address: Blk 462 Tampines St 44 #01-64

Nearby landmarks: Tampines JC

Nearest MRT: Tampines

Buses: 293, 29

Open: Tue - Sun

Hours: 10am - 9.30pm

Specialty dishes: Oriental, Western, Italian cuisine & mini-steamboat

Notes: No onion, garlic or MSG

Tel: 6782 6142

Catering: Yes

Letter in The New Paper about GST, Meat and Cancer

Somewhat belatedly, here’s an online letter that appeared in The New Paper http://72.14.235.104/search?q=cache:4xCmpJJqCKUJ:tnp.sg/speakup/story/0,4136,117655,00.html+chris+turner+singapore&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=9

With most newspapers publishing letters in both their print and online editions, there’s more space for us to promote the veg view on issues. So, pls do write. If you want help polishing your letter before submitting it to one of the papers, pls send a draft of the letter to info@...

What to Do When Your Spouse Isn’t Vegetarian

VSS received the following request for help. Has anyone out there been in the same situation as this gentleman? Any advice from his perspective or perhaps from his wife’s point of view?

I need some help here. In 2000, after reading Thirukural and Dalai Lama, I decided to be a vegetarian. And from 31 Dec 2005, I was an ovo-lacto vegetarian. But then I got married and my wife wasn’t a vegetarian. This created friction whenever she cooked as she had to cook separately; and when we ate out where we had to order different dishes. Finally, she threatened not to talk to me if I didn’t start eating meat.

So after 2 months, I compromised and started consuming seafood. I feel guilty about this and would like to revert back. How do I do this with an unsupportive wife?

Animals Count Political Party Launched in UK

Earlier, we reported the election of two members of a Dutch political party devoted to giving our fellow animals a voice: http://asia.fullcoverage.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061123/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_dutch_election_animals

Now, in the UK, a similar political party has been launched, with the name Animals Count:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/6204262.stm

And, in the U.S. Dennis Kucinich, a vegan member of the U.S. House of Representatives, announced that he plans to run again for president in 2008. Here’s a tv news clip that includes Kucinich reacting to undercover footage of the abuse of pigs on a factory farm: http://www.wkyc.com/video/player.aspx?aid=28753&bw=

Last, but not least, this activism for our fellow animals isn’t just a Western phenomenon. Here’s an article from the Jakarta Post on the 1000s of people in Indonesia who signed a pledge to go meatless of International Meatless Day, 25 Nov: http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20061204.D04

Vote for Your Favourite Veg Restaurant

More and more sites provide listings of veg restaurants, in Singapore and worldwide. Happy Cow is probably the best-known world-wide site of this type: http://www.happycow.net

Here’s another such site: Veg Dining http://vegdining.com/Home.cfm Currently, there are about 35 listings on the Singapore page. The site also has a feature that let’s you vote for your favourite veg restaurant, but you have to do it before the end of the year. Some features of the site require a small yearly fee.

Yao Ming Says No to Sharks Fin Soup

Chinese basketball star, Yao Ming of the Houston Rockets, one of the world’s top players, has joined the growing list of celebrities who have come out publicly against eating shark’s fin soup.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/rockets/2006-08-02-yao-wildlife_x.htm?POE=SPOISVA

Prof Campbell on Five Challenges of Making the Transition to Veg

In our last excerpt from The China Study, the book’s main author, Prof Colin Campbell discussed four things people discover when they try a veg diet for a month. In the following excerpt (pages 245-246), he talks about five challenges people will face.

In the first week, you may have some stomach upset as your digestive system adjusts. This is natural; it is nothing to worry about and doesn’t usually last long.
You’ll need to put some time into this. Don’t begrudge this time—heart disease and cancer take time too. Specifically, you’ll need to learn some new recipes, be willing to try new dishes, discover new restaurants. You’ll need to pay attention to your tastes and come up with meals that you really enjoy. This is key.
You’ll need to adjust psychologically. No matter how full the plat is, many of us were trained to think that without meat, it’s not a real meal—especially at dinner. You’ll need to overcome this prejudice.
You may not be able to go to the same restaurants you used to go to, and if you can, you certainly won’t be able to order the same things. This takes some adjustment.
Your friends, family and colleagues may no be supportive. For whatever reasons, many people will find it threatening that you are now a vegetarian or vegan. Perhaps it’s because, deep down, they know their diet isn’t very healthy and find it threatening that someone else is able to give up unhealthy eating habits when they are not.

Next issue, Prof Campbell gives four more pieces of advice on the first month as a vegetarian.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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#245 From: "Vegetarian Society $Singapore$" <gmjacobs@...>
Date: Sat Dec 30, 2006 7:50 am
Subject: VSS eNewsletter Dec 31 2006 jacobs_george
Send Email

VSS eNewsletter 31 Dec 2006

Last Chance to Send VSS’s Electronic Season’s Greetings Card

VSS News

IVU Annual Report Now Online

Happy New Year Message from VSS

Welcome to New Corporate Member

You Can Increase the Demand-Supply of Veg Food with VSS Postcard

Keynote Address at IVU World Vegetarian Congress 2006

VSS Exhibition at Woodlands Regional Library

Other News

Chinese Veg Stall at Bestway Building Closes

What It Should Have Been

More on the Veg and IQ Study

Responses to What To Do When Your Spouse Isn’t Veg

Another Reason to Worry about Meat

New York Times on Meat and the Planet

Advice from Prof Campbell on Going Veg

VSS News

Last Chance to Send VSS’s Electronic Season’s Greetings Card

Last year at this time, did you make a resolution to send your Season’s Greetings card before the New Year, instead of having to apologetically send belated greetings to all the punctual people who had sent to you? Let VSS help you. Here’s our meaningful message for a happier, healthier, more harmonious new year:

http://www.ivu.org/news/online/newyear07.pps

IVU Annual Report Now Online

VSS belongs to the International Vegetarian Union (IVU). The 2006 IVU Annual Report is now on the website at http://www.ivu.org/news/2006/index.html

Happy New Year Message from VSS

VSS thanks all of you for reading our newsletter this year.

Many people tell us this work is noble and very important for the world in so many ways. VSS is encouraged and has many ideas and projects in mind to promote vegetarianism further.

However, we can’t find enough people to carry out and follow through on these ideas and projects, because vegetarian work gets very low priority or no priority at all in many people’s lives. Instead, people decide to be “practical” and “realistic”.

We would like to say that saving lives is in truth a very practical and realistic endeavour.

We need people who can give this important movement high priority because the ways of the world need a change - desperately. Please let us know if you have leads on people who would like to be activists: info@...

Thx again for reading this newsletter in 2006. VSS hopes that, with your support, we can do even more in 2007 to build on the worldwide momentum for change in the way that we humans eat. Happy 2007!

Welcome to New Corporate Member

Yuan Xin Vegetarian Buffet (9693.0662) is the latest business to become a VSS Corporate Member. It is not a restaurant; instead, they do catering.

VSS has only a few corporate members. Please consider supporting them. To find out more about Yuan Xin, please see their advertisement on the Corporate Member page of the VSS web:

http://www.vegetarian-society.org/revamp/html/index.php?module=Static_Docs&func=view&f=corporate.htm

You Can Increase the Demand-Supply of Veg Food with VSS Postcard

The next time you go to a food place and can’t find anything vegetarian, don’t just walk away. Let the manager know there is a demand for vegetarian food. Give the outlet staff our newly designed postcard. You can view both sides of the card in pdf (Adobe Acrobat) format on the Download Page under VSS Postcard

http://www.vegetarian-society.org/revamp/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=Downloads&file=index&req=viewdownload&cid=9

No need to put the postcard in the mail; you can just leave it with the staff at an outlet. VSS hopes to have more postcards in the future if this one is a success. Stay tuned for information on where to obtain the postcard. For now, you can download it from our site, collect from Kampung Senang Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Blk 106 Aljunied Crescent (Aljunied MRT), #01-205, 6742.6627, or write to us at info@...

