Animal Products

MICHAEL VICK has, according to his lawyer, agreed to plead guilty to federal dogfighting charges against him. Over past weeks, there's been an enormous amount of coverage of the dog-fighting operation sponsored by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Vick, who, along with three other men, has been indicted on federal felony charges. The details of the charges claim that Vick sponsored illegal dog fighting, gambled on dog fights and permitted acts of cruelty against animals on his property.

The sad spoiling of a once-thriving Pennsylvania stream by a discharge of manure reveals once more the destructive impact of reliance on meat and other products gained at the expense of animals. It is dependence on meat, cheese, eggs and other animal products that accounts for the intensive agricultural practices that are destroying America's topsoil. This same dietary predilection is in part responsible for the destruction of rain forests and other wild lands, here and abroad, as millions of acres are razed in order to graze cattle or to grow crops fed to animals.

Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers may experience some improvement by adopting a vegetarian diet, according to a new study in the British Journal of Nutrition. The 13-month study of 44 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis found that those on vegetarian regimens experienced fewer arthritis symptoms than the volunteers whose diet contained meat and other animal products. This latest research joins a long list of studies showing that health statistics for vegetarians include lower rates of heart disease, obesity, obesity-related diabetes, colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, hypertension, osteoporosis, kidney stones, gallstones, and diverticular disease.

THE SECOND TIME AROUND Trial and error? Well, almost 80 percent of remarried couples have an appreciably better sexual relationship in their second marriages than they had in their first, according to research by a New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center psychiatrist reported in Bridal Guide magazine. VEGETARIAN VARIETIES Bet you thought that there was just one kind of vegetarian. Wrong - there are several levels of vegetarian diets. Vegans, pronounced VEE-gans, are people who abstain from eating all animal products, including milk, cheese and eggs.

The Agriculture Department says Americans seem to be eating a bit more each year but are choosier about what is on the menu. A 20-year statistical study by the department's Economic Research Service found that per-capita food consumption rose 0.7 percent in 1987 to a record level, including a 1.8-percent increase in foods from crops but a 0.3-percent drop in food from animal sources. Analysts said the decline in animal products occurred as a result of lower per-capita consumption of beef, eggs, whole milk, butter and lard.

Instead of turkey, there was barbecued tofu "chicken. " In place of ham, there was tofu in phyllo dough. There were also hearty servings of brown rice balls. The ninth annual Vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner, held yesterday at the First Presbyterian Church, drew about 156 vegetarians and vegans for a smorgasbord that went far beyond stereotypical fare. "The purpose of this is to celebrate Thanksgiving in a way that's cruelty-free," said Sheryl Richman, president of Compassion for Animals Respect for the Environment, a local vegetarian network that sponsors the dinner.

FATIMAH Ali has many valid points in her recent op-ed on what we eat. But the justifications fail to work for all. I know plenty of vegetarians who are fat and unhealthy - who smoke, do yoga and drugs. I know many vegetarians who are skinny and stay sick because they just cannot find the proper diet for their particular body types. On the other hand, I also know many meat-eaters (myself included) who are healthy and vibrant, who have skin that glows. It's still an individual choice whether you consume animal products or not. (Thank God for that.

One thing can be said about animal-rights activists: They pull no punches. At a day-long conference Saturday on the Pennsylvania State University Ogontz campus, a number of leading advocates spared no language in propounding what they call an abolitionist philosophy, which demands an end to the use and killing of animals for human purposes. They said society must radically change its perspective about some comfortable ideas. Among their examples: The steak you may have eaten last night was a "rotting corpse.

Friday-Saturday Great food, great tradition Attendees can learn about the traditions, food and crafts of the Pennsylvania Dutch Friday and Saturday during the 21st annual Pennsylvania Dutch Festival in Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch Streets. Visitors can head to the center court area to purchase handmade crafts such as quilts, woodcrafts, paintings and handbraided rugs. Traditional foods including chicken pot pie, doughnuts and fruit pies will be sold at this free event scheduled 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Information: 215-922-2315 or www.readingterminalmarket.

Whether he's on a boat or a horse, one thing is certain: The Old Spice guy is on a roll. Isaiah Mustafa said that he will appear in Warner Bros.' "Horrible Bosses," starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. And in addition to a role in Tyler Perry's production of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf," the former NFL player is filming a guest spot on NBC's action-comedy "Chuck. " All this comes on the heels of Nielsen data citing that sales of Old Spice body products are up a monumental 107 percent in the past month as a result of his Emmy-nominated spots, and the Old Spice YouTube channels have been viewed more than 58 million times.

