OxVeg Online News August 2009
Dear Member Just as you were thinking you'd heard the last of me here I am again, though only for a couple of issues of OxVeg News while Heather is on maternity leave. Heather's baby is due this month, so I hope to be able to bring you some news in the September issue. Meanwhile, I hope that you find this month's issue interesting. Best wishes Paul Appleby Assistant Secretary CONTENTS: 1. Oxford Vegan Food Fair 2. Another OxVeg centenarian 3. "Bad Science" (reviewed by Paul Freestone) 4. Holiday Reports 5. Horror Hotel in Oxford 6. Living Graves 7. Forthcoming Events 1. Oxford Vegan Food Fair Rachel Foster writes: The Oxford Free Vegan Food Fair is returning again this year - bigger and better! Non-profit making, it aims to promote a vegan diet to help animals, health, the environment and sustainability in feeding the world. As well as masses of free vegan food to try (home-made, donated by companies and even restaurants) there will also be stalls, films, talks (The History of Vegetarianism by Paul Freestone, and 'Animals Count' by Richard de Boo) a cookery demonstration, alternative treatment taster sessions, and entertainment for children such as magic and puppet shows, games, arts and crafts etc. With free admission, it promises to be an event for all the family that must not to be missed in these days of the credit crunch! Bring your non-veggie friends and dare them not to be converted! The Fair will be held at Wesley Memorial Church Hall, New Inn Hall St., Oxford, on Saturday August 15th, 12 noon to 4pm. Readers who would like to make a contribution in any artistic sphere they enjoy, e.g. story-telling, exhibiting art work of animals, workshops in a craft or treatment, songs or music, or having a stall with an ethical slant, or willing to help in any other way (for example serving food, teas and coffees) are welcome to contact me on 01865 717839 or by email at Protected email address . 2. Another OxVeg centenarian Congratulations to Gwen Archer who celebrated her 100th birthday in July. Although Gwen's membership of OxVeg lapsed some years ago (not surprisingly because she found it difficult to attend meetings!) she was a member for many years, and her son Edward is still on the membership list. Many readers will know Edward from his time as organiser-in-chief of the informal monthly get-togethers at The Mitre in Oxford High Street. Our oldest member is founder member and honorary life member Margery Jones, who will be 102 in October, whilst our other honorary life member June Whitehouse will be 85 in December. Margery, Gwen and June all live in Headington, Oxford. Must be something in the air! 3. "Bad Science" (reviewed by Paul Freestone) Bad Science. Ben Goldacre. 4th Estate. 370pp. Paperback. £8.99. (Currently available via Amazon for £3.60.) Ben Goldacre is a doctor who writes the 'Bad Science' column in The Guardian. This book is an extended version of his newspaper articles, and it's all the better for that. Throughout the 16 chapters he carefully takes apart a series of popular medical and science myths. Homeopathy is dismissed in 34 pages, the evidence (or the lack of it) is painstakingly examined and anyone who genuinely believes in homeopathy (i.e. in the way that homeopaths claim that it works) should read this. He fully acknowledges that homeopathy can have positive results, but this is via the placebo effect, rather than the 'memory' of the original super-diluted substance. However, all alternative therapies get the same treatment. And it's uncomfortable reading, especially if you have ever handed over hard earned cash for something that was complete rubbish. (For me, it was the aqua detox footbath that 'removes toxins'. In my defence, I was dragged along and I didn't pay for it.) Two specific individuals (Gillian McKeith and Patrick Holford) are characterised as little more than glorified con artists. Unfortunately, both of them have made millions out of their various books, pills and 'wonder foods'.[1] Incidentally, anyone can call themselves a 'nutritionist', but the term 'dietician' is a proper recognised qualification. This is a very important distinction. Watch any TV programme about diets and lifestyle such as You Are What You Eat or The Diet Doctors) and it will always feature self-styled nutritionists. (Note - Ms McKeith responds to any criticism very badly, frequently with legal action. Therefore I wish to state very clearly that I don't believe that she is a con artist. Far from it, she is absolutely wonderful. However, please read the chapter devoted to her. It's very funny. The same applies to the equally wonderful Professor Holford. He once claimed that "some supermarket oranges contain no vitamin C".) Frequently, supporters and practitioners of alternative therapies will quote studies and tests as 'proof' that a specific therapy is genuinely effective. Goldacre dissects the research and demonstrates how the so-called evidence can be manipulated to produce the required result. When this analysis is applied to the nefarious activities of the pharmaceutical companies it reveals very disturbing methods. He comments: "Drug companies have a huge influence over what gets researched, how it is researched, how the results are reported, how they are analysed, and how they are interpreted." This book is highly readable, very informative and hugely entertaining. The author bemoans the way that science stories are reported.