Keynote Address at IVU World Vegetarian Congress 2006

To close the year, here’s an excerpt from the opening, keynote speaker at the 2006 IVU World Vegetarian Congress in Goa, Dada J. P. Vaswani. The October 2006 issue of the newsletter of the Vegetarian Society (Reverence for Life) of India contains a transcript of the speech. Below is an excerpt. (please excuse the use of ‘men’ to refer to all humans)

Men have their rights. Do animals have no rights? Men have their rights. Do they not have duties towards the animals who have befriended man since the dawn of creation: the dog, the horse, the cow? Do they have no rights? The time has come when all animal lovers should come together and formulate a charter of animal rights and a charter of man’s duties towards the animals. Every animal has certain fundamental rights and the very first right of every animal I believe, the very first right of every animal is the right to live, for we cannot take away that which we cannot give. And since we cannot give life to a dead creature, we have no right to take away the life of a living one.

The year 1789 is a landmark in the history of humanity. It was in that year over two centuries ago that the French National Assembly adopted a declaration of the rights of man. That was the beginning of a new era in the history of humanity. Until then, mean had no rights. Kings were sovereign’ they could do whatever they liked. The 18^th century gave rights to man. The 19^th century gave rights to slaves, for there was a time when slaves had no rights; they were treated as we treat animals today. … The 18^th century, as I said, gave rights to man. The 19^th century gave rights to slaves. The 20^th century has give rights to women. The 21^st century I verily believe will give rights to animals. That will be a great and glorious day in the history of humanity.

VSS Exhibition at Woodlands Regional Library

Last July, VSS held an exhibition at the Central Library on Victoria Street. NLB was impressed with our posters, videos, statue and other materials. As a result, we were invited to put up our exhibition at Woodlands Regional Library from 9-21 Jan.

Here’s the necessary info on the library and how to go there:

900 South Woodlands Drive

Woodlands Civic Centre, #01-03

Mon - Sun: 10.00am - 9.00pm

Tel: 6332 3255

MRT: Woodlands

Buses: TIBS 169, 178, 187, 856, 858, 900, 901, 903, 911, 912, 913, 925, 926, 960, 961, 964, NR2

(SBS 168 goes to Woodlands Interchange/MRT Station)

Other News

Chinese Veg Stall at Bestway Building Closes

The Chinese veg stall at Bestway Building on Prince Edward Road has closed. There’s an opening for a new veg stall holder, in case you know of someone. In the meantime, there’s an Indian veg stall just two or three stalls away.

What It Should Have Been

There was a mix up in the article about the new place selling brown rice smoothies. In fact, Stanley Tey was not a SMU graduate. Instead, he graduated from NUS many years back. He says that he would have enrolled at SMU if he was born later (just joking). He started this new business to create a product for the lactose or dairy milk intolerant consumers. In terms of nutritional value, the smoothie is high in calcium, dietary fibre and protein but low in sugar and calories, with no cholesterol and fat. The product has recently been accredited by HPB as a healthier choice. Furthermore, it is prebiotic, meaning it helps to stimulate the growth of good bacteria in the colon and, hence, can create a healthy microflora environment in the colon which may reduce colon problems. The drink is sold at Stanley's RiZZ shop located at Great World City Mall, B1 at Cold Storage, beside the Guardian Pharmacy. Hours: 10am-10pm daily. For more info, call Stanley at 9817.6974.

More on the Veg and IQ Study

Our last issue reported a study from the UK which found that people with higher IQs at age 10 were more likely to be vegetarians later in life. You can read the entire article at http://www.bmj.com/cgi/rapidpdf /bmj.39030.675069.55v1

The article has quotes from Shakespeare and Benjamin Franklin, the famous scientist, publisher, and politician of the 18^th and 19^th centuries, about the effects of diet on intellect. One of Shakespeare’s characters, Sir Andrew Aguecheek in Twelfth Night (Act 1, Scene 3), states; “I am a great eater of beef and I believe that does harm to my wit.” Franklin is quoted as stating in his autobiography that a veg diet provides one with “greater clearness of head and quicker comprehension.”

Responses to What To Do When Your Spouse Isn’t Veg

Here are three responses to last week’s request for help from someone with a non-veg spouse.

1. The writer lives in a non-vegetarian household and has a 7-year-old grandson who at most meals says, “Try a little meat, just for once”. I prepare most of my meals, or ‘steal’ veggies before they meet the meat. After a time, people get used to this and even help me out.

As for my grandson, every time he suggests I eat meat, I explain with patience why I don’t. He’s beginning to understand that he always get the same answer. I believe

one day he will follow my way.

Whatever you do in a non-vegetarian home, never feel guilty if you’re forced to compromise. Simply do your best, smile, be compassionate and understanding. Try to establish mutual respect.

Eating out can be upsetting to non-vegetarians who feel you’re not entering into the spirit of the occasion. If you cannot find a single thing to eat, quietly go for the drinks or desserts and snack when you reach home. At typical Chinese dinners, I eat lots of rice and chillies. Important – keep smiling and don’t talk about vegetarianism. Make friends, not adversaries.

2. Well, it's not easy to convince your spouse or colleagues or friends or relatives to accept vegetarian food, as the majority think that vegetarian food is not so healthy, is tasteless, is all gluten and does not have enough protein, vitamins, etc.

It takes time and patience to convince them, as not everybody can become vegetarian over night. Maybe you should let your wife know that vegetarian food is healthier than eating a large amount of meat and show her some vegetarian cooking books or recipes that you can easily find on websites.

I'm sure she loves you too. Therefore, she must understand why having a vegetarian diet is important to you. Perhaps, there should be a compromise, for example, when you go to a non-vegetarian stall or seafood restaurant, have them to cook some dishes without meat like "sa bo tofu" or frying simple vegetable dishes. Let her join you and start from there.

Meanwhile you may learn to cook some vegetarian dishes or bring her to some nice vegetarian restaurant (Miao Yi Restaurant on Bt Timah where they are famous for their vegetarian suckling pig and other dishes) or food stalls such as the ones at Shaw Tower on Beach Road) and let them know that vegetarian food is good after all.

3. I practice fasting and I have been a veg for 7 years. My husband is not a pure veg but does not mind eating veg food with me. I cook veg for him when I am fasting and not eating. Sometimes I cook veg for him while I decide to eat raw (tofu salad, fruits). It is important to cook your own food if you are a veg. I do not find it troublesome as I enjoy cooking.

I will change husbands but will not cook dead animals. I do not take egg, garlic, or onion. However, I fry egg with onion for my husband. I made my own decision to become a veg before marriage and communicated it clearly to my husband.

It is not easy for a non-veg to understand our way of eating or for us to change our spouse’s mindset. We have to respect our spouse’s eating habits - it takes time to change a person's diet. I share with him the benefits of a veg diet, fasting, raw eating and what is the best diet for children. I hope we will have less conflict when we have our child in the future.

Another Reason to Worry about Meat

News that meat and dairy products from cloned animals in the U.S. will not receive any special labeling may be one more reason why people will want to avoid animal-based foods:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/cloned-food-okay/2006/12/28/1166895398948.html

New York Times on Meat and the Planet

One of the world’s top newspapers, The New York Times, has joined the chorus linking meat with environmental destruction. You can read the entire editorial at the link below, although registration may be required. Here’s an excerpt:

Consider these numbers. Global livestock grazing and feed production use “30 percent of the land surface of the planet.” Livestock — which consume more food than they yield — also compete directly with humans for water. And the drive to expand grazing land destroys more biologically sensitive terrain, rain forests especially, than anything else.

