"Thanks to everyone for coming to the party! The food was some of the best we've ever had. For those that make food, I really appreciate the effort you put into it, it's a really beautiful thing. Wow. ... MoreAnd for those that bring things from the store, that's great, too, I've been introduced to quite a few new yummy things I can eat without making. I had originally planned to have the evening be quite a bit more structured, with us breaking off into little groups to come up with plans to overthrow the carnivores, then getting back together to discuss the best of the ideas. I really was serious about all that! So I apologize for not delivering on that. I got a cold and didn't have the energy to prepare for or execute that as I wanted. So, my mock serious cabal will have to wait for another time... Thanks for understanding! A few of you sent in some great ideas for converting everyone to a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle, and here they are: Valerie: - Have the federal government include in the health insurance plan to make health insurance companies (because it looks like we won't get a government plan option) provide discounts to those who are vegetarian/vegan. - Create a weight loss program that's as big as Jenny Craig (using celebrity power), showing people they don't even have to really exercise to lose weight. Just become vegan! This would encompass really great tasting vegan food to dispel the myth that they will be giving up great tasting food and sweets. And they won't only lose weight, but receive other health benefits like anti-age. - Create ad campaigns of how the animals we eat feel emotion just like us. It doesn't even have to be graphic. If corporate networks won't show the commercials or ads, use YouTube and viral emails to preview. Shane: - All meat eaters will get an involuntary dose of E.coli so they’ll know how to recognize it in the future (this is a public safety measure, after all). - If any meat eaters get a tax return, their money will be automatically directed to PETA or the Physicans Committee for Responsible Medicine. - Meat eaters will have to pay more for airplane tickets, since they are typically heavier than their vegetarian counterparts, thus taking up more space and weight on the plane. Fred: - Create a day free of eating animals. I am thinking of like June 1 because it's warm and far enough away to get it rolling. We can spread it throughout the internet via our hundreds or even thousands of friends. - Wear something everyday that shows you are a vegan. It creates awareness and garners questions. Questions = opportunities to spread the word. - Get my 8 novels published, as they contain vegetarian themes and/or characters - five are about a future without meat. Quinxy: - Discourage meat consumption by passing an extremely high meat/fish/poultry tax with the funds going to animal welfare (the cigarette tax approach) - Give federal/state tax credits to vegetarians/vegans. - Ration meat using a system of meat ration coupons (like they did in WWII) - Promote the eating of beloved animals (horses, dogs, cats) in an attempt at reverse psychology, by showing people the ridiculousness of thinking one animal is okay to eat and another off limits - Federal funds towards envitromeat development. - Force meat eaters to wear a costume depicting the animal they consumed for 1 hour after such consumption. Eat some pork fried rice, wear a pig costume for 1 hour. - For every animal eaten, require the eater to pick a name for the animal and display a life-size statue of the animal with the name and an indication of birth/death date outside their home (for a period of 6 months). (A cow being large, obviously you might eat 150 hamburgers before needing a second cow statue on your lawn.) Thanks again! Quinxy "

"Thanks for everyone's suggestions! I've created a poll where you can choose where we'll go for an upcoming event. Please go and vote! (The poll only let me put in 12 choices, so I had to reduce the list from the 28 suggestions made so far...."

"Donate $10 to Haiti relief by texting “Haiti” to 90999. - I wouldn't post this if it wasn't legit. I checked it out. ... MoreThey list it on the home page of the American Red Cross, and describe it in more detail on their blog. 100% of the money donated will go the Haiti relief effort. Most of us are vegetarians for reasons of deep compassion, and this new Haitian suffering surely calls out to all of us. It can scarcely be comprehended. This mechanism for donation literally takes less than ten seconds, no digging out your credit card, no typing in your name. If you can afford the ten bucks, and feel like they're a good organization, it's the easiest way to help; the easiest way to feel like you did "something". Quinxy "

"One of our members, Kim, passed this info along. USC is conducting a study and desperately needs vegan blood samples (they have 4 and need at least 40). ... MoreMost restrictions regarding donating blood (for example you can't donate blood if you've lived in the UK for more than 6 months) don't apply to this study. Hopefully something good will come out of it! This research study is about how the lipid composition of blood is affected by one’s diet. We hope to learn how vegan diets affect the lipid content of blood, which can have an impact on a person’s health. This can lead to insights into possible diet-related susceptibilities to heart and brain-related disorders. This information will be especially useful in studies aimed at diagnosing and treating childhood neurodegenerative disorders caused by defects in lipid metabolism, such as the Zellweger syndrome spectrum of peroxisomal disorders. We are recruiting healthy individuals over the age of 18 who have kept a vegan diet for at least one year. USC Blood Donor Center 2250 Alcazar Street Suite 136 (free parking) Los Angeles CA 90089 (around the corner from USC University Hospital) [masked] (call to schedule an appointment) "

"Oh, I don't think I'll find it again, but perhaps someone else will recognize my description of it... On my way to the drive-in in City of Industry (within 5-10 miles of it) there was this amazing (I believe) Chinese restaurant......"