[2] According to him, this is because the media is run by humanities graduates with little understanding of science. He also maintains that most people aren't stupid. Bad Science was shortlisted for the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction 2009, but it didn't win. - Paul Freestone [1] The Sunday Times (19/7/09) reported that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) had exposed the unproven health benefits of more than 50 products. These included fish oil supplements, which claim to "boost brain growth" and probiotic drinks which "improve gut health". Currently in the UK, £320m per year is spent on vitamins and supplements. [2] The front page of The Daily Express (14/7/09) pronounced that "Wonder Pill Cuts Fat By Half". This included the statement that "a simple tablet that could halve body fat in just a week has been created by scientists." Also, "when tested on mice it was found to decrease body weight by 25% and fat mass by 42% in a week". A very basic knowledge of biology, or just common sense, tells you that this is ridiculous. If a mouse did lose 42% of fat mass in a week, how much of that mouse would actually be left? 4. Holiday Reports It being the holiday season, I thought it would be nice to have some reports of readers' holiday experiences, especially at hotels and guest houses that profess to cater for vegetarians and vegans. Were they better or worse than expected? Would you recommend them to other readers? What about the destination itself - was it worth the effort of getting there and did you discover any veggie-friendly eating places to write home about? Please send your contributions to the editor at the email address below. To start things off, here are my impressions of Southcliffe Guest House (www.southcliffe.co.uk; tel. 01598 753328) in Lynton, Devon, where my wife and I spent 3 nights at the end of May. Though not exclusively vegetarian, Southcliffe claims to specialise in "vegetarian and vegan breakfasts and evening meals" in its regular advertisement in The Vegetarian. The proprietors certainly made a good job of preparing our vegan breakfasts - not an easy task given our rather specialised dietary requirements beyond veganism. Our hostess even prepared a home-made gluten-free granola for us that was extremely tasty. Although we did not take up the option of an evening meal it could prove useful for veggie visitors as Lynton is a small town and the few local eating places had rather limited vegetarian options. In summary, Southcliffe is a well-managed, reasonably priced and conveniently situated guest house in England's "Little Switzerland". Meanwhile, readers with more exotic holiday destinations in mind might like to check out vegan Bill's reports from Thailand and Cambodia on the Verdant Reports website (http://verdantreports.org/). Bill (a pseudonym) writes: "Verdant Reports are short crafted five-minute chunks of audio with variety and interest. It's like Youtube for the ears. Podcasts are radio programmes you can listen to on the internet. There are already quite a few veggie ones, and they are generally long and chatty. Verdant Reports are short, and feature different people giving different angles." 5. Horror Hotel in Oxford Talking of holidays, readers of this newsletter are unlikely to need hotel accommodation in Oxford, but if they have friends or relations visiting the city they might like to warn them that "cheap" is certainly not "cheerful" in the case of this guest house on Iffley Road. "When I searched on Yahoo for Vegan Hotel in Oxford I came across Nanford Guest House. It looked quite impressive on their website front page. However this impression soon faded as the reality hit me as I walked through the door. The proprietor was hidden in a dark dank room surrounded by a TV continually spitting out canned laughter and adorned by a photo of John Cleese. He looked like a cross between Steve Martin and behaved like Basil Fawlty. On showing me the room he was terse and quite existential about my obvious dislike of the room. He left quickly, probably to show some other naive punter their cheap but not so very cheerful place of repose for the night. On closer inspection the room was more like a hostel for the homeless than a guest house. The so-called en suite was hidden behind a door on a rail which wobbled with its own sense of direction. I entered with trepidation only to be surrounded by a swarm of flies. The shower was encrusted with mould, the toilet had a towering cistern and a frayed string pull. I did not dare shower despite feeling dirtier for every minute spent there. Visions of Psycho-type reprisals from landlord, having already witnessed his manhandling of an ungrateful American tourist. The furniture was like the discarded contents of DSS salerooms circa 1970, the carpet was from an era when brown was fashionable. The dingy pink curtains