Ethicurean’s Recent Comments

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  Move over, Rachael Ray

  Marinara sauce from a jar? Fake sausage from soy and textured wheat gluten? Margarine? I'm sorry, what exactly is  assembling a "meal" out of processed foodlike items doing on Grist? Just because you didn't use meat doesn't make this a success story. I'm not vegan, but if I were I'd be insulted by this meal -- there are plenty of actual foods one can eat instead of meat and cheese substitutes. Like, say, vegetables.

  Yucko.On A noncarnivorous path to Super Bowl-snack nirvana posted 1 year, 9 months ago 9 Responses

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  Soil from oil and "peak NKP"?

  Great article as usual, Tom. Now I have four more books to add to my gigantic pile -- us noobs have so much catching up to do.

  Question: I believe the nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus for synthetic fertilizer are most commonly derived from oil, yes? Do you think that rising petroleum prices, and the likelihood that production may have peaked, will cause the industrial agriculture system to crash? Or is there an alternate way to synthesize these chemicals from something we have unlimited amounts of...say, from feedlot manure? Of course, feedlot cows eat corn, which requires massive amounts of artificial fertilizer...

  My secret hope is that "peak oil" could force the whole unhealthy system to reboot.

  Bonnie aka Dairy QueenOn Reviving a much-cited, little-read sustainable-ag masterpiece posted 2 years, 8 months ago 5 Responses

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  UGH

  I guess Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant wasn't available to round out this panel of horsemen of the apocalypse fully.

  Not sure why I'm so stunned at the scale of the USDA's shameless pandering -- I guess I actually thought times they were a'changing -- but I am.

  Bonnie aka Dairy Queen

   

  Chew the right thing -- sustainable, organic, local, and/or ethical...SOLE food, for short.

  On Bush's USDA plays footsie with ADM, Cargill, and even the API on farm policy. posted 2 years, 8 months ago 1 Response

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  Ethical meat-eating vs. veganism

  (Thanks for the Ethicurean plug, Tom! Most appreciated)

  Gregory: As an ex-vegetarian and friend of several vegans, I also agree mightily that if we could wave a magic wand and make the planetary population become herbivores, and or even just the United States, we would vastly improve public health and the environment. But we can't.

  In the meantime, I think it's important to focus efforts where we can effect real change: getting people who do eat meat to eat less of it, and to really look at where what they're eating comes from. The big meatpackers and CAFO owners in this country go to great lengths to hide their disgusting, irresponsible animal-raising practices. When you show people these conditions, and then show them the small-scale alternatives that are available, most of them respond positively.  

  Chew the right thing -- sustainable, organic, local, and/or ethical...SOLE food, for short.

  On Why the vegetarian critique of meat-eating should make meat-eaters squirm posted 2 years, 9 months ago 103 Responses

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  Looking forward to it!

  I'm going, and looking forward to stalking meeting all of you. Who else from Grist will be attending -- I don't supposed Tom Philpott will be flying out from NC? I'd like him to autograph my composter.

  Bonnie aka Dairy QueenOn In San Fran posted 3 years ago 1 Response