Meat recalled for E. coli

Meat products in 15 states may be contaminated

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - A meat company is recalling 129,000 pounds of beef products in 15 states because of possible E. coli contamination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said.

The meat products are made by Davis Creek Meats and Seafood and were made for Gordon Food Service stores, the USDA said Wednesday on its Web site.

The beef products were made between March 1 and April 30 and were shipped to distribution centers and retailers in Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18721356/

This is just another reason to eat a vegetarian diet

Recent studies show an extra serving a day can reduce head and neck cancer risk
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18134004/from/ET/

Another study shows Meat can be murder:
Meat can be murder on long-term health
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18310903/from/ET/

Yet another study shows women who eat barbecued food are at greater risk
Barbecue fans at greater risk for breast cancer
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18474293/from/ET/

The list of growing studies showing the dangerous ramifications of the standard meat diet is growing. Take into consideration the growth hormones, steroids, anti-biotics you are eating everytime you eat meat. The chemicals and additives used for factory-farm-produced meat is destroying Americans. It's also causing environmental damage:

Did you know:

Roughly one-fifth of the world's land is used for grazing. That’s twice the area used for growing crops. Much of this land once provided habitat for flora and fauna before being cleared for livestock.

Feedlots cause water pollution. Nearly 21 per cent of the average Canadian's contribution to common water pollution is caused by meat consumption from high-density farms. By designating just one “meat free” day a week you'll help reduce common water pollutants by as much as 21 kilograms annually.

Meat production requires more water than raising crops. For example, 283 grams (10 oz) of beef requires 85 times more water to produce than the same amount of potatoes.

What's good for the earth can also be good for you! Reducing meat consumption lowers the risks of heart disease and stroke. Eating more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes improves your cardiovascular health and reduces the risks of obesity, diabetes and cancer.

How Does Global Warming Affect Wildlife?

National Wildlife Federation

The National Wildlife Federation considers global warming to be "the most dangerous threat to the future of wildlife." Here are just some of the species being dramatically impacted by global warming.

Adelie Penguins
When many of us think of Antarctica, it is with visions of waddling, tuxedoed penguins. Today, however, these iconic creatures may be in peril as a result of changes to their climate. Rising temperatures are causing the amount of sea ice to diminish, which in turn causes the amount of algae in the water to decrease. Many tiny organisms, including the krill shrimp which forms the foundation of the Adelie penguin’s diet, cannot survive without this important food source.

Caribou
Almost everyone knows how annoying mosquitoes can be, but if you happen to be a caribou, these common summertime pests can have an even bigger impact. This is because warming Arctic temperatures have caused an explosion in these insects' populations. As caribou expend more energy shooing the pests away, they decrease the amount of food that they eat and energy that they conserve in preparation for the coming winter months. Female caribou are particularly at risk as the effort of birthing and raising the new generation takes enormous energy.

Monarch Butterflies
Brilliant orange and black monarchs are among the most easily-recognizable of the butterfly species which call the Americas home. Their migration takes them as far north as Canada and, during the winter months, as far south as Mexico City. It is here that changing conditions could cause their demise if current climatic trends continue into the future. In Mexico, the butterflies amass themselves in fir trees which provide shelter from rain and temperatures which often dip below freezing. As rainfall worldwide continues to increase, the protection that these trees provide may not be enough to shield the butterflies from these hazards. One mass die-off occurred in 2002; scientists fear that this is the first of many similar incidents.

Migratory Songbirds
The songs of many migratory birds, such as this Western tanager, are welcomed symbols of springtime. Warmer seasons worldwide may mean that you won’t be hearing some of those old familiar songs in years to come, however, as songbirds are particularly sensitive to changes to both temperatures and their habitats.

Polar Bears
Polar bears, like their favored springtime prey the ringed seal, depend heavily on sea ice for their survival. Polar bears move from ice flow to ice flow in search of the young seals. With rising temperatures, the thinning ice leaves fewer places for both the polar bears to hunt and the seals to raise their young.

Trout
Coldwater fish, such as trout, depend on a frigid mixture of spring and glacier water to thrive. As North American temperatures continue to rise, trout stand to lose three-quarters of their current habitat. Before long, an enitre generation of Anglers will have lost the the ability to bond with friends and family while communing with nature.

Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are colorful underwater forests which teem with life and act as a natural protective barrier for coastal regions. The fishes and plants which call them home belong to some of the most diverse – and fragile – ecosystems on the planet. In one year alone, sixteen percent of the world’s coral reefs were wiped out. A sea temperature change of a mere one degree Celsius would yield similar losses. Increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the water cause additional damage to corals, leaving them defenseless against storm damage and erosion.

