A year has passed, but the stories are still relevant and fresh, at least to me.
Here we go:
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Got Those Penthouse Blues Again
This place is probably nice, even if it is "only" a brownstone penthouse..
However, as I remember, "Kool Kool Kitty" was really the original Material Girl, ( in the song she goes on to slaver over the luxury of her great boyfriend's lifestyle, including the fact that " he keeps his pockets full of spending loot"-- maybe not unlike Bernie Madoff, former penthouse dweller whose pockets were however mostly full of OTHER PEOPLE'S spending loot, which they were sorely aggrieved about when the whole story came out).
As I remember, a lot of this penthouse fixation started with a famous early 1930's society hostess who hosted many swell affairs at her penthouse at the very chic Ritz Carlton Hotel in Midtown..
But a little research shows that they were in vogue already by then. One Chicago millionaire had his favorite architect draw up one plan after another for the roof of a tall building he owned...of course, he finally decided he had found the perfect design just as the stock market crashed in 1929.
I hope the architect got paid...
Bike in front of sedate church on Park Avenue...
Are these people churchgoers?
More importantly, if Christ came back today, would he ride a motorcycle? Or would he be an environmentally conscious Jesus who was a big proponent of the Citi Bike program?
At any rate, I hope he would be spared the subway...Christ having suffered enough for the sins of the world, without also having to suffer for the sins of the MTA here.
Chock Full of Nuts Coffee
Chock Full o' Nuts is a real New York native, and back in the 1960's they had locations all over the place...serving their actually very good coffee and then their famous cottage cheese date nut bread sandwiches ( not a healthy choice by today's standards I guess).
It was also known as one of the first big chains or companies to have a black person at the helm ( almost all its employees were also African American).
They had this REALLY annoying song jingle, "Chock Full o' Nuts is that Heavenly Coffee.. Better Coffee, a Millionaire's Money Can't Buy!" but as I said the coffee WAS good.
Whatever happened to them--they suddenly closed down all their stores but the coffee was still available at stores, but as I said I almost never see it anymore..
Well, off to see what the net will reveal..here is Wikipedia with more about the jingle, even--
Chock full o’Nuts is a brand of coffee originating from a chain of New York City coffee shops.
Its unusual name derives from the eighteen shelled nut shops founder William Black had established under that banner in the city beginning in 1926. When the Depression struck he converted them to lunch counters serving a cup of coffee and a sandwich for a nickel.[1]
In time the brand grew popular, being introduced to the consumer market through grocery stores starting in 1953. Today it is owned by coffee giant Massimo Zanetti Beverage Group, the largest privately held firm in the industry.
History
The chain was founded by William Black (1898–1983), an American immigrant who sold nuts in Times Square to theater-goers. In 1926, he opened a store on Broadway and 43rd Street, eventually adding seventeen more. When the Depression settled in, New Yorkers could no longer afford the luxury of shelled nuts, so Black converted his shops into lunch counters, selling coffee and sandwiches.[1]Their signature "nutted cheese" sandwich, made of cream cheese and chopped nuts on dark raisin bread, cost a nickel, with a cup of coffee, when the company was founded. When coffee prices went up in the 1950s, Black, like other restaurateurs, held to a 5-cent cup of coffee by watering it down.[2] But he soon broke ranks and raised the price, announcing that he refused to compromise on quality.
In 1953, the coffee brand was introduced to supermarkets. Several years later baseball star Jackie Robinson became the company's vice president and director of personnel, after retiring from the game.[3][4] In 1961, Chock full o'Nuts introduced a brand of instant coffee.
Within that decade the chain had approximately 80 restaurants in the New York City area. Hygiene was a selling point, with the sandwiches advertised as "untouched by human hands". Cooks used tongs to assemble them.
In 1974, Chock full o'Nuts purchased Rheingold Brewery. [5] In the 1970s, the lunch counters gradually closed. About this time, with Black increasingly advanced in age, Steinfield, a major real estate operator in New York City who wanted the property that the restaurants occupied, declared war on Chock full o'Nuts. He stated that when he won his actions he would close the restaurants. After Black died, the company sold its remaining 17 restaurants to the restaurant company Riese Bros. In 1988, investor Martin D. Gruss and companies he controlled purchased a 10-percent stake in the Chock full o'Nuts Corporation, saying he might seek control of the company.[6] In 1993, Chock Express stores were introduced.
The Sara Lee Corporation purchased Chock full o'Nuts for $238 million in 1999.[7][8] In May 2006, it was purchased from Sara Lee by Massimo Zanetti Beverage USA, along with the MJB, Hills Bros., and Chase & Sanborn coffee brands.
