• John Bartlett, renowned designer and animal activist, will be hosting an animal adoption event at his 7th Ave Store.The North Shore Animal League is bringing their mobile unit full of adoptable mutt-igrees as well as a couple of puppy mill rescues. I snapped the image above of Bartlett’s rescue pup Tiny Tim the last time I swung by his studio. Look at that face!
Saturday July 31st Noon – 5pm 143 7th Avenue South
New York, NY 10014
• Get your tickets now, and get up to the gorgeous Woodstock, NY!The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger (GOASTT) is the new project by Sean Lennon and his musical partner and girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl. Their first album “Acoustic Sessions” is due Oct. 26 and being released by Chimera Music. Listen to samples here. Opening for GOASTT will be an acoustic set from Undersea Poem, followed by Woodstock locals Jonathan Donahue (Mercury Rev) and Amy Helm (Levon Helm’s band and Ollabelle) performing as a duo called Love Is For The Birds. The concert will be held on an open lawn at the Sanctuary in Willow, NY, directions here.
Heavy-metal-headbanging, hard-hitting, hillbilly-pro-wrestling Mountain Mike Paul Crockett is not your typical vegan. In fact, along with ex-cattle rancher and “Mad Cowboy”, Howard Lyman, he’s one of the few people I’ve come across who’s been able to do such a drastic lifestyle 180º – defying all odds, and in the process, saving his life (along with many animals). The fairy tale that “quality” protein only comes from eating muscle still persists in machismo culture, yet time and time again, people like Mike prove that the idea that eating muscle makes you muscular is as silly as eating a feather to fly.
I had some time to chat with Mike recently, and here’s our interview:
DB: You have such an unlikely and amazing story – how and when did you become a vegan?
MPC: Thank you. I have only been a vegan for a few months…..but I have been a vegetarian since March 31, 2009. I made the decision to become a vegetarian after meeting my girlfriend, who has been veg for 15+ years. She made a suggestion that I cut back on meat, because she was worried about my gargantuan consumptions of animal flesh: 3-5 lbs a day! I had considered becoming vegetarian several times in my life prior to meeting her, but never went through with it because of the whole “animal protein = strength” bullshit that is fed down society”s throat, but once she showed me some slaughterhouse videos, that was THE END of my meat consumption! A few months ago, I decided that I cannot support ANY kind of animal cruelty, so I gave up eggs and dairy, and now as a vegan, I am looking into changing out the leather seats in my truck, getting rid of my leather wallet, boots, jacket, etc! In my 31 years on this planet I have selfishly taken so much from animals that had no choice in their death, and dammit, I will spend the rest of my life making it right to the animals that I would have taken from had I not become a vegan….
DB: As a self-declared “hillbilly” and country boy, how is your new lifestyle perceived by your friends and family?
MPC: My family don’t really understand my passion, since I used to be the one in the family to BBQ and cook the steaks to perfection, but they know when my mind is made up about something there ain’t no changing my mind about things – honestly it hardly ever gets talked about, I have a wonderful family, my friends are also understanding, and a lot of them always ask me what I eat so they can keep those groceries on hand in case I drop by. But where I come from in East Texas, most people think something is wrong with you if you don’t wake up and shove fried chicken and beef brisket down yer throat – but I can kick their asses, so whats the problem? That’s right, there ain’t one. Lol…..
.
DB: Who is Mountain Mike, and how did you create this persona?
MPC: When I became a professional wrestler in Jan 2009, I created the character known as Mountain Mike because I was weighing over 500 pounds, and always wore overalls……it really made the crowd pop, I came out there in the ring looking like a big ol’ mountain man, and everyone loved it, especially the kids!!
DB: Only because I know you must love answering this question a thousand times a day, where do you get your protein?
MPC: I get plenty of plant protein from a wide variety of sources: black beans (which are an absolute staple of my diet), peanut butter, hummus, whole grains (brown rice, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa), soymilk and Ezekiel cereal. I definitely got to be a morbidly obese 535 pounds by consuming huge amounts of animal protein and FAT! Now that all of my protein is plant based, I am much leaner (425 lbs), stronger, and more agile than I was when I was eating animals, and I am continuing to drop that nasty fat that I accumulated while eating unhealthy animal protein.
DB: Do you like to cook? What is your favorite dish, and what is your specialty?
MPC: As long as I can make it quick, I like to cook! And favorite dish? BLACK BEANS AND BROWN RICE! My specialty is a healthy vegetable stir-fry with peanuts and brown rice: quick, easy, and too spicy for most human beings. Haha!
DB: What do you wan to say to men who think that caring about health, animals, or eating tofu is for sissies?
MPC: Get destroyed by me or Rob Bigwood on the armwrestling table and then tell us we are sissies…or come watch me do 700 pound shrugs in the gym for reps – the real “sissies” are the ones who shoot animals for sport, recreation, or whatever the fuck their coward excuse is. That’s right, I am calling out HUNTERS and calling them the real “sissies” of our world. Anyone else throwing around that word is just misinformed about our passions. Sorry about the rant, I have no tolerance for cruelty.
