Thanks for having me on guys!!! Love you as always... to find out more information on what you can do to stop animal abuse at the circus, please visit www.circuses.com

Love ya like a fat kid loves vegan cake

mike b
PETA

Said by: Mike B. at November 17, 2006 07:24 AM

Does anyone know about the veracity of the claim that soybeans can cause dementia? I read this in an article about extreme dieting in New York magazine. This doesn't mean raw soybeans but cooked soybeans...

Said by: Patricia Fernós at November 17, 2006 08:43 AM

I've never heard that, but if you reference the article in an email, i can look into the claim for you. They may have been discussing the potential risk of GMO soy beans, but it is nothing that i have heard of...

Said by: Mike B. at November 17, 2006 10:44 AM

Marc and Fausto, I watched the Elephant video earlier this week when you first mentioned it on the show and it made me nauseous. When animals or people are abused I have little tolerance. I've been a vegetarian for 5 years this thanksgiving and could never turn back. Thank you for having Mike B. on the show to educate and enlighten your listeners and for spreading a positive and humanitarian message.

Said by: Michael McKibben - Swimmerpup at November 17, 2006 01:11 PM

Great show, as always! I'm glad Mike B was willing to say that it's OK for people to eat meat in smaller amounts and from cruelty-free sources. I've known a few PETA activists in the past and they've always been far too militant for my tastes. PETA's problem in general, I think, is they're not very publicity-savvy. Confrontational appraoches rarely do a whole lot of good. Shock tactics get attention, but not sympathy. The way to change people's minds is through education and compromise. You're never going to convert the population to vegetarianism, but you can teach them how to make educated choices about where their daily and meat comes from.

Said by: Frank at November 17, 2006 02:40 PM

Hi guys. I hope you are doing well. That clip of Edison electrifying that elephant was absolutely horrifying, but it reminded me of a piece that performance artist Laurie Anderson did in her United States parts 1 - 4 collection. It's called "The Dance of Electricity". Here is an excerpt.

"...I started doing some research on Tesla, whose life's story is actually really sad. Basically, he was the inventor of AC current, and all kinds of generators and the Tesla coil. His dream was wireless energy and he was working on a system in which you could plug appliances directly into the ground, a system which he never really perfected. Tesla came over from Graz and went to work for Thomas Edison, and Edison couldn't stand Tesla for several reasons. And one was that Tesla showed up for work every day in formal dress: morning coat, spats, top hat and gloves and this just wasn't the American way at the time. Edison also hated Tesla because Tesla invented so many things while wearing these clothes. Tesla also invented the generators that converted Niagara falls into the cleaner and more efficient AC current. Edison did his best to prevent conversion to AC and did everything he could to discredit it. In his later years Edison was sort of a show man and he went around on a circuit in upstate New York, giving demonstrations of the evil effects of AC current. And he always brought a dog with him and he'd get up on stage and say:

— Ladies and gentlemen I will now demonstrate the effects of AC current on this dog.

And he took two bare wires and attached them to the dog's head and the dog was dead in under thirty seconds. "

Who knows how historically accurate this is, but being a huge fan of Anderson's work, I couldn't help but be reminded of this when I saw that video.

Said by: pup don at November 17, 2006 03:01 PM

Oh, by the way, congratulations on the Bloggie award!!! Yay!!!

When I heard Mike and Mike talking about the earlier discussion regarding the killing of plants I had this odd picture in my mind of Mike Brazell dressed like Obi Wan Kanobe saying "I feel a terrible disturbance in the force, as if millions of tiny soybeans were all crying out at once and then... silence", and at that moment, Mike Hipp walks in dressed as Luke Skywalker and says, "here Kanobe, have a candle."

Said by: pup don at November 17, 2006 03:09 PM

Mike Hipp as Luke Skywalker... oh I like it! I wanna be hung like Ewan McGreggor though.

Fausto, Marc, Miss Ronnie and Mikey B. Thanks for having me on the show today. I enjoyed it very much. Mike, again, I apologize for raising my voice as it was those many months ago. Obviously I was going through an internal struggle with meat eating at the time...perhaps that's why the comments were so strongly worded. You're my hero now though!

Said by: mike hipp at November 17, 2006 03:52 PM

I just could never bring myself to be a vegetarian. First of, I hate vegetables, I only eat meat, dairy, and pasta/bread. I look at this as natural, we have been eating meat since the days of cave dwellings. It is the fact that our ancestors ate meat that the human brain has developed into what it is now. If it was not for that, we would still be crawling around in caves. That is if we would have even made it out of the stone age.