On September 10, 2010, the company announced it was returning to the lunch counter business by opening its first store in almost 30 years, on West 23rd Street between Broadway and 6th Avenue in Manhattan. The company said it planned to add stores and kiosks in New York City serving the "nutted cheese" sandwich and other traditional Chock full O' Nuts menu items (plus new choices).[9] The current youngest franchise owner is Corey Torjesen of Staten Island, New York who opened a Chock full O'Nuts franchise at the age of 19 with his own money which he saved up from a newspaper route. [10]
To assure those with allergies to nuts, the company began adding the slogan "NO NUTS! 100 % Coffee" to its packaging in the 2000s.
Jingle
The Chock full o'Nuts advertising jingle on a building in New York City. Note the altered lyrics. The Chock full o’ Nuts advertising jingle was based on the song, "That Heavenly Feeling", written by Wayne and Bruce Silbert. Sung by company founder William Black’s wife, cabaret singer Page Morton Black, it received extensive airplay on both radio and television in the 1950s and 1960s.[1] The original lyrics went:Chock full o’Nuts is that heavenly coffee,However, the company had to alter the lyrics from “Rockefeller’s money” to “a millionaire’s money” after being sued by New York governor Nelson Rockefeller, who owned coffee interests in Latin America[citation needed]. Mid-2000s versions of the jingle replace “millionaire” with “billionaire.”
Heavenly coffee, heavenly coffee.
Chock full o’Nuts is that heavenly coffee,
Better coffee Rockefeller’s money can’t buy.[8]
Wow, those little kids can move FAST on those scooters...
Of course, this being New York, I half expect some kid like this to suddenly growl a la Robert de Niro, " You lookin' at me man? You lookin' at ME?"
Luckily, a non-confrontational tyke...but as I said, wow, can those kids move FAST on those things...
Nice Ice
I woke up feeling very warm ( I don't have a fever that I can tell) and yes, it is overcast and VERY humid feeling today. I put on sun screen as a matter of habit, of course ( because I have to go in for Mohs surgery again...of course, that probably comes from sun damage when I was in Mexico when I was 16 and got horribly burned or something).
The ice looks great and it all looks healthy. And, of course, I see the requisite Poland Spring water...
They issued a heat warning to tenants in my building a while back...very solicitous of them.
It doesn't seem to me much compared what our troops in Afghanistan are putting up with no doubt, but everyone in NY is more or less on a health trip these days..
"Cutting Edge Rehab"--including anit-gravity treatment
Some of the terms are famliar ( Tai Chi, Acupuncture, Meditation) and some like Ki Hara Resistance Stretching are new to me.
I am currently going to a restorative yoga class which I am enjoying immensely, and and annoyed I have a meeting this week that is going to keep me from going Tuesday, and then of course Thursday (the other day they offer it) is the Fourth of July.
Let me see what this Amplitude place has on the internet first of all...yes, but mostly too ad oriented...let me see what Yelp has..here is one rave review from a "Sue B." who is gung ho:
I have been a member of the Vibration Studios at Amplitude for over 2 years. I can't recommend this place more highly. First off - let me say, I am not a fan of exercising. That said, this place is perfect for me! I use the (revolutionary) Vibration Platforms and it pretty much does the exercising for you. No kidding.
The Russians invented these platforms for space, where cosmonauts lost too much bone & muscle mass w/o gravity. The Russians could stay in space for 400 days (with the machines) vs. the American's, who, w/o the platforms, were only able to stay in space for 100 days. I myself have experienced just this effect. In 1 1/2 years of "doing the platforms" for 2 to 3 times per week (for one half hour per session), I not only reversed the direction of my osteopenia, I ADDED 4.5% mass to my spine. Apparently this is very difficult to do conventionally. And all without the highly toxic drugs that pass for medicine for this ailment. (Yes, just do a bit of research.)
These vibration platforms are like the fountain of youth for people over 50. (There are many studies you can access online about the many positive effects.) I have also lost all pain from arthritis in my knees, which had caused me much pain over the past few years. Gone. I haven't gotten an x-ray to check it out, but I'm okay, since I feel no pain and have great strength once again. Also, I had sciatica, which was causing me pain, which kept me up at night - which is not good for many reasons. I was taking (questionable) painkillers for this, which I did not like, but wanted to sleep. Well, after a month of doing a simple exercise on the machine for a couple of minutes - the sciatica is now completely gone. I also have increased my strength overall. It's pretty amazing, actually, for the small investment of time.