But what is even more striking, and alarming, is that livestock are responsible for about 18 percent of the global warming effect, more than transportation’s contribution. The culprits are methane — the natural result of bovine digestion — and the nitrogen emitted by manure. Deforestation of grazing land adds to the effect.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/27/opinion/27wed4.html?ex=1167886800&en=e6706614e3ca4331&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Advice from Prof Campbell on Going Veg

In our last excerpt from The China Study, the book’s main author, Prof Colin Campbell discussed five challenges people face when they try a veg diet for a month. In the following excerpt (p. 246), he gives four pieces of advice.

1. In the long term, plant-based eating is cheaper than an animal-based diet, but as you learn you may spend a little extra month trying things. Do it. It’s worth it.

2. Eat well. If you eat out, try lots of restaurants to find some great vegan dishes. … Learn what’s out there.

3. Eat enough. One of your health goals may be to lose weight. That’s fine, and on a plant-based diet you almost certainly will. But don’t hold back—whatever you do, don’t go hungry.

4. Eat a variety. Mixing it up is important both for getting all the necessary nutrients and for maintaining your interest in the diet.

Next issue: Prof Campbell shares an associate’s experience with going veg.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#246 From: george jacobs <george@...>
Date: Sun Jan 7, 2007 2:53 pm
Subject: VSS eNewsletter January 8, 2007 jacobs_george
Send Email

VSS eNewsletter 8 Jan 2007

VSS Exhibition at Woodlands Regional Library

VSS News

VSS Exhibition at Woodlands Regional Library

Raw Food Recipes from VSS on the Radio

No Veg Outlet at VivoCity? Use the VSS Postcard

Feedback Needed on Trial Version of VSS Website

Other News

Kidney Stones

Ananda Bhavan To Be Open 24 Hours

Please Watch Your B12

High-Protein Diets Associated With Increased Cancer Risk

If You Like Charlotte�s Web

Get Ready for a New Excuse for Eating Meat

Tingkat Available

Another Response to What To Do When Your Spouse Isn�t Veg

Tips of Going Veg from an Associate of Prof Campbell

VSS News

This is a good opportunity to pick up VSS materials - VCD, flyers, stickers, postcard � to share with others. Also, you can chat with VSS members; however, we don�t have enough volunteers to always staff the exhibition.

Here�s the necessary info on the library and how to go there:

900 South Woodlands Drive

Woodlands Civic Centre, #01-03

Mon - Sun: 10.00am - 9.00pm

Tel: 6332 3255

MRT: Woodlands

Buses: TIBS 169, 178, 187, 856, 858, 900, 901, 903, 911, 912, 913, 925, 926, 960, 961, 964, NR2

(SBS 168 goes to Woodlands Interchange/MRT Station)

Raw Food Recipes from VSS on the Radio

Radio 95.8 will be getting the new year off to a good start Mon-Wed, 8-10 Jan, after the 7.30pm News, when DJ Wong Lee Jeng teams with VSS member Wong Kee Yew to pass on three unique and exciting raw food veg recipes: Creme of Popeye, Raw Marinara Pasta, Pumpkin Pudding. Maybe the idea of raw food sounds strange to you, but you might be surprised how tasty and easy raw food 'cooking' can be.

No Veg Outlet at VivoCity? Use the VSS Postcard

A reader sent the following email to VSS:

�I went to VivoCity. That place is so huge � but I just couldn�t find any vegetarian food. I was quite disappointed.�

While Singapore is quite veg-friendly compared to most other cities around Asia and around the world, there remain places without veg outlets. The best solutions are to eat before or after going to such veg-deserted locations, bring our own food, visit the cut fruit stall or open up our own veg outlet. Next best is to find a non-veg place with veg options. Fortunately, such places are becoming more common, such as Sakae Sushi which last year announced veg options.

One way to encourage non-veg outlets to offer more veg food is with the new postcard designed for VSS. You can view both sides of the card in pdf (Adobe Acrobat) format on the Download Page of the VSS web under VSS Postcard

http://www.vegetarian-society.org/revamp/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=Downloads&file=index&req=viewdownload&cid=9

No need to put the postcard in the mail; you can just leave it with the staff at an outlet. VSS hopes to have more postcards in the future if this one is a success. You can download it from our site, collect it from Kampung Senang Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Blk 106 Aljunied Crescent (Aljunied MRT), #01-205, 6742.6627, or visit one of the following places:

Genesis Health Food Restaurant

1, Lorong Telok

6438 7118

Yogi Hub

25 Stanley St.

6220 4344, 9006 7318

SynBiotics

147B Telok Ayer St

6226 2621

Kingdom Vegetarian Coffee House

3 Temasek Boulevard Suntec City Mall T2 #02-544

6336 5133

World Business Group [WBG]

Suntec Tower 2 #03-16

9296 7558

Awareness Place

1) 88 Brighthill Rd

2) 231 Bain St (Bras Basah Complex) #01-63

6849 5347

Yoga Connections

4988 Changi Rd

9001 9669, 6293 9262

Feedback Needed on Trial Version of VSS Website

A team of Sing Poly students is doing a major makeover of the VSS website as their final year project. Please have a look: http://web.revampers.vegetarian-society.org

Please send feedback � positive or negative � to info@...

Other News

Kidney Stones

The Vegetarian Resource Group produces a journal that can be read as hard copy or online. Here is an article, from the most recent issue, that addresses one concern VSS sometimes hears: http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue3/vj2006issue3hotline.htm

QUESTION: �What causes kidney stones? Are there dietary changes that can reduce the risk of kidney stones? Are there different factors for young people?�

A.R., via e-mail

ANSWER: Kidney stones are one of the most common and one of the most painful disorders of the urinary tract. In 2000, more than 600,000 people visited the emergency room [The statistics in this article are probably based on U.S. data.] because of kidney stones. They are much more common in men than in women; 80 percent of people who develop kidney stones are men. Although kidney stones can occur at any age, they are most common in men in their 40s or older and in women in their 50s. Kidney stones in children are usually due to a genetic condition.

Kidney stones develop when crystals separate from the urine and build up. Usually, urine contains substances that prevent these crystals from forming or limit the size of these crystals. If the crystals combine and produce a large enough stone, it can block urine flow and cause extreme pain.

Kidney stones are categorized by their chemical composition. The most common type of stones contain calcium, either as calcium oxalate or as calcium phosphate. Less common types include struvite stones, which are caused by an infection, and uric acid stones.

Many factors can increase one�s risk of developing kidney stones. These include a family history of kidney stones, recurrent urinary infections, bowel disease, some kidney diseases, certain drugs (including some diuretics, antacids, and steroids), prolonged bed rest, and metabolic disorders. Dehydration, which can be due to heavy sweating or to inadequate fluid intake, can lead to kidney stone formation. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) recommends drinking enough liquid to produce at least 2 quarts of urine daily if you are susceptible to kidney stones.

Diet also appears to play a role in the formation of some types of kidney stones. Approximately 70 to 80 percent of kidney stones are calcium oxalate and calcium phosphate stones. This type of kidney stone is often due to too much calcium in the urine, a condition called hypercalciuria. Hypercalciuria can be caused by an inherited disorder or by some medications.

It may seem that high dietary calcium could lead to this type of kidney stone. Actually, low calcium intakes are much more likely to lead to calcium oxalate stones and higher calcium intakes to lead to a reduced risk. Apparently, dietary calcium limits the amount of oxalate that is absorbed, and it is excess oxalate that can cause calcium oxalate stones to form. Health care providers may tell people with a history of calcium oxalate stones to limit their use of high oxalate foods and to avoid large doses of vitamin C that can lead to excess oxalate in the urine.

In addition, diet can influence urinary calcium levels. Hypercalciuria can be caused by excess intakes of meat, fish, and poultry and by excess sodium. A high intake of potassium, a mineral found in fruits and vegetables, is associated with a reduced risk of kidney stones.