Arctic Foxes
The arctic fox is a marvel or environmental adaptation. Its paws are covered with thick fur to protect its feet in winter, and it is an excellent burrower which allows it to dig dens and warm itself against the arctic chill. In recent years, warmer temperatures have driven the arctic fox farther and farther north in search of more suitable, cooler habitat.

Next step: Watch a video on global warming and wildlife

success, influence, wealth, health, and a way of life that's good for the environment

What do all of these people from history (past and present) have in common besides success, influence, a little wealth, and a little health?

Abdul Kalam Dr., President of India and Space Scientist
AFI
Alanis Morissette
Albert Einstein
Albert Schweitzer
Alec Baldwin
Alice Walker, writer
Alicia Silverstone
Allen Ginsberg
Ally Sheedy
Alyssa Milano
Andre 3000
Andre Tonelli
Angela Bassett
Angie Everhart
Anna Paquin
Anne Hathaway
Annie Lennox
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Perkins
Anthony Robbins
Ariana Huffington
Aristotle
Arthur C. Clarke
Ashley Judd
Avril Lavigne
Axella Johannesson
Beatrice Wood, lived to age 105
Belinda Carlisle
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Spock, M.D.
Bernadette Peters
Bill Cosby
Bill Goldberg, world champion pro wrestler
Bill Maher
Bill Pearl, bodybuilder
Billie Jean King
Billie Joe Armstrong, singer of Greenday
Billy Idol
Bob Barker
Bob Dylan
Bob Marley
Bobcat Goldthwait
Bonnie Kline
Bonnie Raitt
Boy George
Boyd Tinsley, of Dave Mathews Band
Brad Pitt
Brandon Boyd, of Incubus
Brandy
Brian Greene, physicist
Brigitte Bardot
Brooke Shields
Bruce Springsteen
Bryan Adams
B-52’s
Candice Bergen
Casey Affleck
Carl Lewis, Olympic winner
Carl Sagan
Carlos Santana
Carmen Miranda
Carole Bouquet
Carrie Anne Moss
Carrie Underwood
Carter Beauford, of Dave Mathews band
Casey Kassem
Cesar Chavez
Charles Darwin
Charlie Watts, of Rollins Stones
Charlotte Bronte
Chelsea Clinton
Chevy Chase
Chris Martin, of Coldplay
Chrissie Hynde
Christena Appelgate
Christian Bale
Christie Brinkley
Dr. Christopher Hills, popularized microalgaes
Christy Turlington
Cicely Tyson
Claudia Schiffer
Clint Eastwood
Clint Walker
Clive Barker
Corretta Scott King
Conor Oberst, of Bright Eyes
Corey Feldman
Dalai Lama
Darryl Hannah
Dave Scott, multi-winning champion of Ironman Triathlon
David Bowie
David Duchovny
Davy Jones
Dean Ornish, M.D.
Demi Moore
Dennis Kucinich, presidential candidate and U.S. Congressman
Dennis Weaver
Deepak Chopra, author and doctor
Diane Warren, songwriter
Dick Gregory
Diogenes, Greek philosopher
Dirk Bach, German actor and comedian
Dizzie Gillespie
Dr. Ruth Bates
Don and Deidre Imus
Doris Day
Drew Barrymore
Dustin Hoffman
Dwight Yoakam
Ed Asner, actor and rights activist
Ed Templeton, professional skateboarder
Eddie Jackson, of Queensryche
Eddie Lama, film maker
Eddie Vedder, of Pearl Jam
Edwin Moses
Elizabeth Berkley
Elvira
Elvis Costello
Emily Dickinson
Emmylou Harris
Epicurus, Greek philosopher
Eric Johnson, guitarist
Eric Roberts
Eric Stoltz
Erkyah Badu, R&B singer
Faith Hill
Fat Mike, of NOFX
Fiona Apple
Forest Whitaker
Francis Lalanne, French singer
Frank Iero, of My Chemical Romance
Franz Kafka
Fred Schneider
Gandhi, Hindu spiritual leader
Gavin Rosedale
Geoffe Tate, of Queensryche
George Bernard Shaw
George Harrison
Gladys Knight
Gloria Swanson
Good Charlotte
Grace Slick
Grant Morrison
Gwyneth Paltrow
H. G. Wells
Hank Aaron
Hans Christian Anderson