As for the atmosphere of the whole studio - it's small, extremely pleasant and very community oriented. I was at Equinox for years, and while it has many pluses, I was a cog - except to my trainer (for $100 per hour, I guess he'd have to like me!). This place is friendly, supportive, and after two years, I feel like I have made friends there. (And let me tell you, I live about 40 min. away, so you know I have to like it here, to make that kind of trip. Equinox was 2 min. away.) They take a personal interest in your development. The cost is reasonable (I get one month here for the cost of ONE training session at Equinox), and you are always watched. So it's like you have a semi-private trainer for nothing! Anyway, I wish I could spread the word - about both the vibration machines and about this wonderful place! Just go in and get a short, private demo. It's perfect for busy New Yorkers who don't have much time to exercise.
By the way, there are many young women working out here, but it's especially good for seniors who can't jump around and do more demanding exercises. Also, top professional athletes use the machines for increasing overall performance. Oh, I forgot to say that in a half hour, you get the equivalent of an hour workout. It's so easy and you get so much. It's actually revolutionary! (And no, I am not getting paid for this review. I just believe in the whole package so much and want to spread the word.)
Last Day of Greenmarket:Cutting Fruit and Veg samples --and what is GOOD olive oil?
And also, I noticed, some imported Olive Oil..
I was just listening to Public Radio show the other day where someone who was an expert was explaining all about what made for good (and the best) olive oil.
I have always known the extra virgin appellation was good, (like virgin wool) but the whole show left me more confused than ever...
Types of Olive Oil
The level of acidity is a key factor in choosing olive oil
By Peggy Trowbridge Filippone, About.com Guide
Olives
© 2008 Peggy Trowbridge Filippone
Types of Olive Oil
Nope, we are not talking about Popeye's girlfriend but a condiment some describe as liquid gold. Olive oil is highly-prized not only for its health benefits, but also for its wonderful flavor.The best olive oil is a blend of oil from a mixture of red-ripe (not green and not fully ripe) olives and a smaller proportion of oil from green olives of a different variety. Cold-pressing, a chemical-free process using only pressure, produces a higher quality of olive oil which is naturally lower in acidity.
When purchasing olive oil, it is important to check labels for the percentage of acidity, grade of oil, volume, and country of origin. The level of acidity is a key factor in choosing fine olive oil, along with color, flavor, and aroma. Here are the different categories of olive oils:
• Extra virgin olive oil: cold-pressed result of the first pressing of the olives, with only 1% acid; considered the finest and fruitiest, and thus the most expensive; ranges from a crystalline champagne color to greenish-golden to bright green; generally, the deeper the color, the more intense the olive flavor.
• Virgin olive oil: also a first-press oil, with a slightly higher acidity level of between 1-3%.
• Fino olive oil: (meaning fine in Italian) is a blend of extra virgin and virgin olive oils.
• Light olive oil: This version contains the same amount of beneficial monounsaturated fats as regular olive oil, but due to the refining process, it is lighter in color and has essentially no flavor. This makes it a good choice for baking and other purposes where the heavy flavor might not be desirable. This process also gives it a higher smoking point, making it a prime candidate for high-heat cooking.
A lot of threats, but not much rain yet
I am tired of carrying an umbrella around with me all the time...notice no one else is.
So, someone still has to keep watering the plants..
Pride Parade-- Who are these Imperial Court People?
When I went over to Fifth Avenue near the Empire State Building, of course I saw a lot of people taking pictures--and then I realized that most of the people walking in the Parade or on floats were taking pix themselves. Such is the age of iphone instant visual documentation, etc.
I wandered up Park Avenue to where people were waiting stoically at a staging area...almost all with balloons it seemed...
Giving LGBT New Yorkers even more cause for celebration at the annual Gay Pride Weekend, the Supreme Court this week struck down the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal law that barred married same-sex couples from receiving federal benefits in states like New York that have legalized gay marriage. “This is going to be a historic weekend. I think your going to see this celebration reach new heights based on what was decided,” said Chris Frederick, managing director of Heritage of Pride, which the weekend’s official events.
Frederick added that in light of the ruling, this year’s theme, Rain to Rainbows, seems especially appropriate. “It’s such a true statement of where we’ve come from as a nation,” he said.
