... If you use that cell phone too much, you might not be able to hear me later.
American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation’s Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO
http://www.entnet.org
Sept. 16-19, 2007
DC Convention Center
Who: 10,000 medical experts who know what’s going on in your head, ears, nose, and throat -- and that pain in your neck.
Insider insights:
* Hold the Phone. Long-term use of cell phones may cause inner ear damage and can lead to high frequency hearing loss, according to a new study. In a study that tracked 100 mobile phones for a year found increases in hearing loss. Also: those using cell phones 60-plus minutes a day had a worse hearing threshold than those with less use.
High frequency hearing loss is characterized by the loss of ability to hear consonants such as s, f, t, and z, even though vowels can be heard normally. Consequently, people hear sounds but cannot make out what is being said.
Recommendations: Watch for symptoms such as ear warmth, ear fullness, and ringing in the ears (tinnitus) as early warning signs of auditory problems. Consider using earphones, found by researchers to be safer than holding a mobile phone up to the ears.
Study: Audiological Disturbances in Long-Term Mobile Phone Users. Conducted by Naresh Panda,, Sanjay Munjal,, Jaimanti Bakshi.
* Hump Be Gone: What question do rhinoplasty doctors hear most from patients who need medically necessary nose surgery for health conditions and injury? “While you’re at it, doc, can you get rid of my hump?”
* Voice Lessons from Superstars: Among dozens of fascinating wisdom from this expert panel of doctors and vocal coaches who work with rock stars, opera masters and top theater performers: While it’s good to keep hydrated, continually swigging of bottled water actually throws the throat’s delicate moisture balance off-kilter. Washing away mucous affects the voice – among modern occupational risks faced by singers, actors and other performers.
* To Tube or Not to Tube: Media reports based on outdated studies have conveyed the misimpression that tube-insertion treatment of children suffering from ear infections is ineffective.
One researcher reported study results suggesting the usefulness of antibiotics in treated acute otitis media in young children, but that those beyond age 2 can benefit from a “wait-and-see approach.” Parents of children having speech and language problems reported improvements after tubes were inserted, while parents of children without developmental problems generally did not.
Another researcher noted that the decrease in use of antibiotics for trating otitis media has helped reduce the need to insert tubes. Attendees were reminded that the overuse of antibiotics leads to the individual – and international – problem of drug-resistant microbes.
* Snore-Free without Surgery: 45% percent of adults snore occasionally and 25% are habitual snorers. Snoring can cause sleep deprivation for the snorer and lead to daytime drowsiness, irritability, lack of focus, and decreased libido. Treatments include weight loss, use of specialized devices and surgery.
New study results suggest dental splints can be more effective than breathing mask. For many people, disruptive snoring can be managed effectively without surgery.
* Hum to Easily Diagnose Hearing Loss: Hearing evaluations usually employ the Weber tuning fork test: The tuning fork is hit, causing it to vibrate, then placed on the midline forehead. Patients are asked if the sound forms in only one ear, or is midline. Those with normal hearing hear the sound in the midline, but some forms of hearing loss will cause the sound to be heard predominantly in one ear.
But now there’s a test that people can do at home. New research shows that the hum hearing test is a reliable alternative to the fork. The test involves simply humming to oneself, determining if the hum is heard in one ear, or in the middle.
The hum test requires just minimal instruction and no instruments, so it can easily be conducted at home, eliminating needless office visits. Diagnosis can be made over the phone by an otolaryngologist or even the family physician.
* Taking Things at E-face Value: New research concludes that using internet-based facial beauty rating can aid beauty analysis - a boon to plastic and reconstructive surgeons.
* Polluting Sense of Smell. Based on a study of 211 subjects measured using a computer-driven olfactometer, olfactory receptors suffer pathological effects when exposed to air pollution.
* Asthma-Tonsil Connection: A new study found a reduction in asthma symptoms following tonsil/adenoid removal surgery.
* Changing Reasons for Tonsillectomy: Historically, tonsils have been removed in kids with chronic throat or tonsil infections. A new study reveals new reasons that have emerged since the 70s, primarily sleep-disordered breathing (snoring, restless sleep, obstructive sleep apnea).
In 1970, 9 out of 10 tonsillar surgeries were done because of infection; in 2005, only about 3 in 10 surgeries were done exclusively for infection. Girls aged 18-22 were 3 times more likely than boys to have chronic infections that required the surgery. The findings suggest that more than ever, parents and physicians are recognizing the signs and symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing in children and are opting for surgery as their treatment of choice.
* Rhinosino-Asthma Connection: Doctors reported on the implications of research proving a link between rhinitis, sinusitus and asthma. Nasobronchial reflex – mechnical, chemical or allergic irritation – cause broncho-constriction. Chronic rhinitis (inflammation of the nasal mucosa) affects more than 50 million Americans and accounts for 20 million doctor visits a year. The forum stressed the need to evaluate both upper and lower respiratory systems – and to persuade asthma patients to manage their symptoms, since asthma “remodels the lung,” causing irreversible damage. If you’re awakening from sleep due to asthma symptoms and/or using bronchial dilator such as albuterol 2 or more times a week, the condition “must be brought under control” with regular use of anti-inflammatory meds such as inhaled corticosteroids, leukotriene modifiers, and, in rare cases, mast cell stabilizers – not only the brochodilater – to avoid damage.
As for sinitis, sprays are being recommended to irrigate the nose. Note that old-school antihistamines cause problems because they throw off the mucosal balance.
* Doing the Right Thing ... in Otolaryngology: Dr.Serge Martinez, Professor of Surgery and Ethics at the Institute for Bioethics, Health Policy and Law at the University of Louisville School, examined ethical behavior in an age of plentiful, deep-pocketed and powerful Big Pharma representatives. What should a doctor or researcher do when offered all-expenses-paid attendance at professional events? Lucrative speaking opportunities? An exciting deep-sea fishing trip with the only attached string of hobnobbing with drug reps? Doctors claim that such inducements do not result in changed therapies, prescriptions, regimens. But some studies have suggested that even low-value freebies such as logo-stamped Rx pads exert subtle influence.
Dr. Martinez referenced a June 27, 2007 New York Times article revealing: “...psychiatrists earned on aggregate the most in Minnesota, with payments ranging from $51 to $689,000. The Times found that psychiatrists who took the most money from makers of antipsychotic drugs tended to prescribe the drugs to children the most often.” And, “Over all last year, drug makers spent $2.25 million on marketing payments, fees and travel expenses to Vermont doctors, hospitals and universities, a 2.3 percent increase over the prior year, the state said.”
Education is often given as a reason to accept drug company offers. However, Dr. Martinez noted the distinction between “education” and “information” -- and how they influence decision-making on conscious and subliminal levels. Sometimes, even a most educated person can get sucked into a web of hyperbole.
So how can doctors strike a more ethical balance and learn about new drugs, tools and therapies while resisting undue influence? Rx for resisting drug makers’ influence include:
Legislation to restrict drug company offers to medical personnel. New legislation is being formulated in Vermont, Maine, Wisconsin, West Virgina and DC.
Restrict drug rep access.
Designate a special area within hospitals for demos of drugs and devices.
Physicians must think each time they write a prescription. Is this the best course for the individual patient? Patients can ask, similarly, what are the alternatives, be it generic medications or alternative therapies, and why is the one being recommended in their case.
More info:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/health/psychology/27doctors.html?ex=1190174400&en=3f26489c9400c851&ei=5070
http://louisville.edu/bioethics/faculty/faculty-pages-bios/martinez.htm
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Friday, September 7, 2007
Earth Matters: None of Your Business’s Business? Or...
... a Natural Part of Your Business Strategy?
One great way to get excited about your job: Find ways to help your organization make a better impression by leaving a smaller one. Sustainability consultant Beverly Oviedo attracted a full house of event planners with her well-researched, thought-provoking and action-plan-ready seminar on “Planning and Managing Green Meetings.”
Presented during the HSMAI conference in DC (see related KNOW post), topics ranged from determining capabilities of prospective meeting venues for hosting eco-friendly meetings to specific ways to turn your workplace a brighter shade of green.
Though geared to event planners, Oviedo’s smart advice could be put into practice by anyone who’d like their company reduce its negative impact on the environment and help the world one man-hour at a time.
Here’s a sampling of ideas:
* Choose alternatives to bottled water and other beverages that come in individual containers. Sure, they’re convenient, but they clog landfills with matter that takes ages to degrade. Try water coolers and pitchers on tables. With glasses -- see below.
