The Zeitgeist Addendum

For those of you who still have not heard of it, The Zeitgeist Addendum is a Lugubrious look at government and control in our modern era. Film maker Peter Joseph exams modern reserve banking systems, religion, and warfare, and comes up with a not-so-staggering conclusion: We. Be. Fucked. 

As nations  across the globe continue to move towards amalgamation and globalization one cannot help but notice the waning emphasis on nationalism, and the continuing trend towards international 'unity.' Zeitgeist's message is that there are nefarious forces at work who's goal is to enslave you through capitalism actuated by your own blind consumerism, with an end game of creating a world government by which to exercise that control. 

On the whole it is a pretty radical claim, but we live in radical times. 

Whether or not you believe his assertions (I fact checked what I could and it was on-point, specifically about the way that our economy works) , The Zeitgeist Addendum  will likely stir up some provocative thinking in the most complacent of minds. 

Don't take my word for it. Watch it yourself for free. 

TriMet Receives $1M From TSA

TriMet is not just giving away a shit-ton of money, they are also receiving it. 

TriMet general Manager Fred Hansen announced monday that TriMet will be expanding its security measures throughout their rail system. The plan includes hiring 15 additional transit cops, expanding contracted security officers, lobbying for a change in legislation that would increase fines and make it a felony to assault passengers, as well as doubling the amount of fare inspectors on-duty. 

But all of that isn't what has OregonLive! blogger Larry Norton up in arms. It's the security cameras.

TriMet plans to install additional security cameras throughout the max system and Norton is wondering what sort of 'quid pro quo' the TSA is asking for in return for funding. The agreement mentions sharing access to the CCTV systems with the TSA during an "...attack or emergency." Norton wisely ponders: "Who defines 'attack' and 'emergency?"

The Little Engine That Filed Chapter 11

TriMet's new people-mover project, WES, (originally slated to be up and running this fall) has now been delayed until at least February of 2009. 

TriMet has had to pay out an additional $3 Million to the manufacturer of the heavy rail diesel powered trains planned for use with WES to help the company avoid an impending bankruptcy. "It was all and effort to get the cars. They're the only manufacturer of this kind of car in the country" TriMet spokeswoman Mary Fetch said wednesday in an interview with KPOJ. 

It looks like Oregonians get to pay for two corporate bail-outs this year. How progressive. 

Ellen DeGeneres: Vegan?

Ecorazzi has reported today on their website that Ellen DeGeneres has gone vegan. Ellen - a long time vegetarian - celebrated her recent nuptials to Portia De Rossi with vegan fare, and has since allegedly 'came-out' as a vegan at the Proposition 2 benefit in Las Angeles. 

This leads me to ask: What about all those made-from-dead-animals-tested-on-live-animals cosmetics that you are hawking for CoverGirl (produced by the fiendish Proctor & Gamble)? Also, if you are a vegan does that mean you can no longer eat Portia's... Well, okay. I won't go there. 

But, Ecorazzi writer 'Parrish' hopes that Ellen's new veggie status will perhaps help convince P&G to ditch current animal testing practices in favor of more humane options. To me this sounds like a double-standard on the part of Ecorazzi. I thought us vegans were the ones who were through deluding ourselves? This appears to be another example of celebrities putting money before morality, and Ellen shouldn't be immune to criticism in regards to her actions. If Ellen wants to persuade P&G to do the right thing then perhaps she, as spokeswoman, should publicly decry P&G's actions in the national media, and perhaps even *gasp* resign and give back all that dirty money. 

According to a 2005 census by Forbes, DeGeneres's personal net worth is an estimated $65 Million.

Kucinich Watch: 2008

America's favorite vegan - Dennis Kucinich - was a minority as a Democrat who voted down the Bush administration backed bail-out bill. Read his statement, below, explaining why he voted against it:

Yesterday marked a day that will go down in history, when Congressional Democrats and Republicans alike took on full responsibility to protect the interests of taxpaying Americans, and defeated the deceptive bail out bill, defying the dictates of the Administration, the House Majority Leadership, the House Minority Leadership and the special interests on Wall Street.
Obviously Congress must consider quickly another course. There are immediate issues which demand attention and responsible action by the Congress so that the taxpayers, their assets, and their futures are protected.

We MUST do something to protect millions of Americans whose homes, bank deposits, investments, and pensions are at risk in a financial system that has become seriously corrupted. We are told that we must stabilize markets in order for the people to be protected. I think we need to protect peoples' homes, bank deposits, investments, and pensions, to order to stabilize the market.

We cannot delay taking action. But the action must benefit all Americans, not just a privileged few. Otherwise, more plans will fail, and the financial security of everyone will be at risk.
The $700 billion bailout would have added to our existing unbearable load of national debt, trade deficits, and the cost of paying for the war. It would have been a disaster for the American public and the government for decades and maybe even centuries to come.

To be sure, there are many different reasons why people voted against the bailout. The legislation did not regard in any meaningful way the plight of millions of Americans who are about to lose their homes. It did nothing to strengthen existing regulatory structures or impose new ones at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Reserve in order to protect investors. There were no direct protections for bank depositors. There was nothing to stop further speculation, which is what brought us into this mess in the first place. This was a bailout for some firms (and investors) on Wall Street, with the idea that in doing so there would be certain, unspecified, general benefits to the economy.

This is a perfect time to open a broader discussion about our financial system, especially our monetary system. Such a discussion is like searching for a needle in a haystack, and then, upon finding it, discussing its qualities at great length. Let me briefly describe the haystack instead.

