Tarkan might not yet be a household name in the United States, but with his forthcoming album – star studded with collaborations featuring some of the hottest US artists, it soon will be unforgettable. In Europe, Russia, and especially Turkey, the press has compared his effect to that of Elvis’ on the US in the 1950s. Tarkan, famous for his spellbinding performances, is an award winning German-born, Turkish pop-singer known as the “prince of pop” by the media on the other side of the Atlantic. He has several multi-platinum selling records, with a total of over 15 million albums sold.
Check out my interview with Tarkan at the Emilie Humanitary fundraiser at Fashion Week in NYC where we discuss his humanitarian, environmental, and animal causes in addition to music such as his fighting of a controversial dam in Turkey and his collaboration with PETA to help animals like strays in Turkey and those typically used in the fur industry.
Tarkan was confronted by PETA in 2008 for wearing fur on the cover of his album. Once he learned of the plight of fur-bearing animals, he made an apology and has sworn it off. He also really enjoyed the Dr. Cow’s vegan cheese I gave him, and I hope to get the opportunity to prepare him a full vegan meal soon!
It turns out that omnivorous locavores may be bending over backwards for no reason if their goals are environmental.Read the Forbes article that takes the meat out of the locavore argument and puts the emphasis right back on the largest single contributor to greenhouse gas emissions: meat and dairy. But we know that already, right? There’s nothing green about local bacon aside from the greenwashing in which it’s packaged. It’s almost as bad as the “humane slaughter” myth.
Sometimes all you need is a simple, organic cotton tee in a few colors to take your wardrobe to the next level. Logos, silkscreen graphics and band names can distract from the main attraction: you. Alternative Apparel has crew neck and v-neck tees in every damn color.
PETA recently took some heat for asking us to save some whales - from blubber. Women went nuts when PETA put up a billboard saying that adopting a vegetarian diet can lead to weight loss, and now they are going after the guys! So what do you think? Offensive or crafty?
Meatloaf is not just for meat-eaters. With 33g of protein per serving, Field Roast’s Classic Meat Loaf packs some serious muscle. Order it online or check your local retailer.
Walk like a man. We often hear about all the things we should do “like men“. But now, you can really walk like a man, by raising money to benefit Farm Sanctuary! Click HERE to see all the walk dates and locations.
To raise funds in person, please use the Offline Donation Form. You’ll need to bring the completed form and any donations with you the day of the Walk. If you can’t make it and want to sponsor someone, like our friend Gretchen or Dave, or simply donate, please do that too!
Thanks to our friend Ari, who is often a guest columnist on GGA, and who owns the snarky, yummy vegan, soy-candle company A Scent of Scandal forwarded locavore and man-boob articles.
PETA’s brilliant, new video features the voices of Pink and Ricky Gervais as a rabbit and alligator duo who have a very interesting confrontation with some people at the coat check. Read More
Fashion Week is upon us in New York City! I had a few moments to catch up with Tim Gunn at the Bryant Park Hotel for his conference with PETA on the fur industry. Tim is an outspoken advocate for animals used in the fashion industry, and calls for responsibility and accountability from every single person using or wearing the skin of an animal – whether it is fur, leather, or wool. In the sea of indifference to animals that is Fashion Week, it is amazing to have someone with such clout eloquently speaking the simple truth that fur no longer represents luxury – instead it is an outdated and egregious symbol of ignorance.
Don’t be jealous! Ever since I watched a green-haired Todd Oldham on “House of Style” back in the nineties, I knew that I had to get crafty with him one day. So, with Valentine’s Day around the corner, Todd and I got together at his downtown NYC studio to show you how to make some heart-shaped gifts that come from the heart. We both agree that this holiday is all about affordable, DIY craftiness.
From his features in ReadyMade & Dwell, to crafting Amy Sedaris’ interactive vaginal diagram on the Chelsea Lately Show, and with a line of vases for FTD, a classic menswear-inspired carpet collection, and design book series called Place Space, Todd is a royal of the creative world. To top that, he is a photographer, filmmaker, interior designer, fashion designer, and can see through walls …well, maybe not the last part.