* Ditch the disposables. A 5-day conference of 2,500 attendees providing a continental breakfast, two breaks, lunch and a daily evening reception will use: 62,500 plates, 87,500 napkins, 75,000 cups and glasses, 90,000 cans and/or bottles. While choosing items with recyclable content helps, consider this: Environmental Defense Fund research shows that using 1000 disposable plastic teaspoons consumes over 10 times more energy and natural resources than manufacturing one stainless steel teaspoon and washing it 1,000 times.
* Sobering thought: When we throw something “away,” there really is not an “away.”
Case in point: When landfill space ran out, Naples, Italy closed its landfill – prompting citizens to pile trash in the streets.
* Doable “lighten your stay” steps include:
Put your environmental policy in writing and spread the word, making it part of the core/corporate culture. Get input from all employees to the bottom rung, and at the top, stress the triple bottom line.
Use paperless technology.
Reduce travel fuel consumption.
Practice the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Eat green – lower on the food chain. Choose local, seasonal foods and vegetarian fare. Great selections exist and will increase when demand increases.
Save energy via a policy mandating “turn off when not in use.”
* Cool new affordable technology that could save your life in emergencies and while traveling: The Life Straw, a portable straw that filters out microbes and viruses.
* Biodegradable good, Compostable better. Within 6 months compostables will be returned into nontoxic usable matter.
Note: For details and resources on this topic, get the Summer 2007 issue of HSMAI Marketing Review. I wrote the cover story about The Greening of the Hospitality Industry. www.HSMAI.org
One great way to get excited about your job: Find ways to help your organization make a better impression by leaving a smaller one. Sustainability consultant Beverly Oviedo attracted a full house of event planners with her well-researched, thought-provoking and action-plan-ready seminar on “Planning and Managing Green Meetings.”
Presented during the HSMAI conference in DC (see related KNOW post), topics ranged from determining capabilities of prospective meeting venues for hosting eco-friendly meetings to specific ways to turn your workplace a brighter shade of green.
Though geared to event planners, Oviedo’s smart advice could be put into practice by anyone who’d like their company reduce its negative impact on the environment and help the world one man-hour at a time.
Here’s a sampling of ideas:
* Choose alternatives to bottled water and other beverages that come in individual containers. Sure, they’re convenient, but they clog landfills with matter that takes ages to degrade. Try water coolers and pitchers on tables. With glasses -- see below.
* Ditch the disposables. A 5-day conference of 2,500 attendees providing a continental breakfast, two breaks, lunch and a daily evening reception will use: 62,500 plates, 87,500 napkins, 75,000 cups and glasses, 90,000 cans and/or bottles. While choosing items with recyclable content helps, consider this: Environmental Defense Fund research shows that using 1000 disposable plastic teaspoons consumes over 10 times more energy and natural resources than manufacturing one stainless steel teaspoon and washing it 1,000 times.
* Sobering thought: When we throw something “away,” there really is not an “away.”
Case in point: When landfill space ran out, Naples, Italy closed its landfill – prompting citizens to pile trash in the streets.
* Doable “lighten your stay” steps include:
Put your environmental policy in writing and spread the word, making it part of the core/corporate culture. Get input from all employees to the bottom rung, and at the top, stress the triple bottom line.
Use paperless technology.
Reduce travel fuel consumption.
Practice the 3 Rs: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Eat green – lower on the food chain. Choose local, seasonal foods and vegetarian fare. Great selections exist and will increase when demand increases.
Save energy via a policy mandating “turn off when not in use.”
* Cool new affordable technology that could save your life in emergencies and while traveling: The Life Straw, a portable straw that filters out microbes and viruses.
* Biodegradable good, Compostable better. Within 6 months compostables will be returned into nontoxic usable matter.
Note: For details and resources on this topic, get the Summer 2007 issue of HSMAI Marketing Review. I wrote the cover story about The Greening of the Hospitality Industry. www.HSMAI.org
Events 2.0
Affordable Meetings National
Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI)
Sept. 5-6
Washington Convention Center
hsmai.org
Attendees: 1,700 meeting and event planners
Issues:
* Green Meetings Initiative. Encouraging the use of sustainable, eco-friendly practices in hospitality, meeting, and travel industries. The greening of the hospitality industry. Note: I wrote the cover story appearing in the summer issue of the industry’s marketing journal. (See related post.)
* Harnessing new tools and new media, such as social network websites. A new industry report, “The Travel Marketer’s Guide to Social Media and Social Networking,” will be released within a few weeks. Web 2.0 will help revitalize tradeshow marketing. The social media toolkit includes blogs, wikis, bookmarks, Tweets, podcasts, Mashups (trip planning), Widgets via badges, flakes, and next-gen brand education tools. In an age in which prostitutes Craigslist to expand business, it’s essential for legit businesses to get on the I-ball.
* Event Technology Expo. These days, exhibiting is far more than handing out brochures.
* Among trends: Meetings online. Hospitality and travel tapping into the Conversation Economy. A Travel Industry Association/TravelHorizons study indicated two-thirds of online adult leisure travelers consume online video and audio clips, 4 in 10 read blogs, share photos via the web, and take virtual tours. 1 in 4 post responses to blogs and participate in social networks. These figures seem low...or perhaps I’m immersed in the hyper-conversation economy. Speakers straying from the podium, some breaking the ice and barrier by greeting attendees at the door. Treasure hunts. Rock camps as audience attracting and bonding strategy. The last two are among techniques to seek primacy of in-person seminars over webinars.
* Fad vs. trend: Fads fade, trends endure...like the ever-more-elaborate ice sculpture not likely to melt in this century. As for a fad, let’s hope one is hired faces emerging from carved pumpkins and other buffet “head case” centerpieces.
* Catering crazes: Mashed cauliflower bar, tapas, mini-anythings.
* Turn events into memories to court short-attention-span guests: New York BizBash boss Richard Aaron (featured in my 2006 WOW Factor article) suggested:
Wikis about your event to get input, ideas, drum up interest.
YouTube – create a viral video.
Throw a rave on the street in a garage.
Celebrity bartender for nonprofit fundraiser.
Display appetizers on the wall.
Light projections...everywhere.
Partner with a nonprofit arts organization in your community!
* Fun fact: Launching a lecture with a laugh releases a shot of negatively charged ions over your cerebral cortex. Laughing can possibly save a life.
Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI)
Sept. 5-6
Washington Convention Center
hsmai.org
Attendees: 1,700 meeting and event planners
Issues:
* Green Meetings Initiative. Encouraging the use of sustainable, eco-friendly practices in hospitality, meeting, and travel industries. The greening of the hospitality industry. Note: I wrote the cover story appearing in the summer issue of the industry’s marketing journal. (See related post.)
* Harnessing new tools and new media, such as social network websites. A new industry report, “The Travel Marketer’s Guide to Social Media and Social Networking,” will be released within a few weeks. Web 2.0 will help revitalize tradeshow marketing. The social media toolkit includes blogs, wikis, bookmarks, Tweets, podcasts, Mashups (trip planning), Widgets via badges, flakes, and next-gen brand education tools. In an age in which prostitutes Craigslist to expand business, it’s essential for legit businesses to get on the I-ball.
* Event Technology Expo. These days, exhibiting is far more than handing out brochures.
* Among trends: Meetings online. Hospitality and travel tapping into the Conversation Economy. A Travel Industry Association/TravelHorizons study indicated two-thirds of online adult leisure travelers consume online video and audio clips, 4 in 10 read blogs, share photos via the web, and take virtual tours. 1 in 4 post responses to blogs and participate in social networks. These figures seem low...or perhaps I’m immersed in the hyper-conversation economy. Speakers straying from the podium, some breaking the ice and barrier by greeting attendees at the door. Treasure hunts. Rock camps as audience attracting and bonding strategy. The last two are among techniques to seek primacy of in-person seminars over webinars.
* Fad vs. trend: Fads fade, trends endure...like the ever-more-elaborate ice sculpture not likely to melt in this century. As for a fad, let’s hope one is hired faces emerging from carved pumpkins and other buffet “head case” centerpieces.
* Catering crazes: Mashed cauliflower bar, tapas, mini-anythings.
* Turn events into memories to court short-attention-span guests: New York BizBash boss Richard Aaron (featured in my 2006 WOW Factor article) suggested:
Wikis about your event to get input, ideas, drum up interest.
YouTube – create a viral video.
Throw a rave on the street in a garage.
Celebrity bartender for nonprofit fundraiser.
Display appetizers on the wall.
Light projections...everywhere.
Partner with a nonprofit arts organization in your community!