Here is a very quick explanation of the $700 billion bailout within the context of the mechanics of our monetary and banking system:
The taxpayers loan money to the banks. But the taxpayers do not have the money. So we have to borrow it from the banks to give it back to the banks. But the banks do not have the money to loan to the government. So they create it into existence (through a mechanism called fractional reserve) and then loan it to us, at interest, so we can then give it back to them.

Confused?

This is the system. This is the standard mechanism used to expand the money supply on a daily basis not a special one designed only for the "$700 billion" transaction. People will explain this to you in many different ways, but this is what it comes down to.

The banks needed Congress' approval. Of course in this topsy turvy world, it is the banks which set the terms of the money they are borrowing from the taxpayers. And what do we get for this transaction? Long term debt enslavement of our country. We get to pay back to the banks trillions of dollars ($700 billion with compounded interest) and the banks give us their bad debt which they cull from everywhere in the world.

Who could turn down a deal like this? I did.

The globalization of the debt puts the United States in the position that in order to repay the money that we borrow from the banks (for the banks) we could be forced to accept International Monetary Fund dictates which involve cutting health, social security benefits and all other social spending in addition to reducing wages and exploiting our natural resources. This inevitably leads to a loss of economic, social and political freedom.

Under the failed $700 billion bailout plan, Wall Street's profits are Wall Street's profits and Wall Street's losses are the taxpayers' losses. Profits are capitalized. Losses are socialized.

We are at a teachable moment on matters of money and finance. In the coming days and weeks, I will share with you thoughts about what can be done to take us not just in a new direction, but in a new direction which is just.

Damn straight. We don't need no water let those motherfuckers burn.

Happy World Vegetarian Day!

So, I uh, dropped the ball a little bit. Today is world vegetarian day, not yesterday as I had originally posted. I was just so *excited.*

For ALL Creatures Great and Small

The RSPCA, the division of the SPCA (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) has elected a new leader, who in turn is asking for a 'radical' change in the organizations mission statement. Former Animal Liberation president, and new RSPCA presidentPeter Adamson has submitted a list of resolutions to include:

RECOGNISING egg, milk and chicken, pig and rabbit meat production "inflicts high levels of physical and psychological suffering on tens of millions of animals each year".

ACKNOWLEDGING a vegetarian or vegan diet was "the most effective way to significantly reduce cruelty to animals farmed for meat, eggs and milk".

ASKING RSPCA members to consider changing to a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Adamson asserts that eating meat contributes to the suffering of billions of animals every year, and if the RSPCA's stated goal is to address animal suffering and cruelty then an advocacy of a vegan diet is a natural evolution of that goal. One RSPCA member, opponent of the proposed resolution, and veterinarian Andrew Carter has said the proposed statement "would put off middle-of-the-road people and have a negative impact on membership...The message from that resolution is the RSPCA is trying to tell people what to do . . . but I don't think becoming a vegetarian will solve problems of animal cruelty."

Adamson also admitted to being labeled a 'food nazi' during meetings, and is surprised at the intensity of the push-back on the issue. I think that perhaps he should consider introducing more widely appealing resolutions, like changing their motto to "For all animals great and small (unless they are tasty)" which would definitely fall more in-line with current thought processes within the organization. 

The RSPCA's traditional role has been as a pet advocacy group, but recently members have begun to acknowledge that the meaning of 'animal' transcends the traditional definition of 'cats, dogs, and horses.' 

Give her a hot meat (analogue) injection!

According to a new PETA ad campaign, going vegan will help prevent and reverse impotence. The effects of a vegan diet on helping clear away arterial blockages and increase blood supplies are well known, and it is not *ahem* hard to imagine that those benefits would extend to the blood supplies of all of our organs.

I have to admit: this revelation has me excited. And I mean like 'whoa.'

DePompa's Double Standard

Recent blog posts in USA Today have highlighted the talking points of Vegan vs. Non. USA Today blogger, Physician, and vegan - Dr. Patrice Green - wrote on Thurday:

"Replacing meat, egg and dairy products with low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian foods is a simple solution for improving America's health. Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated the wide-ranging benefits of a plant-based diet, including lower rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and several cancers."

To this vegan, this sounds completely reasonable. Everything Dr. Green says mirrors my own independent research, as well as the professional research of the and ADA and more.

However, feeling that research and a medical degree were simply not enough, her fellow USA Today blogger Mark DePompa wrote in rebuttal:

"Shame on USA TODAY reader Patrice Green, who used her credentials as a physician to lecture readers on eating healthy vs. genetically engineered food. Her argument was based on a vegan diet meeting her definition of healthy...Humans are omnivores. Our bodies are made to eat meat and vegetables. Although many people use their vegan diet as the healthy alternative to meat, there is no consensus on that diet being the healthiest option. Denying yourself meat and dairy might help the waistline, but plenty of meat eaters don't have weight issues."

Now, I am a little confused? Vegan detractors have long argued that our claims remain largely unsubstantiated by medical science. Now, along comes a member of the medical community and substantiates some of our claims and now she is being publicly 'shamed.' These are often the same people who grasp fleetingly on every new report or study saying that it's okay to eat eggs now, or that alcohol isn't as bad as we thought, or that the Atkins diet will actually  benefit your heart. But the strangest part about DePompa's arguments are that they are totally baseless. Dr. Green never once mentioned weight loss in her article, instead basing her assertions on the proven benefits of a vegan diet in treating and preventing heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. I am sorry to say, Mark, the case is closed on this one. The reports are in; the ink dry. If you want to continue to enjoy your steak with a clear conscious you had better tune-out the media. 

