The Discerning Brute: fashion, food & etiquette for the ethically handsome man » vivisection

Matt & Nat for Autumn, Undercover Animal Lover

joshuakatcher — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 15:00:24 +0000

• Matt & Nat's autumn "Faithless" bag in green and brown plaid, and "Braun" in coated khaki are both very warm and fetching accessories for any gentle-man. Also new is the "Mingus" backpack and the "Teller" and "Moller" in plaid. • PETA's recent undercover investigation into the sick experiments at Professional Laboratory and Research Services, Inc. (PLRS) has resulted in a major victory for animals. PLRS is surrendering nearly 200 dogs and dozens of cats and shutting its doors for good! Vivisection is inherently cruel and needs to be stopped. Learn more here.

ULTIMATE Father’s Day Guide for the Ethically Handsome Dad

joshuakatcher — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 17:36:56 +0000

Every Father's Day, we get dear-old-dad the same old stuff, but being a dad is cooler and braver than ever! Most fathers want what's best for the family- and now he can also help protect animals and the planet too. The best part is, when getting these ethically handsome gifts for pop, you don't have to sacrifice style, taste, or pleasure. Nor do you have to compromise on what dad likes! These cool gifts are a spin on traditional Father's Day presents, from geeked-out gadgets and tools to socks and ties to sports gear and suits. I've even got recommendations for dads who have it all, from electric sports cars and motorcycles to Armani Bamboo Sports coats! Your father will be proud to be a personal hero to you and a superhero to the planet. Let's not underestimate what it means to be protector this Father's Day!

GIFTS:

• No one in the office will know! Organic Cotton Dress Shirts from Culturata, Velour, and Nordstrom. Organic cotton blows conventional cotton out of the water – growing conventional cotton requires the use of enormous amounts of pesticides, which has a huge environmental impact and presents health risks for those working around it. 25% of the world’s insecticide use and more than 10 percent of the world’s pesticide goes to cotton crops. In 2003, that amounted to about 55 million pounds of pesticides being sprayed on 12.8 million acres of cotton, according to the Organic Trade Association. • Organic cotton, bamboo, and banana fiber underwear & socks from Aussiebum & Nordstrom. Supporting sustainable and ethical fashion is more than just an outer layer. Keeping pesticides away from sensitive areas is something any man will get behind. . . • Sports gear: Carpenter Trade, professional baseball glove $280 In addition to superior performance, most people don't realize that the #1 cause of greenhouse gas emissions is from raising livestock for food and leather. Avoiding leather is one of the most powerful things to do for the environment. So have a custom made, professional-grade glove made with your dad's name on it. • Mens organic, cruelty-free grooming products and scents. The last thing you should give pop is a guilty conscience with products that have been tested on animals. Most razors and many mainstream grooming products are still tested on animals and are not made from recycled plastics, but these items are totally cruelty-free and sustainable. (Preserve, Jack Black, Herban Cowboy, the Body Shop) • Get your dad back into health with cookbooks, health guides, and diet books for dudes! The fireman's Engine 2 Diet, the Triathlete's THRIVE book series, Skinny Bastard, Meat is for Pussies, Vegan Bodybuilding and Tal Ronnen's amazing cookbook, the Conscious Chef. • Stock the Pantry with delicious, gourmet food! Who says eating healthy means eating sprouts? What dad doesn't love dark chocolate, smores, gourmet sausage, jerky, dips, and healthy, meaty meal-starters? • Cruelty-free Accessories from NOHARM, Novacas, Bourgeois Boheme, Matt & Nat, Truth, and The Vegan Collection. Also check out the solar-charged briefcase from Voltaic, or a recycled canvas and vegetable-based faux-leather handbag. All sustainably leather-free.

• Buy your dad a gift or experience on Charity Buzz and support your favorite charities. Hang with celebs, get backstage, go on trips, amazing experiences, sports tickets, memorabilia, delicious meals, and more!

• Satin Ties & Ties diverted from Landfills. With Jaanj's high-end, luxury, non-silk ties, you'll never miss the worms that get boiled alive. For cotton ties, the Hill-Side makes ties and pocket-squares from selvedge fabrics, diverting them from landfills and making really cool, classic square-end ties, pocket squares, and handkerchiefs. • For the Handy-Dad: Gadgets and tools or a Gift Certificate to GREEN DEPOT, an environmental living & building store. From recycled cotton insulation and a home composter to soy based paints and finishes, any dad into home improvement will love these gifts. • Lawn Order with Greenworks tools. From mowers, blowers, and log-splitters, to hedge-trimmers and cultivators, these greener lawn tools don't use fossil fuels and make self-sufficiency easy and green! • Vintage Sunglasses / Frames. The greenest gifts of all require no new resource extraction or manufacturing. Vintage is always an amazing option. Classic sunglasses are big right now, from aviators, wayfarers, and John-Lennon frames to the 50's Halo frames. • Enthralling DVDs of Oscar winner's and award nominees "The Cove", "Food Inc", and "End of the Line".