Mr. Oldham is no stranger to being ethically handsome, either. A vegetarian and environmentalist, he has worked with Peta on undercover investigations, encouraged the sales of plantable oak trees through FTD, and even raised money for the NRDC. He continues to find innovative ways to use eco-friendly, recyclable, and animal-friendly materials (from soy based inks, to un-coated, recycled cardboard) in his products, and one thing we agree on is that having mainstream skills along with aspirations for environmentalism, animal rights, and social justice, is a recipe for making change from the inside.
Chocolate Heart Cake
Organic, Vegan, Cake by Joshua Katcher & Todd Oldham Photo: Jodi Taylor
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
• Two 9″ heart-shaped baking pan
• 3 cups organic all-purpose flour
• 2 cups organic, unrefined sugar
• 1.5 cups organic cocoa
• 2 tsp aluminum-free Baking Powder
• 1.5 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup organic coconut oil
• 1/4 cup organic canola oil
• 1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
• 1/2 cup prepared egg-replacer (Energie or Brand)
• 1 Tbs vanilla
• 2 cups almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
• 2 cups cold coffee
• 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips Icing
• 1/2 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (not melted)
• 1/4 cup Earth Balance (or other non-hydrogenated margarine)
• 4 cups organic powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 cup soy creamer
(for pink, add 1/8 cup beet juice or 3 drops of red veg-based food coloring) Marzipan
• 1 cup marzipan
• Natural veg-based food coloring
• Small cookie cutters
CAKE DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375º, and coat your pan with non-stick cooking spray or canola oil.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl: Flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, & salt.
3. In a separate bowl (or using a mixer) beat the coconut oil, canola oil, shortening, egg replacer, and vanilla until fluffy.
4. Pour the coffee and almond milk onto the dry mix, then add the whipped oil and egg-replacer, and stir in the chocolate chips until the mixture is smooth.
5. Bake for about 30 minutes (or until edges pull away from sides of pan).
FROSTING DIRECTIONS
1. Beat the shortening, coconut oil, and margarine until smooth.
2. slowly add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time.
3. Finally, add vanilla and soy-creamer and beat for about 5 minutes until fluffy.
*Once cakes have cooled, take out of pan. If storing prior to decoration, line pan with wax-paper, then put cakes back in tins. SEE VIDEO FOR DECORATING INSTRUCTIONS!
Alternate decorating idea! photo: Jodi Taylor!
Heart of Flowers
Heart of Flowers by Todd Oldham & Joshua Katcher
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
• 20 carnations
• heart-shaped pan (at least 2″ deep)
• 2 – 4 bricks of floral foam
• water
• scissors
According to VegNews, PETA is partnering with the popular television personality Tim Gunn (Project Runway) to front a new video to be unveiled at New York’s Fashion Week this February in order to raise awareness of the atrocities of the fur industry. I’ll be there to see it – will you?
Speaking of Fashion, Some of the big trends to look out for in ‘o9 include beach-bum hoodies, windbreakers, striped button-downs, high-contrast plaids, and harrington jackets. The fortune tellers at Men.Style.com continue to promote garments and designers without an inkling of social or environmental accountability. Here’s a few ethical versions:
Faux-Foie Foibles. Ecorazzi recently covered the response from Chef Michael Ginor of Hudson Valley Foie Grasabout PETAs Faux-Foie Gras contest. He had this to say: “I think it’s great. People should always have alternatives. I also think it’s ridiculous in a sense, because you can find substitutes for steak. It’s another vegetarian thing. It’s not going to be foie gras, it’s obviously another PR campaign to try and get people to not eat foie gras. They’re not going to find an alternative to foie gras because there just isn’t one.”
He has a huge beard, a knack for being photographed mid-air, and more counter-culture punch than any rebel I’ve met. He’s also challenging the television and film industry to be more green, starting an eco-skateboard line, and making more videos than a vlogger on speed. This west-coast boy was raised vegetarian, became vegan, and thinks driving a veggie-diesel car and everything from Gypsy Music to Nick Nolte is cool. Meet Laban Pheidias. And remember his name, ’cause you’ll be dropping it later.
