It's been a buzzy holiday weekend in the vegan news department. Tonight we catch up on all the goings-on since Wednesday.

• Obama poster artist Shepard Fairey immortalized Sea Shepherd Captain Paul Watson with a print of his very own. Posters measure 18 x 24", are signed by Watson, and cost $55 each. Buy 'em at Obey Giant. PAUL WATSON CAN NEVER DIE.
• The California-based Animal Legal Defense Fund released its 2009 State Animal Protection Laws Rankings. (Old news? Yeah, sort of. Still worth reading? Totally.) ALDF ranked New York in the middle tier -- not laying down the law with the best or permitting certain atrocities with the worst. Illinois ranked highest and Kentucky lowest. Read the full report here (PDF).
• In other ranking news, the Humane Society gave the Obama administration a B- for animal protection. Full report right here (PDF).
• Ingrid Newkirk reminds us via Huffington Post why it's awesome to be vegan, and then she rhymes with food.
• Vegan Twinkies are BACK. No Whey! Kitchen is going to fill the hole left in your heart by the closing of Vegan Honey Bake Shop. No Whey! sells to restaurants and is taking private orders for a limited time.
• Karen Davis, president of United Poultry Concerns, will deliver her lecture "The Social and Secret Life of Chickens" at the New York Public Library's Mid-Manhattan branch on December 30. That's 40th Street and Fifth Avenue, 6th floor, 6:30 p.m. this Wednesday. BE THERE.
• Your average dog eats a LOT of meat, VegNews reminds us: "research teams found that a medium-sized dog consumes approximately 360 pounds of meat and more than 200 pounds of grain each year. The agriculture needed to sustain this kind of companion-animal diet emits twice the greenhouse gas emissions that come from driving an SUV 6,200 miles per year."
• MEANWHILE, Annalisa Lazzaro of NYC asks The Ethicist whether it's cool to feed her cat a vegetarian diet. Duh! And you've got to be resilient! If one vegetarian -- or better, vegan -- kitty food doesn't work out, try another one. Then try cooking for Mr. Pus. Why support animal cruelty or slaughter in any way if you can avoid it, right?
• Don't know what to do with your sad, leftover shepherd sticks candy canes? Vegan Cookies brings us this recipe for peppermint candy cane chocolate chip cookies AND shows us how to crush candy canes. Holiday anger issues: resolved.
• Cafe Blossom's UES location opened, so go there and eat everything.

• Companion animals are a more significant cause of global warming than SUVs, claim two New Zealand scientists (slash critical thinkers!) in their book, Time to Eat the Dog?: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living. According to the ABC article on the book, authors Robert and Brenda Vale say that cats' and dogs' carnivorous diets are the problem. Well, hey, plenty of dogs live healthily vegan. Problem solved. Bejesus. Now what about humans' diets?
• Russia plans to send monkeys to Mars. Why not just send humans, hmm? Space radiation, NASA says, and the solution? Radiate squirrel monkeys here on Earth, and proffer funds to the med schools that participate in testing.
• Vegansaurus takes Natalie Angier down with fire and facts! Joshua Katcher, too, with pictures. Do it to it, guys!

The sharpie tattoo on my arm reads: Eat Chocolate. Review for SuperVegan.

Before me, a mini tower of BlueStocking BonBons by Lagusta's Luscious and a glass of water (to y’know cleanse my palate and be all methodological yo). My mission, simple: eat, type, eat, type, etc.

Selma's Peppermint Patties

Wow. Wasn't expecting this texture at first glance; they are not soft at all. They're damn good though. Simultaneously luscious and robust; they strike a perfect balance of mint and chocolate where neither overpowers the other. You go Selma!

Vandana Shiva’s (Ancho Chilies, Maui Vanilla Beans and Mexican Cinnamon)

Ooooh. Texture! Spicy, smooth and Savory. I must say the texture of this piece really brings the whole experience to another level. It's as though every flavor shines independently and dance together in your mouth. You can really taste every bit!

Pauline Benjamin’s Peanut Butter Cups

Whoa. Not sweet. The Peanut Butter Flavor definitely dominates. A bit dry but the dark chocolate acts as a nice undertone to the heavy peanut butter flavor. This is for you if you like your peanut butter with a little chocolate and not the other way around.

Furious Vulvas (bittersweet chocolate, pink peppercorns and salt)

Mmmmmm. Spicy and Salty! The pink peppercorns and salt add a special dimension to the chocolate piece. This is definitely the smoothest of the four. Melty, luscious and smooth. The salt makes this bonbon sing. Oh. Yeah. These things totally looks like vulvas too. Ha.

The Verdict: Lagusta can throw down some damn tasty chocolate; interestingly flavored, with great packaging and would make a great gift!