I don't support cruelty to animals, I hate when people wear fur, and I don't do the circus. But I will never stop eating meat. Perhaps the poster above has nailed it, give people information about meat and dairy companies that don't abuse animals. But it really turns me off when vegetarian's with their holier than thou attitudes walk around like there all superior to everyone.

making people feel bad may work with some, but overall it's a waisted effort on your part. That average American like myself will never give up steak and burgers. They just taste too good.

Said by: Tristin at November 17, 2006 09:28 PM

HEEEY! :D

I've been catching up on all the shows I've been missing since my computer died! I felt like I was going through withdrawl! D: The "The Jim Verraros Comedy Hour" episode got me hooked x787098 again. heh.

I was wondering if you could give me a sweet sixteen shout out on the 20th? *pouts* PLEASEEE hehehe

Said by: Christine Aranda at November 18, 2006 12:22 AM

I hate most vegetarians. The majority of them are misinformed and doing it for the wrong reasons. Being a vegetarian is in now way healthier than removing all meat from your diet.

It is NOT natural. Homo sapiens were biologically intended to eat meat.

Do you guys think the a tiger pup is cruel for eating something that its mother tore to shreds for it? So why am I cruel for eating something that civilization provided for me?

Vegetarians remind me of Jehovah's witnesses and get the same reaction from me. Not interested!
*slam door*

Said by: O at November 18, 2006 11:58 AM

It is sad that the above poster feels this way, considering that science and just life in general disproves any comment that the above mentioned. All natural carnivores can eat all the fles they want, without cooking the bacteria off, and not die. They also never get clogged arteries, high cholesterol, and all the things that are killing people today.

The only door you are slamming is the one that is standing between you and good health.

Said by: Mike B. at November 18, 2006 12:27 PM

For anyone to say that they do not support cruelty to animals and that they would never even consider vegetarianism seems to be a comment that is at odds with itself. I challenge anyone to watch the videos, make informed decisions, but without being able to visit the poultry farms, or meat processing facilities, there is NO WAY to truly be sure that the flesh you are consuming is an animal that was treated with any compassion within its lifetime.

Said by: Mike B. at November 18, 2006 12:30 PM

I have seen all those videos, their sad, but as I said, not gonna stop eating meat. Peta's tactics turn more people off than help save animals. Why don't you all focus a public campaign on changing local laws to improve conditions at these farms. You may find the majority of the public more than willing to get behind that. But converting everyone to vegetarianism is never going to happen. Every time you convert one person to vegetarianism, hundreds of meat eaters are born into this world to replace them. That's never going to change. When the majority of America hear the word Peta, they think nut cases. How is this public image helping?

Said by: Tristin at November 18, 2006 04:06 PM

I think eventually, man will see the reason behind vegeterianism. There's no reason on earth that any reasonable, middle class American should be consuming the flesh of another animal. Every nutrient that we need in animals can be found somewhere else, and God knows we can find a healthy supply of calories from other sources... Peoples like the Inuit needed to consume meat in order to survive... It's not a need for the likes of us, just a selfish desire.

Evolution just has to take its course. The general population probably won't come to its senses in our generation, but... There's always the future.

Said by: Cory at November 19, 2006 02:37 AM

To all you meat lovers who have posted on this site: putting aside the issue of institutional - and oftentimes individual - cruelty to animals, one vital problem not mentioned so far in this discussion is the enormous amount of land space it takes to raise animals for human consumption, compared to raising vegetable crops. Given the Malthusian exponential growth of human beings on this planet, some day no room will be available to raise animals for food, especially beef. It really might behoove you to think twice of depending solely on meat as your protein source, not only because of this second issue, but because eating vegetables and fruit is actually fun - and sexy! AND because your body does need these nutrients. You're cheating yourself of the GREAT PLEASURE of savoring vegetables and fruits. Now, if you had a mom like I did, who would sometimes literally murder the vegetables from overcooking, I can understand your distaste for them. Reeducate yourself and START LIVING! I admit I too am a animal protein eater, but I try to use it more for flavor when I cook, Chinese style. And I enjoy tofu and have learned to fix it so it's very tasty. Fish is also a very good protein source, but then again, one must keep up with information about the mistreatment of them by industry as well.
Second issue - sorry, but PETA does not have the monopoly over misbehavior. It is very healthy to discuss different points of view, and I'm so happy when I see FOF stimulating such a lively discussion!

Said by: Patricia Fernós at November 19, 2006 10:08 AM

Mike B, regarding the soybeans-for- dementia issue,I'm sorry, but apparently I threw away my copy of that issue of New York Magazine with a very skinny model in a red dress on the cover that included that article on extreme dieting. It was about 3 weeks ago that it came out. Thanks, anyway, for offering to investigate. I will too, as well, as see what I come up with and will post what I find.