It is clear: In the United states, if you manage to avoid cancer, heart disease, car accidents, or complications from diabetes you are not very likely to die any time soon, Overwhelmingly these are the things killing our citizens, and (aside from car accidents) all of them can addressed by 'going vegan.' DePompa continues on to say that there is "No clear consensus" about a vegan diet being superior, so Green was erroneous in promoting it. Whether that is true or not, I think it is safe to say that there is a clear consensus that animal products are dangerous to our health. 'Moderation' is dietary code for 'dangerous' and almost all dietitians call for moderating the use of animal fats in our diets as a key to long-term health. As for DePoma's assertion that humans are Omnivorous, being 'designed' to eat meat and vegetables I offer up this evidence: Human's cannot eat meat safely without cooking it. For a vast majority of our evolutionary history we have not had the benefit as fire as a tool. Raw meat is unappealing to most humans, who do not find it acceptable to eat until cut into nearly unidentifiable pieces and cooked. This is not the behavior of a predator. When we see road kill, we are most often disturbed, not hungered. This is not the behavior of scavengers. We, as humans, have the dullest canine teeth of any primate (primates being almost entirely herbivorous) and do not produce high enough levels of urea to suggest that we are carnivores.  My fingernails, much like yours, are ideal for peeling fruit, not killing. Aside from lacking a 'clear consensus' on the issue of humans being omnivorous, I submit that there has hardly been a census taken on the subject. 

We all may of had that uncle who drank and smoke, and ate bacon every day and lived to 85. But if you are like me, you also had that uncle who didn't drink or smoke, worked in the great out-doors, was thin, trim, and good natured - and after his second battle with cancer succumbed to it at 48. If you look around you in America and see healthy, happy, thriving people you may need to dramatically redefine what those terms mean to you. 

Dennis Kucinich Wants To Give You Money

Well, we know of at least one citizen who won't be using his portion of the $700b bail-out on McDonald's apple pies. On Monday, Dennis Kucinich wrote about an 'ownership society' that he would like to see emerge in America. 

"Simply purchasing bad debt, 'cash for trash' and not receiving anything of value or giving $700 billion and not having a commensurate equity interest in Wall Street firms is unacceptable. No 'cash for trash,'" he wrote in his OpEdNews.com editorial. 

But what exactly does he mean by ownership society? Kucinich is saying that if American taxpayers are going to foot the bill in this epic cluster-fuck, then we should, in the end, become owners of those firms to a degree fitting with our contribution. That would mean that every man, woman, and child in the United States would essentially own $2300 in stock of AIG and other firms benefiting from the federal relief package. And with that ownership we would, of course, be entitled to dividends and allowed to profit from that ownership just like any other stock holder. 

Congressman Kucinich is introducing legislation that would create savings accounts in the names of all taxpaying citizens for which we may use to collect our returns. Critics are likely to submit that such a plan is impractical and would require too much man-power and logistics to execute. In addition, the case could be made that turning these suddenly impoverished Wall Street firms into public entities is not the long-term goal, and is an example of franco-esque corporate socialization. Likely, the commonly held view in Washington will be that any long-term profits gained from the bail-out should in some way benefit the average citizen, but that it should be absorbed into the national budget and distributed that way.

In Kucinich's plan the revenue would be spent at the tax-payers discretion, allowing it to bypass the sticky fingers of lobbyists, and pet-project earmarks recently made famous by this year's election cycle. But, the plan is also flirting dangerously close to communist/ socialist ideals and for that reason alone it is unlikely to gain much traction in the House. Equally good ideas might be to invest the profits in to a nationalized health-care scheme, perhaps even leveraging the now nationalized AIG's experience and position within to insurance industry to administer the plan. Also, we could use the money to invest in renewable energy, which as Bill Clinton said last night on Larry Kind Live, would: "Pump millions into our economy, create jobs, and stimulate investment competition." 

What would Dennis Kucinich buy with his $2,300? I don't know, but I would buy 660 boxes of Tofutti Cuties!

PETA Says: "Breast Is Best"

A letter has been delivered to the founders of Ben and Jerry's requesting that they stop producing Ice Cream with cows milk, and instead use human breast milk. I don't know what this phenomenon is, but lately the American media has been obsessed with breast milk to a degree Freud would find astonishing. 

In this humble vegans opinion, PETA was not actually serious in their request. Likely, they proposed the idea to garner a little media attention, as well as make Americans stop and consider for a moment: Why is it that drinking cows milk is Okay, but you are grossed-out and totally put-off on the thought of ingesting human breast milk (which is actually formulated for our biology)? I am sure someone from within PETA saw the same stories online that I have written about in the past week and decided to stir the proverbial pot a little. 

The really story in all of this? People's reactions to the story. I think its safe to say that nobody really understood the message, and PETA - while noble in deeds and thought - has alienated the American people even further, and succeeded in being the butt of their own joke. 

Veganopolis: I Bid Thee Adieux

The people behind Veganopolis are calling it quits. After 3 years and 10 months they are packing it in, and heading back off to Chicagoland, where according to their website, they hope to "finally finish" the Veganopolis cookbook. Apparently the business model for success in Bush's Amrica is to:

A.) Close your doors.