Friday-Saturday Great food, great tradition Attendees can learn about the traditions, food and crafts of the Pennsylvania Dutch Friday and Saturday during the 21st annual Pennsylvania Dutch Festival in Reading Terminal Market, 12th and Arch Streets. Visitors can head to the center court area to purchase handmade crafts such as quilts, woodcrafts, paintings and handbraided rugs. Traditional foods including chicken pot pie, doughnuts and fruit pies will be sold at this free event scheduled 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Information: 215-922-2315 or www.readingterminalmarket.

Whether he's on a boat or a horse, one thing is certain: The Old Spice guy is on a roll. Isaiah Mustafa said that he will appear in Warner Bros.' "Horrible Bosses," starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. And in addition to a role in Tyler Perry's production of "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf," the former NFL player is filming a guest spot on NBC's action-comedy "Chuck. " All this comes on the heels of Nielsen data citing that sales of Old Spice body products are up a monumental 107 percent in the past month as a result of his Emmy-nominated spots, and the Old Spice YouTube channels have been viewed more than 58 million times.

MICHAEL VICK has, according to his lawyer, agreed to plead guilty to federal dogfighting charges against him. Over past weeks, there's been an enormous amount of coverage of the dog-fighting operation sponsored by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Vick, who, along with three other men, has been indicted on federal felony charges. The details of the charges claim that Vick sponsored illegal dog fighting, gambled on dog fights and permitted acts of cruelty against animals on his property.

Change your diet and help the world Tomorrow's Earth Day observance should encourage every one of us to leave adequate natural resources for our children and grandchildren by making needed changes, including in our diet. A 2006 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization blamed meat production for 18 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. That's more than automobiles! Carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, is emitted by burning forests to create animal pastures and by combustion of fossil fuels to operate farm machinery, trucks, refrigeration equipment, factory farms, and slaughterhouses.

This is the time of year we place a cooked brown carcass on the table, then reach inside its body cavity and scoop out powerfully odoriferous items that people are expected to eat. If you're a vegetarian or vegan (no meat, no animal products), that can be how Thanksgiving looks, tastes and smells. One person's feast is another's fiasco. An herbivore on a holiday built around a celebrated, sturdy piece of poultry can feel a little out of step. At the same time, a host with plant-eating guests may be at a loss - may even be annoyed - by those disgusted by an expensive, hard-to-cook bird.

FATIMAH Ali has many valid points in her recent op-ed on what we eat. But the justifications fail to work for all. I know plenty of vegetarians who are fat and unhealthy - who smoke, do yoga and drugs. I know many vegetarians who are skinny and stay sick because they just cannot find the proper diet for their particular body types. On the other hand, I also know many meat-eaters (myself included) who are healthy and vibrant, who have skin that glows. It's still an individual choice whether you consume animal products or not. (Thank God for that.

The group that made real men want to eat beef now wants to convince young girls that it's cool for them, too. With about one million kids nationwide forsaking meat and actually eating their vegetables, America's cattlemen are trying to round up the strays and bring them back to the meat-eating herd. "We're just trying to bring home the point that all foods fit into a healthy diet and, yes, that includes beef," said Mary Young, nutrition director for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association.

GUARD AGAINST MAD COW DISEASE IN UNITED STATES By dint of smart effort and some good luck, the United States may escape the ravages of the mad cow disease epidemic now seriously affecting Europe (Editorial, Jan. 26). Toward that end, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has urged the Bush-Cheney administration and Congress to take much stronger steps to protect the public from mad cow disease and its fatal human equivalent, new variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (vCJD)

Instead of turkey, there was barbecued tofu "chicken. " In place of ham, there was tofu in phyllo dough. There were also hearty servings of brown rice balls. The ninth annual Vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner, held yesterday at the First Presbyterian Church, drew about 156 vegetarians and vegans for a smorgasbord that went far beyond stereotypical fare. "The purpose of this is to celebrate Thanksgiving in a way that's cruelty-free," said Sheryl Richman, president of Compassion for Animals Respect for the Environment, a local vegetarian network that sponsors the dinner.

Rheumatoid arthritis sufferers may experience some improvement by adopting a vegetarian diet, according to a new study in the British Journal of Nutrition. The 13-month study of 44 patients with active rheumatoid arthritis found that those on vegetarian regimens experienced fewer arthritis symptoms than the volunteers whose diet contained meat and other animal products. This latest research joins a long list of studies showing that health statistics for vegetarians include lower rates of heart disease, obesity, obesity-related diabetes, colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, hypertension, osteoporosis, kidney stones, gallstones, and diverticular disease.