* Fun fact: Launching a lecture with a laugh releases a shot of negatively charged ions over your cerebral cortex. Laughing can possibly save a life.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Size Matters
Book Review: Little House on a Small Planet
A few years ago, my husband and I went house-hunting as prices spiraled upward. We sought an affordable, well-built 2,400 sq.ft. contemporary home. We settled for a 1,400 sq.ft. 1950s rambler. Furnishing and maintaining that led to an epiphany: 400 sq.ft. is all we need, and want.
2,400 to 1,400 to 400 – it took a lot of time, effort and money to learn this lesson. Now there’s a short-cut to small-home smarts: Shay Salomon’s book, “Little House on a Small Planet.”
“People really are moved by this movement,” says Salomon, who in an email admits to getting fan mail each week.
Between the book’s covers, you’ll find function-driven inspiration to build all the house that fits your lifestyle, with no excess space to clean, maintain or serve as a clutter magnet. Or a drag – current research shows that our immediate environment impacts not only our efficiency but also mood and outlook. Excess, long a symbol of success, has a downside. How often have you heard laments about stuffed closets and drawers, cluttered rooms, the frustration of having too much of everything except time to enjoy it?
Perhaps you learned early on the real estate rule of thumb: Buy as much as you can afford. And that has become too much in this age of easy credit.
Salomon offers a new real estate rule for the real world: Build a glove, not a warehouse. A dwelling that fits and fulfills you, not someone else’s idea of a dream home in our consumption-driven society.
How much space does it take to be happy?
The author, a self-described “natural builder,”broadens the definition of eco-friendly housing beyond using sustainable, nontoxic materials to size. She has extracted 14 principles of building small from interviews with a few hundred folks with downsized dwellings.
These escapees from overbuilt environments offer antidotes to house lust and alternatives to McMansionization. You can say no to renovated palaces built of plastic credit cards, though often, zoning laws and building codes pose roadblocks.
Profiles of several actual small houses include locations, building cost, size, monthly utilities, and favorite aspects of the house. Among topics and ideas addressed in the book:
* Size matters: House size affects energy consumption more than insulation does – meaning your costs rise with cubic feet.
* How to downsize tips: Examples: Write the numbers 1 to 100 and tag 100 things to give away.
Note the time spent in each room of your current house to plan just what you really need. Remember that money saved in downscaling house plans can be used for eco-efficient and aesthetically pleasing luxuries.
* Not living large: Keep in mind the maxim that “stuff” expands to fill available space. Such is the magic of materialism. Interesting statistic: The self-storage industry has increased 40-fold since 1960, making it larger than the music business and more profitable than the film industry.
Tips: Choose and design for a set amount of storage space and simply allow no more. Design for shared space for different activities – such as a big central table for dining, socializing, work and school projects in an area having the best light, view and proximity to things you need.
* Cool kitchen idea: A cold storage box recessed into a thick wall that harnesses free cool night air and cold stored in the wall’s thermal mass to keep food chilled. A simple screen on the exterior keeps the animals out.
* Create spaciousness with a design that blurs the line between indoor and outdoor space, with nature providing some of the decor.
* Sick building syndrome resulting from the largely 1970s-80s energy efficiency-motivated sealing up of buildings. The book explains where to place operable clerestory windows and skylights to harness the best ventilation, working in consort with the physics of hot air rising. Outdoor kitchens merit discussion for their energy efficiency potential. Then there’s an example of permaculture at work, complete with chickens free-ranging as a “chicken tractor” plowing sections of a Point Reyes, Ca. garden.
* Living with children in a small home: The author addresses controversial questions such as “Is TV a human right?” and the “delicate dance of need and greed.” Consider the effects of modern living arrangements in which family members hole up in their own personal Siberias, shielded from exchanging ideas with one another thanks to their separate computers, PDAs, TVs ... the iPodification of daily life.
* Fortifying resolve against consumerism: To shake free of the tentacles of marketing messages, some have joined “simplicity circles.” Most of us have been co-opted by industry to reinforce messages to consume what benefits big business. We become wallet-waving zombies chanting cheese is healthy, unprocessed foods are undesirable, and bigger is better.
* Intelligent retrofitting and remodeling comprises a second section. Topics meander to gentrification’s environmental degradation of to trailer salvages to the deconstruction cottage industry that dismantles houses to move, rebuild and supply recycled materials for new projects. The book makes detours into co-housing and work-at-home territory, flex multi-generational residences, “Co Abodes” shared by single moms and other ways to maximize efficiency of one’s personal built environment.
* Quick quip: The addition, said Andy Rooney, is America’s contribution to the history of architecture.
* Sophisti-crit: The book’s utopian photo trove of hippie-dippy accented abodes may kick close-quarters up to a claustrophobic level for some recovering space addicts. Then again, there’s upside in having everything at your fingertips. But the principles translate to environs with cosmopolitan appeal. One can swap the fabric curtain dividers with sleek pocket doors, for example.
* Cutting-edge designs based on ancient but enduring building proto-technology: Such as Earthships built into hillsides in the Southwest, with walls bolstered by dirt-packed tires. The author touches on the government red-tape roadblocks erected by bureaucrats – some possibly propped up by big-business interests – via zoning and building codes.
* Big picture insights: Census reports indicate that in 2000, 10.4 million units of housing in the U.S. were vacant, while 250,000 people slept in homeless shelters. That’s 45 vacant houses per shelter occupant. Overseas, as Chinese emulate Western consumer culture, the panda is scrambling for shrinking space as houses grow larger and more plentiful.
* Practical philosophy: Bound by abundance – having so much has led to a different kind of scarcity. One sage commenting in the book noted how if we were to eat directly the 16 pounds of grain that it takes to produce a pound of meat, we would have 8 times as much protein available to us. Then there’s the increasing water scarcity issue.
Small houses, to most Americans, sounds like a revolutionary notion. But considering the revered architects who now hold forth on the environmental as well as aesthetic and social benefits of hewing to “human scale” design, architecture and urban planning, it’s a idea that fits like a glove.
Resources:
“Little House on a Small Planet” by Shay Salomon (The Lyons Press)
www.littlehouseonasmallplanet.com
www.smallhousesociety.org
A few years ago, my husband and I went house-hunting as prices spiraled upward. We sought an affordable, well-built 2,400 sq.ft. contemporary home. We settled for a 1,400 sq.ft. 1950s rambler. Furnishing and maintaining that led to an epiphany: 400 sq.ft. is all we need, and want.
2,400 to 1,400 to 400 – it took a lot of time, effort and money to learn this lesson. Now there’s a short-cut to small-home smarts: Shay Salomon’s book, “Little House on a Small Planet.”
“People really are moved by this movement,” says Salomon, who in an email admits to getting fan mail each week.
Between the book’s covers, you’ll find function-driven inspiration to build all the house that fits your lifestyle, with no excess space to clean, maintain or serve as a clutter magnet. Or a drag – current research shows that our immediate environment impacts not only our efficiency but also mood and outlook. Excess, long a symbol of success, has a downside. How often have you heard laments about stuffed closets and drawers, cluttered rooms, the frustration of having too much of everything except time to enjoy it?
Perhaps you learned early on the real estate rule of thumb: Buy as much as you can afford. And that has become too much in this age of easy credit.
Salomon offers a new real estate rule for the real world: Build a glove, not a warehouse. A dwelling that fits and fulfills you, not someone else’s idea of a dream home in our consumption-driven society.
How much space does it take to be happy?
The author, a self-described “natural builder,”broadens the definition of eco-friendly housing beyond using sustainable, nontoxic materials to size. She has extracted 14 principles of building small from interviews with a few hundred folks with downsized dwellings.
These escapees from overbuilt environments offer antidotes to house lust and alternatives to McMansionization. You can say no to renovated palaces built of plastic credit cards, though often, zoning laws and building codes pose roadblocks.
Profiles of several actual small houses include locations, building cost, size, monthly utilities, and favorite aspects of the house. Among topics and ideas addressed in the book:
* Size matters: House size affects energy consumption more than insulation does – meaning your costs rise with cubic feet.
* How to downsize tips: Examples: Write the numbers 1 to 100 and tag 100 things to give away.
Note the time spent in each room of your current house to plan just what you really need. Remember that money saved in downscaling house plans can be used for eco-efficient and aesthetically pleasing luxuries.
* Not living large: Keep in mind the maxim that “stuff” expands to fill available space. Such is the magic of materialism. Interesting statistic: The self-storage industry has increased 40-fold since 1960, making it larger than the music business and more profitable than the film industry.
Tips: Choose and design for a set amount of storage space and simply allow no more. Design for shared space for different activities – such as a big central table for dining, socializing, work and school projects in an area having the best light, view and proximity to things you need.