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Helen Hunt
Henry David Thoreau
Herodotus
Howard Lyman, former cattle rancher and author of Mad Cowboy
Ian McKellan, British actor "Lord of the Rings”
Immanuel Kant
India Arie, singer & songwriter
Isaac Bashevis Singer, Nobel Prize winner
Jackie Chan
Jack Johnson
Jack Lalanne
James Cromwell, actor in movie "Babe"
Jamie Kennedy
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jane Goodall, primatologist
Jared Leto, actor and singer
JD Fortune, singer for INXS
JD Salinger
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Jeff Beck
Jennifer Connelly
Jennie Garth
Jerry Seinfeld
Joan Baez
Joan Jett
Joaquin Phoenix
Joe Namath
John Denver
John Lennon
John Wesley
Dr. John McDougall, physician and author
John Milton
John Tesh
Johnny Cash
Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Josh Hartnett
Joss Stone
Julia Stiles
Julie Christie
Jullianna Marguiles
Kate Bush
Kate Winslet
K D Lang
Keenan Ivory Wayans
Kevin Nealon
Killer Walter Kowalski (pro wrestler)
Kim Basinger
Kirk Cameron
Kirsten Johnson
Kristen Bell
Larry Mullen Jr, of U2
LaToya Jackson
Lenny Kravitz
Leo Tolstoy
Leonard Cohen
Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo di Caprio
Linda Blair
Linda Carter
Linda McCartney
Lindsay Wagner
Lisa Bonet
Lisa Edelstein, actress, Dr. Cuddy on "House MD"
Lisa Loeb
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Rinna
Little Richard
Liv Tyler
Lord Byron
Louisa May Alcott
Louise Burns
Mark Twain
Marcus Aurelius
Martina Navratilova, tennis player
Martin Gore, of Depeche Mode
Martin Shaw
Mary Shelley
Mary Tyler Moore
Meatloaf
Melanie Griffith
Melissa Etheridge
Meredith Baxter
Michael Bolton
Michael Jackson
Michael J. Fox
Michael Stipe, singer of REM
Mick Jagger
Moby, musician, co-author of the cookbook, Teany
Morrissey
Mr. (Fred) Rogers, TV personality
Naomi Watts
Natalie Merchant
Natalie Portman
Nelly, rap musician
Nikola Tesla
Noah Wiley and his wife, actor ER
Oliver Stone
Olivia Newton John
Orlando Bloom
Ovid
Pamela Anderson
Paramahansa Yogananda, East Indian spiritual teacher & yogi
Paul McCartney
Paul Newman
Pauly Shore
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Peter Buck, of REM
Peter Gabriel
Phil Ramone
Pierce Bronsnan
Pink, pop singer
PJ Harvey
Plato, Greek philosopher and student of Socrates
Plutarch, Greek philosopher
Porphyry, Greek philosopher
Prince, musician
Princess Diana
Pythagoras of Samos, "Pythagorean Theorem" Greek mathematician
Queen Sofia, of Spain
Rabindranath Tagore, Eastern Indian philosopher
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ramana Maharshi, Indian saint
Richard Gere
Richie Havens
Ricki Lake
Rikki Rocket
Ringo Starr
River Phoenix
Rivers Cuomo, of Weezer
Robert Redford
Rosa Parks
Ruben Studdard
Russel Simmons
Sade
Sandra BernHart
Sarah McLachlan
Sant Kirpal Singh Ji, Indian saint and mystic
Seal
Seba Johnson, Olympian, actress, writer
Shania Twain
Sinead O'Connor
Sir Isaac Newton
Socrates, Greek philsopher, "Know thyself to be true"
Stella McCartney, designer and daughter of Paul
Steve Martin
Steve Perry, musician
Steve Vai
Susan B. Anthony
Suzanne Vega
Ted Danson
Terry "Geezer" Butler
Thomas Edison, inventor
Thom Yorke, of Radiohead
Thora Birch
Tobey Maguire
Tracy Chapman
Upton Sinclair
Vanessa Williams
Vanna White
Vincent van Gogh
Voltaire
William Blake
Willem Dafoe
William Shatner
William Wordsworth
Wolfgang Peterson
Woody Harrelson
Yoko Ono
Yeshua (otherwise known as Jesus)