Said by: Patricia Fernós at November 19, 2006 10:14 AM

Actually PETA has done a lot in the past year to change its image, from doing large demonstrations to conducting more outreach, and letting people know about why being vegetarian is one of the best reasons for your health and the well being of the animals. We understand that everyone isnt going to go vegetarian overnight, but the use of animals for food production and the repricusions it has on society, the planet, and of course the animals is far reaching. In a day and age when the world is falling apart around us through war, and global destruction... we have a chance to end even an ounce of suffering, we should take the oppourtunity to do so. We choose to love some animals, yet kill others. They all feel pain in the same way, and deserve the respect of indiviuals that share this earth with us.

Said by: Mike B. at November 20, 2006 07:25 AM

I am not an extremist. I do not advocate an all meat diet, and I am more healthy than most vegetarians I know. My cholesterol is not high, and I am slender and trim.

If you want to generalize, as most vegetarians do, then we can do that. Vegetarians are unhealthy. They do not find a way to replace essential proteins that the body needs to get from meat. They replace meat with a lot of pasta and cheese making some of them very fat.

Do not join the cult. Eating meat is not a fad nor does it have to mean being cruel to animals.

Said by: O at November 20, 2006 07:49 AM

usually i'm down with you guys..but shite, i'm born and raised in the land of cheesesteaks and scrapple...i aint giving up meat for anyone! especially around thanksgiving. nope.

and as a big Penn and Teller fan, i learned what most of PETA is about from their Bullsh*t episode last year. I do not support people who's agenda is to for example,use the Holocaust as a ploy to get people to stop eating meat...that was way out of line. and PETA euthanizes more animals than they rescue...but target and harass people who run animal shelters who do the same thing.

I'm sure Mike B. is a great person and all, but as i was eating a big bowl of chili while listening to the show, i figure...it's up to each to eat their own way.

Said by: raequel at November 20, 2006 12:14 PM

I'm trying to return to vegetarianism after years of eating meat. Here are a couple of thoughts. First, I don't miss meat all that much. Relative to veggies, nuts and soy, it's a pain to store at home and a pain to prepare. It's also a pain to pack for lunch - a few nuts, a salad and some fruit in a box and I'm off to school. Sure I may seem lazy, but I think my time is better spent studying. Second, a lot of people comment that vegetarianism is not natural for humans. I'd argue that humans do a lot of stuff that probably contradicts what is natural. I'd almost say that placing tighter bounds on our actions than nature intended is what makes us civilized. Unless you're willing to submit all of our laws and conventions to this "test of nature" I'd stay away from arguing that vegetarianism is deviant.

Said by: hp at November 20, 2006 03:50 PM

Saying that eating meat is not cruel can only be stated by someone who is blind to what goes on behind the scenes in the slaughter houses, and the factory farms that these animals are forced to spend their lives in. Visit goveg.com and watch Meet your Meat, and view STANDARD INDUSTRY PRACTICE. What you see on this video is what the industry says is OK...

True, there are a lot of unhealthy vegans. I never denied that, but the fact remains that just because you eat meat and it doesnt kill you, doesnt excuse you from the truth that you are supporting an extreme level of suffering that if inflicted on cats or dogs, would warrent felony cruelty charges on the business that carry out these practices.

Animal protein leeches calcium from your bones, contains no complex carbohydrates, and has very little micro nutrients that the body cant get in ready supply from an alternative.

I am always up to debate it further: mikeb@peta.org or www.myspace.com/petabodybuilder

Said by: Mike B. at November 20, 2006 07:47 PM

I agree, that it is in each persons own power either to stay on the current path they are on, or to open their eyes to the world around them. If you had an opportunity to do something so small, yet so impactive on the world aorund you, the lives of animals, and your own health-- why not at least consider it as an option. With heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes killing many of our friends and family-- why not even consider vegetarianism. I also watched the penn and teller episode. It is unfortunate that they decdide to not stay magicians and go into a realm of investigative reporting in which they have no experience. I am not denying that we have done a lot to use the media to bring awareness to the suffering of animals.. but in the end.. whether you support PETA or not.. you dont have to like us to take some level of charge and compassoion over your own health and the well being of these animals.

Said by: Mike B. at November 20, 2006 07:53 PM

hi every one it victoria thank you so much for leting me be a part of the fof it was a blast mark and fausto where so good to me, i hope every one can find it in your hart to forgive me i'm truly sorr y for my bad behaor happy thank giveing evry one love vmarr
i live in miami now at a home for waywed star just kiddy great show keep up the good work

Said by: victoria lamarr at November 23, 2006 03:24 PM