For the Dad with it All:

• Tesla Electric Sportscar. 0-60 in 3.9 secs, 288 hp, 236 miles per charge. Starts at $101,500 • Electric Motorcycle from Zero $9,995, or Brammo at $7,995

Comme des Garçon’s WONDERWOOD

joshuakatcher — Tue, 18 May 2010 17:27:39 +0000

• Someone who loved wood more than words could say? Sounds like one of us. Trees, forests, nature, and the smell of wood is something that echos in the most primal part of our brains. Guys who get down with sophisticated, organic smells will probably love Wonderwood, and being that Jaisalmer is my favorite scent - with hints of cardamon, cinnamon, pepper, benzoin, ebony wood and gaiac wood, I have a feeling I'll love this one too. The Brother's Quay, a pair of renowned animators known for their distinct, dream-like, and haunting imagery, have crafted a gorgeous, hallucinatory short film to usher in the new scent. It is screening on thelovemagazine.co.uk exclusively all this week. (Thanks to HINT for the hint!) It's sometimes hard to tell when a scent is cruelty-free, so I put in a call to Comme des Garçon's offices in London and Paris to check if the fragrances would be considered suitable for vegans, and whether or not they're tested on animals. The Europeans were not phased by the question one bit. I was told that there are no animal-derived ingredients in the scents, and that the labs do not test on animals, but could not be given a 100% guarantee. I am in the process of following-up to get that guarantee, but so far, this is great to know! Now I'll see if I can convince them to put the leaping-bunny or certified vegan logo on their packaging. Stay tuned.

Cruel Jokes, Article 23 & Losing Lobos

joshuakatcher — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 19:41:14 +0000

• Article 23 is a contemporary Parisian fashion line focused on organic, fair-trade garments. They participate in the development of ecologically and socially responsible organic fiber apparel; selecting its partners for their compliance with environmental and labor standards. Here's some selects available for international shipping on the UK's Ascension website: • There are just 42 Mexican gray wolves left in the wild. Forty-two. Tell Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to speed up the federal recovery efforts to save these wolves from extinction. Mexican gray wolves, also known as lobos, have been on the Endangered Species List for more than 30 years. But mismanagement, poaching and a loud anti-wolf minority have prevented the them from recovering. Today, just two breeding pairs remain! Find out how you can help. • TOP 10 REASONS WHY ANIMAL RESEARCH IS A CRUEL JOKE: If you think all animal research is used to treat and cure life-threatening conditions, think again. This list was compiled by IDA. All of the following are actual experiments conducted on live animals with your money: 10. 4 OUT OF 5 SCIENTISTS SURVEYED RECOMMEND EJACULATION TO RATS Four researchers at the University of Western Ontario’s School of Medicine andDentistry and one researcher at the University of Cincinnati studied whether male rats enjoyed ejaculation or intromission (the insertion of the penis into the vagina) more. Their data support the hypothesis that there is a hierarchy of sexual pleasure, with ejaculation at the top! 9. CHIMPS IN WORLD’S WORST ORPHANAGE CONDITIONS Conditions that were “standard care” at primate centers until the 1990s! 8. THANKS TO THESE SCIENTISTS, CASTRATED HAMSTERS CAN STILL GET IT UP 7. RATS TRAPPED IN UNCOMFORTABLE PLACES FOR A LONG TIME GET FREAKED OUT. Monkeys too! 6. MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT IN RUMINANT HISTORY 5. DON’T CASTRATE YOUR CHILDREN, SAY SCIENTISTS From the NIH Intramural Research Program, which boasts the only lab ever charged with multiple counts of criminal animal cruelty! 4. A FIGHT TO THE DEATH – BUT NOT BETWEEN LIZARDS 3. WANT TO LOSE WEIGHT? EXERCISE MAY HELP From the researcher who discovered that adopted children fare better than orphans and social support alleviates depression! 2. MICE NEED ONLY WHEEL, NOT SHOCKS, FOR WHEEL-RUNNING 1. SCIENTISTS FIND VAGINAL STIMULATION MIGHT BE PLEASURABLE Funded by a “high risk, high reward” NIH breakthrough grant!

Funky Fluevog & Help Robert

joshuakatcher — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:32:59 +0000

These are some pretty crazy shoes. Not unexpected coming from Fluevog, but it definitely takes a certain kind of gentleman to pull these off. Think jazz-era sailor. These canvas and faux leather kicks are on sale for $105 If you thought the worst fate of animals in shelters was lonely months leading up to euthanasia, think again. A new undercover investigation reveals that homeless cats and dogs are purchased and used for painful experiments at laboratories. One of these animals was an affectionate orange tabby cat named Robert. University of Utah experimenters drilled a hole into his skull and implanted electrodes in his brain in order to run an electric current through it. Find out how you can help!