* Cool kitchen idea: A cold storage box recessed into a thick wall that harnesses free cool night air and cold stored in the wall’s thermal mass to keep food chilled. A simple screen on the exterior keeps the animals out.
* Create spaciousness with a design that blurs the line between indoor and outdoor space, with nature providing some of the decor.
* Sick building syndrome resulting from the largely 1970s-80s energy efficiency-motivated sealing up of buildings. The book explains where to place operable clerestory windows and skylights to harness the best ventilation, working in consort with the physics of hot air rising. Outdoor kitchens merit discussion for their energy efficiency potential. Then there’s an example of permaculture at work, complete with chickens free-ranging as a “chicken tractor” plowing sections of a Point Reyes, Ca. garden.
* Living with children in a small home: The author addresses controversial questions such as “Is TV a human right?” and the “delicate dance of need and greed.” Consider the effects of modern living arrangements in which family members hole up in their own personal Siberias, shielded from exchanging ideas with one another thanks to their separate computers, PDAs, TVs ... the iPodification of daily life.
* Fortifying resolve against consumerism: To shake free of the tentacles of marketing messages, some have joined “simplicity circles.” Most of us have been co-opted by industry to reinforce messages to consume what benefits big business. We become wallet-waving zombies chanting cheese is healthy, unprocessed foods are undesirable, and bigger is better.
* Intelligent retrofitting and remodeling comprises a second section. Topics meander to gentrification’s environmental degradation of to trailer salvages to the deconstruction cottage industry that dismantles houses to move, rebuild and supply recycled materials for new projects. The book makes detours into co-housing and work-at-home territory, flex multi-generational residences, “Co Abodes” shared by single moms and other ways to maximize efficiency of one’s personal built environment.
* Quick quip: The addition, said Andy Rooney, is America’s contribution to the history of architecture.
* Sophisti-crit: The book’s utopian photo trove of hippie-dippy accented abodes may kick close-quarters up to a claustrophobic level for some recovering space addicts. Then again, there’s upside in having everything at your fingertips. But the principles translate to environs with cosmopolitan appeal. One can swap the fabric curtain dividers with sleek pocket doors, for example.
* Cutting-edge designs based on ancient but enduring building proto-technology: Such as Earthships built into hillsides in the Southwest, with walls bolstered by dirt-packed tires. The author touches on the government red-tape roadblocks erected by bureaucrats – some possibly propped up by big-business interests – via zoning and building codes.
* Big picture insights: Census reports indicate that in 2000, 10.4 million units of housing in the U.S. were vacant, while 250,000 people slept in homeless shelters. That’s 45 vacant houses per shelter occupant. Overseas, as Chinese emulate Western consumer culture, the panda is scrambling for shrinking space as houses grow larger and more plentiful.
* Practical philosophy: Bound by abundance – having so much has led to a different kind of scarcity. One sage commenting in the book noted how if we were to eat directly the 16 pounds of grain that it takes to produce a pound of meat, we would have 8 times as much protein available to us. Then there’s the increasing water scarcity issue.
Small houses, to most Americans, sounds like a revolutionary notion. But considering the revered architects who now hold forth on the environmental as well as aesthetic and social benefits of hewing to “human scale” design, architecture and urban planning, it’s a idea that fits like a glove.
Resources:
“Little House on a Small Planet” by Shay Salomon (The Lyons Press)
www.littlehouseonasmallplanet.com
www.smallhousesociety.org
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Profits, Politics and Cruelty to Animals
2007 Taking Action for Animals Conference
Washington, DC
www.takingactionforanimals.com
July 28-30, 2007
* Why did the chicken cross the road?
To try to escape having her beak sliced off ... being crammed into battery cages the size of a sheet of paper for the rest of her life ... having her male hatchlings tossed in a wood chipper or giant vat to die cruel deaths. It’s no joke, but rather, fact in the commercial/factory farming world that dominates agriculture today.
Profits and politics have led to horrific levels of animal cruelty as well as chronic and acute disease in American citizens.
* One easy thing you can do: Vote with your dollars.
With each purchase, each meal, you can make a difference in animal suffering along with your family’s health. It may cost a few more dollars in the short run, but what better investment than in your family’s long-term health and in living a decent, humane life? Think of all the money we spend on things that are fashionable and novel and appealing -- and yet after the initial thrill, we derive greater satisfaction from choices that feel right and do good.
Be a conscious consumer. As Beatle/humanitarian Paul McCartney says, if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would become vegetarian. Why does the agricultural industry conceal this? Because change takes time and money, which would reduce profits.
* It’s that supply and demand thing.
So the only way commercial agricultural operations will change is if demand from consumers who buy animal-derived products changes. Either switch to a plant-based diet – or if not ready to give up animal-derived foods, buy products sourced only from producers who use humane methods to raised and treat their animals.
Buying from producers who follow humane standards costs a little more, but think how you’ll save in 3 ways: Less exposure to unhealthful components, improving the environment (for details, check the Green Diet book and websites listed in this article), and knowing you are not supporting the cruelty of factory farming.
Why care? Farm animals are feeling, thinking beings. Proven beyond doubt, with more evidence confirmed every year by science – despite the fact that most science is funded by corporate interests that benefit financially, most media outlets are advertiser-driven and government is dominated by business interests such as the food industry, a major economic engine. The animals consumed get no say.
* Education comes with responsibility.
Among those responsibilities, as conveyed at the Taking Action for Animals Conference, was to lead by example, to speak up for the voiceless, and to encourage constructive action among government decision-makers, corporate executives and others. Industry regards animals as a commodity, not out of evil intent, but due to preoccupation with increasing profits and shareholder value.
*** Conference Highlights:
Feature speakers included people working in the meat, poultry and dairy industries, a grocery chain executive, scientists, doctors and of course, animal advocates.
* Factory Farm Hell on Earth:
Agricultural practices considered “common” are excluded from most state anti-cruelty laws.
10 billion farm animals are raised a year, most in inhumane conditions.
Family-owned and independent farms are struggling to make it in a world dominated by large-scale producers who satisfy demand for cheap-as-possible foodstuffs.
Cows are kept in stock-like devices, fed an unnatural diet and hormones for speedy excessive growth.
Veal calves are chained by their necks in tiny cages for their short lives. As shown in videos, their mothers bellow when their babies are taken away. Workers broke the neck of one cow trying to block her baby from being taken. The mother cow was left all day in anguish.
Male chicks are discarded by “business-efficient means” at many commercial hatcheries – crammed and smothered in garbage bags and tossed alive into wood chippers and manure spreaders to be used with manure as a fertilizer component.
Modern broiler hens are grown to slaughter size in 6 weeks, equivalent to a human 2-year-old reaching 250 pounds.
Genetic manipulation is used to boost yields of egg-laying hens and dairy cows. For example, each cow can produce up to 100 pounds of milk a day, 10 times that she would produce naturally.
Foie gras is disgraceful – watch a video of a bird being force-fed an abominable amount to create this “delicacy” and you’ll see why it’s inexcusable cruelty.
Horse slaughter: One of its advocates was a congressman was shown to personally gain from his stand.
But thanks to consumers speaking up, some progress has been made. For example: Food service companies are increasingly saying “No” to eggs from producers that confine hens to battery cages.
* Science Supports Vegan Diet:
Among research findings summarized by Dr. Neal Barnard of the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine:
Asians adopting Western meat-sweet diet have experience a marked upswing in disease rates.
In a major weight-loss study, the group on a low-fat vegan diet that did not exercise had a 13-pound average weight loss, 2 inch drop in waist measurement and increase in natural insulin response (that’s a good thing folks; declining insulin response is a diabetes symptom). Another study: diabetics sticking to a vegan diet were able to reduce their meds.
Free pocket guide from NutritionMD.org
* Your Tax Dollars at Work – for Big Business:
The U.S. Government funded a project on “How to trigger the cheese craving” to help the dairy industry increase sales. Wendy’s was a prime beneficiary, using the findings to sell its Cheddar Lover’s Bacon Cheeseburger...and Subway agreed to put cheese on 2 subs unless the customer requested otherwise. In 1975, the average U.S. consumer consumed 15 pounds; in 1999, it was 30 pounds. Heart disease and other chronic problems rose during that same period.
* Humane Animal Agriculture:
Nicolette Hahn Miman, Frank Reese, Paul Willis and other ethical agribusiness owners discussed and showed slides of their independent livestock farms at which they engaged in humane practices and provided their animals with natural, comfortable conditions that allowed socialization with other animals. The criticism they endured from some conference attendees was nothing compared to challenges by the agricultural-industrial complex that would prefer to keep consumers in the dark and clamoring for the most cheaply produced food.