Big tent. Friendly critters. Funny emcee. Yummy food. Cool music. No, it wasn't the circus, it was the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary's annual ThanksLiving.

Over 250 people came for this sold out event Sunday to visit with rescued farm animals and enjoy a fabulous sit-down all-vegan meal. ThanksLiving rather than Thanksgiving is a celebration of turkeys and other farmed animals during a season traditionally centered on meals of dead animals. This is the third year I have volunteered for this event, and here's my "take" on it:

The weather report promised a 100 percent chance of precipitation, but we were lucky. The cold schvitz of the morning gave way to light banks of clouds by the afternoon. The sanctuary is nestled between two Catskill mountains, which were resplendent in fall foliage. A giant heated tent was set up in the goat pasture, with elegant light fixtures, dozens of white-clothed tables, and a stage.

Living in New York City, I often take the ease of being a vegan for granted; the sheer multitude of options is definitely the impetus for my obliviousness. Every so often, a tour, a road trip or vacation will act like a bucket of water and splash me back to reality.

It's in those rare moments when I do come across some grub, that I truly appreciate vegan food in all its glory. Even a short trip can lead you spiraling towards a vegan dead zone if you're not careful.

So, while on a quick jaunt to Nyack, NY recently, I was pleasantly surprised to find not only an option, but a deliciously viable vegan option to boot!

**Edit: Two late additions for Tuesday, June 16**

Be alerted of these and other events we think you'll care about by subscribing to our calendar.

Events are free unless otherwise noted.

Now until June 14

Watch new documentary HOME free on YouTube. More info in our recent blog post.

Saturday, June 13

National Pigeon Day: Praise the pigeon at Central Park and all over the country. Our very own Patrick Kwan will be speaking.
12-4pm
Central Park, Pilgrim Hill

Get friendly with a neeeeighbor at A Horse of Course!, a walk and discussion with Kathy Stevens at Catskill Animal Sanctuary.
1-4pm
$15, or $5 for members. Register in advance by calling Julie at (845) 336-8447.

Woodstock FAS hosts its family-friendly Jamboree. Games, face-painting, animals, and food by Isa Moskowitz. That's right--another chance to dose on Isa before she heads back to Oregon.
11am-5pm
$10. Register in advance at the website.

Tuesday, June 15

Protest against the netting and gassing to death of at least 2,000 NYC geese
12-2pm
Port Authority Headquarters, 225 Park Ave. South

Ingrid Newkirk's book-signing for The PETA Practical Guide to Animals Rights: Simple Acts of Kindness to Help Animals in Trouble
7pm
Borders, Columbus Circle

Thursday, June 18

Mercy for Animals celebrates the opening of its New York office with vegan appetizers and drinks at MooShoes. And wait, it gets better than vegan food and booze: MooShoes will be donating 10% of that day's in-store and online sales to MFA, so you finally have a scale-tipping reason to get that pair of Simples.
6:30-9:30pm
MooShoes, 78 Orchard St.

Friday, June 19

Join Mary and Peter Max for the kick-off party for the production of Standardized Testing. The film "follows PATH founder Kelly Overton...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." Food will be provided by 4 Course Vegan, BabyCakes NYC, Blackwell's Organic Gelato, Candle Cafe, Frey Vineyards, The Power of Food, Tuthilltown Spirits, Vegan Treats Bakery, and others.
6:30-8:30pm
The Max Studio
37 W. 65th St., 7th floor
$100 and up. Purchase tickets here.

If you've never met a farm animal and you care about critters ... WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Vegans listen up: it's time to make friends with the 'friends' you don't eat by visiting a sanctuary. It'll change your life, I guarantee it. Here's how: we've got TWO farm animal sanctuaries within two-plus hours of our fair city. So log off of Facebook and head for the Catskills to 'friend' rescued pigs, goats, chickens, turkeys, sheep, cows and others. Get checked out by curious turkeys and goats or give a pig a belly rub. Bring a meat-eating pal for extra credit (especially if s/he has a car). And for you car-less New Yorkers, fugeddaboutit: the Woodstock sanctuary is accessible by bus from Port Authority, so there's really no excuse.

Both the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary and the Catskill Animal Sanctuary are open on weekends for visits. Tour the farm, meet the critters and hear their rescue stories. You'll be surprised how many of the animals came from NYC live-kill markets (especially goats and birds). It makes a wonderful day trip to meet the animals, hang out, maybe even volunteer a few hours (there's always barns and coops to clean or pig meals to prepare). But if you need an event to draw you there, the next two weekends are guaranteed good-times - just for you:

Find these and more events in our calendar.