Edith Windsor, a New Yorker and the plaintiff in the DOMA case, is one of the grand marshals of the march, along with Earl Fowlkes, President and CEO of the Center for Black Equity, and singer and gay activist Harry Belafonte. “Without Edie Windsor none of this would have been possible,” Frederick said. Windsor said she was “honored” to be among the marshals. “If someone had told me 50 years ago that I would be the marshal of New York City Gay Pride Parade in 2013 at the age of 84, I never would have believed it,” she said in an email.
Windsor said she would watch the parade with her longtime partner Thea in her wheelchair before she died in 2009. “So given both my own personal story and this important moment for our community and our nation, I am absolutely thrilled,” Windsor said. Frederick also said this year’s Pride events mark an important moment in the gay rights movement. “I think the March is the strongest example for that,” he said. “The energy of that event is largely emblematic of the history of where we’ve come from.” The March goes along Fifth Avenue from Midtown to Christopher and Greenwich Streets, where 34 years ago police raided gay club the Stonewall Inn, causing riots and igniting the modern gay rights movement.
Frederick thinks the Supreme Court decision will bring another 10 to 15 percent more attendees than last year’s March, or 1.7 million total parade-goers. Catering to increased interest, organizers expanded this year’s festivities, loading the week of the March with 10 official events around the city. Frederick said they also added a couple more exclusive events in order to compete with club promoters and other for-profit venues looking to cash-in on Pride.
“We’re finally getting back that control, so to speak,” he said, adding that official Pride events benefit the nonprofit group and make the March possible. Frederick said he thinks the week, even with its most events to date, could grow in the coming years with public and personal acceptance. “I think we’ll get bigger as people become more comfortable with themselves and are able to accept their own sexuality,” he said. But for Frederick and many Pride participants, this week is about celebrating.
Windsor said she’s marched in the parade for the past several years “carrying a huge rainbow flag.” “Last year, I was so elated that I danced my way down the street for the entire route of the Parade,” she said.
Cacti
OK, SOMETHING about the cacti--but not that much this time...these postings are beginning to read like the telephone book...
A cactus (plural: cacti, cactuses, or cactus[1]) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae, within the order Caryophyllales. The word "cactus" derives, through Latin, from the Ancient Greek κάκτος (kaktos), a name originally used for a spiny plant whose identity is not certain. Cacti are native to the Americas, ranging from Patagonia in the south to parts of western Canada in the north—except for Rhipsalis baccifera, which also grows in Africa and Sri Lanka.
Most cacti live in habitats subject to at least some drought. Many live in extremely dry environments, even being found in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on earth. Cacti show many adaptations to conserve water. Most species of cacti have lost true leaves, retaining only spines, which are highly modified leaves. As well as defending against herbivores, spines help prevent water loss by reducing air flow close to the cactus and providing some shade. Cactus spines are produced from specialized structures called areoles, a kind of highly reduced branch. Areoles are an identifying feature of cacti. As well as spines, areoles give rise to flowers, which are usually tubular and multipetaled.
In the absence of leaves, enlarged stems carry out photosynthesis. Unlike many other succulents, the stem is the only part of most cacti where this vital process takes place. Cactus stems also store water, and are often ribbed or fluted, which allows them to expand and contract easily. Cacti occur in a wide range of shapes and sizes. The tallest free-standing cactus is Pachycereus pringlei, with a maximum recorded height of 19.2 m (63 ft),[2] and the smallest is Blossfeldia liliputiana, only about 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter at maturity.[3] The smaller cacti usually have globe-shaped stems, combining the highest possible volume with the lowest possible surface area. Many cacti have short growing seasons and long dormancies, and are able to react quickly to any rainfall, helped by an extensive but relatively shallow root system. A fully grown saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea) is said to be able to absorb as much as 200 US gallons (760 l; 170 imp gal) of water during a rainstorm.[4]
Like other succulent plants, most cacti employ a special mechanism called "crassulacean acid metabolism" (CAM) as part of photosynthesis. Transpiration, during which carbon dioxide enters the plant and water escapes, does not take place during the day at the same time as photosynthesis, but instead occurs at night. The plant stores the carbon dioxide it takes in as malic acid, retaining it until daylight returns, and only then using it in photosynthesis. Because transpiration takes place during the cooler, more humid night hours, water loss is significantly reduced.
A few species differ significantly in appearance from most of the family. At least superficially, plants of the genus Pereskia resemble other trees and shrubs growing around them. They have persistent leaves, and when older, bark-covered stems. Their areoles identify them as cacti, and in spite of their appearance, they, too, have many adaptations for water conservation. Pereskia is considered close to the ancestral species from which all cacti evolved. In tropical regions, other cacti grow as forest climbers and epiphytes (plants that grow on trees). Their stems are typically flattened, almost leaf-like in appearance, with fewer or even no spines, such as the well-known Christmas cactus or Thanksgiving cactus (in the genus Schlumbergera).
