Wow. Just the first two graphs of this New York Times story are pretty shocking.

"Sometimes, government inspectors responsible for examining slaughterhouse cattle for mad cow disease and other ills are so short-staffed that they find themselves peering down from catwalks at hundreds of animals at once, looking for such telltale signs as droopy ears, stumbling gait and facial paralysis.

The ranks of inspectors are so thin that slaughterhouse workers often figure out when ''surprise'' visits are about to take place, and make sure they are on their best behavior."

NPR's Terry Gross had this interesting segment today. She interviewed Michael Specter, a New Yorker science writer, on the subject of the carbon footprint of food. They discussed the complexity of determining the footprint, which is based on a variety of factors such as how far the food is transported, the manner in which it's transported, what chemicals and fertilizers are used to help the food grow, whether artificial heating is needed for it to grow, etc.

Would you like to see a measure of your food's carbon footprint along with its calorie count before you make a purchases?

Fewer food safety issues to worry yourself with.

143 Million Pounds of Beef Recalled

I think this article on incompatible eaters speaks for itself.
I should point out that it includes the second reference I've come across to meat eaters smelling bad... weird.

Here's an interesting article on the impact of meat-eating on the environment, written by a non-vegetarian in Sunday's New York Times. The author is actually Mark Bittman, apparently a meat-lover, who recently published a vegetarian cookbook called "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian."

Well I've officially decided it's okay to talk about pets (or animals most Americans wouldn't typically think of eating) on this blog.

Here's a New York Times story on the evolving role of the family pet as, well, one of the family. The reporter interviews people who become hyper-attached to their pets and insist on bringing them everywhere, including to the homes of friends and family where they are not welcome.

I was trying to think of some interesting insight or provocative question to share with you, but really, it's just a funny article. Read it.

This is Helen's puppy Tesla,
whom Helen does not take
everywhere!

Among the New York Times Sunday Magazine's year in ideas was this, vegansexuality.

An excerpt:
"In a study released in May, Annie Potts, a researcher at the University of Canterbury and a director of the New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies, surveyed 157 vegans and vegetarians (120 of them women) on the topic of cruelty-free living. The questions ranged from attitudes about eating meat to keeping pets to wearing possum fur to, yes, “cruelty-free sex” — that is, “rejecting meat eaters as intimate partners.”

One survey respondent explained, “I couldn’t think of kissing lips that allow dead animal pieces to pass between them,” while others said that vegans simply smell better.

I have little personal understanding of this, since for a few years of my relationship, I ate meat and my boyfriend did not. But if I ever was to seek out another partner, I don't think I would really consider meat eating to be deal-breaker.

How do you feel about this? If you're a vegetarian or vegan, does it bother you (or would it, hypothetically) if your partner did not follow the same rules? And do vegans really smell better?

Okay, I know this is a real stretch for this blog, but I couldn't resist the urge to share it. There's an article in today's New York Times Style Section about Dogster, a facebook-like social networking site for, you guessed it, dogs. Now I'm an animal lover (proud owner of 2 ferrets) and also a member of Generation Facebook, but I think this is utterly ridiculous.

According to the article, Dogster's popularity (there are approximately 350,000 (!) members) has already resulted in the creation of Catster, which has about 145,000 members. The article also quotes Ted Rheingold, the founder of Dogster, as promising a similar site soon for horses, dogs and fish. I don't know about you, but I can't wait for the day I can get a real-time newsfeed on my cell phone of my fish friends' musical tastes, relationship status and movie ratings.

This is only peripherally related to the blog, but I found this entry on the New York Times' "Well" blog really interesting.

To sum it up, a University of Washington study found that high-calorie foods (like candy, pastries, breads and snacks) cost an average of $1.76 per 1,000 kcal, while low-calorie but nutrient-rich foods (like fruits and vegetables) cost $18.16 per 1,000 kcal. That's a big difference!

This is a cute Thanksgiving story... a week late, I know. I just found it today.

I found this article from the New York Times enjoyable....

Where the Votes Are, So Are All Those Calories

This will make your struggles to keep to a healthy regimen seem like a piece of cake (ha! get it?)