Another kind of kidney stone, uric acid stones, is not as common as calcium oxalate stones. Uric acid stones contain uric acid and are more common in people with gout. Recommendations for reducing the risk of developing uric acid stones include limiting meat products and alcohol since consuming these products can worsen gout. Scientists believe that dietary changes, like eating little or no meat, fish, or poultry and increasing fluid, calcium, and potassium intakes are helpful in reducing risk in those who are susceptible to developing kidney stones.

Ananda Bhavan To Be Open 24 Hours

If you�re feeling hungry in the middle of the night, but a 24-hour McDs isn�t what you have in mind, soon there will be a veg alternative. Ananda Bhavan will be open 24 hours, w.e.f. 14 Jan. They are located across from Mustafa at 95, Syed Alwi Road, S. 207671. For more info: 6297.9522 or www.anandabhavan.com

Please Watch Your B12

Here, again courtesy of Vegetarian Resource Group�s �Vegetarian Journal�, is further evidence that vegans need to do something to make sure they get sufficient B12. Supplements are easily available or you can eat fortified foods, such as some soy milks. Even non-vegan vegetarians should be tested now and then.

Update on German Vegans: Positives and Negatives

A study of more than 150 German vegans provides insights into the health benefits of vegan diets as well as areas needing improvement. In this study, vegans were categorized as either strict vegans, who ate no animal products, or moderate vegans, who occasionally ate very small amounts of dairy products and eggs. Study subjects had followed a vegan diet for at least a year. Generally, diets were in accord with current recommendations and had approximately 30 percent of calories from fat, 6 percent of calories from saturated fat, and 11 percent of calories from protein. Fiber intake was quite high. Average blood lipid concentrations (total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides) were in the good range that is not associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Study subjects were lean and appeared very health-conscious. Only 3 percent smoked, and nearly 40 percent did not drink alcohol. Obviously, vegan diets can be health-promoting.

On the other hand, 58 percent of strict vegans and 34 percent of moderate vegans had a vitamin B12 deficiency, based on the concentration of vitamin B12 in their blood. They also had high concentrations of homocysteine, a substance that has been associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Elevated homocysteine can be caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency. The elevated homocysteine concentrations seen in these vegans may explain why death rates from heart disease tend to be higher in vegans than in lacto-ovo vegetarians. Vegans should strive for an adequate vitamin B12 intake, both to prevent vitamin B12 deficiency and to reduce risk of heart disease.

Waldmann A, Koschizke JW, Leitzmann C, Hahn A. 2005.

German vegan study: Diet, life-style factors, and cardiovascular risk profile. Ann Nutr Metab 49:366-72.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Raw Food Diets Also Have Positives and Negatives

A similar study, also conducted in Germany, examined 201 participants who consumed at least 70 percent of their total food intake as raw food and who had followed this diet for at least two years. The majority of subjects ate small amounts of raw meat and fish, while approximately 20 percent were lacto-ovo vegetarians and 20 percent were vegan. More than three-quarters of the subjects ate more than 90 percent of their food in raw form. The diets of the subjects were quite low in protein with an average protein intake of 30-40 grams per day. Current recommendations call for 56 grams of protein for men and 46 grams for women. Dietary fat was around 30 percent of calories, and intakes of saturated fat were low. Blood cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations were low. On the other hand, HDL (good) cholesterol concentrations were also low, with the lowest levels seen in subjects eating the greatest amounts of raw food. Close to 40 percent of participants had vitamin B12 deficiency, and 50 percent had elevated homocysteine concentrations, which can be caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency and has been associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Subjects who regularly used vitamin B12 supplements had higher vitamin B12 and lower homocysteine concentrations than subjects who did not use supplements. The low concentrations of HDL cholesterol and elevated homocysteine concentrations seen in this group following a raw food diet raise concerns about an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. It is clearly important for those following raw food diets to have adequate and reliable sources of vitamin B12.

Koebnick C, Garcia AL, Dagnelie PC, et al. 2005.

Long-term consumption of a raw food diet is associated with favorable serum LDL cholesterol and triglyceride but also with elevated homocysteine and low serum HDL cholesterol in humans. J Nutr 135:2372-78.

High-Protein Diets Associated With Increased Cancer Risk

In case you didn�t see this in this past issue of Mind Your Body, here, courtesy of Physicians for Responsible Medicine, is a summary of an important study. Colin Campbell makes similar points in his book The China Study.

A new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that high protein intakes are associated with an increased cancer risk. Washington University researchers evaluated the relationship between diet and certain plasma growth factors and hormones that are linked to cancer. The study's �low-protein� group, who consumed the recommended amount of protein from plant sources (approximately 10 percent of calories), had significantly lower blood levels of IGF-1 (hormone substances associated with premenopausal breast and prostate cancer) than two high-protein groups consuming 17 percent of calories as protein from mostly meat and dairy products.

Fontana L, Klein S, Holloszy, JO. Long-term low-protein, low-calorie diet and endurance exercise modulate metabolic factors associated with cancer risk. Am J Clin Nutr 2006, 84:1456-1462.

If You Like Charlotte�s Web

Charlotte�s Web is now in local movie theatres. Another book about a young pig saved from slaughter is Pigs Might Fly by Dick King-Smith, author of the book on which the movie Babe is based. In this book, the protagonist is Daggie Dogfoot who, like Wilbur in Charlotte�s Web, is the runt of the litter. Daggie is saved by his mother, his own ingenuity and bravery, and the help of an otter, a duck and other friends. Publishers Weekly praised the book, stating that, �It�s impossible to remain unmoved �a soaring, heartening fantasy.�

And another book for those who like Charlotte�s Web is Cricket in Times Square with drawing by Charlotte�s illustrator, Garth Williams. While this book isn�t directly about eating or not eating our fellow animals, it�s nonetheless a great read that helps us humans put on the shoes (in this case, all six of them � for a cricket) of our fellow animals.

Get Ready for a New Excuse for Eating Meat

Vegetarians have many different reasons for not eating meat, and meat eaters have a wide and sometimes wild excretion of excuses for their eating habits. It looks like meat eaters are about to add a new excuse: animal fat a bio-fuel. Major meat producers are working on ways to create fuel from the huge amounts of animal fat derived from their manufacturing processes. Let�s see if we can help them think of names and slogans. How about �McFuel� and �Go Green: Eat Beef�? For more info: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/B/BIODIESEL_CHICKEN_FAT?SITE=NYELM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Tingkat Available

Recently, someone wrote to ask about tingkat veg food. Coincidentally, VSS�s newest corporate member, Yuan Xin Vegetarian Buffet, offers such a service: 9693.0662,

jovan9@...

Another Response to What To Do When Your Spouse Isn�t Veg

Last issue, we had three responses to a reader�s question about how to deal with a non-veg spouse. Here is a response from another reader on the general issue of how to peacefully co-exist with meat eaters.

It is very common to encounter all sorts of comments from non-vegetarians. However, we must be true to ourselves and not let all these unpleasant comments affect our good deeds.

I have been a vegetarian for about 12 years, but most of my family members and friends are not. When they boast about how healthy they are, I only give them a smile. Their unpleasant comments grow fewer as I show no response and am not defensive. My favourite example is that my 3rd brother used to laugh and joke about me being a vegetarian, and now he is a vegetarian too!

I have learned thru all these years not to comment on what non-vegetarians eat but only to let them know once in a while (at the right time) the benefits of being a vegetarian. They will get fed up if I keep talking about the benefits of a vegetarian diet.

During my short period working at a mini-mart, a 65-year-old customer used to boast that he was very strong and healthy, and exercised daily. He claimed that God had created other animals for human consumption. One month later, he told me he had been diagnosed with prostrate cancer. I suggested that he eat less meat if he couldn�t go 100% vegetarian. After trying for a month without meat, he told me he felt very good, and that he had started doing his own research on vegetarian food.

Remember we are responsible for our own bodies.

