 |
The Noble Mission of Saving the Planet Continues
Compiled by USA News Group (Originally in English)
[Boston] On May 3, Golden Year 6 (2009), local Association members joined in the Massachusetts “Walk for Hunger” founded by Project Bread. Walking with 44,000 people, our Association members were referred to as the “vegetable walkers,” wearing Alternative Living T-shirts and straw hats decorated with vegetables and fruits. Some walkers offered to help distribute Alternative Living/SOS flyers and held signs. Most people were grateful to receive the valuable information and some had their picture taken with the vegetable walkers. At the end of the day there were many tired legs and lots of uplifted spirits!  On June 6, the Center was invited to serve vegan food at the first Dance for World Community Festival on Harvard Street. A week later, they joined the 30th annual Cambridge River Festival along the banks of the Charles River. The vegan foods sold out very quickly. Many visitors shared concerns about global warming and applauded the initiates’ selfless effort. Two young men were delighted to receive information on the Quan Yin Method, as one of them had experienced a moment of enlightenment while the other was not satisfied with his current meditation method. On June 28, at the 6th Asian Festival in Worcester, the Boston initiates shared with guests the News Magazines in different languages, Master’s video tapes, DVDs as well as various informative flyers. The Buddha Hut restaurant, run by the initiates, became the most popular spot at the event. The positive feedback received made the initiates realize how important it is to continue to inform the public about the truths of climate change and the noble mission of saving the planet.
[Chicago] Celebrating the beautiful July 4 weekend, a group of nine jovial Chicago initiates brought the SOS climate change message to “Taste of Chicago,” a 10-day food fest that attracts up to 3 million people each year. Holding up pro-green signs and wearing animal costumes, they greeted festival-goers at the entrance and distributed flyers. Many cheered to express their support. 
In supporting the “National Veggie Hotdog Month” of July declared by Compassion Over Killing, an animal advocacy organization, the Chicago initiates offered 500 samples of meatless BBQ beef kabobs to pedestrians in front of the famous Water Tower Place. On this busy tourist corner downtown, people enjoyed the delicious treats prepared by Alice and Friends’ Vegetarian Cafe, a vegan restaurant run by our initiates, and were surprised by their tasty flavor. Initiates felt greatly encouraged when two vegan employees from an environmental-friendly shop stepped out to give them warm handshakes, hugs and gifts and to take pictures with them.
[Orlando] In an effort to spread the vegan option and Master's urgent message, Loving Hut in Orlando participated in many local events in May. After catering to the Orlando Museum of Art for its First Thursday’s event, Loving Hut joined the Fringe Festival from May 14 to 24. It was a favorite spot for performers and event-goers late at night. On the rainy days, the fair organizers allowed Loving Hut to set up inside the main theater to sell foods to their fans. At the end of the fair, Loving Hut was chosen as the Favorite Food Vendor of the 2009 Patrons Choice Awards. The vegan performance artist Brian Feldman presented himself as an award; agreeing to stage a performance art piece at Loving Hut. 
[Michigan] From May 1 to 3, Michigan initiates participated in the second annual Green Street Fair in downtown Plymouth. In a friendly and family-oriented outdoor environment, they distributed SOS flyers, sold shopping bags and gathered many signatures for the petition to add Supreme Master Television to mainstream media cable and satellite networks. Many people stopped to ask questions about the flyer and were glad to know the connection between global warming and animal farming. A 12-year-old girl asked for a “Be Veg Go Green” sticker and said she wanted to be a vegetarian. A long-time vegan thanked Master for promoting veganism and said she wished there were more groups like ours. The fair was a big success allowing initiates to reach many of the 100,000 visitors. 
On June 20, Michigan initiates eagerly prepared the “SOS Save the Planet” exhibit for the Raw Vegan Eco-Festival 2009 held in the serene and beautiful park “Nature’s Haven” near Brighton. Situated in a busy spot, initiates handed out promotional items related to SOS climate change to almost every passerby at their booth. The urgent message prompted much discussion and one man began reading the “Vegetarianism in Religion” flyer aloud to his friends, then excitedly exclaimed, “Wow, wow, wow!” Some people were interested in Master, asking, “Who is the beautiful lady?” Others said they had watched Supreme Master Television. Thanks to the Divine Grace, more people expressed their intention to improve their personal health and the health of the planet with a vegan diet.
[New York] Viva Veggie Society, a New York-based, long-term advocate for vegetarianism, held the second annual Veggie Pride Parade on May 17. In support of this noble cause, the New York Center and other local centers along the east coast joined the parade. Nearly a thousand vegetarians and vegans from more than 40 organizations gathered at the Old Meat District in Greenwich Village, holding signs and banners and wearing self-designed costumes to demonstrate their veggie pride. Many participants emphasized livestock’s impact on global warming. The “Farm Animal Rights Movement” team members covered their faces with medical masks and put on pig noses to remind parade watchers the link between swine flu and meat consumption. 
The parade ended at Union Square Park, a famous site for social and political activism since the 1800s, where vegan bands played music and notable vegans and vegetarians spoke. Lots of vegan vendors gave out free samples. The New York mayoral candidate Tony Avella came and committed to support one meatless day a week. The event ended with the screening of the documentary film “Meat the Truth.” The initiates were glad to work together with other communities to help more people join the veggie circle.