B.) Move 1500 miles away from your customer base to a city known for slaughter houses, and cold-cuts.

They ain't fooling me. Veganopolis fell in to the all-to-common trap of form before function. Is it a grocery store? An art gallery? A deli? A buffet? A place to park fixed-gear bicycles? I'm not sure? But I am sure that they have way too much under utilized space, and spent a whole lot of money renovating it. These problems - compounded by their tendency to over-staff - has likely led them to be unprofitable. The last time I was in Veganopolis was about a month ago. They had two people behind the counter, two cooks, a buss boy and both owners were present. It took us ten minutes to get the banana split we were sharing, and we were the only customers in the building. It's as if the whole business started over a glass of shiraz, one friend telling another: "You should really start a restaurant! Your food is so good! 

But the reality of owning a restaurant is hard work, long hours, sacrifice, and then more hard work yet. You don't run a quick-service deli like the French Laundry, and the quickest way to erode your bottom line is to shun any hard work yourself, and instead hire a cadre of employees. With the five employees working as I described above, paying them only minimum wage, monthly labor costs for Veganopolis would have been to the tune of $10,000.00. I did some research, and according to Portland real estate group Norris & Beggs, a smiliar sized and zoned property just 4 blocks from Veganopolis leases for $10,180.00 a month. At ten dollars a meal, they would have to serve over 2,000 meals a month just to pay the rent and employees. I am not even factoring in food cost, insurance, utilities and so on. Also, all of this is before the owners can pay themselves a dime. 

According to Wikipedia, 1.4% of Americans identify themselves as vegans. According to a 2007 estimate, there are 568,380 souls in Portland. If %1.4 are vegans, that means there are less than 6,000 vegans in Portland, and Veganopolis would have to draw 1/3 of us to their restaurant a month just to pay rent and cut paychecks. Again, all of this does not factor in other costs, or how many vegans are geographically close enough to even consider eating there.

Further evidence of Veganopolis's financial insolvency is an apparent lack of effort to try an sell the property. Generally, if a restaurant is profitable (or even close to profitable) it is much wiser to sell the business. Also, the timing of the closure is suspect. Many banks offer small business loans with a clause that allows the borrower up to 4 years to bring the business 'out of the red' and make it profitable. At that point the loan must be repaid. As they stated on their website - they have been in business 'three years and ten months.' I offer as further evidence that they are moving to Chicago. What vegan do you know that wants to move to Chicago?

Veganopolis was an excellent idea, executed poorly. As is standard for most vegetarian/ vegan restaurants, the service was slow (unless you are eating buffet items), and the food was expensive for what it was. While admittedly their food is better than most, they simply had too much over-head to remain afloat and eventually succumbed to questionable business practices. Vegan operations play by the same rules as any other business, yet we still tend to approach everything like we are going to change the world, operate outside of accepted principles, and turn everything we do in to an arts and crafts project. Let Veganopolis's fate be a warning to all of those thinking of entering into business, vegan-centric or other wise; Business isn't a game. It is all too easy to lose all that you have in a poorly planned or managed venture, and if the folks at Veganopolis had sat down at the kitchen table and done some simple arithmetic, they might still have a pot to piss in.

Ted Nugent: Yup, Still A Douche-Bag

After agreeing to a performance in Israel, Paul McCartney has been the target of death threats from several Islamic terror-groups. Syrian-born Omar Bakri Muhammed - a militant activists with known ties to terror organizations - was quoted last week in an interview, saying: "He will not be safe there. The sacrifice operatives (suicide bombers) will be waiting for him" he went on to admonish the former Beatle, saying "Instead of supporting the people of Palestine in their suffering, McCartney is celebrating the atrocities of the occupiers. The ones under occupation are the ones who should be receiving help."

Nugent has in recently stated that McCartney should "...not bend or waiver to voodoo religious whack-jobs," and continued on to say "It would be my pleasure to keep this legendary musical hero safe from terrorists and madmen, and then buy him a nice dinner of tofu." The rocker has also stated that our only failures in Iraq have been "...not nagasaki-ing their asses," implying that The United States should have opted to use nuclear weapons in the Iraq conflict.

Many are skeptical of Nugent's qualifications to protect. We all know he has the guns, but does he have the balls? In a 1977 High Times interview, Nugent described his efforts to dodge the Vietnam draft saying that "[I] stopped cleansing my body weeks before the physical, stopped eating foods of nutritional value, and even stopped going to the bathroom. I just went in my pants, and my clothes all started to become crusty." He later defended his statements saying that "These guys [interviewers] would just show up glass-eyed and high, and so I would just make stories up," he added that his failure to serve in Vietnam was due to an academic deferment. He also referenced his 2004 USO show in Fallujah and Afghanistan as evidence of his bravery. I was unable to find a record of how many soldiers were killed at the USO show, although the number is believed to be 'zero.'

The Nuge's offer of protection comes as a surprise. The two musicians appear to have little, if anything. in common. McCartney is, as Nugent describes, "An animal rights maniac" and has cited industry friends fired by McCartney for "Sneaking a hamburger" while on tour, and went as far as defending them in an article he authored, oddly entitled "live and let live." Nugent, who gleefully shoots anything without a social security number, is perhaps the antithesis of vegan ideals. He is, however a self proclaimed 'avid conservationist' and told travel/ food writer Anthony Bourdain on his Travel Channel show 'No Reservations' that whatever you take from the land should be replaced "two-fold."