DB: Now that you have changed your lifestyle, have you influenced anyone around you to do the same?
MPC: I have made my family and friends look at what they are eating in a different way, and I encourage them to follow their heart and do what is right for our animals, environment, and humanity in general. I hope in time, they will feel the same compassion as I do.
DB: What is next in your career? I saw the trailer for “Wrestling Demons”, how is that going?
MPC: I am working on becoming a motivational speaker. After all of the changes that I have been through over the last two years, I really want to help other people who might be struggling with depression, addiction, or believing in themselves. “Wrestling Demons” is currently under network consideration, and I believe that it is going to happen. I promise to help educate the public about veganism, and all the important issues that we consider to be our credo if it gets picked up by a network.
DB: What s the best thing about becoming a vegan? The worst?
MPC: Well as you can see, I am very passionate about animals – the greatest thing about being a vegan is knowing that EVERY bite of food I put in my mouth has no suffering behind it, nothing sucks about being a vegan, we rule!!
DB: Where can we see you arm wrestle, wrestle, or play in your band?
MPC: Currently my band is on hiatus, but I am working on a New Age record that I hope to release next year. I am taking a break from professional wrestling due to a neck injury, so all my passion and heart is into armwrestling right now, and I am competing again in August at the Europa Supershow in Dallas, TX.
DB: If any of our readers are near Dallas next week, hopefully they’ll come by and cheer you on!
• Timeless Navy coats get ethical. Dress to oppress (I mean impress…). I love Barney’s exclusive organic cotton twill peacoat, inspired by Fidelity’s classic US Navy coats. Barney’s also offers a handsome Fidelity, organic cotton, toggle front peacoat in khaki. While an ethical military may never exist, the utilitarian clothing designed for it is often flawlessly functional.
• The Dirty Dozen. The Environmental Working Group, a public health nonprofit, put out a list of the fruits and veggies to absolutely avoid unless they’re organic. They analyzed almost 100,000 produce pesticide reports from the USDA and the FDA. The “Dirty Dozen,” which contain 47 to 67 pesticides per serving, are the most dangerous because they have porous or textured skins that suck up more pesticides.
1. Celery
2. Peaches
3. Strawberries
4. Apples
5. Domestic blueberries
6. Nectarines
7. Sweet bell peppers
8. Spinach, kale and collard greens
9. Cherries
10. Potatoes
11. Imported grapes
12. Lettuce
Clean Fifteen. On the other side of this equation is the fruits and veggies that are not terribly hazardous if you get the conventional, non-organic varieties. These had the least detectable residues of pesticides:
1. Onions
2. Sweet corn
3. Sweet peas
4. Asparagus
5. Cabbage
6. Eggplant
7. Sweet potatoes
8. Avocados
9. Pineapples
10. Mangoes,
11. Kiwi
12. Domestic cantaloupe
13. Watermelon
14. Grapefruit
15. Honeydew
• Have a Cow, Man. Do you have some land? Enough for a cow or two to hang out on? Farm Sanctuary needs a few good men to be new dads to some recently rescued calves. What’s better than hanging out with a giant puppy? Click HERE to find out how you can become the most ethical cowboy around.
• Osborn shoes offers one vegan style for guys with cotton uppers and rubber soles. They are fair trade, small-scale, and pretty freakin’ cool. I wish all their soles were rubber!
2. Abercrombie & Fitch: sweatshops in Saipan, exploitative worker contracts, zero-transparency according to Corporate Responsibility, ILRF’s Hall of Shame
3. The Gap (Old Navy & Banana Republic): New Delhi child labor, Saipan sweatshops labeled as “Made in USA”, Forced abortions on female factory workers.
• A New York Times article today reports on the grossly underestimated amount of oil gushing into the Gulf. “A government panel on Thursday essentially doubled its estimate of how much oil has been spewing from the out-of-control BP well, with the new calculation suggesting that an amount equivalent to the Exxon Valdez disaster could be flowing into the Gulf of Mexico every 8 to 10 days. The new estimate is 25,000 to 30,000 barrels of oil a day. That range, still preliminary, is far above the previous estimate of 12,000 to 19,000 barrels a day.”
• The New York Times Magazine, this week, has a heart-wrenching and though-provoking feature article on a phenomenon many psychologists, criminologists, prosecutors, veterinarians, and law enforcement professionals have suspected for a very long time: cruelty towards animals is directly connected to violence towards other people. “… a growing sensitivity to the rights of animals, another significant reason for the increased attention to animal cruelty is a mounting body of evidence about the link between such acts and serious crimes of more narrowly human concern, including illegal firearms possession, drug trafficking, gambling, spousal and child abuse, rape and homicide.”
In this installment of Ethical Exploits, contributor Matt Lara deals with a lot of liquids – from the oceans that float Sea Shepherd to unclogging your drain without dumping deadly chemicals into the water – and from homemade grapefruit juice and ethical bathroom cleaners to soda that funds dog shelters. These every-day tips and tricks are always tested, tried and true by Matt, himself.