did not want to stay on the precariously hung track. The view out of the window was spectacular through the greying torn net curtain: discarded fridges and washing machines, pots of paints & turpentine. "When were these used?" I wondered. The smell was pervasive: it seemed to cling to each of my nosehairs & my clothes & reminded me of the sweet odour of diabetic sores. It was not until the following morning, after a fitful night's sleep in a bed with loosely fitting protruding springs wrapped in a mattress, that I learned that Nanford Guest House had been voted the worst Guest House in Britain - a well-earned accolade I am sure. Oh, and the vegan breakfast, after I'd been sent away once as the sardine-can-like dining room was too full: they did not know what vegan meant but we could have a Full English and some cheese!!! " - A vegan visitor to Oxford 6. Living Graves Sorting through some files recently I came across an old Compassion in World Farming (www.ciwf.org) leaflet containing the poem Living Graves by the famous Irish playwright and staunch vegetarian George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950). You can find this and other poems and animal rights literature on the All Creatures website (www.all-creatures.org) but to save you looking the poem is reproduced below. Living Graves We are the living graves of murdered beasts, Slaughtered to satisfy our appetites. We never pause to wonder at our feasts, If animals, like men, can possibly have rights. We pray on Sundays that we may have light, To guide our footsteps on the path we tread. We're sick of War, we do not want to fight - The thought of it now fills our hearts with dread, And yet - we gorge ourselves upon the dead. Like carrion crows, we live and feed on meat, Regardless of the suffering and pain We cause by doing so, if thus we treat Defenseless animals for sport or gain, How can we hope in this world to attain The PEACE we say we are so anxious for. We pray for it, o'er hecatombs of slain, To God, while outraging the moral law. Thus cruelty begets its offspring - WAR. 7. Forthcoming Events Saturday 15th August, 12 noon to 4pm. Free Vegan Food Fair, Wesley Memorial Hall, New Inn Hall Street, Oxford. The biggest veggie event of the year in Oxford, organised by Rachel Foster and sponsored by Animal Aid, Oxford Animal Protection, Tiffins Tandoori of Kidlington, and OxVeg. Featuring stalls, films, talks, cookery demonstration, games, treatment taster sessions and, of course, free food to sample. Admission free. Sunday 16th August, 10am-2pm. Gluten-free, vegan & raw Kitchen Buddy Culinary Workshop. St Ethelwold House, Abingdon, Oxon. Individuals £35, couples £60 (includes lunch), 10% discount for OxVeg members. Further details at www.kitchenbuddy.eu or email Theresa Webb at Protected email address Saturday 22nd August, 12 noon - 5pm. Elder Stubbs Festival, Rymers Lane, Cowley, Oxford. OxVeg are running a stall at this popular annual event featuring stalls and live music. An excellent opportunity to buy organic vegetables grown at the Elder Stubbs allotments. Please contact our stalls coordinator at Protected email address if you would like to help run our stall. Sunday 6th September, 11am-8pm. London Vegan Festival, Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8. Featuring stalls, speakers, music, food - a great day out for everyone (and easily accesible from Oxford as the venue is a 10-15 minute walk from the Oxford Tube stop at Notting Hall Gate). Admission £2, under-16s free. Details at www.vegancampaigns.org.uk/festival or phone 020 8670 9585. Friday 18th September, 7.30pm. OxVeg Dining Out Club meal at The Star Inn, Middle Road, Stanton St John. A lovely Oxfordshire pub a few miles outside Oxford. Please email Natasha at Protected email address or telephone 01865 723760 to reserve a place. Saturday 26th September, 10.30am-11.30pm (party from 7.30pm). Festival of Life (raw food), Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, Holborn, London WC1R. Featuring stalls, music, organic market, raw kitchen gadgets, talks &c. All-day tickets £10 (concessions £8), daytime or evening only tickets £6 (£4). Details at www.festivaloflife.net . Saturday 26th September, 10.30am-4.30pm. The Incredible Veggie Roadshow, Town Hall, Cheltenham. Organised by Viva! Free admission. Details at www.viva.org.uk/events.php . Thursday 15th October, 7.30pm. OxVeg AGM, Panel Room, Oxford Town Hall. Your opportunity to have your say in how OxVeg is run, to help elect the new committee, and perhaps to volunteer your services. All members are welcome to attend, although only full (i.e. vegetarian or vegan) members are entitled to vote. Friday 16th October, 7.30pm. OxVeg Dining Out Club meal at Bangkok House, 42a Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford. A Thai restaurant near the railway station. Please email Natasha at Protected email address or telephone 01865 723760 to reserve a place. OxVeg Online News is published on the first Sunday of the month and we welcome contributions from members. Please send your contributions to the Paul Appleby
Author: Paul Appleby
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