Even so, Nugent has had a troubled past with animal rights activists. He told Penn & Teller on their television show Bullshit! that PETA activists have threatened his, and his children's lives. On another occasion in 1992 he called Heidi Prescott of the non-profit Fund for Animals, a "worthless whore" and a "shallow slut," and also stated: "who needs to club baby seals, when we can club Heidi?" He was later ordered to pay $75,000.00 in damages to her as a result of the remark. Most recently, Nugent has garnered criticism for his ownership of Sunrize Acres, a ranch near Jackson, Michigan that offers what are known as "canned" hunts to paying customers. Although he  "...understands the criticism" that canned hunts "violate the ethics of the fair chase," he still operated the ranch, even acting as personal guide.

Nugent insists he is rearing to go to Isreal, and describes himself as "Dirty Harry with a pony tail." It is unlikely that McCartney will accept this (bizarre) offer of protection, and it is even more unlikely that Nugent was in fact sincere in even offering. More likely, it is an opportunity for this vocal NRA supporter, and animal well fare opponent to paint vegans as weak and helpless. 

Seedy underworld experiences energy-crunch

It seems as if soccer moms aren't the only ones to feel the squeeze at the gas pump. Lately, the media has been blitzed with articles talking about how Americans everywhere are having to adjust their routines and find other alternatives to driving, all the while costs for a gallon of gasoline continue to hover at 'ridiculous.'

With all the sudden interest in all things 'green' and 'renewable' it still comes as surprise to see a sudden rash of robberies throughout the nation where the perp' escaped either on bus, or by bicycle. In addition to the mass transit get-aways, there has also been a sudden rash of bicycle thefts around the country leaving many to wonder whether they will have to rob a bank to fill up this week, and if so, do they still have a bike on which to do it?

No word yet on where all these criminal masterminds are getting their bright ideas from, but personally, I suspect this guy.

On Diabetes: Veganism better than drugs; death

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Research has sent a petition to the Food and Drug Administration asking them to require that Avandia, a drug developed to help control diabetes, include in its packaging a warning stating that: "...A low-fat vegan diet is a safer, more effective way to control blood sugar" than the drug itself.

The Committee also claims a vegan diet is an effective treatment for high blood pressure, weight loss, and even the prevention and reversal of heart disease. 

The vegan diet and diabetes are no strangers. Many main-stream health publications acknowledge the positive influence of a low-fat, plant based diet on diabetes and its resulting conditions, much more so than the American Diabetes Association's prescribed diet.   

GlaxoSmithKlein is the primary manufacturer and marketer of Avandia, also known as rosiglitazone - which falls in to the thiazolidinedione class of drugs. Avandia has been purported to cause Macular Edema (partial blindness), increased incidences of bone fracture, and heart attack, and increased likelihood of death from resulting heart attack. The FDA has recently decided to require a blanket statement warning to be including on Avandia's packaging after clinical researchers confirmed the drugs role in over 13,000 incidents of heart attack/ failure since the drugs release in 1999.

Warning: Possible side-effects of veganism can include sustained health and weight loss, possible alienation of close family members, and frequent, often amusing gas. 

TriMet: Pioneers In Transportation, 2.0

Recently TriMet's Chief Technology Officer, Tim McHugh, and the conspicuously named Bibiana McHugh, IT manager of GIS and Location-based Services, sat down with some non-McHugh fellow from Trillium Solutions, (Arcata, CA based transportation technology consultants) to discuss TriMet's efforts in making scheduling information widely available to its riders.

In the interview (Tim) McHugh reveals TriMet's involvement with Google Transit, and their use of the open-source Google Transit Feed Spec to push information out to riders in real-time. McHugh also reveals that TriMet was the first public transportation organization in the United States to partner with Google. Since then, TriMet has created developer.trimet.org, intended to allow developers easy access to information needed to build third-party applications for riders, and the platform is available, as Bibiana reveals, "free under the creative commons license."

Google Transit, with the help of TriMet's efforts in development, has since been deployed in to several other local transportation networks. Google has also managed to successfully integrated Transit functions into Google Maps Mobile, and even Google Earth. Quickly, Googles GTFS open-source protocol is coming to be favored by budget strapped public agencies for its ease of development, and compelling price points.

All this ground-breaking is not free, however. This year's September fair increase for TriMet was the largest in the organization's history, following nearly a decade of systematic and moderate price increases. But for TriMet to maintain its legacy of innovation it must always be prepared to invest in becoming more efficient and green, or eventually risk becoming insolvent as energy prices continue their inevitable hike. Another recent challenge for TriMet has been dealing with a dramatic increase of people commuting on Busses and MAX, exacerbated by The Multnomah Youth Commission recent victory in the City Council granting free rides to students from Franklin and Jefferson High School. The Commission initially was seeking free rides for all county students between the 6th and 12th grades, and thus also removing $4.5 million dollars a year from TriMet's revenue stream. Implementing the program for two area schools is estimated to cost the city $150,000 in its first phase, with no word on long term projection of its cost.

One thing is abundantly clear. In the coming years TriMet is not getting any cheaper, but will still be more economical then driving. So long as the City plans on replacing the traditional yellow school bus with TriMet and and gas stays poised near $4 a gallon a very real need exists to increase the number of busses on Portland streets, We cannot just sit back and bet on new MAX lines to alleviate our transportation woes. Has TriMet over-extended itself? Not likely, considering it is a critical and favored recipient of City money. A much more relevant question may be how critical? and how much and how far are we willing to go? In the mean time, I am grateful that TriMet is offering services that - paired with my iPhone - make riding a virtual joy.

