Vegetarian Star

Cartoonist Dan Piraro has penned a letter to officials at St. Louis Children’s Hospital for using cats as dummies in their pediatric intubation training sessions.

Trainees in the Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) force plastic tubes down cats’ throats to prep them for performing the medical procedure on a real human one day.

This is done even though the sponsor of the course, American Heart Association (AHA), exclusively recommends practicing on manikins and similar types of simulators.

What’s more, the AHA has distanced itself from facilities that continue to practice this archaic method!

Piraro wrote a letter that appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that read, “It doesn’t take a medical degree to recognize that practicing intubation on a limp cat is nothing like doing the same procedure on a larger, crying, squirming and/or coughing human child.”

And so was the creative juice for the above cartoon.

via peta.org

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“It is hard sometimes because some have such great personalities, but you get used to it. It becomes a mind-set where we known these two are staying, these two are going. I also know I’m doing a good thing, because if I kept them, pretty soon I’d have no room to foster anymore. So, I’m saving a lot of lives by sending them along.”

—Vegan Cartoonist Dan Piraro, in an interview with Vegetarian Times for the July/August issue. Dan and his wife, Ashley Lou, bring a zoo of animals into their homes to care for until homes are found. Check out his comics at bizarro.com.

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Ah, Rhett Miller is such a slacker.

The Old 97s singer was suppose to serve as guest editor for Magnetmagazine.com, but instead let his other famous musician, actor, and artist friends do the job!

But Rhett does have a couple of friends that interest us, particularly, cartoonist Dan Piraro and singer Lisa Loeb.

Piraro is a vegan who often incorporates veg and animal rights themes into his comedy and sketches at bizarro.com. Piraro can’t wait for the newest album by the Airborne Toxic Event.

Lisa Loeb is vegetarian-sorta. Although most sources say she is, she admitted she likes bacon every once in awhile.

Lisa’s a fan of Peanut Butter & Co. “Smooth Operator” creamy peanut butter. The company makes other entertaining flavors like “White Chocolate Wonderful” and “The Heat is On.” The nut butters are no-stir, natural, and contain no trans fat or cholesterol.

You can learn what else Rhett’s super veg friends recommend on the Piraro and Loeb pages.

Who knows? Maybe they’ll recommend Rhett go veg too. Or at least almost there, as in Lisa’s case.

For you Rhett and Old 97 fans, Rhett’s self titled solo album is out this week.

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The Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine is a non-profit organization that promotes a veggie diet and lifestyle to prevent and treat diseases like diabetes, as well as advocates the advancement of medical research without the testing on animals.

The group recently held a benefit at Peter and Mary Max’s in New York city, where veg celebrities like Moby, Dan Piraro, and Dreama Walker attended.

Guess that means Dreama kept her vegetarian ways.

If you recall, the Gossip Girl actress embarked on a 30-day vegan diet after watching the Joaquin Phoenix narrated documentary, Earthlings. She had said then she probably would continue, but might see how her body would react to dairy.

With all the vegan food to choose from at the event, Dreama certainly didn’t have to worry about straying from vegan that night, as food from fine restaurants like  Bonobo’s, 4-Course Vegan and Candle 79 was served.

For more information on the Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine, visit, pcrm.org.

via Vegdaily.com

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“It was because of my wife. I was a guy who was compassionate to animals but not particularly involved in anything. I never wanted to be a vegetarian – I always thought vegetarians were hippies with too much free time. And then when I met my now wife and we started dating, she just opened my eyes to factory farming and a lot of stuff I’d never heard of.”

—-Cartoonist Dan Piraro, in an interview with Ecorazzi, on how he got involved with animal rights. Piraro’s works, which humorously portray vegetarian and animal rights issues, can be found on his website, Bizarro.com. He also blogs.

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Janeane Garofolo may be known as a funny gal, but mistreatment of animals on farms isn’t, so she’s helping to raise money for Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary, an organization designed to help them.

On Wednesday, February 11th, Garofolo will perform at the second annual Komedy for Karma at the Gotham Comedy Club on West 23rd Street in New York city.

Joining her for the night on stage will be Gary Gulman, Judy Gold, Ben Bailey, Judah Friedlander, and Dan Piraro.

Tickets are $50 for general admission, $60 at the door day of show, and $100 for VIP reserved seats. Money from the show goes toward Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary to help cover the high costs of caring for their animals during the cold winter months.

Sure, the ticket prices may be more than a movie and popcorn, but think of how good you’ll feel after a giving to a cause that’s near and dear to most of us who believe being a vegetarian doesn’t stop at your fork and plate.

And when you think about it, the night is really a giveaway! Six performers for $50?! And no nasty ticket company surcharges equaling to half the price of the original ticket. Plus, some of the ticket price is tax-deductible.

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary.

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Vega training: part one of four from Brendan Brazier on Vimeo.

Brendan Brazier is a vegan Ironman triathlete who invented the Vega nutrition and energy products-completely plant based items that he started making as young as 15 years of age.

He met up with cartoonist and fellow vegan Dan Piraro one day who revealed that when he’s stuck in a creative rut, it helps to go on a long bike ride to get the ideas flowing again.

Brazier receives similar mental charges after running.

“I find it is really helpful when I go for a run,” he said. “I wrote most of The Thrive Diet while I was running. All of the ideas and the thoughts would seem to organize themselves, and when I got home, I would write them down.”

A component of his new book, Thrive Fitness: Mental and Physical Strength for Life, is teaching how exercises like “biking, hiking, in-line skating, rowing, running, speed skating, swimming, and brisk walking” fuel your right brain and release your creativity side.

Take a look at the video Brazier filmed about Vega. You’ll find it comforting to know he eats his own products, chowing down on an energy bar.

Now if you’ll excuse us, we need to go on a hike before posting again.

via Straight.com

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Just a little reminder if you live near New York and you haven’t already made plans for the weekend. And if you have, just tell your date a “family affair,” came up. Better yet, take him or her with you to the benefit for the Woodstock (N.Y.) Farm Animal Sanctuary featuring cartoonist Dan Piraro and singer and songwriter Nellie McKay. Hopefully, Nellie will grab something nutritious to eat before her performance, versus her usual fare of french fries.

The most bizarre cartoonist will do his 45 minute comedy act followed by the feminist who sings about having no sense of humor when in comes to equal pay and ending child abuse.

Tickets are $20, doors open at 7pm, and it’s first come, first be entertained with a night of awesome vegan performers. Go to their website for any other information you might need to convince yourself that this is going to be one fun night.

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