Monday, 6/1

Vegan Brunch release party: Celebrate the release of Isa Chandra Moskowitz's latest and brunchiest cookbook with vegan sausage and pink grapefruit mimosas made by the lovely lady herself. Free.
MooShoes, 7 p.m.
78 Orchard St., between Grand and Broome streets

Two vegan cookbooks released today: The Vegan Table, by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, author of The Joy of Vegan Baking, and The Vegan Scoop, by Wheeler Del Toro of Wheeler's Black Label Vegan Ice Cream

Tuesday, 6/2

Brooklyn Botanic Garden free admission Tuesdays (recurring event)

Wednesday, 6/3

The New York City Bar offers a free program on puppy mills and puppy mill legislation in New York. Register before hopping over. Free.
6-9 p.m., New York City Bar
42 W. 44th St., between 5th and 6th avenues

The second episode of The Goode Family airs at 9 p.m. on ABC. I didn't find the first episode to be overwhelmingly hilarious, but as a friend of mine said, "Considering this is a Mike Judge cartoon, it will get better if it manages to survive, because it will stop laying on the obvious. King of the Hill, for example, was never meant to be a laughing-out-loud affair, and it eventually managed to amusingly reconcile certain aspects of that particular culture war."

Thursday, 6/4

Edible landscaping workshop at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Learn to grow things in your tiny Brooklyn apartment that you can eat! Free. Register in advance.
6-8 p.m., Brooklyn Botanic Garden
1000 Washington Ave.

Food, Inc. premiers in NYC at the Museum of the Moving Image
35th Avenue at 36th Street, Astoria

Saturday, 6/6

Rally for Worldwide Day of Protest Against Horse-Drawn Carriages at Columbus Circle with Friends of Animals, the Coalition to Ban Horse-Drawn Carriages, HEART and mayoral candidate and current council member Tony Avella.
12 p.m., Columbus Circle

Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary's Spring benefit dinner for the NY Vegetarian Expo. $65.
5:30 p.m., The Women's Club of Albany
725 Madison Ave., Albany, NY

Catskill Animal Sanctuary's Shindig 2009 features six speakers, including Brian Shapiro of the Ulster County SPCA and Amie Hamlin of the New York Coalition for Healthy School Food. $10.
12-6 p.m., Catskill Animal Sanctuary
316 Old Stage Rd., Saugerties, NY

The Humane Society of the United States and New York State Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal revealed today that some of the largest retailers in New York--including Bloomingdale's, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue--have been selling unlabeled fur-trimmed garments in violation of state law.

HSUS investigators and Assemblymember Rosenthal visited stores in New York City with undercover cameras last month to determine whether retailers are in compliance with the 2007 law Rosenthal authored.

The law requires that all apparel with real or fake fur be labeled as real or fake, so that shoppers can have access to important product information. The investigation showed that Bloomingdale's was selling unlabeled "Parajumpers" and "Steve by Searle" brand jackets trimmed with animal fur, and that Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue were both selling "Moncler" brand jackets trimmed with unlabeled animal fur.

"I passed this law to ensure that consumers in New York could make informed decisions about the type of clothing they are buying," said Rosenthal. "Many people prefer not to wear animal fur, and they should be able to tell at a glance whether an article of clothing is made with fur or not. Retailers have had more than a year to comply with this law, and it is appalling that so many have disregarded it," she said.

Join SuperVegan in Fort Greene, Brooklyn for our Election Night Party as we keep a watchful eye on the results while downing discounted drink specials like Vegan White Russians, Chocolate Hawaiians, and Joe The Plumber Cocktails and munching on yummy vegan grub at Red Bamboo Brooklyn on Tue, November 4th from 8pm on.

If you are on Facebook, RSVP here.

To accommodate more peeps and after lessons learned from our awesome debate watch party, Red Bamboo Brooklyn's first floor will serve dinner from 8pm through midnight and the second floor and patio will be cleared of tables for folks to drink and hang out until the wee hours. We'll also have DJs on the second floor throughout the night!!!

While most eyes around the world are on the Obama vs. Palin race, animal advocates also have the following candidate races and ballot measures to look out for:

• New York State animal protection leaders like Frank Padavan, Liz Krueger, Deborah Glick, and Linda Rosenthal.
• California - YES on Prop 2 to stop cruelty to farm animals
• Massachusetts - YES on Question 3 to phase out dog racing
• Arizona - NO on Prop 105 which would prevent future animal protection initiatives
• Oklahoma - NO on State Question 742 which would affect wildlife protection measures
• Oregon - NO on Measure 64 which would harm nonprofits like the Oregon Humane Society
  

And finally, if you think Sarah Palin is scary, wait until you learn about Michigan's Rep. Joe Knollenberg. To learn more visit the Humane Society Legislative Fund folks.