Discerning Brute: Hey Laban! Good lord, you have so many things going on. How do you make time for it all? Tell us about your recent projects, what you’re the most stoked about, and whether you were always an over-achiever? Laban Pheidias: I enjoy having a lot of things on my plate. Not every project or thing I do gets to see the light of day, or at least not right away. It has to be the right time for certain projects. Right now, 2headedhorse (our production company) keeps me and my biz partner, Ted Newsome, pretty slammed. We just moved 2headedhorse into a big building in Echo Park. It’s cool because now our employees don’t have to see me in my underwear at our house. We’re currently wrapping up season 2 of Stupidface (our crazy comedy show). The series premiere is on 1/1/2009 at 1:00am et (10:30pm pt)on Fuel TV. We also just inked a deal for Built to Shred season 2. And we’re also gearing up for American Misfits season 3. This is very exciting to us because we’ve taken such a long break from it and we’ve got a bunch of new ideas that will invigorate it. I can’t say to much about it now, but let me put it this way, we’re getting out of the bosses clutches and steering it in a new direction. Also, on the horizon are two very unique projects that entail music videos and a feature film.
DB: Wow…you are busy. Skating is clearly a total lifestyle for you. When did you get into skateboarding, and did it have anything to do with your veganism, or vice versa? LP: I grew up with skateboards in sunny California, but I really got into skateboarding when I was about 14 years old living in Maine. Rob Collinson (Lowcard zine) was the local outcast skater kid in town. We became friends and skated (and ran from cops) every day. I was born and raised vegetarian so I’ve never eaten meat, but it wasn’t until I was living in Oregon when I was around 16 that I became aware of the vegan lifestyle. I met this over the top punk rock activist dude with a big spiked mohawk and a “leather” jacket with the words “Fuck you! It’s not leather” written in red on it. He told me about all the terrible things that happen to dairy cows and egg laying chickens and how those industries are tied to the meat industry. From that day on I couldn’t ignore this link and the unnecessary cruelty that these animals suffer.
DB:I had a similar experience at 18. I finally had to live in consistency with the knowledge I gained from watching a doc on factory farms. I got my sleeve as a big reminder to stay true to those values. Speaking of ink, who does your ink, and what tatt is your favorite? Any good stories behind them?
LP: The first tattoo I got was when I was fifteen and it’s the words “No War, No KKK, No Fascist USA” across my back. This is one of MDC‘s songs. My brother gave it to me with a whole made tattoo gun. I returned the favor and tattood the same statement across his back. I get tattoos from different artists. It really depends on where I am. The last three tattoos I got were in Oregon. I got a camping goat on my side from Roll Hardy at Atomic Art Tattoo Studio, a raven on my shoulder from Ryan Mason at the all vegan tattoo shop Scapegoat, and some finger tattoos from Steve Fuller at Triple Six Tattoo in Ashland, Oregon. Right now my favorite is probably the trident on the back of my arm.
DB: The camping goat seems really anti-establishment.Does counter-culture still exist? LP: Yeah, I definitely think counter-culture exists and hopefully it always will. Counter-culture keeps people in check, because they know that at the right time an idea sparked from the subculture can explode in the face of convention and social norms. There are plenty of ideas that run counter to the mainstream and I know a lot of these things will eventually get their time to shine.
DB:That’s a pretty eloquent expression with both realism and optimism. It’s refreshing. What made you start giving a crap about ecosystems and animals? And do you think other people are finally ‘getting it’ with environmentalism? LP: I’ve always cared about ecosystems and animals. My parents were a big part of shaping my compassionate point of view towards this planet. The environmental movement is great but I don’t think a lot of people really get it. There’s a lot of people who call themselves environmentalists because of their Prius and then eat a bloody hamburger. This is the epitome of hypocrisy. You’d be doing the world better by driving a fleet of gas guzzling Hummers while eating a veggie burger. Frankly, I’m sick of the green movement trying to sweep under the carpet and blatantly ignore one of the biggest environmental disasters of this century – factory farming and slaughter houses. It’s time for people to become aware of this fact. But to end on a more positive note I just worked on a great project with the director Henrik Hanson at RSA films. It’s a psa on driving veggie oil cars (click Vegetable Oil). It just aired on the Sundance channel and has gotten a lot of good feedback.