Tips of Going Veg from an Associate of Prof Campbell

In our last excerpt from The China Study, the book�s main author, Prof Colin Campbell, gave advice to people who are going to try a veg diet for a month. In the following excerpt (pages 247-248), he shares the words of an associate, Scott (presumably in the U.S.), who went and stayed veg.

The first week is quite challenging. It�s hard to figure out what to eat. I�m not much of a cook, so I got some recipe books and tried creating some vegan dishes. As someone who would swing through McDonald�s or heat up a frozen dinner, I found it annoying to have to cook meals each evening. At least half of them were a disaster and had to be thrown out. But over time I found a few that were fantastic. � But all of this does take time.

I�m rediscovering fruit. I�ve always loved fruit, but for some reason I didn�t really eat much of it. Maybe it�s not eating meat, but I�m finding that I�m enjoying fruit more than ever. � I actually think my tastes are getting more sensitive.

I was avoiding eating out�something I used to do constantly�for fear of not having a vegan option. But I�m getting more adventurous now. I�ve found some new restaurants that have some great vegan side dishes, � The other day I got dragged into a pizza place with a large group; there was nothing I could do, and I was starved. I ordered a cheese-less pizza with lots of vegetables. They even made it with a whole wheat crust. I was prepared to choke it down but actually it was surprisingly good. �

I�m finding that my cravings for meat products are pretty much gone, particularly if I don�t let myself get hungry. And, honestly, I�m eating like a pig. � The first month went by quicker than I thought it would. I�ve lost eight pounds and my cholesterol has dropped dramatically. I�m spending a lot less time on this now, particularly since I�ve found so many restaurants I can eat at, plus I cook huge meals and then freeze them. My freezer is stocked with vegan goodies.

The experiment is over but I stopped thinking of it as an experiment weeks ago. I can�t imagine why I would go back to my old eating patterns.

Next issue, Prof Campbell discusses why some medical authorities still advocate animal-based foods.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Click here to notify us of new places

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

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#247 From: george jacobs <george@...>
Date: Sun Jan 14, 2007 12:42 pm
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 15 January 2007 jacobs_george
Send Email

VSS eNewsletter Jan 15 2007

VSS Exhibition Continues at Woodlands Regional Library

VSS News

VSS Exhibition Continues at Woodlands Regional Library

More from Vivo City � We Need Those Postcards

Please Give Your Feedback on Trial Version of VSS Website

Kite Flying

Other News

Food Preparation as You Go

Monthly Veg Buffet at Singapore Swimming Club � Fri, 19 Jan

Another Sign of the Times � Hens� Cage Sizes To Be Increased in Oz

Do You Know Other 24hr Veg Outlets

Art of Living Course

New Name for Magazine Cafe

The Non-Veg Spouse �Seems Like Our Advice Helped

Why I�m a Vegetarian � From Sydney

Prof Campbell on Why Some Medical Authorities Advocate Animal-Based Foods

VSS News

The VSS Exhibition continues at Woodlands Regional Library until 21 Jan. We�re easy to find � on Level 1 soon after you walk into the Library.

This is a good opportunity to pick up VSS materials - VCDs, flyers, stickers, postcards � to share with others. Also, you can chat with VSS members; however, we don�t have enough volunteers to always staff the exhibition. Last but not least, you can see the Bleeding Chicken poster in action.

Here�s the necessary info on how to reach the Library:

900 South Woodlands Drive

Woodlands Civic Centre, #01-03

Mon-Sun: 10am-9pm

Tel: 6332 3255

MRT: Woodlands

Buses: TIBS 169, 178, 187, 856, 858, 900, 901, 903, 911, 912, 913, 925, 926, 960, 961, 964, NR2

(SBS 168 goes to Woodlands Interchange/MRT Station)

Any ideas for other venues for the exhibition? For instance, last year, it was at a yoga centre for a month.

More from Vivo City � We Need Those Postcards!

Earlier, a reader had reported finding nothing to eat at Vivo City. Since then, some slender rays of light have emerged. Here�s more positive reports from Singapore�s largest mall (BTW, Ngee Ann City does have a veg stall.)

1. There are vegetarian sandwiches and salads at the cafe in the supermarket on level 1... (sorry, i don't remember the names!)

2. I had a lunch appointment with my non-veg friends at Vivo City Republic Food Court. Thought I would not be able to find any vegetarian food and would have to settle for desserts or fruit juice. As I was walking around, found one Hakka food stall which sells 'Thunder Tea Rice', a mixture of green vegetables, peanuts, fried beancurd, etc., served with a bowl of green mixture soup / tea. I requested no dried prawns, as they ordinarily sprinkle them over the rice. It's not pure vegetarian, but a good alternative, as there's no meat. Hope abv info helps.

3. Pasta Mania has a special veg section in its menu.

One way to encourage non-veg outlets to offer more veg food is to use the new postcard designed for VSS. You can view both sides of the card in pdf (Adobe Acrobat) format on the Download Page of the VSS web under VSS Postcard

http://www.vegetarian-society.org/revamp/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=Downloads&file=index&req=viewdownload&cid=9

No need to put the postcard in the mail; just leave it with the staff at an outlet. VSS hopes to have more postcards in the future if this one is a success. You can download it from our site, collect it from Kampung Senang Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Blk 106 Aljunied Crescent (Aljunied MRT), #01-205, 6742.6627, or visit one of the following places:

Genesis Health Food Restaurant

1, Lorong Telok

6438 7118

Yogi Hub

25 Stanley St.

6220 4344, 9006 7318

SynBiotics

147B Telok Ayer St

6226 2621

Kingdom Vegetarian Coffee House

3 Temasek Boulevard Suntec City Mall T2 #02-544

6336 5133

World Business Group [WBG]

Suntec Tower 2 #03-16

9296 7558

Awareness Place

1) 88 Bright Hill Rd

2) 231 Bain St (Bras Basah Complex) #01-63

6849 5347

Yoga Connections

4988 Changi Rd

9001 9669, 6293 9262

Please Give Your Feedback on Trial Version of VSS Website

We�ve already had a lot of useful feedback on the trial version of the VSS website being done by a team of Sing Poly students as their final year project. It�s not too late to have a look and send more feedback: http://web.revampers.vegetarian-society.org

Please send your feedback � positive or negative � to info@...

Kite Flying

Singapore Kite Association will be holding an informal kite flying day by the sea at East Coast Park on Feb 4 (Sun), and they have invited us to join them. There are plenty of shady trees, and a 3m high tide will be at 12.15pm - good for a dip.

Date: Feb 4 (Sun)

Time: All afternoon

Venue: East Coast Park next to Carpark D1 (right opposite the Marine Terrace Pedestrian Bridge/Victoria JC. It�s the little grassy patch that sits above the Siglap Canal, walking distance from Marine Cove.

Kites: No need to bring a kite. Help them fly theirs.

Contact: 6440-2459 (Shakib)

Other News

Food Preparation as You Go

Our last issue shared some food preparation tips from a new vegetarian in the U.S. Below, we learn about the informal approach of a local vegetarian. What about you? Any tips on whipping up an easy veg meal?

One of our members makes food preparation up as he goes along, dropping each item into the non-stick low-heat kwali (wok) as he finds it. He says it is a very

disorganized process and GREAT FUN. Importantly it is a way of using up scraps of food found lying around.

His main food source, however, is raw salad, again using whatever he finds in the refrigerator, mainly vegetables with added fruit sometimes. He cuts things different ways to create variety and adds dressing using apple cider vinegar, lime juice, drops of real maple syrup, flaxseed oil, and mustard to create contrasting taste experiences. He doesn�t mix these ingredients together but drops them over separately so each flavour bursts when he arrives at it.

No dish he prepares is ever quite the same, so there is no recipe to pass on, but before he forgot, he wrote down the ingredients in his last make-it-up-as-you-go-along nasi goreng:

Brown rice, dried roasted soybeans, cashew nuts, sun dried tomatoes, garlic, onion, chilli, ginger, sultanas, pickled mango, a little lime and mango chutney, sweet corn,

baby long beans, broccoli, parsley, green capsicum, red apple, lime juice and mint.