If you want organic, safely sourced animal products for your family, you are not going to get them if you buy factory farm products. Forget the feel-good advertising. It’s written by people whose goals were to keep clients and win awards. I know because I was one of them.
* Being a Joyful Vegan:
Once you discover the realities of factory farming, it’s easy to understand why people who oppose physical and mental cruelty go vegan. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau noted the irony that people in Western societies place a high value on individualism, but then fear and condemn nonconformist attitudes. The anger you sense in some vegans is anguish. It’s hard to change others, but you can find peace of mind by sticking to your principles.
And by sharing your vegan dishes, but “make sure it’s good, or it will put us back 3 decades.” Let your guests eat it, and then let them find out, “oh, that’s vegan.”
Attendees nodded knowingly at mention of the “protein question” – which has expanded to the “calcium question.” As in, “how do you [vegans] get your protein/calcium?” Note that in America, diseases stem from excess, not from deficiencies.
www.compassionatecooks.com
* Denial Loves Company:
You know those people who claim “I used to be a vegetarian”? They weren’t. That’s usually a person who tried to eat more salads and less red meat for awhile. Or just because it was a useful thing to say. Or write – such trendy false claims occasionally pop up in news media opinion pieces. Note that most media folks eat lots of fast food and don’t ply investigative skills into the food industry or much else unless there’s ample public demand ... case in point, toxic products from China).
* Green Your Diet:
Nationally respected researcher Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D. summarized incontrovertible evidence that, regardless of one’s food ethics, the less animal-derived foods consumed, the better for personal health, the environment, agricultural sustainability, and water conservation (a pressing issue not yet recognized here in the mid-Atlantic U.S.).
For more about the environmentally destructive effects of raising and processing animals for food, get the excellent book “Six Arguments for a Greener Diet” by Dr. Jacobson and the staff of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
www.EatingGreen.org
You can also email me for my summary of the book.
* Time for a Global Warming Message:
Research by United Nations scientists indicated that animal agriculture is responsible for an estimated 18% of global warming emissions, and that adopting a plant-based diet saves more carbon pollution than driving a hybrid auto?
* Dogfighting:
Don’t be hoodwinked by the pro spinners who try to promulgate the notions that 1. violence to animals keeps people from committing violence to humans, and 2. that animal fighting is okay if one can conjure a cultural tie to it. Slavery had cultural roots too, but wrong is wrong. Dogfighting, for example, is a bloodlust sport, and watching animals tear skin (no, it’s not boxing) signals a pathology.
* Animal Testing:
Those with a vested/financial interest in animal experimentation will always argue that animal experiments are vital for new cures to be found. But this claim has been repeatedly though quietly debunked – and proven false. Consider the human deaths from pharmaceuticals that were tested on animals – and the greater successes of research involving non-animal subjects.
Cosmetics: Look for the Leaping Bunny logo that certifies no animal testing.
* The Cutting Veg:
Increasing numbers of people report having the desire to consume less or no animal-derived foods. If you’ve ever thought about it, how about the idea of starting with one meat-free meal a day?
There are free “Starter Vegetarian Kits” and “Starter Vegan Kits” available with no obligation from nonprofit groups. Find sources at the end of this article.
* Humane Education for the Real World:
Stand on milk crate in your bare feet for 15 minutes. How much longer would you like to stand there? How about a year or so? Have to use the bathroom? No problem; just go and most of “it” will fall through the crate holes ... well, until it starts piling up. Who lives like this? Hens. This is one show-and-feel-and-tell example that humane educator Zoe Weil has incorporated into her educational sessions. She has committed her life to the goal of teaching people how to live more
humanely, sustainability and peaceably.
She also teaches critical, independent thinking – a skill that is rarely taught but so essential in a world in which “education” is messaged to students and consumers by corporations and well-funded lobbyists.
In the past, she wanted to lead a “Meet your meat” tour of a slaughterhouse but was denied.
* Raising Conscious Consumers:
Weil posed the questions: “What if, by the time they had complete eighth grade, all children were aware of and concerned about the people who make their sneakers, T-shirts, and electronics in factories around the globe, and realized that their money and choices represented their vote for working conditions throughout the world? What if they understood the relationship between the food in their cafeteria, growing obesity rates and ill health, water pollution and soil erosion, and the suffering of farmed animals, so that with their teachers and school administrators they were able to influence the food service to offer healthy, organic, humanely produced meals?”
The goal: Make choices now and later based on full awareness of the connections between your own actions and the future of the world. Ask: What is the “True Price” of that cheeseburger? What is the whole production process that is hidden from view? And, is there a product I could choose instead that would have less negative impact?
*** Resources:
* Humane Farming:
Compassion in World Farming: A charity working internationally for the welfare of farm animals
www.ciwf.org
Animal Welfare Institute
www.awionline.org
Humane Farming Association: High standards for humane care of farm animals, including the new Animal Welfare Approved husbandry standards mandating for all species environment, housing and diet that allows the animals to behave naturally
www.hfa.org
* Factory Farming:
www.farmsanctuary.org
www.FactoryFarm.com
www.HumaneEating.com
Find sources for food in your neighborhood and where you travel that is healthful, humane, environmentally sustainable, and that supports family farmers
www.eatwellguide.org
www.cok.net
www.herbivoremagazine.com
“The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter” by Peter Singer and Jim Mason
* Animal Protection
World Society for the Protection of Animals - marginalized animals from strays to wildlife
www.wspa-usa.org
American Anti-Vivisection Society - nonprofit working to end experimentation on animals in labs and schools
www.navs.org
Cruelty-Free Products Certification
www.LeapingBunny.org
Animal Protection Institute
www.api4animals.org
Humane Society of the United States
www.humanesociety.org
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
www.aspca.org
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
www.peta.org
Note: Smaller organizations are less known due to limited funds and promotional resources, but do equally important work. Surf the web and look for 501(c)3 nonprofit status, and read GuideStar reports (available free online)
* Health and Diet:
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Healthy diet, humane eating, effective alternatives to animal testing, innovative health and disease research. Membership include a subscription to the PCRM publication good medicine.
www.pcrm.org
www.NutritionMD.org
www.vegnews.com
www.veganhealth.org
Vegetarian Society of DC
www.vsdc.org
www.eatlessmeat.org
www.vegan.com
www.HumaneSpot.org
* Animal Fighting:
www.animalfighting.org
* Fur:
www.furfree.hsus.org
www.peta.org
* Advocacy and Policy:
Online alerts about from factory farm abuses to animal fighting and other animal welfare issues:
https://community.hsus.org/humane/join.html?qp_source=gaba7x
Short course for planning effective campaigns:
www.humaneonline.org
www.HumaneEducation.org
www.animalsandsociety.org
www.societyandanimalsforum.org
*** Related News Bites:
* "Behind the Mustache: A Farm Sanctuary Investigation" is a 10-minute video documenting the abusive conditions found throughout a thorough investigation into the interworking of California's dairy industry. Among findings: An injured cow unable to rise and a motionless newborn calf were observed at the market, left to languish. Access the video at www.farmsanctuary.org or on YouTube.com.
* Oregon moved to ban gestation crates by 2013. These metal cages about two feet wide and seven feet long are used to confine pregnant sows. Grown pigs are unable to move, lie down comfortably, or turn around for months at a time.
* Louisiana outlawed cockfighting, banishing the cruel blood sport from its last remaining legal stronghold.
* New approved tests are expected to spare more than 250,000 animals in the EU (European Union), including the testing of chemicals that could be irritating to the skin or eye and allergen testing, which previously used rabbits and mice. The EU is far ahead of the U.S., where the Interagency coordinating committee for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM), a government-funded agency, has approved only 6 alternative methods compared to the EU agency’s 23.
* South Korea has passed new animal welfare laws that will offer increased protections to animals used for food, clothing, experimentation, and entertainment. www.idausa.org.
* Fun and enlightening book by a PETA activist: “Committed” by Dan Mathews
*** Thoughts for Thinking People:
Greek philosopher Pythagoras paid fishermen to throw their catch back in the sea. He wrote that “animals share with use the privilege of having a soul” ... that eating meat or participating in any other kind of animal abuse “harms your soul and your health.” This was 3,000 years before a flood of medical studies connected meat to heart disease, cancer, and obesity, he wrote, “Humans dig their graves with their teeth.” Another famous vegetarian: Da Vinci.