JULY CONTEST WINNER

TheDiscerningBrute — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 06:05:16 +0000

Congratulations to Ralph Kelleners of Belgium. He is The Discerning Brute July Contest winner! We challenged our readers to take a photograph of themselves that demonstrates how they speak up on behalf of animals, people, or the environment! Here is our winner: We thank him so much for the work he does on behalf of animals. The picture he submitted (above) shows how he raises awareness about painful and outdated experiments that companies like Proctor & Gamble continue to conduct on animals like rabbits. Enjoy the organic cotton, French terry cardigan from COVET , worth $110 USD. And thank you to all of our readers who entered for all of the amazing work you do! We are truly inspired.

Film Fundraiser at The Peter Max Studio w/ Amazing Food & Celeb Guests!

TheDiscerningBrute — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 20:26:35 +0000

I am embarking upon the production of a feature documentary film called “Standardized Testing” in collaboration with Kelly Overton of PATH (People Protecting Animals & Their Habitats).

This pioneering, controversial and hilarious film follows PATH founder Kelly Overton, an overachieving activist who has degrees from Harvard, Tulane, Columbia and UMASS, as he attempts to return his diplomas and get his tuition refunded in an effort to bring attention to the dangerous and wasteful biomedical research being done at the universities.

In order to begin production on the film, the legendary artist Peter Max (http://www.petermax.com/) and activist Mary Max (http://www.kindgreenplanet.org/) have offered to host a production launch party - featuring food, drink, and special celebrity guests!

To purchase tickets, click here: http://www.ppath.org. .. . . Special guests include: Golden Girl - Rue McClanahan, Actress -Ally Sheedy, International Phenomenon- Princess Superstar, CNN Commentator -Jane Velez-Mitchell, Glamazon Lifestyle Guru- Chloé Jo Berman, Healthy Chef - Alexandra Jamieson, and yours truly, The Discerning Brute- Joshua Katcher. More special guests to be announced! Featuring food & drink from 4 Course Vegan, Candle Cafe, Vegan Treats Bakery, Tuthilltown Spirits and Blackwell’s Organic Gelato! Friday, June 19th 2009 6:30 to 8:30 pm The Max Studio 37 West 65th Street, 7th Floor New York City I would love for you to join me, and tickets start at just $100, and all proceeds go to PATH’s efforts to produce the film.

$100 per individual ticket
$350 for ticket and signed & dedicated Peter Max poster
$1,000 for ticket and signed & dedicated Peter Max poster and signed & dedicated The Art of Peter Max book*

To purchase tickets, click here: http://www.ppath.org Pass the word on Facebook!

Ethical Exploits Vol. 2

TheDiscerningBrute — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:41:05 +0000

The ups, downs, ins, outs, disappointments, and triumphs of a day-to-day ethical living. By Featured Contributor, Matt Lara There are a hundred-and-one reasons for guys to take care of their skin and hair, but so many of the products on the market are toxic, full of animal ingredients, or still perform horrible and needless tests on animals that it makes us want to give up grooming and be crust-punks! Realizing that dreadlocks and gamy odors were not for me, I decided to do some overhaul in the grooming department. Bathroom shelf, meet your new cruelty-free, earth-conscious friends: The first to go was that turbo-thingy razor that came free in my mailbox after high school graduation. Instead of shoveling out big bucks for more tiny replacement cartridges that are made by a company burning the eyes and skin of rabbits, I happily spent my money on a new Preserve Triple Razor. The shave is just as good, and there are some other great things to consider about Preserve Products besides smooth cheeks. I also switched to lavender and shea Moisture Shave from Kiss My Face. Now everyone wants to kiss my face. Now if they'd only make something so everyone would kiss my ass... Also, if you’re a manly-man like me and use manly-man things like toner, consider my other big switch in the grooming department: organic cotton balls. If you are not using a spray-toner, these are great! Are they cost-effective? With cotton being one of the most highly-sprayed crops, and the price the environment pays for our single-use puffs, yes they are worth the extra dollar or two. Plus, the quality is actually better, and you'll like that for your hunky mug.

Revitalizing Eye Cream from Avalon Organics is one of my new staples. Say what you want, I’m conscious of my smile lines! I can still feel this stuff moisturizing and firming even at the end of my most tired days. I’m also a sucker for the Soothing Lip Balm for some smooth smackers without the girlie, glossy look. I can think of so many uses for tea trea oil, and with Trader Joe’s putting it in shampoo, I am so there. Tea Tree Tingle is quite an experience with every wash. For styling, I find David Babaii for Wildaid to be wonderful. Their motto is “It’s beautiful to be good,” and I couldn’t agree more. 10% of their profits are donated to Wildaid to help with wildlife conservation. I use their Bohemian Beach Spray and the Fibers Molding Paste. There are several product lines like Organic Grooming by Herban Cowboy, and JASON which Joshua covered in THIS POST that make men's grooming products, so check them out too! Finally, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has an excellent podcast episode dedicated to the compassionate bathroom. And hey, I didn’t buy all this stuff at once. Purchasing just one of these products is helping make for a more compassionate world. Happy grooming! -Matt Lara Matt is an actor, singer, closet poet, dancer, avid reader, guitar picker, waiter, home cook, nosey coffee shop guy, animal lover…he basically has to know how to do everything. He lives in New York and Los Angeles.