Special Note: If you have no rice, use couscous (semolina). It�s real quick to make � simply pour hot water on couscous grains, and it�s ready in less than 5 minutes! Couscous is made from high quality durum wheat, the same wheat that�s used for

making pasta. You can buy a 500g packet of �Al Badia� Couscous Extra from Cold Storage.

He doesn�t worry too much about the order in which the ingredients are added because different textures add variety and bring pleasure to eating, but leave the fresh items to last, so they don�t over-cook, he recommends. Take your time, do on low heat to preserve goodness.

He also uses vegetable parts that others in his family sometimes discard, such as pumpkin skin and seeds, potato skin, and broccoli stalk. There is no need to waste

anything, sometimes the most nutritious parts are those that go into the waste bin.

Monthly Veg Buffet at Singapore Swimming Club � Fri, 19 Jan

The purpose of the VSS postcard is to encourage non-veg places to cater to vegetarians. Here�s an example of one place that already does cater to vegetarians.

The Singapore Swimming Club offers a Vegetarian Dinner Buffet, 6.30pm-9.30pm on the 3rd Friday every month (this month, it�s 19 Jan). They also have a permanent vegetarian menu prepared in a separate kitchen only for vegetarian food. This month�s buffet features Japanese dishes created by their chef.

There�s one catch. Non-members must be signed in by club members. The Club is located in Tanjong Rhu and is serviced by SBS number 158 which drops you just after the Club House Main Entrance.

Another Sign of the Times � Hens� Cage Sizes To Be Increased in Oz

Many vegetarians try to stay away from eggs for a variety of reasons, including human health concerns. Another reason for avoiding eggs is the treatment that the hens receive. In Australia, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals campaigned for a ban on cages for hens. That wasn�t successful, but they did win an increase in the size of the cages.

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2007/s1823235.htm

Do You Know Other 24hr Veg Outlets?

Last issue, we reported that Ananda Bhavan is going to be open 24hrs. A reader added that Eight Immortals - Boon Lay branch is also open 24 hour x 365 days.

Art of Living Course

The Art of Living courses include an emphasis on organic vegetarian food, plus other useful lifestyle elements. Here�s the info on a coming course.

Dates: Tue 16�Sun 21 Jan (6 consecutive sessions)

Time: Tue-Fri: 7pm-9.30pm + Sat-Sun: 9am-6pm.

Fee: S$300 (includes organic vegetarian lunch on Sat & Sun)

Place: Kampung Senang Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Blk 106 Aljunied Crescent, #01-205 S380106

Info: http://www.kg-senang.org.sg/aol.htm or 6749 8509

New Name for Magazine Cafe

Magazine Caf� has a clever new name, which will be recognized by anyone who has ever ordered a vegetarian meal on an airline. The new name is VGML CAFE, but the address is the same: 16 Morse Road (adjacent to Wishart Road), Unit 207, Singapore 099228 (along Telok Blangah Road, 1 stop from Harbourfront), Tel: 6271.6938, Email: gabrielle@..., Buses: 10, 30, 97, 100, 143, and 166 go along nearby Telok Blangah Road.

The Non-Veg Spouse �Seems Like Our Advice Helped

Last month, a reader asked for advice on how to co-exist with his non-veg spouse, and several other readers wrote in with advice. It seems that our advice may have helped. The same reader wrote this past week with an optimistic update, although there is still a way to go. Here are excerpts.

We are switching to a healthier diet: we�ve reduced meat to 3 times a week, reduced cakes & pastries, chocolate, ice-cream. Plus, we�ve switched to wholemeal bread, more fruits and fruit juices (bought a juicer), yogurt, oats, almonds, pistachios, and peanuts.

Once she [his wife] sees the impact of this change, it�ll be easier for her to become a vegetarian. Thanks for your advice and support.

Why I�m a Vegetarian � From Sydney

The following opinion piece appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald:

http://www.smh.com.au/news/heckler/the-carrotandstick-guide-to-going-without-meat/2007/01/09/1168104981406.html

VSS saw it thanks to a member of an IVU (International Vegetarian Union) discussion list who forwarded it. The list is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ivu-asia-pacific/

Prof Campbell on Why Some Medical Authorities Advocate Animal-Based Foods

In this excerpt from The China Study, the book�s main author, Prof Colin Campbell, examines why some U.S. medical authorities still advise against plant-based diets (pages 249-250).

Often when people hear of scientific information that justifies a radical shift in diet to plant foods, they can�t believe their ears. �If all that you say is true,� they wonder, �why haven�t I heard it before? In fact, why do I usually hear the opposite of what you say: that milk is good for us, that we need meat to get protein and that cancer and heart disease are all in the genes?� � I believe it is essential for us to know how information is created and how it reaches the public consciousness.

As you will come to see, much is governed by the Golden Rule: [s/]he who has the gold makes the rules. There are powerful, influential and enormously wealthy industries that stand to lose a vast amount of money if Americans start shifting to a plant-based diet. Their financial health depends on controlling what the public knows about nutrition and health. Like any good business enterprise, these industries do everything in their power to protect their profits and their shareholders.

You might be inclined to think that industry pays scientists under the table to �cook the data,� bribes government officials or conducts illegal activities. Many people love a sensational story. But the powerful interests that maintain the status quo do not usually conduct illegal business. As far as I know, they do not pay scientists to �cook the data.� �

In our next issue, Prof Campbell tells the story of a physician who went against the established wisdom.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Click here to notify us of new places

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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#248 From: "Vegetarian Society $Singapore$" <gmjacobs@...>
Date: Thu Jan 25, 2007 5:37 am
Subject: VSS eNewsletter 25 January 2007 jacobs_george
Send Email

Apologies for the fact that the hyperlinks haven’t been working recently. Seems it was caused for a virus scan programme. We hope things work this issue.

VSS eNewsletter 25 Jan 2007

Nature’s Organic Diet and Waldorf Education Workshop – This Saturday

VSS News

Where Next for VSS Exhibition

Check Out VSS Forum

AGM in March

Recipes from the Radio

For This Year’s Reunion Dinner

Other News

Quick Breakfasts

Health Talk, Cooking Demo and Dinner – Sun 28 Jan

Global Warming – Even Worse Than Thought

Thunder Tea Rice

Veg Recipes Sought

Green Sense @ Thomson Under New Management

Prof Campbell Tells Dr John McDougal’s Story

VSS News

Where Next for VSS Exhibition

The VSS exhibition closed Sun, 21 Jan after two weeks at Woodlands Regional Library. We had a great location on Level 1, allowing many people to see the bilingual exhibition panels, view the hunger sculpture and bleeding chicken poster, watch videos, take flyers, VCDs and stickers, and sign up to receive the free eNewsletter that you are reading now.

If you have contacts at schools, libraries, workplaces, etc. that might like to be the next venue for this exhibition, pls write to info@...

Check Out VSS Forum

This eNewsletter is a bit of an old-fashioned form of communication. For a more modern, interactive form of communication about vegetarianism, pls visit the VSS Forum. Just go to the VSS web – http://www.vegetarian-society.org - and look for VSS Forum in the left frame.

AGM in March

VSS holds its AGM every March. We haven’t chosen the date yet, but this year’s AGM includes election of officers who serve for a two-year term. Anyone interested in becoming an officer? The AGM is an excellent opportunity to meet the VSS Exco and other members and to give your input about VSS activities. Pls stay tuned for the date and venue of the AGM.