“Humans are the only species that can rationalize – or need to.” – Mark Twain
“Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty.” – Stanislaus Lee
“What is set by market forces will change only by market forces.” – Free market advocates.
We don’t need to wait another moment to change the world.
Washington, DC
www.takingactionforanimals.com
July 28-30, 2007
* Why did the chicken cross the road?
To try to escape having her beak sliced off ... being crammed into battery cages the size of a sheet of paper for the rest of her life ... having her male hatchlings tossed in a wood chipper or giant vat to die cruel deaths. It’s no joke, but rather, fact in the commercial/factory farming world that dominates agriculture today.
Profits and politics have led to horrific levels of animal cruelty as well as chronic and acute disease in American citizens.
* One easy thing you can do: Vote with your dollars.
With each purchase, each meal, you can make a difference in animal suffering along with your family’s health. It may cost a few more dollars in the short run, but what better investment than in your family’s long-term health and in living a decent, humane life? Think of all the money we spend on things that are fashionable and novel and appealing -- and yet after the initial thrill, we derive greater satisfaction from choices that feel right and do good.
Be a conscious consumer. As Beatle/humanitarian Paul McCartney says, if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would become vegetarian. Why does the agricultural industry conceal this? Because change takes time and money, which would reduce profits.
* It’s that supply and demand thing.
So the only way commercial agricultural operations will change is if demand from consumers who buy animal-derived products changes. Either switch to a plant-based diet – or if not ready to give up animal-derived foods, buy products sourced only from producers who use humane methods to raised and treat their animals.
Buying from producers who follow humane standards costs a little more, but think how you’ll save in 3 ways: Less exposure to unhealthful components, improving the environment (for details, check the Green Diet book and websites listed in this article), and knowing you are not supporting the cruelty of factory farming.
Why care? Farm animals are feeling, thinking beings. Proven beyond doubt, with more evidence confirmed every year by science – despite the fact that most science is funded by corporate interests that benefit financially, most media outlets are advertiser-driven and government is dominated by business interests such as the food industry, a major economic engine. The animals consumed get no say.
* Education comes with responsibility.
Among those responsibilities, as conveyed at the Taking Action for Animals Conference, was to lead by example, to speak up for the voiceless, and to encourage constructive action among government decision-makers, corporate executives and others. Industry regards animals as a commodity, not out of evil intent, but due to preoccupation with increasing profits and shareholder value.
*** Conference Highlights:
Feature speakers included people working in the meat, poultry and dairy industries, a grocery chain executive, scientists, doctors and of course, animal advocates.
* Factory Farm Hell on Earth:
Agricultural practices considered “common” are excluded from most state anti-cruelty laws.
10 billion farm animals are raised a year, most in inhumane conditions.
Family-owned and independent farms are struggling to make it in a world dominated by large-scale producers who satisfy demand for cheap-as-possible foodstuffs.
Cows are kept in stock-like devices, fed an unnatural diet and hormones for speedy excessive growth.
Veal calves are chained by their necks in tiny cages for their short lives. As shown in videos, their mothers bellow when their babies are taken away. Workers broke the neck of one cow trying to block her baby from being taken. The mother cow was left all day in anguish.
Male chicks are discarded by “business-efficient means” at many commercial hatcheries – crammed and smothered in garbage bags and tossed alive into wood chippers and manure spreaders to be used with manure as a fertilizer component.
Modern broiler hens are grown to slaughter size in 6 weeks, equivalent to a human 2-year-old reaching 250 pounds.
Genetic manipulation is used to boost yields of egg-laying hens and dairy cows. For example, each cow can produce up to 100 pounds of milk a day, 10 times that she would produce naturally.
Foie gras is disgraceful – watch a video of a bird being force-fed an abominable amount to create this “delicacy” and you’ll see why it’s inexcusable cruelty.
Horse slaughter: One of its advocates was a congressman was shown to personally gain from his stand.
But thanks to consumers speaking up, some progress has been made. For example: Food service companies are increasingly saying “No” to eggs from producers that confine hens to battery cages.
* Science Supports Vegan Diet:
Among research findings summarized by Dr. Neal Barnard of the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine:
Asians adopting Western meat-sweet diet have experience a marked upswing in disease rates.
In a major weight-loss study, the group on a low-fat vegan diet that did not exercise had a 13-pound average weight loss, 2 inch drop in waist measurement and increase in natural insulin response (that’s a good thing folks; declining insulin response is a diabetes symptom). Another study: diabetics sticking to a vegan diet were able to reduce their meds.
Free pocket guide from NutritionMD.org
* Your Tax Dollars at Work – for Big Business:
The U.S. Government funded a project on “How to trigger the cheese craving” to help the dairy industry increase sales. Wendy’s was a prime beneficiary, using the findings to sell its Cheddar Lover’s Bacon Cheeseburger...and Subway agreed to put cheese on 2 subs unless the customer requested otherwise. In 1975, the average U.S. consumer consumed 15 pounds; in 1999, it was 30 pounds. Heart disease and other chronic problems rose during that same period.
* Humane Animal Agriculture:
Nicolette Hahn Miman, Frank Reese, Paul Willis and other ethical agribusiness owners discussed and showed slides of their independent livestock farms at which they engaged in humane practices and provided their animals with natural, comfortable conditions that allowed socialization with other animals. The criticism they endured from some conference attendees was nothing compared to challenges by the agricultural-industrial complex that would prefer to keep consumers in the dark and clamoring for the most cheaply produced food.
If you want organic, safely sourced animal products for your family, you are not going to get them if you buy factory farm products. Forget the feel-good advertising. It’s written by people whose goals were to keep clients and win awards. I know because I was one of them.
* Being a Joyful Vegan:
Once you discover the realities of factory farming, it’s easy to understand why people who oppose physical and mental cruelty go vegan. Colleen Patrick-Goudreau noted the irony that people in Western societies place a high value on individualism, but then fear and condemn nonconformist attitudes. The anger you sense in some vegans is anguish. It’s hard to change others, but you can find peace of mind by sticking to your principles.
And by sharing your vegan dishes, but “make sure it’s good, or it will put us back 3 decades.” Let your guests eat it, and then let them find out, “oh, that’s vegan.”
Attendees nodded knowingly at mention of the “protein question” – which has expanded to the “calcium question.” As in, “how do you [vegans] get your protein/calcium?” Note that in America, diseases stem from excess, not from deficiencies.
www.compassionatecooks.com
* Denial Loves Company:
You know those people who claim “I used to be a vegetarian”? They weren’t. That’s usually a person who tried to eat more salads and less red meat for awhile. Or just because it was a useful thing to say. Or write – such trendy false claims occasionally pop up in news media opinion pieces. Note that most media folks eat lots of fast food and don’t ply investigative skills into the food industry or much else unless there’s ample public demand ... case in point, toxic products from China).
* Green Your Diet:
Nationally respected researcher Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D. summarized incontrovertible evidence that, regardless of one’s food ethics, the less animal-derived foods consumed, the better for personal health, the environment, agricultural sustainability, and water conservation (a pressing issue not yet recognized here in the mid-Atlantic U.S.).
For more about the environmentally destructive effects of raising and processing animals for food, get the excellent book “Six Arguments for a Greener Diet” by Dr. Jacobson and the staff of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
www.EatingGreen.org
You can also email me for my summary of the book.
* Time for a Global Warming Message:
Research by United Nations scientists indicated that animal agriculture is responsible for an estimated 18% of global warming emissions, and that adopting a plant-based diet saves more carbon pollution than driving a hybrid auto?
* Dogfighting:
Don’t be hoodwinked by the pro spinners who try to promulgate the notions that 1. violence to animals keeps people from committing violence to humans, and 2. that animal fighting is okay if one can conjure a cultural tie to it. Slavery had cultural roots too, but wrong is wrong. Dogfighting, for example, is a bloodlust sport, and watching animals tear skin (no, it’s not boxing) signals a pathology.
* Animal Testing:
Those with a vested/financial interest in animal experimentation will always argue that animal experiments are vital for new cures to be found. But this claim has been repeatedly though quietly debunked – and proven false. Consider the human deaths from pharmaceuticals that were tested on animals – and the greater successes of research involving non-animal subjects.
Cosmetics: Look for the Leaping Bunny logo that certifies no animal testing.
* The Cutting Veg:
Increasing numbers of people report having the desire to consume less or no animal-derived foods. If you’ve ever thought about it, how about the idea of starting with one meat-free meal a day?
There are free “Starter Vegetarian Kits” and “Starter Vegan Kits” available with no obligation from nonprofit groups. Find sources at the end of this article.
