Vegetarian Star

Jon Stewart praised the Senate for passing the Food Safety Modernization Act, which gives the United States government more power to protect citizens from foodborne illnesses. In the past, the government relied on companies to voluntarily recall products. Now, it will have the authority to demand them.

Stewart mocks the skeptics who doubt the need for law, such as Glenn Beck, who Stewart says feels the FDA was created to do things like make sure you get milk instead of rat droppings in the carton.

Unfortunately, Beck isn’t the only naysayer. Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma claimed that only 10-20 people die annually from food illnesses (as if that weren’t enough). Ignorance sounds worse when other people hear you and Coburn may have made the biggest fool of himself to end the year.

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“People are uncomfortable with anyone who’s different for any reason, whether they’re vegan or gay or black or whatever. They feel threatened, and there’s nothing we can do about it but try to lead by example and not make people feel they’re on a different side. Obviously anyone who loves animals has some compassion in their heart, but it’s easy to get frustrated and block out compassion for the people we want to change. They’ll change easier if they don’t feel hated.”

—Russell Simmons, in an exclusive interview with PETA on how to treat family members who judge your veg lifestyle when you go home for the holidays.

How should you respond if grandma gives you a fur coat for Hanukkah, Christmas or Kwanzaa? Read here to find out.

Photo: PR Photos

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Lance Bass PETA

Lance Bass says we should all take a lesson from Bob Barker.

“You know when I was a kid watching ‘Price Is Right,’ I would always hear Bob [Barker] say, ‘Help control the pet population: Get your dogs spayed or neutered. People are not spaying and neutering like they should be, and there’s just so many dogs that really need a loving home.”

Bass stars in one of PETA’s many ads urging animal lovers to adopt to reduce the millions euthanized in shelters every year. But adoption is just one step, as Bass points out. Spaying and neutering a pet, especially a pet that ever comes in contact with other animals or goes outdoors is another important step in solving the unwanted animal population problem. Spaying and neutering does more than lessen the number of animals euthanized in shelters each year. It also provides health benefits for the animal. More on those benefits and the interview with Bass below.

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Could a former head of a prostitution ring help spread the word about keeping exotic birds free? Hey, if sex tape stars advocate less sex for pets, Heidi Fleiss may be the world’s next avian activist.

The ex madam will be starring in her own reality TV show on Animal Planet featuring her training and caring for 20 uncaged, exotic birds on her ranch in Las Vegas. Fleiss took on the mission after a dying friend asked her to be the godmother.

The show is scheduled to debut sometime in late 2011 and it still yet to be named.

Fleiss has already appeared in some grass roots protesting, storming a Pet Smart meeting in New York and exclaiming, “Birds are meant to fly, not be caged. They’re extraordinary creatures that are complex, intelligent and require a huge commitment.”

The menagerie on Fleiss’ property includes parrots and macaws.

Photo: PR Photos

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The Child Nutrition Bill was passed by Congress and sent to Obama for his signature.

The bill received criticism from some who accused it of being overreaching and dictator-like in determining what’s acceptable for school children to eat while engaged in school activities. Bake sales may be a thing of the past, as the bill gives the government the ability to limit these if it determines they are being emphasized too much over healthy food.

The bill gives more money to schools to purchase food for meals, makes more children eligible for free or reduced lunch and gives cafeteria staff education in nutrition training. There’s also a mandatory $40 million in school garden and Farm To School programs to source ingredients from local producers.

The school gardens portion of the bill may boost students’ critical thinking skills as well as get their nutrition needs fulfilled. Third, fourth and fifth graders participating in school gardening curricula while receiving traditional classroom based education scored better on achievement tests than students who received classroom education only.

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We love veggie burger boxes stashed in a politician’s freezer like any other veg, but when those packages are used for illegal activity, it’s a double-edged sword of publicity for the meatless life.

Former Democratic Representative for Louisiana William Jefferson was found guilty of doing shady business deals and storing his compensation in veggie burger packages in the freezer. After taking money from people looking to broker deals in Africa, Jefferson would store it in the freezer. It would later be sent to the vice president of Nigeria in hopes of influencing a telecommunications deal that would financially benefit Jefferson’s family.

How much “cold” cash did officials say Jefferson stashed in the freezer? $90,000!

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English rock musician Ray Davies is best known for being a singer and songwriter for band The Kinks. Somewhere, in some hall of fame, he needs his own star for other, non-music related accomplishments. Like patenting several vegetarian dishes.

“I’m a vegetarian, although I eat fish occasionally,” he told Gibson. “I have a couple of vegetarian dishes I’ve patented. I love to surprise non-veggies – they say: ‘That was incredible,’ and then they’re totally shocked to hear that there’s no meat in it.”

Patenting the ultimate vegan mac and cheese, bean burrito or egg replacer can be a tricky task, but it can and has been done numerous times. The patents usually fall into two categories, either 1. composition of matter (e.g. a new ingredient that’s never been used to make an already existing meal) or 2. process for making the product (e.g. heating a mixture for a product when no one’s ever thought of doing it that way).

Here are a few food combination that have earned U.S Patents.

* Reduced calorie:  fat replacements (5,466,479) and sugarless bakery goods (5,804,242)
* Microwavable: Sponge cake that can rise when microwaved (6,410,074)
* Texture: Ingredient replacing egg whites to reduce toughness of batter coatings (6,288,179)

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A big slice of vegan birthday cake goes out to to the following vegetarian or vegan celebrities today.

• Shiri Appleby (32)

Photo: PR Photos

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