Recipes from the Radio

Recently, a VSS member teamed with Radio 95.8 DJ Wong Lee Jeng to present three exciting raw food veg recipes: Creme of Popeye, Raw Marinara Pasta, Pumpkin Pudding. In case you missed the radio show, you can find those recipes online at http://www.vegetarian-society.org/revamp/html/index.php?module=Static_Docs&func=view&f=Recipes.htm

For This Year’s Reunion Dinner

The Health Monthly section of this Monday's (22 Jan), Lian He Wan Bao featured a brown rice recipe (Herbal Brown Rice with Sweet Corn) from VSS. This brown rice dish is easy to make, on top of its unique taste and good nutrition. The dish has an auspicious Chinese name, making it ideal for the Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner!

�

Other News

Nature’s Organic Diet and Waldorf Education Workshop – This Saturday

Kampung Senang is offering at 1.5 day workshop that will be of special interest to people with young children. It begins this Sat morning, 27 Jan, 9.15am, with a workshop on raising healthy organic children. After a delicious organic veg lunch, you’ll learn about the Waldorf Education method, famous the world over. Btw: Kampung Senang has a Waldorf preschool, serving organic veg food. The Waldorf Workshop concludes with lunch on Sunday.

Contact Kampung Senang for details: KS Holistic Lifestyle Centre, Blk 106, Aljunied Crescent, #01-205, 6742.6627, email@...

Quick Breakfasts

In the last VSS eNewsletter, our ‘no recipe’ member referred to slow, take-your-time food preparation when he makes up his nasi goreng. However, there are times when a quick meal is necessary, especially at breakfast. Here is his formula for a warm

bowl of instant goodness (ingredients available at supermarkets or health food shops):

Oatmeal (Quaker Instant is fine)�� 2 tablespoons

Wheatgerm�� spoon

Soya Milk Powder (Biogreen)�� spoon

Brown Rice Powder (Zenxin)�� spoon

Flaxseed Meal (you can also grind your own) �� spoon

Mix the powder, add hot water and stir. Then, add molasses to taste. He enjoys this formula so much that he pre-mixes it for when he travels. Feel free to create your own variations, such as by adding fruit, nuts or seeds.

We know there are many good recipes for quick breakfast meals, so let’s have them and share them around. Join us for breakfast!

Health Talk, Cooking Demo and Dinner – Sun 28 Jan

Genesis Health Food Restaurant presents another of its great sessions, combining a health talk, a cooking demo and, last but not least, a tasty dinner. Here are the details:

1. Health Talk: What’s Fishy About Fish?

by Diana David, R.D., M.P.H. (dietician with Masters in Public Health Nutrition)

2. Cooking Demonstration:

a. Yu Shang

b. Ngoh Hiang

c. Jade Rice

3. Dinner

Date/Time: �� Sun, 28 Jan (4pm-6pm)

Place: �� Genesis Health Food Restaurant (1 Lorong Telok). 6438.7118

Fee: �� $40 (pre-registration & payment required)

Genesis also has on offer cookies without any eggs, milk, butter or other animal products and without margarine or vegetable shortening.

Global Warming – Even Worse Than Thought

Here’s an article from The Guardian about a soon-to-released report suggesting that Global Warming may be happening faster with even worse effects that previously thought:

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1995348,00.html

Thunder Tea Rice

A reader wrote in about last issue’s mention of Thunder Tea Rice (Lui Char Fan). A pure vegetarian version is available at Sophia Teh’s restaurant, New Green Pasture, on the 4th floor, Fortune Centre. Other than Vivo City, Thunder Tea Rice can also be found at Amoy Street Food Centre and China Square. Vegetarians should note -- the ingredients normally include crushed ikan bilis and dried shrimp.

Veg Recipes Sought

VSS received the following request. We pass it on for your consideration.

My name is Brian. I have a group of recipe sites viz., http://www.MexicanRecipeBook.com, http://www.IndianRecipeBook.com,

http://www.AllVegRecipes.com and http://www.VegRecipeBook.com

Currently I am looking for quality recipes for my sites from groups/individuals with interest in cooking and recipes. I would like to invite you and your group members to submit recipes on my sites (especially the AllVegRecipes.com and the VegRecipeBook.com sites).

Please note that all my recipe sites are free for everyone. Submitting recipes is very simple. Simply click on the submit recipe link and the form is very simple. No need for any registration.

Sincerely, Brian

http://www.VegRecipeBook.com

Green Sense @ Thomson Under New Management

Some people may have heard that Green Sense @ Thomson closed recently. Fortunately, it is now open with new management, and in a Japanese style.

Prof Campbell Tells Dr John McDougal’s Story

One of the best-known advocates of whole-food, plant-based diets is Dr John McDougall. Here, from pages 329-338 of the book “The China Study”, is Prof Campbell’s telling of how Dr McDougall made the switch.

[John McDougall’s] nutrition and health knowledge is phenomenal, greater than any other doctor I’ve met and greater than any of my nutrition colleagues in academia. … Growing up, John ate a rich, Western diet. … It caught up to him, and at the age of eighteen, a few months into college, John had a stroke. After recovering with a new appreciation for life, he became a straight A student as an undergraduate and then completed medical school. ...

�� It was there [Hawai’i, USA] that John became an unhappy doctor. Many of his patients’ health problems were a result of chronic illnesses, such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease and arthritis. John would treat them as he was taught with the standard sets of pills and procedures, but very few of them became healthy. Their chronic diseases didn’t go away, and John quickly realized that he had severe limitations as a doctor.

He also started to learn something else from his patients: the first and second generation Americans [recently arrived] from Asia, the ones who ate more traditional Asian staple diets of rice and vegetables, were trim, fit and not afflicted with the chronic diseases that plagued John’s other patients. The third and fourth generation Asian Americans, however, had fully adopted America’s eating habits and suffered from obesity, diabetes and the whole host of other chronic diseases. It was from these people that John began to notice how important diet was for health.

Tune in next issue to see what action Dr McDougall took based on his new-found understanding of the importance of diet.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

Disclaimer: The information provided in this Newsletter is solely for the consideration of the subscribers, and does not constitute an endorsement by VSS.

Read back issues at: http://www.vegetarian-society.org/newsletter.htm

To Subscribe: vegsoc_sg-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

To Unsubscribe: vegsoc_sg-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

#249 From: "Vegetarian Society $Singapore$" <gmjacobs@...>
Date: Wed Jan 31, 2007 3:45 am
Subject: VSS Enewsletter 31 January 2007 jacobs_george
Send Email

VSS eNewsletter 31 Jan 2007

Visitor Feedback from the Jan07 Exhibition at Woodlands

VSS News

History Bits about the Veg Movement in Our Part of the World

Postcard Suggestion

Go Fly a Kite – With VSS

A Very Different View

Other News

Vegetarian Yu Sheng for CNY

Tofu for You

Meatless for Lent Workshop

Fibre Lowers Breast Cancer Risk

How Many Medical Students Are Veg

More Videos Available Online

Prof Campbell Tells Dr John McDougal’s Story (Instalment 2)

VSS News

Visitor Feedback from the Jan07 Exhibition at Woodlands

During our exhibition at Woodlands Regional Library, we had a place for people to give feedback. You can read some of that feedback on the Downloads page of the VSS web:

http://www.vegetarian-society.org/revamp/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=Downloads&file=index&req=viewdownload&cid=10

History Bits about the Veg Movement in Our Part of the World

VSS belongs to the International Vegetarian Union (IVU). IVU’s historian, John Davis, has put together a bit of the history of the veg movement in SE Asia, East Asia and Oceania: http://www.ivu.org/east/history.html

Postcard Suggestion

Here are excerpts from an email suggestion from a VSS member.

Fast food is cheap and fast food outlets such as MacDonald’s are ubiquitous. The young like to patronise McD’s because of its specially-architectured happy environment with bright colours and lighting. It also has a happy image built up over years of intensive advertising. There are already some veg options, such as apples, and steamed corn. However, local McD’s outlets do not have a vege burger, found in some McD’s in other countries.