What is Vegan, Really?
OK, let's get to the bottom of this!--Well, hang on your hats again , folks, because these Vegans are not just fooling around and are...well, picky about what they would ingest.
As I read along here I saw something about food from insects...oh, they mean honey...but whatever else too I suppose ( no chocolate covered ants I assume)..
So, your friend the long-winded blogger gives you the low down...and don't say you haven't been warned
Veganism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the vegan diet and philosophy. For notable vegans, see List of vegans.
| Veganism | |
|---|---|
| Description | Elimination of the use of animal products |
| Early proponents | Roger Crab (1621–1680) James Pierrepont Greaves (1777–1842) Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) Amos Bronson Alcott (1799–1888) Donald Watson (1910–2005) H. Jay Dinshah (1933–2000) |
| Origin of the term | 1 November 1944, with the foundation of the British Vegan Society |
| Notable vegans | |
| List of vegans | |
Distinctions are sometimes made between different categories of veganism. Dietary vegans (or strict vegetarians) refrain from consuming animal products, not only meat but, in contrast to ovo-lacto vegetarians, also eggs, dairy products and other animal-derived substances. The term ethical vegan is often applied to those who not only follow a vegan diet, but extend the vegan philosophy into other areas of their lives, and oppose the use of animals or animal products for any purpose.[1] Another term used is environmental veganism, which refers to the rejection of animal products on the premise that the harvesting or industrial farming of animals is environmentally damaging and unsustainable.[2]
The term vegan was coined in England in 1944 by Donald Watson, co-founder of the British Vegan Society, to mean "non-dairy vegetarian"; the society also opposed the consumption of eggs. In 1951 the society extended the definition of veganism to mean "the doctrine that man should live without exploiting animals," and in 1960 H. Jay Dinshah started the American Vegan Society, linking veganism to the Jain concept of ahimsa, the avoidance of violence against living beings.[3]
Veganism is a small but growing movement. In many countries the number of vegan restaurants is increasing, and some of the top athletes in certain endurance sports – for instance, the Ironman triathlon and the ultramarathon – practise veganism, including raw veganism.[4] Well-planned vegan diets have been found to offer protection against certain degenerative conditions, including heart disease,[5] and are regarded by the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada as appropriate for all stages of the life-cycle.[6] Vegan diets tend to be higher in dietary fibre, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, and phytochemicals, and lower in calories, saturated fat, cholesterol, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12.[7] Because uncontaminated plant foods do not provide vitamin B12 (which is produced by microorganisms such as bacteria), researchers agree that vegans should eat foods fortified with B12 or take a daily supplement (see below).[8]
History
Coining the term vegetarianism (19th century)
Further information: History of vegetarianism
In the 19th century vegetarians who also avoided eggs and dairy products, or avoided using animals for any purpose, were referred to as strict or total vegetarians.[11] There were several attempts in the 19th century to establish strict-vegetarian communities. In 1834 Amos Bronson Alcott (1799–1888), the American transcendentalist and father of the novelist Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888) – opened the Temple School in Boston, Massachusetts, along strict-vegetarian principles, and in England in 1838 James Pierrepont Greaves (1777–1842) opened Alcott House in Ham, Surrey, a community and school that followed a strict-vegetarian diet.[12] In 1844 Alcott founded Fruitlands, a community in Harvard, Massachusetts, that opposed the use of animals for any purpose, including farming, though it lasted only seven months.[13]
Shift toward veganism (early 20th century)
Members of Alcott House were involved in 1847 in forming the British Vegetarian Society.[14] In 1851 an article appeared in the society's magazine about alternatives to leather for shoes, which the International Vegetarian Union cites as evidence of the existence in England of a group who were not only strict vegetarians, but avoided animal products entirely.[15] In 1886 the society published an influential essay, A Plea for Vegetarianism, by the English campaigner Henry Salt (1851–1939), a classics teacher at Eton. Salt promoted vegetarianism as a moral issue, not only as an issue of human health; in his Animals' Rights: Considered in Relation to Social Progress (1892), he was one of the first writers to make the paradigm shift from animal welfare to animal rights.[16] Salt wrote in his 1888 essay that being a vegetarian was a "formidable admission" to make, because "a Vegetarian is still regarded, in ordinary society, as little better than a madman."[17] The essay influenced, among others, Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948), who became a friend of Salt's.[18]