The answer is…

They all live (or lived) a humane vegetarian lifestyle! And there are millions more just like them.
Vegetarian & Vegan Related Quotes: http://www.famousveggie.com/quotes.cfm

For more famous vegetarians see: http://www.ivu.org/people/

Further Reading: http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/pubs/gve/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism

Barbaric Slaughter

Americans should be appalled at the Canadian government's failure to stop the unnecessary and barbaric greed-inspired seal hunt for yet another year. The subsidies that Canada has poured into the seal hunt since 1995, reportedly more than $20 million, is an investment in absolute cruelty. Moreover, the profit the local fisherman make from this is a mere 2% more than their total income. The seal pups are brutally beaten with clubs or shot with one bullet (and only one bullet to avoid holes in the skin, which would lower the value). The seals are left to die in a slow and inhumane manner. Observers report that Canada's animal welfare regulations are not being followed or enforced as many hunters have been observed and filmed skinning seals while the pups are still alive and conscious. The luxury of fur just isn’t worth the slaughter of the estimated 350,000 baby mammals that will be killed this season.

One way activists have decided to fight this brutality is by boycotting Canadian seafood. But this isn't sufficiently working because most people are not even aware of the issue. Shame on the press for not covering this horrible tragedy. Shame on U.S. legislators of both parties for not putting pressure on Canada.

Visit www.stopthesealhunt.com to learn more about the slaughter.

Denial of Science? Are we living in the middle ages?

Republican candidates are still denying science

Mitt Romney: Republicans Should Not Embrace the Ideas of Al Gore & Liberal Left. In 2004, when Mitt Romney announced Massachusetts’ first climate action plan, he told reporters that he didn't want to talk about "is there global warming or is there not, and what's causing it.” Romney pulled out of negotiations on a plan to control carbon dioxide emissions in the Northeast citing concern over economic impacts. Romney rarely comments about climate change. In a statement last month, he criticized Republicans for "embracing the radical environmental ideas of the liberal left." Romney said, "Republicans should never abandon pro-growth conservative principles in an effort to embrace the ideas of Al Gore.”

Ron Paul Voted Against Increasing Fuel Efficiency for SUVs. In 2001, Paul voted against applying stricter fuel economy standards to sport utility vehicles, matching the ones that apply to cars, of 27.5 miles per gallon in 2007. Increasing CAFE standards would reduce our dependence on foreign oil, cut global warming emissions and save consumers thousands of dollars annually at the gas pump.

Duncan Hunter Voted to Weaken the Clean Air Act. In 2003, Duncan Hunter voted to move forward with plans to weaken the Clean Air Act’s anti-smog requirements by extending deadlines for certain cities that missed deadlines to clean up unhealthy air.

Mike Huckabee Dodged Taking Position on Global Warming, But Said The “Earth Belongs to God” and We “Have No Right to Destroy It.” Asked if he would make global warming a central issue in his campaign, Huckabee said “I don’t try to get into the middle of the science of global warming.”

Jim Gilmore: No link between greenhouse gasses and global warming. In March 2001 Gilmore stated that “…there is not a solid link between greenhouse gases in that warming or at least human conduct and industrial conduct in that warming. But on the other hand, I think other people are presenting different kinds of facts as well. I'm open to it. I know the president certainly is. It's a proper thing to examine. But we shouldn't jump to conclusions based upon old ideology. And I think that's what the previous administration did.

Sam Brownback Voted Against Bill To Cap Future Emissions, Won’t Use Term “Global Warming.” The Wichita Eagle reported that Brownback voted against a bill in 2003 to cap 2010 emissions at their 2000 level.” In early 2007, he “declined to use the term 'global warming.'”

Rudy Giuliani is raising money hand-over-fist in Texas--partly as a result of his Houston law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani, one of the most high-profile lobbyists for the oil, gas and energy industries. The firm is perhaps the nation's most aggressive lobbyist for coal-fired power plants, heavy emitters of air pollutants and carbon dioxide, a gas associated with global warming. Environmentalists say the firm played a significant role in persuading the Bush administration to roll back major provisions of the Clean Air Act. From the New York Times:

...In addition to collecting $89,000 in contributions from Bracewell partners and employees, Mr. Giuliani has held a fund-raiser in Houston. The firm’s managing partner, Patrick C. Oxford, is a top-shelf Bush fund-raiser with a wealth of contacts within Republican money circles.

...It is difficult to say just how much of Mr. Giuliani’s contributions from those industries stem from his affiliation with Bracewell, but employees of companies in those sectors, including several Bracewell clients, have contributed more than $400,000 to Mr. Giuliani’s campaign so far.

"From clean air to mercury pollution to global warming policies," said Gene Karpinski, president of the League of Conservation Voters, "Giuliani’s firm has been perhaps the most anti-environment voice in Washington, representing some of the biggest corporate polluters."

These candidates are either in serious denial or seriously in the pockets of big oil and gas lobbyists. You decide. But for information on the climate crisis and what you can do to solve it see the following:

www.climatecrisis.org
http://www.giss.nasa.gov/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/warming/

And of course the only Republican candidate to take climate change seriously is John McCain. But with him you get war: not a good thing for the environment.