 [San Francisco] The Golden Era Vegetarian Restaurant, owned and operated by local initiates in San Francisco, participated in the fifth annual Asian Heritage Street Celebration in May and the Eco-Urban Festival in June. Each event attracted over 80,000 attendees. A delicious array of sumptuous vegan entrees was offered to the public with promotional materials. All were warmly welcomed by adults and children alike. Many were also introduced to Supreme Master Television’s enriching shows, and many people gladly signed a petition to have the channel made available on cable. At the Eco-Urban Festival, little children hugged initiates dressed in fun animal costumes, their glee bringing smiles all around. Almost everyone the initiates spoke to knew someone who was a vegetarian, or were vegetarians themselves, which testified to Master’s statement that the critical mass has been reached!
[South Carolina] On June 28, the North Carolina and South Carolina Centers jointly celebrated the first Vegan Earth Day in the Lounge of Golden Green Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina. The hotel is known for its environmental-friendly features, having the entire property smoke-free and the lounge serving only non-alcohol drinks. Its owners are planning to open a vegan restaurant in the hotel in the near future. Hotel guests arriving from around the world for a convention came to celebrate. Business associates of the hotel as well as its employees and their families were also invited to join the party. Everyone had the opportunity to sample the delicious vegan food and non-alcoholic drinks. An engaged couple was so impressed by the tasty food that they are considering serving vegan food at their wedding reception. They were immediately introduced to Mrs. Nancy Robinson, author of vegan cook book Around the World Vegan Style, who also prepared many of the delicious foods for the party. All the participants had a good time at this meaningful event.
[Washington, DC] On June 13 and 14, fellow initiates from Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania participated in the Capital Pride Parade and Festival, which attracted more than 200,000 people in Washington, DC. During the parade, many vegetarians and vegans were excited to see our group and the promoting banners and signs. People came to the Association’s booth to ask for vegetarian recipes, information about local vegetarian restaurants, and the Quan Yin Sample Booklet. Some expressed their willingness to be completely vegetarian for the rest of their lives and vegetarian parents said they would like to help their children become vegetarian. Hundreds of them were very happy to sign the petition to enable Supreme Master Television to be broadcast on cable, making it possible for its programs to reach more viewers in the US. Overall, about 10,000 SOS flyers and over 1,000 promotional items were distributed.
[San Jose] On May 16, San Jose held an SOS Climate Change Public Seminar at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Library, adjacent to the San Jose State University campus. More than 60 guests came from various cities in the Bay Area, and many library patrons and college students walked in to enjoy this event as well. Participants received informative material on climate change and enjoyed the well-prepared presentation. A translation service was provided for senior Chinese attendees upon request. One gentleman said afterwards that this seminar helped to clarify how much water is actually used to produce a hamburger, and agreed that everyone can make a difference to the world by making changes to their diet, one bite at a time. Another guest expressed how astonished he felt upon knowing the speed at which Arctic ice is melting, adding that he understood the urgency and potential harm of the massive amount of methane underneath the ocean floor. With permission from the library, the initiates brought delicious vegan appetizers for seminar attendees to enjoy.
On May 24, northern California celebrated the grand opening of the fourth Loving Hut Restaurant in the greater Bay Area, located in San Jose’s Westfield Oakridge Shopping Center, which is one of the top five malls in the area with more than 200 retail stores. Attending VIPs included former Milpitas Mayor Jose Esteves, San Jose City Council Members Ash Kalra and Kansen Chu. Accompanying Councilman Chu was his lovely wife, Mrs. Daisy Chu. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, all the guests enjoyed a vegan buffet in a friendly and loving atmosphere. All were very receptive to the message that vegetarianism is beneficial both to human health and the health of our precious planet. Being an active advocate for the environment and nutrition programs, former Mayor Esteves had been present at the opening of the Loving Hut in Milpitas and praised the vegan food as “the right food to eat” since it is “the future for a healthy environment.” He stated that governments should end subsidies for meat and use the funds for vegetable production and the promotion of vegetarian nutrition. He encouraged everyone to start trying this alternative diet - right now or as soon as possible, with both Councilmen Chu and Karla also expressing their support.
The opening ceremony attracted a large crowd. Many new curious customers stopped by to taste the vegan cuisine and praised the food for its exquisite flavors and affordable prices. Within three months of opening, the restaurant has frequent loyal customers and has received a four-star rating on the online restaurant review site “Yelp.com” The Loving Hut work team witnessed many miracles while setting
up the restaurant. Although the team was relatively inexperienced and
without extensive capital, the mall’s leasing manager contacted
them as soon as the space was available and they obtained a fully equipped
kitchen free of charge! In addition, they were able to completely remodel
the area in just one month and have the restaurant ready to operate
in less than 36 hours, after passing the health inspection. On July
9, the restaurant received an excellent review entitled “Loving
Hut boasts variety of vegan fast-food dishes” in the Mercury
News, the largest newspaper in Silicon Valley. This brought a new
string of customers to the restaurant. The Loving Hut working team also
participated in the “veggie dog giveaway” event sponsored
by PETA. They have learned that positive thinking and having faith in
Master power are the key to success.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
[San
Diego] The Ocean Beach Street Fair and Chili Cook-off took place
on June 27 in the beautiful town Ocean Beach in San Diego. At a booth
decorated with Master’s photos and a big banner carrying the “Be
Veg, Go Green, Save the Planet” slogan, our Association members
passed out thousands of SOS flyers, about 500 vegan recipe books and
400 shopping bags. They also gathered many signatures to support making
Supreme Master TV available on mainstream cable and satellite networks.
It was a successful and uplifting day for all who took part.