I was able to score a sample one of these awesome scarves designed by a friend of mine. They are handmade and great for mild spring weather. The skull design may look familiar to you, as it’s the logo for Sea Shepherd. If you haven’t heard of Sea Shepherd yet, they are one of the ballsiest groups out there. With help from such folks like Bob Barker and Ady Gil, they utilize direct-action in helping maintain natural ocean ecosystems. Much of their work was shown on Animal Planet’sWhale Wars. These scarves really do grab attention and provide the perfect opportunity for everyday advocates to spread awareness on such an incredible group. Check out the goods (coming soon!!!)here.
Drain Drama
I had a pesky clog in my bathroom sink, and rather than continue to buy expensive and nasty chemical un-cloggers, I decided to do some research on more natural (and cheaper) ways to put my sink at ease. It turns out you don’t need much more than baking soda, vinegar, and water. And you may just need some good, old’ fashioned elbow grease with a plunger.
I sprinkled about ¼ cup baking soda into the drain, and then poured in 1 cup of vinegar. The two components fizz and help loosen the grime lodged in there. Remember the fizzing action from that volcano you made in the grade school science fair?
The verdict: I had to repeat this process twice. The sink still seemed to be clogged and draining slowly, so I went at it with the plunger. Lots of gunk came out into the sink, so I cleaned that up then repeated the process one last time. My sink drains beautifully now. Apparently, flushing regularly with boiling hot water helps keep clogs clear as well. So, there’s yet another home solution without crazy chemicals, and far less harm done to aquatic ecosystems.
You can check out more detailed instructions here.
Method Acting
O, Method…how do I love thee? Why is that I get a little giddy when a refill for your foamy hand soap comes in a more earth-friendly pouch rather than yet another plastic bottle? I get ever so joyful from using your daily shower spray to help keep the shower from getting mildew—and to help make the big clean-ups far more manageable. And, I was so electrified to hear that your newest line of laundry detergent comes in a super-concentrated formula that pumps straight into the washer. Yes, you pump—as in, no more pouring to some mysterious fill line on a plastic cup. I know you love me too, from your letter to me (your loyal patron) on your website:
“method was founded on the vision that business could be an agent of positive change and a source of solutions to social and environmental problems. The first step of this vision is the responsibility to ensure that our products truly strive for sustainability – from the safety of the materials they are made from, to the ways that they are made and shipped, to the partners we work with in our supply chain.”
From the way I’m acting, you’d think I had just discovered how affordable your products are. Which gives all the more reason to love thee. Let me count the ways…
Fresh and Fruity
Good, healthy whole foods—who says they have to be fancy? Most of the time, the simplest way is the best way. The theory of Occam’s razor should have a supplemental cookbook. Something as easy as a fruit plate is yummy, and provides more than enough vitamins and minerals. In fact, nature designed fruit to be appealing to mammals like us, in hopes we’d carry off the seeds and help spread their genes. Check out these amazing grapefruits from my neighbor’s tree. I was never a grapefruit fan until I juiced these giant beauties and sweetened with a tad of maple syrup. Enjoy reading about the healthy benefits of a simple grapefruit.
This Post is Going to the Dogs…
Hey New Yorkers, love your doggies? Wanna spoil them? Check out Anything Pawsible at the Ninth Avenue Street Fair this weekend. My good friend Vincent Gerrard (a veteran actor/producer) created this portable pet store. They specialize in one-of-a-kind pet items, along with organic treats and eco-friendly toys. Their goal is 100% green.
If you stop by their booth this weekend, any purchase of a toy, shirt, bandana or pet treat helps fund Broadway Barks, the annual pet adoption celeb-event. A few Broadway stars will be manning the Anything Pawsible booth:
• Saturday, 5/15 12pm -1pm: Tony nominee Jan Maxwell now starring in Lend Me a Tenor
• Sunday 5/16 12pm -1pm: Tony nominee Kevin Chamberlin now starring as Uncle Fester in The Addams Family and Dashaun Young now playing Simba in The Lion King.
And if you’re on the west coast…I stumbled upon this sweet little root beer company called Margo’s Bark. It is an all-natural cane sugar soda. I know, again with the carbs Matt, but all those summer barbeques are on the way, and this stuff is great. And what makes it even greater is that 100% of the profits from Margo’s Bark goes to supporting dogs in city shelters. The taste is sweet, happy, and fizzy sans the junk you get in mainstream sodas like phosphoric acid, preservatives, and corn syrup. If you’re going to have that once-in-a-blue-moon soda pop, why not help our furry friends get a forever home? Margo’s Bark is available at these locations.
mobile unit full of adoptable mutt-igrees as well as a couple of puppy mill rescues. I snapped the image above of Bartlett’s rescue pup Tiny Tim the last time I swung by his studio. Look at that face!
produce pesticide reports from the USDA and the FDA. The “Dirty Dozen,” which contain 47 to 67 pesticides per serving, are the most dangerous because they have porous or textured skins that suck up more pesticides.