* Humane Education for the Real World:
Stand on milk crate in your bare feet for 15 minutes. How much longer would you like to stand there? How about a year or so? Have to use the bathroom? No problem; just go and most of “it” will fall through the crate holes ... well, until it starts piling up. Who lives like this? Hens. This is one show-and-feel-and-tell example that humane educator Zoe Weil has incorporated into her educational sessions. She has committed her life to the goal of teaching people how to live more
humanely, sustainability and peaceably.
She also teaches critical, independent thinking – a skill that is rarely taught but so essential in a world in which “education” is messaged to students and consumers by corporations and well-funded lobbyists.
In the past, she wanted to lead a “Meet your meat” tour of a slaughterhouse but was denied.
* Raising Conscious Consumers:
Weil posed the questions: “What if, by the time they had complete eighth grade, all children were aware of and concerned about the people who make their sneakers, T-shirts, and electronics in factories around the globe, and realized that their money and choices represented their vote for working conditions throughout the world? What if they understood the relationship between the food in their cafeteria, growing obesity rates and ill health, water pollution and soil erosion, and the suffering of farmed animals, so that with their teachers and school administrators they were able to influence the food service to offer healthy, organic, humanely produced meals?”
The goal: Make choices now and later based on full awareness of the connections between your own actions and the future of the world. Ask: What is the “True Price” of that cheeseburger? What is the whole production process that is hidden from view? And, is there a product I could choose instead that would have less negative impact?
*** Resources:
* Humane Farming:
Compassion in World Farming: A charity working internationally for the welfare of farm animals
www.ciwf.org
Animal Welfare Institute
www.awionline.org
Humane Farming Association: High standards for humane care of farm animals, including the new Animal Welfare Approved husbandry standards mandating for all species environment, housing and diet that allows the animals to behave naturally
www.hfa.org
* Factory Farming:
www.farmsanctuary.org
www.FactoryFarm.com
www.HumaneEating.com
Find sources for food in your neighborhood and where you travel that is healthful, humane, environmentally sustainable, and that supports family farmers
www.eatwellguide.org
www.cok.net
www.herbivoremagazine.com
“The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter” by Peter Singer and Jim Mason
* Animal Protection
World Society for the Protection of Animals - marginalized animals from strays to wildlife
www.wspa-usa.org
American Anti-Vivisection Society - nonprofit working to end experimentation on animals in labs and schools
www.navs.org
Cruelty-Free Products Certification
www.LeapingBunny.org
Animal Protection Institute
www.api4animals.org
Humane Society of the United States
www.humanesociety.org
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
www.aspca.org
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
www.peta.org
Note: Smaller organizations are less known due to limited funds and promotional resources, but do equally important work. Surf the web and look for 501(c)3 nonprofit status, and read GuideStar reports (available free online)
* Health and Diet:
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
Healthy diet, humane eating, effective alternatives to animal testing, innovative health and disease research. Membership include a subscription to the PCRM publication good medicine.
www.pcrm.org
www.NutritionMD.org
www.vegnews.com
www.veganhealth.org
Vegetarian Society of DC
www.vsdc.org
www.eatlessmeat.org
www.vegan.com
www.HumaneSpot.org
* Animal Fighting:
www.animalfighting.org
* Fur:
www.furfree.hsus.org
www.peta.org
* Advocacy and Policy:
Online alerts about from factory farm abuses to animal fighting and other animal welfare issues:
https://community.hsus.org/humane/join.html?qp_source=gaba7x
Short course for planning effective campaigns:
www.humaneonline.org
www.HumaneEducation.org
www.animalsandsociety.org
www.societyandanimalsforum.org
*** Related News Bites:
* "Behind the Mustache: A Farm Sanctuary Investigation" is a 10-minute video documenting the abusive conditions found throughout a thorough investigation into the interworking of California's dairy industry. Among findings: An injured cow unable to rise and a motionless newborn calf were observed at the market, left to languish. Access the video at www.farmsanctuary.org or on YouTube.com.
* Oregon moved to ban gestation crates by 2013. These metal cages about two feet wide and seven feet long are used to confine pregnant sows. Grown pigs are unable to move, lie down comfortably, or turn around for months at a time.
* Louisiana outlawed cockfighting, banishing the cruel blood sport from its last remaining legal stronghold.
* New approved tests are expected to spare more than 250,000 animals in the EU (European Union), including the testing of chemicals that could be irritating to the skin or eye and allergen testing, which previously used rabbits and mice. The EU is far ahead of the U.S., where the Interagency coordinating committee for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ICCVAM), a government-funded agency, has approved only 6 alternative methods compared to the EU agency’s 23.
* South Korea has passed new animal welfare laws that will offer increased protections to animals used for food, clothing, experimentation, and entertainment. www.idausa.org.
* Fun and enlightening book by a PETA activist: “Committed” by Dan Mathews
*** Thoughts for Thinking People:
Greek philosopher Pythagoras paid fishermen to throw their catch back in the sea. He wrote that “animals share with use the privilege of having a soul” ... that eating meat or participating in any other kind of animal abuse “harms your soul and your health.” This was 3,000 years before a flood of medical studies connected meat to heart disease, cancer, and obesity, he wrote, “Humans dig their graves with their teeth.” Another famous vegetarian: Da Vinci.
“Humans are the only species that can rationalize – or need to.” – Mark Twain
“Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty.” – Stanislaus Lee
“What is set by market forces will change only by market forces.” – Free market advocates.
We don’t need to wait another moment to change the world.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Trade Showing Off
TS2
The Trade Show About Trade Shows
www.ntpshow.com
July 31-Aug. 2
Washington, DC
How do you stage a successful event? Take some tips from the coach – The Tradeshow Coach Susan Friedmann:
* Push the Right Hot Buttons:
For those “Have the Best” folks, offer something exclusive – and never discount (which creates the perception “it’s not worth full price”). Those high achievers? Come up with an opportunity to earn awards.
Button-pushing with Power players? Indicate they are in control, show attention to detail, stroke their ego. The person who asks the questions is actually the one in control – by leading the conversation in the direction you want to go.
* Create a want:
Most people most of the time don’t really know what they want. How many people wanted an iPod before it was marketed?
* Listen to Effective listeners...who, notes Friedmann:
Limit their own talking.
Show their interest.
Avoid letting your mind wander.
Ask questions.
Don’t jump to conclusions.
Listen for the main idea.
Turn off their own worries.
Prepare in advance.
React to ideas, not to the person.
Notice nonverbal language.
Take notes.
Get feedback..
Defer judgment.
Listen for the other person’’s feelings and situation.
Pay most attention to content, not to appearance.
Avoid sidetracking remarks.
Do one thing at a time.
Maintain eye contact.
Avoid emotional reactions.
Give affirmative and affirming statements.
Invite additional comments.
Maintain patience and concentration.
Stay present.
Trends:
* Green Exhibiting. Eco-Systems creates sustainable exhibits and boothware. PMSI has corn-based biodegradable badge holders.
* Wow Factors: Create an experience and memory with demos, skits, game shows, choreography, videos, audio, robots, singers. Tradeshow research indicates that live presentations are the 3rd most important reason why people remember an exhibit. Numbers one and two: Booth size and product interest.
* Video Massage Chairs!
Quote of note: Triad Creative Group CEO Theodore Lasser: “It is our obligation to be good shepherds of our resources and advise others how to do so as well...we need to steer our industry away from traditional materials and fabrication techniques whenever possible.” He unveiled a Certified Green certificate based on the US Green Building Council’s and LEED criteria.
Resources:
Sponsorship: A Key Powerful Marketing, Effective Giveaways, The Power of Buzz, Out-Foxing the Competition
www.thetradeshowcoach.com
Competitive Edge tradeshow expertise led by Jefferson Davis
http://www.tradeshowturnaround.com
Trendwatching
www.trendwatching.com
“Riches in Niches: How to Make it Big in a Small Market” by Susan Friedmann
“Experience Economy” by James Gilmore, who contends we’ve transitioned from a goods economy to an experiential economy. Commodities are wrapped in experiences to sell them today.
“Free Prize Inside” by Seth Godin
“The Anatomy of Buzz” by Emanuel Rosen, who notes the need today to create buzz that travels through “invisible networks” that link people.
The Trade Show About Trade Shows
www.ntpshow.com
July 31-Aug. 2
Washington, DC
How do you stage a successful event? Take some tips from the coach – The Tradeshow Coach Susan Friedmann:
* Push the Right Hot Buttons:
For those “Have the Best” folks, offer something exclusive – and never discount (which creates the perception “it’s not worth full price”). Those high achievers? Come up with an opportunity to earn awards.
