Are humans really omnivores?

This is rather interesting. I was looking for images to toss on my blog at some future point and found this:

Humans lack both the physical characteristics of carnivores and the instinct that drives them to kill animals and devour their raw carcasses. Ask yourself: When you see dead animals on the side of the road, are you tempted to stop for a snack? Does the sight of a dead bird make you salivate? Do you daydream about killing cows with your bare hands and eating them raw? If you answered "no" to all of these questions, congratulations—you're a normal human herbivore—like it or not. Humans were simply not designed to eat meat.

It really gave me another perspective on my thoughts. But most Americans do not spend much time contemplatings most things they do on a daily basis - unless it involves relationships or money.

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My friend Angel told me that one cannot eat yeast if they are a true vegetarian as it is an animal. I was always confused by this comment, though I mainly have been vegetarian for health and environmental reasons. But I found an answer today on a vegan website:

Do vegans consume yeast?

from a reader in Spain:
Yes they do. Yeasts belong to the same group of organisms as mushrooms. Here's a dictionary defintion:
fun·gus (fnggs) n., pl. fun·gi (fnj, fngg) or fun·gus·es. Any of numerous eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Fungi, which lack chlorophyll and vascular tissue and range in form from a single cell to a body mass of branched filamentous hyphae that often produce specialized fruiting bodies. The kingdom includes the yeasts, molds, smuts, and mushrooms.

Perhaps if this is an untrue statement, it will have to be revised. Otherwise Angel's comment may be unjustified. And I have not found any further similiar anti-vegeterian comments out there.

Oldest person in the world is a .....Vegetarian!

I randomly had a short conversation the other day with a rather tall man - at least 6 feet, 2 inches. He told me that he would have been 8 inches taller had he not switched to a vegetarian diet at the age of 13. ( making him the shortest in his family) His doctor allegedly told him this. I asked him if his parents truly accommodated him for such a diet change(many assume you need more protein and ignore ensuring a balanced diet), and he was appalled I had asked. My own vegetarian diet was never brought up, nor would this guest have much a clue that I was. But it irks me that he believes a lie thought up by himself or his doctor. I do not know where his comments came from as I was nearby and had not even noticed him until he spoke to me, yet he said it out of the blue and I had to comment.

Now that the oldest person in the world today is a Chinese vegetarian. It only goes to show a healthy diet can improve longevity.

I have shamelessly copied the article:

China's happy vegetarian turns 120

(UPI Quirks in the News Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Listed in the Guinness World Records as the oldest living person, a Chinese woman has marked her 120th birthday.

Celebrating her birthday Saturday with dozens of relatives and locals in the city of Leshan, Sichuan province, Du Pinhua said she has been vegetarian for her whole life, China Daily reported Wednesday.

Locals describe Du as a tolerant and happy lady who never argues with others

Brandy Back! ( Day 1)

Well, Brandy just got back from Costa Rica last night!

It was nice, as she went through all the things she did there - at least some of it. She no longer has her camera as it was stolen( she forgot it somewhere for a few minutes), but she still has the memory card from it - and her photos. I will post them when load them on the computer.

Today, Brandy let me sleep in until 8AM and I was able to take a shower - by myself! It was amazing! ;) She made breakfast as well - hash browns and eggs with Orange juice.

Spent a few hours at the park - it was fun. But Josiah still is adjusting to playings games like "tag" with other children. He doesn't like to be 'it'

We then went to a Supermercado Central on Lake Street. On the way there we ran into some Christian proselytizers. They gave Brandy a tract and attempted to give myself one. I understand Billy Graham and his crusade, and I do not buy their version of Christianity. They however felt it their duty to convert a Buddhist. They went through a list of reasons I should convert, including how it would upset God and my own punishment. I informed them that I respected their faith, but believed in reincarnation. They had no further comments. You cannot disprove a belief so radical to fundamentalists. ( yet 15% of U.S. Christians DO believe in reincarnation ) All this occurred while transferring at a bus stop.

Brandy knew the foods that she wanted such as: plantains, guanábana juice, jalapeños, lime, and an m&m cookie. We then took our goodies home and cooked up plaintains and made tostadas. It was fantastic! :)

Of course, I had to go to work - but my day had been made by hanging out with them both.