Heather Mills Donates Vegan Food To Bronx Children

"NEW YORK (AP) — Paul McCartney's ex-wife is donating $1 million worth of soy hamburgers, soy hot dogs and soy chicken cutlets to one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Bronx.

Heather Mills is set to announce the donation just before the Hunts Point Back to School Fair kicks off Saturday afternoon. The vegan animal rights campaigner is an honorary chairwoman of the nonprofit that organizes the event.

She tells the New York Post that she wants to make sure children in the neighborhood "have as many nutritional advantages as anyone else."

Children in Hunts Point have some of the highest obesity and asthma rates in the city.

Mills and McCartney were granted a divorce earlier this year."

Ok, so I guess I am a bad vegan for not even realizing that Heather Mills, psychotic piece-of-shit ex-wife of former Beatle, Paul McCartney, is a vegan. I guess that means that animals like her, anyhow. 

But, come to find out, Sir Paul himself is a vegetarian. As was George Harrison, Ringo Starr - and yes - John and Yoko too. The Beatles who aside from being LSD pioneers, were known followers of eastern spiritualism which often emphasizes compassion towards animals.  

Breaking News! Plant based diets health-giving; Dr. Atkins unavailable for comment

Dean Ornish, M.D., president of the Preventative Medicine Research Institute, and Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, has recently published a report of his findings that found a dramatic lifestyle change featuring a low-fat vegan diet, coupled with exercise greatly increases the body's ability to fight premature aging, cancer, heart disease, and several other chronic illnesses. 

The study published in the British medical journal, The Lancet, involved 24 men in research regarding prostate cancer and found that levels of telomerase, an enzyme that reportedly helps repair and protect DNA, increased on average 29% during the duration of the study.

 

What ever happened to that 'vegan' thang, gurl?

Back in May, Oprah Winfrey pledge to going vegan for 21 days after Kathy Freston (author of Quantum Wellness - a book advocating a vegan and gluten-free diet) was a guest on her show.

Many people on the inter-tubes initially applauded her effort, but personally I do not follow her rationale. Her stated claim was to learn to “eat with more conscious.” Today I did some poking around the web for some further reference to this seemingly amazing undertaking, and was not surprised to learn that after her 21 day commitment she wasted not time getting back to eating meat.

So I ask: what’s the point in admitting that eating animals is wrong and unhealthy, and then only committing to stop “temporarily?” Oprah is hindered by none of the traditional excuses against veganism. She is hyper-rich - and so can easily afford any additional costs, she has had a string of full-time chefs at her disposal for years – so menu choices are not a problem. And worst of all, she has already admitted that factory farms and eating animals is wrong... very plublically in fact.

Oprah is no stranger to the fight against monstrous agri-business. She and Howard Lyman - beef industry lobbyist-turned-vegan, and author of Mad Cowboy - were co-defendants in a much publicized ‘food disparagement’ lawsuit filed on behalf of Texas cattle feed producers in 1998. She publicly stated on her show that she “will never eat beef again,” and later she and Lyman won the lawsuit, exonerating them against any wrong-doing.

So come on, Oprah. Cut the B.S., It’s either wrong or its not. It’s either un-healthy or it’s not. You should follow your own arguments to their own natural conclusion, and give it up already. I doubt there has been anyone in history that has fought weight quite so publically or been on quite so many diets. Tsk-tsk.

Eating Veggies: Shrinks brain (ass, thighs, and hips)

Scientists in Australia have apparently discovered a link in veganism and brain shrinkage. The researchers claim that an insufficient supply of vitamin b12 causes the brain to shrink and atrophy.

The link was found by Oxford University scientists who studies a group of 107 individuals between the ages of 61 and 87, and employed memory tests, physical examinations and brain scans to determine the results. Volunteers were tested in 2003, and again this year, and researchers claim that the individuals with the lowest level of vitamin b12 were the ones likeliest to suffer brain shrinkage.

The study went on to cite research claiming that people who consume alcohol regularly also suffer markedly from cerebral shrinkage, primarily localized to the hippocampus, a region of the brain responsible for short term memory. No mention was made in the study as to the ‘old-as-fuck’ status of the participants, and what role that may have played in the loss of brain tissue. Although vitamin b12 levels were taken, there is no mention as to whether any of the participants were vegans, vegetarians, or paint-huffers.

Dennis Kucinich: America's most popular vegan kicks some ass; names taken

Dennis Kucinich is on a roll, of late. Presidential ambitions once again dashed, this tofu chomping political bad-ass is apparently just warming up.

On September 10th, Kucinich presented a petition signed by over 50,000 individuals to house majority leader Nancy Pelosi (D - Ca) calling for the impeachment of President Bush, citing criminal mishandling of the war in Iraq, and calling it "errant retributive justice"

Three days later, on September 13th, Kucinich was quoted, saying that "The U.S. is playing with fire" regarding recent illegal border raids striking at alleged terror camps within Pakistan, a sovereign nation.

Yesterday, showing how much this seitan-satan really hates America, Lil' Denny Kucinich came down on Our national pastime by declaring in a house subcommittee meeting that there was "Substantial evidence of improprieties and possible fraud by the financial architects of the new Yankee Stadium." The stadium, scheduled to be built in the South Bronx is being funded in large part by hundreds of millions of dollars in tax-free bonds issued by the City of New York. The alleged fraud centers around the value of the property that the stadium is to be built on, and the issuance of the bonds based on the reported value. Kucinich calls in to question major gaps between two separate appraisals of the land in question. One as low as $45 per square foot, another for as much as $275.