Button-pushing with Power players? Indicate they are in control, show attention to detail, stroke their ego. The person who asks the questions is actually the one in control – by leading the conversation in the direction you want to go.
* Create a want:
Most people most of the time don’t really know what they want. How many people wanted an iPod before it was marketed?
* Listen to Effective listeners...who, notes Friedmann:
Limit their own talking.
Show their interest.
Avoid letting your mind wander.
Ask questions.
Don’t jump to conclusions.
Listen for the main idea.
Turn off their own worries.
Prepare in advance.
React to ideas, not to the person.
Notice nonverbal language.
Take notes.
Get feedback..
Defer judgment.
Listen for the other person’’s feelings and situation.
Pay most attention to content, not to appearance.
Avoid sidetracking remarks.
Do one thing at a time.
Maintain eye contact.
Avoid emotional reactions.
Give affirmative and affirming statements.
Invite additional comments.
Maintain patience and concentration.
Stay present.
Trends:
* Green Exhibiting. Eco-Systems creates sustainable exhibits and boothware. PMSI has corn-based biodegradable badge holders.
* Wow Factors: Create an experience and memory with demos, skits, game shows, choreography, videos, audio, robots, singers. Tradeshow research indicates that live presentations are the 3rd most important reason why people remember an exhibit. Numbers one and two: Booth size and product interest.
* Video Massage Chairs!
Quote of note: Triad Creative Group CEO Theodore Lasser: “It is our obligation to be good shepherds of our resources and advise others how to do so as well...we need to steer our industry away from traditional materials and fabrication techniques whenever possible.” He unveiled a Certified Green certificate based on the US Green Building Council’s and LEED criteria.
Resources:
Sponsorship: A Key Powerful Marketing, Effective Giveaways, The Power of Buzz, Out-Foxing the Competition
www.thetradeshowcoach.com
Competitive Edge tradeshow expertise led by Jefferson Davis
http://www.tradeshowturnaround.com
Trendwatching
www.trendwatching.com
“Riches in Niches: How to Make it Big in a Small Market” by Susan Friedmann
“Experience Economy” by James Gilmore, who contends we’ve transitioned from a goods economy to an experiential economy. Commodities are wrapped in experiences to sell them today.
“Free Prize Inside” by Seth Godin
“The Anatomy of Buzz” by Emanuel Rosen, who notes the need today to create buzz that travels through “invisible networks” that link people.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Meeting About Meetings
Meet with Success
Experient
July 24, 2007
Washington, DC Convention Center
* Marketing Zing:
Todd Charlebois, president, Attendance Marketing, Inc. and Marian Calvin, Experient’s VP of communications, teamed up for a terrific presentation on marketing. Though meeting industry-focused, the lessons can be applied in other fields. Samples of enlightenment:
Aim marketing efforts at the heart more than the head.
Get your board on board.
Promote your brand image consistently and constantly across media.
With info just a Google search away these days, you’ll attract more prospects by offering “what you NEED to know,” not “what you CAN know.”
Holding a conference? Make sure your program is fluid enough to accommodate timely issues and opportunities to be relevant. Remember: ignoring an issue will not make it go away.
Broadcast fax’ing is making a comeback: “what can be faster than sending a bulleted sheet of real paper?”
Market outside the box: Example: one humane society raised awareness by setting up petting stations near post offices, since petting an animal has been proven to reduce stress.
Market your organization post-event, not just pre-event. That’s the time to lock attendees in, at lower rates, for your next event.
Cancellations? Instead of refunding money, apply the fee towards your next event.
* Food and Beverage: Appeal to not only taste, but the other senses, as shown by the savvy staff of Centerplate, the food service contractors for the Washington Convention Center. Attractive presentation examples included serving sushi condiments in hollowed-out lemons and creative vegetarian alternatives to meet the growing demand for meat/dairy-free choices.
* Etiquette like clockwork: Signal you’re done with a meal by placing knife and fork tips to 10 o’clock and the handles to 4 o’clock.
* Cell phones – can you hear me now? Etiquette experts advise that at functions, keep your cell phone on vibrate and excuse yourself – and leave the room – to answer or make a call.
* Handy handshake tips:
Shake a woman’s hand her and abroad just as firmly as a man’s.
Hold your drink in your left hand to avoid giving a cold, wet handshake.
Never allow a meeting or other event to begin or end without a handshake.
Never shake hands with one hand in your pocket.
Etiquette tips from Pamela Eyring, The Protocol School of Washington, www.psow.com
* Money Bags: One attendee noted having several meeting attendees from Asia paying for their contingents with cash, including one hauling a valise containing $147,000.
* Meetings as Economic Engines. Speaking about international meetings: Terence Donnelly, Experient’s trade show markets VP, noted that over the last 13 years, US share of international travel has dropped by 35%. Since 9/11, travel worldwide has increased 20% while trips to the US declined by 17%.
A 1% increase in tourism in the US would translate to 8.1 million more visitors, $13.3 billion in spending, 153,000 new jobs, and a $3.5 billion increase in payroll.
Rx: Expand the visa waiver program (28 countries participate today). New technology and processes to simplify visa processing at borders. Reduce taxes on travel services such as airlines, hotels and rental cars. Change perception of the international community – 75% of tourists from abroad indicate feeling positive towards the US after a visit.
FYI: Those entering the US under the visa waiver program cannot work or study or stay longer than 90 days.
* Resources:
Experient integrated meeting and event services:
www.experient-inc.com
Visa info:
www.export.gov
businessvisa@state.gov
Experient
July 24, 2007
Washington, DC Convention Center
* Marketing Zing:
Todd Charlebois, president, Attendance Marketing, Inc. and Marian Calvin, Experient’s VP of communications, teamed up for a terrific presentation on marketing. Though meeting industry-focused, the lessons can be applied in other fields. Samples of enlightenment:
Aim marketing efforts at the heart more than the head.
Get your board on board.
Promote your brand image consistently and constantly across media.
With info just a Google search away these days, you’ll attract more prospects by offering “what you NEED to know,” not “what you CAN know.”
Holding a conference? Make sure your program is fluid enough to accommodate timely issues and opportunities to be relevant. Remember: ignoring an issue will not make it go away.
Broadcast fax’ing is making a comeback: “what can be faster than sending a bulleted sheet of real paper?”
Market outside the box: Example: one humane society raised awareness by setting up petting stations near post offices, since petting an animal has been proven to reduce stress.
Market your organization post-event, not just pre-event. That’s the time to lock attendees in, at lower rates, for your next event.
Cancellations? Instead of refunding money, apply the fee towards your next event.
* Food and Beverage: Appeal to not only taste, but the other senses, as shown by the savvy staff of Centerplate, the food service contractors for the Washington Convention Center. Attractive presentation examples included serving sushi condiments in hollowed-out lemons and creative vegetarian alternatives to meet the growing demand for meat/dairy-free choices.
* Etiquette like clockwork: Signal you’re done with a meal by placing knife and fork tips to 10 o’clock and the handles to 4 o’clock.
* Cell phones – can you hear me now? Etiquette experts advise that at functions, keep your cell phone on vibrate and excuse yourself – and leave the room – to answer or make a call.
* Handy handshake tips:
Shake a woman’s hand her and abroad just as firmly as a man’s.
Hold your drink in your left hand to avoid giving a cold, wet handshake.
Never allow a meeting or other event to begin or end without a handshake.
Never shake hands with one hand in your pocket.
Etiquette tips from Pamela Eyring, The Protocol School of Washington, www.psow.com
* Money Bags: One attendee noted having several meeting attendees from Asia paying for their contingents with cash, including one hauling a valise containing $147,000.
* Meetings as Economic Engines. Speaking about international meetings: Terence Donnelly, Experient’s trade show markets VP, noted that over the last 13 years, US share of international travel has dropped by 35%. Since 9/11, travel worldwide has increased 20% while trips to the US declined by 17%.
A 1% increase in tourism in the US would translate to 8.1 million more visitors, $13.3 billion in spending, 153,000 new jobs, and a $3.5 billion increase in payroll.
Rx: Expand the visa waiver program (28 countries participate today). New technology and processes to simplify visa processing at borders. Reduce taxes on travel services such as airlines, hotels and rental cars. Change perception of the international community – 75% of tourists from abroad indicate feeling positive towards the US after a visit.
FYI: Those entering the US under the visa waiver program cannot work or study or stay longer than 90 days.
* Resources:
Experient integrated meeting and event services:
www.experient-inc.com
Visa info:
www.export.gov
businessvisa@state.gov
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