People may not realise the impact of giving the VSS postcard to the McD’s outlet conveniently located in their neighbourhoods. It can boost our Vegetarian effort if we can rally our members and newsletter subscribers to specifically indicate a request for a vege burger on the postcard, and encourage people to give the postcard to as many McD’s outlets as possible. The introduction of the vege burger would mean more convenience, less discrimination and more acceptance from non-veg peers when veg and non-veg, as a group, frequent McD’s for meals.

I did not see the hidden potential of the veg postcards initially, because i thought that it would be too much hassle for ppl to actually bring these cards around and give to restaurants which offer little, if not zero, veg options. However, i soon realised the other side of the story. The fact is that most of us are under the tyranny of the majority. When people organise gatherings and reunions, the venue the organisers chose is often not veg-friendly. So, ppl WILL want to utilise those postcards.

However, the change that we want to see, that is to have more veg options in non-veg eateries, can only be effected if the postcard effort is made long-term. Lest ppl have the myopic view that such a personal move to give out those postcards is troublesome with low returns, perhaps we should highlight the positive spin-offs, and regularly encourage ppl to use the postcards in our newsletters.

You can download the postcard from the Downloads page of the VSS web: http://www.vegetarian-society.org

Go Fly a Kite – With VSS

Date: Feb 4 (Sun)

Time: All afternoon

Venue: East Coast Park next to Carpark D1 (right opposite the Marine Terrace Pedestrian Bridge/Victoria JC. It’s the little grassy patch that sits above the Siglap Canal, walking distance from Marine Cove.

Kites: No need to bring a kite. Help them fly theirs.

Contact: 6440-2459 (Shakib)

A Very Different View

It’s good to listen to the views of those who disagree with us. Recently, VSS received an email from someone who strongly disagreed with what we do. The person also included a very long document analysing vegetarianism. In the spirit of airing opposing views, below are excerpts from the email and the URL for the document.

It is your personal right and freedom of choice to decide what you choose to put into your own body. Though, to foist your ideals upon others is totally wrong and it only reveals your own prejudice, arrogance and discrimination.

To sneer at other cultures just because they eat a chicken (or cow) is to have a total disregard and disrespect for what ensued a civilization's survival and continuity to this day, and to despise hundreds, or even thousands of years of tradition and cultural wisdom among the various races and nations.

Have you been to Cambodia, to India, or Ethopia? Have you seen, smelt or even tasted the rust of poverty? In many parts of the world today, any scrap or available morsel can still be an issue between life and death - and here, you and your deluded vegetarian advocates, living in your 3, 4 or 5 room flats, semi d's or Bungalows, driving your SUV's and working in your comfortable air-conditioned offices. How dare you even begin to impose your selfish ideals upon others.

http://www.biblelife.org/abrams2.htm

Other News

Vegetarian Yu Sheng for CNY

Bright Hill Temple, a.k.a. Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery, is offering walk-in orders of the Ji Xiang (Auspicious) Steamboat and takeaway of the Ru Yi (Wish fulfilling) Yu Sheng before and during CNY. For details, call 6849 5333 or visit: http://kmspks.org/services/steamboat_eng.pdf

If you have information on other places for veg versions of special CNY dishes, please let us know at info@... and please include contact info.

Tofu for You

One of our members writes: Some vegetarians get a lot of their protein and calcium from tofu and tempeh because these soya-based products contains all eight

essential amino acids. If you’re one of them, welcome to an expanded range of tofu products in GIANT.

Tofu Goreng Bunga Lawang. (Lo Sam, Selangor). Medium brown in colour. Barely spicy. Easy to slice and eat straight from the packet. 160gm $0.90.

Braised BaiYe Tofu. (Fortune Fountain Food, Singapore). Dark brown, very solid, robust and spicy. Easy to slice and eat straight from the packet. 250gm $1.90.

BaiYe Tofu. (Fortune Fountain Food, Singapore). Cream in colour and no taste. Comes finely sliced – you get about 40 slices 9cm x 19cm in a packet. Needs pre-preparation. Ideal as a skin for wrapping things in. 250gm $1.90.

Braised Tofu (Unicurd, Singapore). Brown in colour. Easy to slice and eat straight from the packet. This pre-marinated product is available in three different versions and accompanying sauces are packed separately. 270gm $1.70.”

Meatless-for-Lent Workshop

True Health Ministry at Sts Peter and Paul Church is organising a Meatless-for-Lent Workshop. Here are the details:

Presenters: Sebastian Liew, N.D. (Doctor of Naturopathy)

Fr Anselm Phang, OCD

Wendy Yeo, (Herbalist) & Anne Lui

Venue: Auditorium, Sts Peter and Paul Church

Date: 10 Feb (Sat)

Time: 9.30 – 5.00 pm

Registration: Church Office (or via email at truehealth_spp@...)

Enquiry: 6337.2585 (church office) or email truehealth_spp@...

Contribution: $15 per pax (excluding lunch)

Fibre Lowers Breast Cancer Risk

A UK study suggests that pre-menopausal women could halve their breast cancer risk by eating more fibre. University of Leeds researchers studied 35,000 women, and found that those who ate 30g of fibre a day had half the risk of those who ate less than 20g. The average person in the UK eats 12g of fibre a day. To eat 30g, a person would need to eat a high-fibre cereal for breakfast, switch from white or brown bread to wholemeal and ensure they have five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/6287915.stm

How Many Medical Students Are Veg

As Prof Campbell explains in The China Study (see next article), most doctors aren’t veg, but a new study gives some hope that this may improve. The researchers examined the prevalence of vegetarian diet patterns among nearly 900 medical students in the U.S. and found that 7.2 percent of students identified themselves as vegetarians. This percentage is higher than the overall percentage of vegetarians in the U.S. population.

Spencer EH, Elon LK, Frank E. Personal and Professional Correlates of US Medical Students’ Vegetarianism. J Am Diet Assoc. 2007;107:72-78.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=17197274

More Videos Available Online

You can watch PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) videos and public service announcements (PSAs) on YouTube, the popular—and free—video sharing Web site. Go to PCRM’s page on the YouTube Web site to watch the videos. Click the “Share Video” icon to let others know about our YouTube videos.

Current YouTube videos include 30- and 60-second PSAs starring PCRM member physicians and celebrities, including Marilu Henner and Keenen Ivory Wayans, that advertise a healthy vegetarian diet for cancer prevention and overall health. Some of the videos may not be of interest outside the U.S. Plus, you’ll need a high-speed internet connection. The address is: http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=PCRM&page=1

Prof Campbell Tells Dr John McDougal’s Story (Instalment 2)

One of the best-known advocates of whole-food plant-based diets is Dr John McDougall. Here, from pages 329-338 of the book “The China Study”, is Prof Campbell’s telling how Dr McDougall made the switch. In this instalment, Dr McDougall goes to learn more about medicine, but finds only more of the same.

Because John wasn’t healing people and the pills and procedures weren’t working, he decided he needed more education and entered a graduate medical program (residency) at the Queens Medical Center in Honolulu. It was there that he began to understand the boundaries that the medical establishment had set and the way that medical education moulds the way doctors are supposed to think.

John went into the program hoping to find out how to perfect the pills and procedures so that he could become a better doctor. But after observing experienced doctors treating their patients with pills and procedures, he realized that these authoritative doctors didn’t do any better than he did. …John realized something was wrong with the system, not him, so he began o read the scientific literature. … John became convinced that a whole foods, plant-based diet had the potential not only to prevent these diseases that were plaguing patients, but also the potential to treat them. This idea, he was to find out, was not received kindly by his teachers and colleagues.

Tune in next issue to find out the reaction Dr MacDougall received from his other doctors and medical experts when he suggested plant-based diets.

Click here for a large list of vegetarian eateries

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#250 From: "Vegetarian Society $Singapore$" <gmjacobs@...>
Date: Wed Feb 7, 2007 1:49 am
Subject: VSS e-newsletter 7 February 2007 jacobs_george
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VSS eNewsletter 7 Feb 2007