How does such a disparity exist? According to Seth Pinksy, president of the city's Economic Development Corp, and the group responsible for coordinating the deal, it lies with the appraisal methods: One assuming the existence of a billion dollar stadium on the property, and on based on the property's value alone. Pinksy went on to claim that the project has been "...One of the most open and transparent processes in the history of the country," and continued on, citing the benefits of a "billion dollar investment in one of the poorest areas of the country." But Kucinich has not been the only critic of the deal. State Assemblyman Richard Brodsky (D - Westchester) has been a  vocal critic of the construction, and has said that there would be "little, if any, economic benefit to the public resulting from taxpayer subsidies."

It may at first seem unclear how a congressman from Ohio becomes embroiled a fishy project in New York state. But Kucinich sits on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and actually chairs the Domestic Policy Subcommitte, therefore he may have precedent in addressing the City of New York's issuing of bonds under IRS rules. How city officials stand to benefit from any underhanded dealings is still unclear. The Yankees have since also requested over 300 million dollars in additional tax-free bonds to help complete the project, and IRS officials are seeking a way to block the issuing of these bonds until an in-depth investigation may take place. Con. Kucinich has also implied that certain city officials may face perjury charges if it can be proven that they knowingly provided false information to the IRS. Yankee organization representatives are scheduled to to testify Oct. 7th in front of his Domestic Policy Subcommittee, which Kucinich chairs.

In an election cycle focusing more and more on government spending and ear-mark reform, Kucinich has recently gained mention in the media partly thanks to Barrack Obama who earlier this week - talking about McCain's favoring of both less and greater amounts of government regulation in the economy - referenced him saying "[John McCain]...can't decide whether he's Barry Goldwater or Dennis Kucinich." 

Zing!

Critical Mass: Are we there yet?

The city of San Francisco has proposed to eliminate select traffic lanes and parking spots in the congested streets of downtown. A couple of problems - according to Rob Anderson, District 5 supervisor - are that the plan will increase traffic congestion, and pose a serious threat to public safety. Anderson has filed suit against the San Francisco Bike Coalition (SFBC) for failing to complete an Environmental Impact Review (EIR) for the proposed plans' impact on the city, as required by law. The SFBC , in turn, asserts that such a move is a waste of time because bicycles burn no fossil fuels, and further more, Rob Anderson is a stupid asshole.

According to Anderson, eliminating traffic lanes would simply force more cars in to the fewer remaining lanes. Also, the plan to remove parking spots may also impact downtown businesses. Further more, putting more bicyclists on the street is asking for more bicycle related crashes and fatalities.

Read the case as put forth by Rob Anderson in his blog here. It may sound reasonable, but not necessarily to all of those in SF's bike community. Also, in my humble opinion, Anderson's assertion that adding more bicyclists would increase the number of bicycle related fatalities is misleading, since the cause of death of those riders is often the hood/ bumper of a car, and if people are riding their bikes they will not be behind the wheel ready to kill two-wheeled commuters.

Looking at the claim from a purely analytical standpoint: If 'X' amount of motorists get in their car today, 'Y' amount will have fatal accidents. The same rationale can be applied to bicyclists. And since an exponentially larger number of commuters die every year in their automobiles, I think safety is not the primary concern here. In addition, increasing the number of bicyclists might also serve to increase drivers awareness of them, and in turn work to decrease the number of bike vs. car accidents.

But what do I know? I ride the bus.

Cheese nips

Storchen, a restaurant in Switzerland, has been banned from adding human breast milk to their newly updated menu. Mr. Locher, proprietor, says "I first experimented with cooking with breast milk when my daughter was born...one can make really delicious things, although you always must add a little whipping cream to the milk to retain consistency." His ambitions were eventually thwarted after Zurich food inspectors claimed the move would violate government regulations. "Humans are not on the list of authorized milk suppliers, such as cows or sheep," said department head Rolf Etter.

Locher had planned on paying lactating mothers, recruited through local newspaper ads, $14.50 (U.S.) per liter of breast milk - officially making this the least lucrative way for a woman to make money with her breasts.

Zurich Health Department spokeswoman Christa Muller-Aregger was quoted as saying: "When hospitals stockpile milk banks the mothers and their milk are always given a health check. If a mother takes drugs or smokes then you will find traces in the milk," Muller-Aregger continued by adding "Human milk is specifically designed for babies and not to be of nutritional value for adults."

Of course it isn't. Unlike cows milk which mother nature clearly designed for humans.

And if all this wasn't bizarre enough, a company in France, called Petit Singly, has reportedly been making cheese with breast milk. No official word on whether or not the cheese really exists, however I will be unlikely tucking in to a grilled booby-cheese sandwich on my next tour through the Dordogne.

Fresh from Chernobyl Farms

In a baffling move the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved irradiating fresh produce for sale in the United States. U.S. men and women serving in the armed forces have long acted as unwitting lab rats in this macabre experiment gone hay-wire, and long term health effects are at present still unclear. This move falls in line with current FDA policy which implies that if you can chew it up and swallow it, and survive long enough to crap it out - it's safe to eat. 