In November 1931 Mahatma Gandhi addressed a meeting in London of the Vegetarian Society – attended by around 500 members, including Henry Salt – arguing that it ought to promote a meat-free diet as a moral issue, not as an issue of human health.[22] Gandhi had become friends with several vegetarian campaigners, including the human-rights campaigner Annie Besant (1847–1933), the novelist Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) and the physician Anna Kingsford (1846–1888), author of The Perfect Way in Diet (1881). His speech was called "The Moral Basis of Vegetarianism"; Norm Phelps writes that it was a rebuke to members who had focused on its health benefits.[23] Gandhi told the society he had found in his student days in London that vegetarians talked of nothing but food and disease: "I feel that this is the worst way of going about the business. I notice also that it is those persons who become vegetarians because they are suffering from some disease or other – that is, from purely the health point of view – it is those persons who largely fall back. I discovered that for remaining staunch to vegetarianism a man requires a moral basis."[24]
Coining the term vegan, founding of the Vegan Society (1944)
Further information: Vegan Society
In 1935 the Vegetarian Society's journal wrote that the issue of
whether vegetarians ought to eat dairy products and eggs was becoming
more pressing with every year.[21] In July 1943 Leslie Cross, a member of the Leicester Vegetarian Society, expressed concern in its newsletter, The Vegetarian Messenger, that vegetarians were still consuming cow's milk.[25]
He echoed the argument about eggs, that to produce milk for human
consumption the cow has to be separated from her calves soon after their
birth: "in order to produce a dairy cow, heart-rending cruelty, and not
merely exploitation, is a necessity."[26]
Cross was later a founder of the Plant Milk Society, now known as
Plamil Foods, which in 1965 began production of the first widely
distributed soy milk in the Western world.[27]
Stepaniak writes that two vegan books appeared in 1946: the Leicester Vegetarian Society published Vegetarian Recipes without Dairy Produce by Margaret B. Rawls in the spring, and that summer the Vegan Society published Vegan Recipes by Fay K. Henderson.[31] In 1951 the Vegan Society broadened its definition of veganism to "the doctrine that man should live without exploiting animals," and pledged to seek an end to the use of animals "for food, commodities, work, hunting, vivisection and all other uses involving exploitation of animal life by man."[32] Leslie Cross, by then the society's vice-president, wrote: "[V]eganism is not so much welfare as liberation, for the creatures and for the mind and heart of man; not so much an effort to make the present relationship bearable, as an uncompromising recognition that because it is in the main one of master and slave, it has to be abolished before something better and finer can be built."[32]
Founding of the American Vegan Society (1960)
Further information: American Vegan Society
The first vegan society in the United States was founded in 1948 by a
nurse and chiropractor, Catherine Nimmo (1887–1985) of Oceano,
California, and Rubin Abramowitz of Los Angeles. Originally from the
Netherlands, Nimmo had been a vegan since 1931, and when the British
Vegan Society was founded she began distributing its newsletter, The Vegan News, to her mailing list within the United States.[33] In 1957 H. Jay Dinshah (1933–2000), the son of a Parsi
from Mumbai, visited a slaughterhouse and read some of Watson's
literature. He gave up all animal products, and on 8 February 1960
founded the American Vegan Society (AVS) in Malaga, New Jersey. He
incorporated Nimmo's society and explicitly linked veganism to the
concept of ahimsa, a Sanskrit word meaning "non-harming." The AVS called the idea "dynamic harmlessness," and named its magazine Ahimsa.[34] Joanne Stepaniak writes that two years later, in 1962, the word vegan was independently published for the first time, in the Oxford Illustrated Dictionary; the dictionary defined it as "a vegetarian who eats no butter, eggs, cheese or milk."[35]From marginal to mainstream (1980s–today)
Further information: List of vegans
From the 1990s onwards, their arguments about the health benefits, together with growing concern for the welfare of animals raised in factory farms, led to an increased interest in veganism. In January 2011 the Associated Press (AP) reported that the vegan diet was moving from marginal to mainstream in the United States, with vegan books such as Skinny Bitch (2005) becoming best sellers, and several celebrities exploring vegan diets: "Today's vegans are urban hipsters, suburban moms, college students, even professional athletes." According to the AP, over half the 1,500 chefs polled in 2011 by the National Restaurant Association included vegan entrees in their restaurants, and chain restaurants began to mark vegan items on their menus.[38]
The first Vegetarian Butcher shop – selling vegan and vegetarian "mock meats" – opened in the Netherlands in 2010; as of September 2011 there were 30 branches in the Netherlands and Belgium.[39] In February 2011 Europe's first "all vegan" supermarket, Vegilicious, opened in Dortmund, Germany; elsewhere in Germany, Berlin has become known for its veganism and a "Vegan Spring" food fair has been held annually in Hanover since 2010.[40]
