October 1 is World Vegetarian Day

The Blog of Days does not want to get political, and we certainly don't wish to appear conspiracy-minded, but World Vegetarian Day? This sounds like a plot hatched by the critters in Orwell's Animal Farm. (And they taught us in school that Animal Farm was only an allegorical novella.)

Nevertheless, all of the Usual Suspects are lined up on this one. And a press release posted on bizjournals.com outlines the Vegan Manifesto:

Researchers at Harvard University say red meat can increase your risk of premature death. Eating one serving a day of unprocessed red meat (about the size of a deck of cards) was associated with a 13% increased risk in premature death; eating one serving a day of processed red meat (one hot dog or two slices of bacon) was associated with a 20% increased risk of premature death.

Cases of diabetes have reached epidemic levels, with nearly 350 million adults battling the disease worldwide. A study by he Harvard School of Public Health showed a strong connection between eating red meat and an increased risk in developing type 2 diabetes. A daily 100- gram serving (the size of a deck of cards) of unprocessed – red meat increased the risk of type 2 diabetes by 19 percent. This effect is more pronounced when the meat is processed. A 50-gram serving (one hot dog or two bacon slices, for example) increased risk by 51 percent.

A reduced consumption of animal products is necessary to save the world from the worst impacts of climate change, a UN report says. They also said that a global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change.

And, if you find these arguments persuasive, you can take the Vegetarian Pledge and, maybe, win some cash. Yes, that link will tell you how. (World Vegetarian Day is promoted by the North American Vegetarian Society.)

Today is also Model T Day, commemorating Henry Ford's introduction of the Model T on this date in 1908.

And, since we mentioned that yesterday was the 85th anniversary of the date on which Babe Ruth hit his record 60th home run, we feel compelled to mention that, on this day in 1961, Roger Maris hit his 61st homer. Perhaps in memory of then-Commissioner Ford Frick, we can call today Asterisk Day.