DB: The meat/global warming connection is so frustrating! Especially when people like Al Gore are not making it priority number one. Cool vid! I made a similar PSA for CurrentTV about oil addiction. We should collaborate someday soon! Is there anyone you’ve worked with that totally blew your mind? Who do you want to meet or work with that you haven’t yet? LP: My business partner Ted Newsome continually blows my mind with his dedication and creative touch. One of these days I would like to work with Nick Nolte. I wish I could go back in time and work with WC Fields. That would be amazing.
DB:How did you come up with your eco-skateboarding company? Where the hell can I buy one of these boards, and who are the artists doing board graphics for your shred sticks? LP: Me and Ted have some good friends that don’t have a skateboard home right now and we thought why not channel these guys into a new deal. It’s called Shred for Life. Right now the team consists of myself, Chris Lambert, Jesse Hotchkiss, and Chuck Wampler. No boards or merch are for sale yet, but it’s all in the works and hopefully stuff will be available in the near future. Right now Hotchkiss is on graphic duty and coming up with some good ideas.
DB:You’ve also won an EMA award for doing a really green production. Tell us about how you did that, and how I can that too on my next production! I’m so jealous! Green with envy… derr.. LP: We’ve always tried our hardest to be a green production company. It’s basically being conscious of every part of production and trying cut waste wherever possible. One of the first things we did was to convert all our cars to run on veggie oil. Now we have a 250 gallon tank in our car port filled with veggie oil that we get delivered from a company called green diesel (greendiesel1.com). There is a lot of recycling, vegan catering, and common sense things like using environmentally friendly paint for sets. We took it to a whole other level on one of our episodes of Built to Shred. It’s the episode called “Solar Shred”. Check it out. You can watch it for free at hulu.com.
DB:What advice do you have for anyone who wants to make more ethical lifestyle choices, but still wants to have fun and be cool, AKA a Discerning Brute? LP: To me the only way to have fun and be cool in life is to be ethically conscious. Of course in art I like to break all the rules. Also, I think it’s a hell of a lot cooler to do what you believe even if everyone seems to diss you because of it. Granted, sometimes it won’t be a lot of fun, but hey, doesn’t mean you can’t have ball anyway without the haters.
DB: Who you are listening to, what you are reading, what you are eating a ton of, and should we do it too? LP: I’m listening to my favorite band Taraf de Haidouks. I’m reading about anything that interests me on wikipedia.org. I’m eating a lot of homemade hot sauce. And you should check it all out.
DB:Lastly, give us a super-easy recipe. LP: Here’s a recipe for radness: one vegan potluck, two quarter pipes, four cases of New Castle, one bottle of absinthe, and the Petrojvic Blasting Company playing the party.
1. BUY NOTHING DAY is a holiday that is more important than Thanksgiving, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Ramadan, Hanukkah, and yes – even New Years? Why, you ask? Because the integrity of the ecosystems we depend upon for survival hang in the balance. Consumption – something Americans are better at than the rest of the world, requires production. Production requires resource extraction. Every product has to be dug up, ripped out, cut down, or gathered – it doesn’t magically appear! Even greenwashed products, unless totally recycled or thrift, requires a piece of the landbase in some form. So on November 28th, let freedom ring – exercise your right NOT to go shopping!
2. A Breaking Investigation Reveals That Turkeys Were Stomped, Punched, and Kicked. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, do you really need to condone this by choosing to eat a big, dead bird? Really?
What can you do about it? Don’t pay the callous people who do this by purchasingthe body of a turkey this Thanksgiving. Instead – adopt a turkey!
3. Like the Peacoat look, but hate the wool? If you need a really warm, non-wool peacoat, check this out from VeganStore. $199
4. Emilie at The Conscious Kitchen has prepared some mouth-watering thanksgiving fare. If you need inspiration, she is your go-to gal for sure!
5. Where Does Donna Karan Stand On Fur? I love the new ad campaign from PETA that is being wheatpasted up all around Donna’s office and apartment.