Former US president Bill Clinton adopted a vegan diet in 2010 after cardiac surgery, eating legumes, vegetables and fruit, together with a daily drink of almond milk, fruit and protein powder; his daughter Chelsea was already a vegan.[41] Oprah Winfrey followed a vegan diet for 21 days in 2008, and in 2011 asked her 378 production staff to do the same for one week.[42] In 2009 Dr. Mehmet Oz began advising his viewers to go vegan for 28 days.[43] In November 2010 Bloomberg Businessweek reported that a growing number within the business community were following a vegan diet, including William Clay Ford, Jr., Joi Ito, John Mackey, Russell Simmons, Biz Stone, Steve Wynn and Mortimer Zuckerman. The boxer Mike Tyson also announced that he had switched to a vegan diet.[44] In August 2011 Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent, said in his documentary The Last Heart Attack that T. Colin Campbell's The China Study (2005), which cautions against the consumption of any animal fat or animal protein, had changed the way people all over the world eat, including Gupta himself.[45]
The issue that divided the early vegetarians – whether avoiding animal products was a moral issue, or for the most part a health one – persists. Dietary vegans avoid eating or drinking anything that contains an animal product (no meat, fish, eggs or dairy products) out of concern for human health or animal welfare, but may continue to use animal products in clothing, toiletries and other areas.[46] Against this, ethical vegans see veganism as a philosophy. They reject the commodity or property status of animals, and refrain entirely from using them or products derived from them; they will not use animals for food, clothing, entertainment or any other purpose.[47]
Demographics
Surveys in the United States suggest that between 0.5 and three percent (one to six million) in that country are vegan. In 1996 three percent said they did not use animals for any purpose.[48] A 2006 Harris Interactive poll suggested that 1.4 percent were dietary vegans, a 2008 survey for the Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) reported 0.5 percent, a 2009 VRG survey said one percent – two million out of a population of 313 million, or one in 150 – and a 2012 Gallup poll reported two percent.[49]In Europe, The Times estimated in 2005 that there were 250,000 vegans in the UK, in 2006 The Independent estimated 600,000, and in 2007 a British government survey identified two percent as vegan.[50] The Netherlands Association for Veganism estimated there were 16,000 vegans in the Netherlands as of 2007, around 0.1 percent of the population.[51]
Animal products
Avoidance
Further information: Animal product and Rendering (food processing)
An animal product is any material derived from animals, including meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products, honey, fur, leather, wool, and silk. Other commonly used, but perhaps less well-known, animal products are beeswax, bone char, bone china, carmine, casein, cochineal, gelatin, isinglass, lanolin, lard, rennet, shellac, tallow, whey, and yellow grease. Many of these may not be identified in the list of ingredients in the finished product.[53]
Ethical vegans will not use animal products for clothing, toiletries, or any other reason, and will try to avoid ingredients that have been tested on animals. They will not buy fur coats, cars with leather in them, leather shoes, belts, bags, wallets, woollen jumpers, silk scarves, camera film, bedding that contains goose down or duck feathers, and will not use certain vaccines; the production of the flu vaccine, for example, involves the use of chicken eggs. Depending on their economic circumstances, vegans may donate items made from animal products to charity when they become vegan, or use them until they wear out. Clothing made without animal products is widely available in stores and online. Alternatives to wool include acrylic, cotton, hemp, rayon and polyester. Some vegan clothes, in particular shoes and leather alternatives, are made of petroleum-based products, which has triggered criticism because of the environmental damage associated with production.[54]
Milk and eggs
Further information: Dairy product and Egg (food)
One of the main differences between vegan and vegetarian diets is
that vegan diets exclude both eggs and dairy products (such as animal
milk, cheese, butter and yogurt). Ethical vegans state that the
production of eggs and dairy causes animal suffering and premature
death. For example, in both battery cage and free-range egg production, most male chicks are culled at birth because they will not lay eggs, and there is no financial incentive for a producer to keep them.[55]
Honey and other insect products
Further information: Honey bee and Beekeeping
There is disagreement among vegan groups about the extent to which
products from insects must be avoided. Some vegans view the consumption
of honey as cruel and exploitative, and modern beekeeping a form of
