PCRM Online, September 2009: Another Victory for Pigs in Canada; Celebrity Chefs Cook Vegan; Meet the Queen of Chimpanzees; and More

September 2009

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine

Another Victory for Pigs in Canada Life continues to improve for pigs in Canada. In July, PCRM announced an Advanced Trauma Life Support win for pigs in Toronto. Now, the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine announced that it too will stop using live pigs in its program and exclusively use the TraumaMan System. Save Pigs in Tennessee > ‘Town Hall’ and Capitol Hill Ads Call for Healthy School Lunches Health care was debated heatedly across the United States in August. But at PCRM’s celebrity-hosted "town hall" for healthy school lunches, the only raised voices were cheering suggestions for vegetarian school lunches. And on PCRM ads in Washington, D.C., a smiling 8-year-old girl asked a polite question of the current administration: “President Obama’s daughters get healthy school lunches. Why don’t I?” Aug. 24 TV event > A Royal Visit with Negra, Queen of the Chimpanzees It’s a long journey from Africa to Cle Elum, Wash. It was certainly a grueling trip for Negra, a 36-year-old chimpanzee who had many traumatic experiences along the way. But in Cle Elum, she found a place that—in spirit—is close to home. Last month, at the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, PCRM scientists met Negra as they continued their observation of the long-lasting psychological damage to chimpanzees previously used in laboratories. Two years solitary confinement > Celebrity Chefs and New Classes Teach Plant-Based Diabetes Prevention The new season of the TV show Top Chef just started and it’s packed with celebrity chefs. In the show’s challenges, chefs typically create high-fat, cholesterol-laden meals—like the ones that have contributed to America’s diabetes epidemic. But last month, PCRM presented its own challenge to celebrity chefs: Prepare delicious, plant-based meals that can prevent diabetes. Find a cooking class > Longtime Army Doctor Asks Military to End Animal Trauma Training It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to understand that using and killing animals in trauma training is cruel and archaic. But 20 years as an Army neurosurgeon and 15 years spent treating civilian trauma provides William Morris, M.D., a solid platform when he speaks out against the military’s use of live animals in combat trauma training courses. 9,000 goats and pigs killed > Prize-Winning Food Service Workers Serve Veggie School Lunches From the Golden Gate to the Peach State, school lunches are getting healthier. Cheeseburgers and chicken wings are giving way to fruits, vegetables, and low-fat vegetarian meals. As students prepare to head back to school, PCRM is honoring the winners of its 2009 Golden Carrot Awards for innovation in school food service. Who’s serving dhal-bhaat? > Make a Choice That Benefits Animals, PCRM, and You PCRM is excited to announce a brand new way you can show your support for the work we do! When you apply for and use the new, free PCRM Platinum® Visa Rewards Card, the bank will donate $50 and a percentage of all your future purchases on the card to PCRM. Learn More >