Vegetarian Star

Barack Obama has incited the criticism of activists after his proposal to lift a 24 year ban on commercial whaling in Japan, Norway and Iceland. The administration argues that doing so will save more whales and countries will not attempt to use loopholes to hunt them and instead be required to follow strict reporting procedures of their whaling activity to governments.

The proposal would allow the countries to continue hunting whales in reduced numbers and also wants them to participate in a whale DNA registry.

Environmental groups aren’t buying it, and have already pressured Obama to withdraw his support before the Whaling Commission votes on June 20.

(more…)

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Paul McCartney played for the Obamas and a crowd of celebrities and journalists during an event where he was presented with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song by president Barack Obama.

Receiving the award from the president was comparable to being honored, according to McCartney.

“Getting this prize would just be good enough, but getting it from THIS president …You have billions of us who are rooting for you, and we know you’re going to come through.”

The Gershwin prize is named after songwriters and brothers George and Ira Gershwin, who’s collections are located at the Library of Congress, which awarded McCartney the honor.

Besides McCartney serenading the First Lady with the lyrics to “Michelle,” other performers at the event included Stevie Wonder singing “We Can Work It Out,” The Jonas Brothers “Baby You Can Drive My Car,” Corinne Bailey Rae on “Blackbird,” and Faith Hill performing “Long and Winding Road.”

If you were unable to get an invite to the White House, you can still watch the concert on July 28 on PBS.

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A writer in the Chicago Tribune has made some suggestions for president Barack Obama the next time he goes on an eating outing.

Stay away from the burgers and order some beans!

Obama should hit the veggie restaurants, writes the Food Critic, and partake in a salad bar photo op.

“I realize that, as a man of the people, you have to dig into what the locals eat. When in Buffalo, N.Y., as you were this month, delivering a speech on the troublesome economy to a particularly hard-hit city, you’re not going to be grabbing a steaming mound of quinoa at the local veggie restaurant. But wouldn’t it be cool if you did? But this effort needs a slogan. How do you feel about “Yes We Kale”?”

Make that an order of organic kale.

Obama’s own Cancer Panel recommends it.

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President Barack Obama received a report that says Americans buying and eating organic can reduce their exposure to environmental chemicals that increase their risk of cancer.

In the report, titled “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now,” the President’s Cancer Panel says that exposure to these chemicals is minimal in organic foods and consumers should verify the product is organic by looking for the USDA label.

“The American people — even before they are born — are bombarded continually with myriad combinations of these dangerous exposures,” the letter said. “The Panel urges you most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our Nation’s productivity, and devastate American lives.”

“Many known or suspected carcinogens first identified through studies of industrial and agricultural occupational exposures have since found their way into soil, air, water and numerous consumer products… Some of these chemicals have been found in maternal blood, placental tissue, and breast milk samples from pregnant women and mothers who recently gave birth. Thus, chemical contaminants are being passed on to the next generation, both prenatally and during breastfeeding.”

Now that the government has given the thumbs up to organic, let’s hope for an overhaul in the food system to make it more affordable and accessible to all!

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Journalist and author of Animal Factory, David Kirby, thinks Barack Obama should fight factory farming more aggressively and suggests taking this stance could even help him win votes in the next presidential election.

Obama was helped tremendously in the 2008 election by winning over Iowa, says Kirby in an article from the Huffington Post.

Kirby says Iowa sided with Obama due to his stance on changing policies in factory farming, which many conservative Americans see as an attack on hard working small farmers and personal property.

If Obama is to retain this support, changes in factory farm policies are needed, and Kirby provides a few ways in which the United States president can help both animals and constituents.

One way to do this is by limiting subsidies to corporate farms, which receive as much as 5 billion annually.

“If right-wing opposition to corporate bailouts runs so deep, then Obama should get some mileage from his promise to end the multibillion-dollar corporate farm subsidy boondoggle,” writes Kirby.

Kirby also thinks Obama should also tackle the monopoly big corporations have over the food industry and redirect programs to help small family farmers, something also valued by conservatives.

Read more at the Huffington Post.

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Barack Obama doesn’t want to hear a lecture about his cholesterol, but Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, has given him one anyway.

Besides the gentle nudge to give up cigarettes, Dr. Barnard explains that the best way for the President of the United States to get his numbers to an acceptable range is to accept more vegetables–and less meat.

Dr. Barnard points out that going vegetarian, even part time, will impact Obama’s cholesterol more than genes and exercise.

“First, exercise won’t lower your cholesterol. It may bump up “good” cholesterol slightly and improve your basketball game or your stride, but you definitely can’t count on it to lower your “bad” cholesterol. It won’t.”

“Second, we almost certainly cannot blame genes. For the vast majority of people, high cholesterol comes down to diet.”

And while less red meat is great, you really need to go veg all the way to get the full benefits of diet on cholesterol.

“Third, switching from beef to chicken and fish has almost no effect on cholesterol. It lowers “bad” cholesterol only about 5 percent–and that’s not enough.”

“The answer is behind your house, in the White House garden. Foods from plants have essentially no cholesterol and are free of the animal fat that causes the body to make cholesterol. If you skipped meat, dairy products, and eggs for even a few weeks, chances are your cholesterol would drop right into the normal range.”

Hope Obama is convinced.

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Barack Obama has just been given a warning about his cholesterol numbers, but that didn’t stop him from ogling the fried buffet presented to him when he visited a restaurant in Georgia.

“I don’t want any lectures about my cholesterol,” Obama said. “Don’t tell Michelle.”

Such a shame.

The First Lady may never read ABC News and learn about the fried chicken and mayonnaise drenched potato salad served, but the lipid tests never lie.

Let’s hope Mr. President didn’t give into temptation and only put baked beans and sweet potatoes between his lips.

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The Humane Society of the United States gave the Barack Obama’s administration a B- for its various steps toward animal protection, either from upholding current laws or passing new measures.

Some points of interest to animal welfare advocates:

The Postal Service may ban shipment of publications that will appeal to animal fighters, regardless of rain, sleet or snow, thanks to a proposed rule to comply more with the Animal Protection Act.

The Department of Justice defended the Cruelty Depictions Law before the Supreme Court. This law bans the commercial sale of videos depicting cruelty to animals.

And the Environmental Protection Agency revised safety requirements under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). This saved dogs from being the subjects of a study on the effects of feeding pesticides to determine the effects on human health.

Of course, the administration didn’t earn a 4.0, so obviously there were disappointments.

The USDA purchased meat for schools in the U.S. that had lower safety standards and underwent less rigorous testing than meat served in restaurants.

Making vegetarian food a standard option in schools is needed now more than ever.

Take a complete look at the HSUS report card to see how the administration scored in other areas.

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