enslavement.[59] Once the honey (the bees' natural food store) is harvested, it is common practice to substitute it with sugar or corn syrup
to maintain the colony over winter. Neither the Vegan Society nor the
American Vegan Society considers the use of honey, silk or other insect
products to be suitable for vegans, while Vegan Action and Vegan
Outreach regard it as a matter of personal choice.[60] Agave nectar is a popular vegan alternative to honey.[61]Vegan diet
Common dishes and ingredients
- Further information: Vegan recipes
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Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on |
Plant milk, ice-cream and cheese
Like animal milk and meat, soy milk is a complete protein, meaning that it contains all the essential amino acids and can be relied upon entirely for protein intake.[62] Soy milk alone should not be used as a replacement for breast milk for babies; babies who are not breastfed need commercial infant formula, which is normally based on cow's milk or soy (the latter is known as soy-based infant formula or SBIF).[65]
Popular plant-milk brands include Dean Foods' Silk soy milk and almond milk, Blue Diamond's Almond Breeze, Taste the Dream's Almond Dream and Rice Dream, Plamil Foods' Organic Soya and Alpro's Soya. Vegan ice-creams based on plant milk include Tofutti, Turtle Mountain's So Delicious, and Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss.[66]
Cheese analogues are made from soy, nuts and tapioca. Vegan cheeses like Chreese, Daiya, Sheese, Teese and Tofutti can replace both the taste and meltability of dairy cheese.[67] Nutritional yeast is a common cheese substitute in vegan recipes.[68] Cheese substitutes can be made at home, using recipes from Joanne Stepaniak's Vegan Vittles (1996), The Nutritional Yeast Cookbook (1997), and The Uncheese Cookbook (2003), and Mikoyo Schinner's Artisan Vegan Cheese (2012).[69] One recipe for vegan brie involves combining cashews, soy yogurt and coconut oil.[70] Butter can be replaced with a vegan margarine such as Earth Balance.[71]
Saturday, June 29, 2013
"Museum Mile" in Manhattan-- Too Late for the Festival but still a great (if long) walk up Fifth Avenue
We just had the Museum Mile June Festival here, when traditionally on one night admission to all the Museums is free.
A woman I knew and I took advantage of this back about..wow, was it 2002? And to our surprise, we ran into people we knew who were doing the same thing we were...
I loved all of it, but the Guggenheim was a revelation. We started at the top and wound our way down past a beautifully laid out series of exhibits...
We did not stop at the Metropolitan, being too eager to get to other places we ordinarily did not go to... but I can attest the Met is worth it, any time...
Museum Mile is the name for a section of Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in the city of New York, in the United States, running from 82nd to 105th streets on the Upper East Side,[20] in an area sometimes called Upper Carnegie Hill.[21] The Mile, which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world, is actually three blocks longer than one mile (1.6 km). Nine museums occupy the length of this section of Fifth Avenue.[22] A tenth museum, the Museum for African Art, joined the ensemble in 2009, however its Museum at 110th Street, the first new museum constructed on the Mile since the Guggenheim in 1959,[23] opened in late 2012. In addition to other programming, the museums collaborate for the annual Museum Mile Festival, held each year in June, to promote the museums and increase visitation.[24]
Museums on the mile
- 110th Street – Museum for African Art (opened fall 2012)[25]
- 105th Street – El Museo del Barrio
- 103rd Street – Museum of the City of New York
- 92nd Street – The Jewish Museum
- 91st Street – Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum (part of the Smithsonian Institution)
- 89th Street – National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts
- 88th Street – Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
- 86th Street – Neue Galerie New York
- 83rd Street – Goethe-Institut New York/German Cultural Center
- 82nd Street – The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Museum Mile Festival
The annual Museum Mile Festival traditionally takes place here on the second Tuesday in June from 6 – 9 p.m. It was established in 1979 to increase public awareness of its member institutions and promote public support of the arts in New York City.[26] The first festival was held on June 26, 1979.[27] The ten museums are open free that evening to the public. Several of the participating museums offer outdoor art activities for children, live music and street performers.[28] During the event, Fifth Avenue is closed to traffic.Gallery
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Fifth Avenue, 1878: illustration from The Wickedest Woman in New York: Madame Restell, the Abortionist by Clifford Browder
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Fifth Avenue, 1918, photograph from the Library of Congress Collection
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Memorial to New York architect Richard Morris Hunt, Fifth Avenue between 70th and 71st Streets
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