John Patrick has done it again! As one of my favorite designers, his dreamy, bucolic, utopian vision came to life at the Desmond Tutu center in Chelsea last month. This American Gothic reminds us that our land-base in primary, and taking care of it (like using organic cotton, fair-labor, sustainable practices – developing sustainable cottage industries, and growing your own organic cotton in the jungles of Peru) is crucial. Click here to view the complete collection for men and women.
2. Vegetable-Based Leather is my bag, baby!
Vegetable-based ‘leather‘ made by Amazonian natives from sustainable plant matter, and recycled canvas from cargo trucks. Need I say more? The bags and accessories from Paz Apparel are hot, and I love this oversized “Uptown Handbag“. Thanks to reader, Ari for the tip-off!
$125, Paz Apparel
Also from Paz:
3.
One of DB’s favorite organizations, Sea Shepherd, will be featured in Animal Planet’s 7-episode special series “Whale Wars”. On Friday, November 7th Animal Planet will premiere Whale Wars at 9 PM ET/PT in the US, and internationally in early 2009. For additional information, photos and a sneak peak at the series go to: http://animal.discovery.com/tv/whale-wars/
4. Peter Singer is the Godfather…
Joshua & Peter Singer at Karen Dawn's event
I got the honor of meeting Peter Singer, father of the modern animal rights movement and author of “Animal Liberation” at a party for Karen Dawn’s (Dawnwatch) birthday and book reading. It’s not often you get to meet the person who set the new course for your life. I recommend reading both books!
When Purchasing Books, I also strongly recommend supporting local independent bookstores. Use Indiebound.org as opposed to the not-at-all-ethically-fabulous Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Do it!!!
5. Autumn is in the Air
And so are these seasonal smells from DB friend, A Scent of Scandal! Check out: OLD SCHOOL – granny smith, ROUGH PATCH – pumpkin, & TURNING TRICKS – candy corn.
The answer is yes, and this new undercover video of rabbit fur farms in France and China is enough to make anyone give fur the cold shoulder. PETAs Armani campaign is in full swing. Get involved!
7. Shoes that will make you swoon
A little bird told me that Elizabeth Olsen (Olsen Haus), whose vegan shoe line is blowing up and selling out all over the place right now, will be making vegan shoes for men that are as equally badass as her womens’ shoes. And to get a taste of how she rolls, take a look at these:
(All I can say is that I am looking forward to dancing in some blue suede-like mens’ shoes.) More to come, stay tuned.
Get out of town before the season is over. If you haven’t been to the Hudson Valley in New York State for an autumn adventure, you don’t know what you’re missing! Click Here! or Here!
10.
Support Farm Sanctuary’s Party for the Pigs:
A benefit for the survivors of the Midwest flood disaster
In June of this year, Farm Sanctuary mobilized in Iowa to take part in one of the most ambitious farm animal rescues ever undertaken, after thousands of pigs were left to die in the Midwest flood disaster. During both land and water rescue operations, 69 pigs were rescued, including many pregnant sows who were once confined to gestation crates on factory farms. Now, these pigs, many of whom are still suffering from serious health problems, are at Farm Sanctuary receiving urgent care and undergoing rehabilitation.
On October 18, Farm Sanctuary will honor these survivors of the Midwest floods and raise critically needed funds for their care.
Tarkan might not yet be a household name in the United States, but with his forthcoming album – star studded with collaborations featuring some of the hottest US artists, it soon will be unforgettable. In Europe, Russia, and especially Turkey, the press has compared his effect to that of Elvis’ on the US in the 1950s. Tarkan, famous for his spellbinding performances, is an award winning German-born, Turkish pop-singer known as the “prince of pop” by the media on the other side of the Atlantic. He has several multi-platinum selling records, with a total of over 15 million albums sold.
Check out my interview with Tarkan at the Emilie Humanitary fundraiser at Fashion Week in NYC where we discuss his humanitarian, environmental, and animal causes in addition to music such as his fighting of a controversial dam in Turkey and his collaboration with PETA to help animals like strays in Turkey and those typically used in the fur industry.
Posted by TheDiscerningBrute 
to benefit Farm Sanctuary! Click 
Valley Foie Grasabout PETAs 