The image above, known as the 'Radura' is what the FDA plans on requiring manufacturers to label irradiated products with and is seen by many to be intentionally misleading   and many are calling for more poignant labeling. Heres what the bleeding heart liberals at the University of Texas are saying about irradiation:

"Food irradiation is being promoted as a simple process that can be used to effectively and significantly reduce food-borne illnesses around the world. However, a thorough review of the literature reveals a paucity of adequate research conducted to specifically address health concerns that may directly result from the consumption of irradiated food. Consequently, there is considerable debate on the issue of health concerns from irradiated food among international agencies and between different nations...As a result of this review, the authors conclude that current evidence does not exist to substantiate the support or unconditional endorsement of irradiation of food for consumption. In addition, consumers are entitled to their right of choice in the consumption of irradiated versus un-irradiated food. Different countries should further evaluate their local and global risks and benefits prior to developing and recommending national and international food irradiation policies."

The lack of thought given to this issue raises other quesions. Will restaurants be required to disclose the use of irradiated products? If so, what is the oversight process? 

This clearly seems to be a lobbyist backed ploy by large producers to reduce the number of food borne illnesses reported each year. With this years 'tomato, cilantro, and jalepenos' debacle fresh on the American public's mind the FDA has certainly turned lemons into a big cool (and pragmatic) glass of lemonade. On the surface a seemingly noble cause, it is not hard to imagine that their true concern may lie in reducing the amount of money paid out in court settlements concerning the accidental poisonings. Zapping helpless spinach is a whole lot easier (cheaper) than trying to keep animal feces out of our supply chain. This logic flies in the face of the traditional "ounce-of-prevention trumps a-pound-of-cure" outlook, and sets a dangerous precedent for American food producers for the decades to come. 

This is something that people need to educate themselves about. The sad, simple truth is corporations exist to produce products consumers will buy. As consumers we all vote with our dollars and so we need to make informed decisions in the market place. For more information on irradiated foods read here. 

Pass the salt, please.

I wanted so bad to like Papa G's.  The eclectic cabana image, the hole-in-the-wall location, and sheer variety in menu options are all compelling reasons to get behind Papa G's. But there are some serious and unfortunate problems going on here. 

I believe $10/lb for pasta salad is a crime. A much friendlier priced option is the Organic Plate ($9) that come with choice of any two entrees, as well as a side of potatoes with choice of gravy (mushroom or ginger) and organic corn. For my meal, I chose the Chik'n with saffron rice, chanterelle mushroom stroganoff, and mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy. My partner chose the mac n' cheese, coconut & lime seasoned sweet potatoes, and the ginger gravy on her mashed potatoes.

The chik'n and rice was mediocre at best. The tofu 'chik'n' was executed well - properly spiced with a nice texture - but the rice was overcooked and mushy and lacking fundamentals like salt and pepper. 

The mac n' cheese was decent. The pasta was laughingly mushy, but the cheese/ nutritional yeast sauce was creamy and satisfied the blue box blues.  On the whole it was much more satisfying than The Paradox's paltry offering. 

The coconut & lime sweet potatoes were awful. A dish like this requires an expert balance of salty and sweet and Papa G's missed the mark entirely. The lime flavor was overpowering while the coconut was utterly elusive. This dish again lacked salt and pepper and while sitting at holding temperature during the evening the natural sweet potato sugar became bitter and molasses-like.

The mashed red potatoes were perhaps the most poorly executed. This simple dish is a staple for most vegans I know, but Papa G's missed the mark entirely. The potatoes, like everything. had little or no salt and pepper, and were dry to the point of being 'dusty.' It was like eating dirt - but with less flavor. The mushroom gravy was okay, but I was served such a miniscule portion of it that it was entirely insufficient to mask the unbelievably dry potatoes. My partner had her potatoes with the ginger gravy which (to our mutual disbelief) seemed to be nothing more than oriental top ramen seasoning packets thickened with corn starch. It was clumpy and cloying, and (in an ironic twist)  inedibly salty.

Even the corn - a dish so fundamentally unremarkable that %99 of the time it would defy comment - was bad. It had held in the steam tray way too long and had become shriveled and chewy. 

The one highlight of the evening? The chanterelle mushroom stroganoff. It was creamy, well seasoned, and visually right on the money. I detected no obvious soy flavors and could easily imagine I was piggishly sucking down the real thing. The pasta was as overcooked as the mac n cheese, but lent itself well to the application. We also shared a oatmeal-chocolate chip cookie that wasn't bad, although again kind of bland and pedestrian when compared to the quality products being made by the fine folks at Sweet Pea.

Most places in the U.S., Katherine Nemthe's saying "veggers can't be choosers" rings true. Portland is more blessed with vegan options than most places in the country. There are some winners here, and a surprising amount of losers for a 'food town;' the one thing held here in common is they are all cottage industries. We have no glamorous vegan chefs or even really any solid vegan restaurants that don't suffer a glaring fundamental flaw, whether it be service (lacking), consistency (scarce), or a permeating banality (abundant). We will know we have arrived as a movement (and as a consumer group) when Portland's vegan restaurants leave behind the amateurish tinkering of the well meaning hobbyist and graduate to thoughtful, professional execution and attentive service which is fundamental to the success of a restaurant. Until then we are all a captive audience relegated to pining away for the possibility of better days yet to come. Shitty hipster service, and shittier faux-gournet food will never persuade a single person to become a vegan. One bright day in the future we will have more options - and with that day will come Papa G's reckoning.