Minneapolis a top Vegetarian city

SURVEY RANKS MINNEAPOLIS AMONG THE MOST VEGETARIAN-FRIENDLY CITIES IN AMERICA

Minneapolis — Pizza Lucé, Ecopolitan, Triple Rock, and Café Brenda—these popular, vegetarian-friendly Minneapolis-area eateries have helped to establish Minneapolis as one of the most vegetarian-friendly cities in the United States. PETA’s national survey of vegetarian-friendly cities took into account the number of vegetarian restaurants, nonvegetarian restaurants with vegetarian selections, top vegetarian and vegan product sales, and extensive retail selections, and Minneapolis got high scores in each category.

A good place to start is Pizza Lucé, which has three locations in the Twin Cities and offers vegan cheese, sausage, and pepperoni as well as an awesome variety of vegetarian sandwiches, including its Special Spicy Mock Sausage Hoagie. The all-vegan Ecopolitan sells upscale raw and organic foods and cruelty-free, nontoxic home and body products. For something with a bit more edge, visit Triple Rock, a grungy, greasy-spoon punk bar that welcomes everyone while offering vegan White Russians, sloppy joes, and chili fries, plus fantastic vegan pancakes and French toast on weekend mornings. Café Brenda serves up the unique taste of mock duck in the Southwestern Mock Duck Taco and Ginger-Glazed Mock Duck Salad. Loaf around at the French Meadow Bakery and Café, where the bread is completely vegan and fresh-baked daily. And for some amazing Indian food, head to the all-vegetarian, award-winning Udupi Café in Columbia Heights.

Vegetarian food sales have doubled since 1998, hitting $1.6 billion in 2003, and the market is expected to grow another 61 percent by 2008. Twenty-four percent of college students ask for vegan options in school cafeterias, an indication that vegetarian diets are growing in popularity among young people. The American Dietetic Association has endorsed vegetarian diets, noting that vegetarians have lower rates of heart attacks, diabetes, cancer, and obesity.

PETA took population into account and determined a per capita ratio of vegetarian restaurants. Cities with vegetarian organizations and food fairs received bonus points. Portland, Ore., was voted number one, Seattle was the first runner-up, and San Francisco captured third place. Rounding out the top 10 were New York; Atlanta; Washington, D.C.; Philadelphia; Austin, Texas; and Chicago.

"Minneapolis is a mecca for people seeking healthy and delicious vegetarian food," says PETA Director of Vegan Campaigns Bruce Friedrich. "More and more people are making the switch to a vegetarian diet, and Minneapolis restaurants and other businesses are responding by offering more delicious vegetarian fare that appeals to everyone."

For more detailed information about the survey, please visit GoVeg.com
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Of course, I would add places like Galactic Pizza, Sawatdee , and several Vietnamese restaurants to the list of pro-veggie restaurants. But then the article might seem a bit long. All major grocery stores also include many veggie products and meat-alternatives in the Twin Cities. ( In the Uptown Rainbow the vegeterian Bush's Baked beans takes up twice the space of regular Bush's beans!)

But this is a slow evolution to a very vegetarian friendly city. But if prices for meats goes up dramatically , due to grain competition and lack of immigrant workers , this could be a catalyst for swifter change.

Find out about anyone

I thought this was an interesting site. Type in someone's name. There are 92 entries for my name: "Kevin Chavis" and some are duplicative. But there are others with my name throughout America. For $40 I can get a background check and $10 additional gets a background check. Awesome stuff, yet is there too much information about me or you out there? Maybe I should spend some money sometime and find out. Today...I will just ponder what it could mean. ;)

Eckankar and Vegetarianism

I was searching for local Vegetarian organizations and oddly enough ran into a religion: Eckankar. I went to their temple in Chanhassen during their Global gathering in the Fall of 2003. I was disappointed that they did not have any vegetarian foods. A spiritual organization is not making progress unless it developes a pro-vegetarian attitude, in my perspective.

Maybe this is odd, but the world cannot survive a meat eating diet for much longer. Nor can anyone truly interested in protecting the environment stick with a meat based diet.

And those who disagree with a vegetarian diet, that is their choice after all. It may not be a requirement to be one to learn lessons in this world, but through reincarnation we will have future opportunities. Is it a requirement though? I am not one to say, I just find it a wiser choice than remaining ignorant on the positive aspects of a meat-free diet.

I will be writing Eckankar to find out if they have changed their beliefs in the last 3 years, or if they are just advertising on Vegetarian sites.

Their address(no e-mail yet):

ECKANKAR
PO Box 2000
Chanhassen, MN 55317-2000 USA