Thursday October 8, 1998 Put on Where’s the By Valerie Trost staff writer When I decided to become a veg etarian about three years ago I was not prepared to justify my decision every time I sat down to a meal with a friend or family member. Nor was I pre pared for the massive explosion of hype this lifestyle has brought to a generation of well-informed, environ mentally aware teens and twenty somethings. I came to the conclu sion that the most productive way I could answer the questions of my friends and simultaneously arm my self with facts for the not so open minded meat eater was to become as educated as I could. Ever since the Pulitzer Prize nomi nated Diet for a New America by John Robbins was published, information about vegetarian diets and lifestyles have been available almost every where you look. With the surge of This American Life By Jim O’Loughlin Beacon Advisor Until recently, you couldn’t hear the best radio on radio in Erie. Fortunately, WQLN 91.3 FM has just changed their programming schedule and brought This American Life to the local airwaves (it’s on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.: check it out if you know what’s good for you). The mix on This American Life is unlike anything else you’ll hear on radio, but it’s a recipe that works. Take one cup of The Real World, add in a few ounces of con versations you overhear on the bus, stir in a pinch of stories your crazy aunt used to tell. Throw it all in a blender and serve it up with the dis tinctly nerdy voice of host (and Na tional Public Radio veteran) Ira Glass. The themes of individual shows vary widely. One week may feature the story of a couple who be came involved when the man helped our bathin both this topic and the internet, I was able to go on-line to conduct a search for all the information 1, and others, seemed to be curious about. My favorite site (and the one that I am recommending) is called the MIT Vegetarian Support Group. This group was founded by a small group of students from MIT (Massachusettes Institute ofTechnol ogy) who wanted to start a very in formal organization interested in veg etarian issues. These students strongly believed in the importance of their lifestyle and wanted to create a support group to educate, inform, and update other stu dents around the country. The best part of all is that these kids are stu dents and understand how important and difficult it is for us to take a strong stand on an issue that is not always accepted by everyone in society. (By the way, being a vegetarian is not a prerequisite for a visit.) his to-be wife write letters to another guy she had a crush on at the time. Another may focus on a finger pup pet opera based on the story of Chicken Little (and written in Italian, no less). One episode consisted en tirely of home tape recordings people picked up a tag sales and flea mar kets. It’s all real, it's all out there, but you never hear it on radio. So, what’s this got to do with the Internet? Well, you've already missed over 100 episodes of This American Life. It’s time to catch up and you can do it on-line. The This American Life website has all the old shows archived. With a soundcard and the free Real Audio or Real Player plug-ins you can listen to each one on your own time. I recommend episode 36 (people read letters they’ve found), episode 66 (the Internet show), and episode 100 (a show all about radio which will make you realize how bad most radio is and how good it can be). Beef? One can find general information inside regarding health, the environ ment, ethics and philosophy. Specifi cally, you can discover great little pieces that range from information on Greenpeace, fact sheets on PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and what details as to what McDonald's doesn't want you to know. There's also sections on reci pes, health benefits and animal rights. You can find a fun list of famous veg etarians and vegans throughout enter tainment, history, and politics. And for those of us who find our selves in this situation almost daily there is a write up titled "How to win an Argument with a Meat Eater." So, whatever your pleasure, if you have the time, interest, or energy you should check it out (maybe even today, National Vegetarian Day). The rest of the website is standard fare: information on upcom ing shows, FAQs, a plea for donations (it’s public radio, you know). I did find this great description of the show on the site, however. “One of the problems with our show from the start has been that whenever we try to de scribe it in a sentence or two, it sounds awful. It’s a bunch of stories some are documentaries, some are fiction, some are something else. Each week we choose a theme and invite differ ent writers and performers to contrib ute items on the theme. This does not sound like something we’d want to listen to on the radio. And it’s our show. In the early days of the show, in frustration, we’d sometimes tell public radio program directors that it’s basically just like Car Talk. Except just one guy hosting. And no cars. It’s a weekly show. It’s an hour. Its mis sion is to document everyday life in this country.” . 'fe v, fc *‘-*5 'IS l' 1, JVv '• suit because Find a long lost friend By Danielle Marshall staff writer You know how you see the U.S. Search ads pop on your T.V. screen after a segment on Sally Jesse Raphael or Maury Povich. U.S. Search can find anyone across the country for about $39.95. Instead, be wise and use the net. You can save your forty dollars and spend it on a transcript from the talk show you watched. You can find people fast with pow erful search tools on the Internet. Not only can you find their phone num ber and address, you can also look up their e-mail address. This “White Pages” website gives you Do you have any future Beacon supplements? Behrcolls @ aol.com «• -a! • •* '" J,; the place to insert their last name, first name, city and state/country. You can choose from any country throughout the world. “White Pages” gives an advanced search of any member of your fam ily, a friend, or companion. You can also have your listing removed from its directory. All you have to do is find the individual listing and click the automated e-mail link at the bottom of their page. For example, I looked up my parents’ address and number and the correct information appeared on the screen. The search is also suc cessful when looking for a celebrity’s address, phone number, and even e mail address. For example, I looked up Oprah Winfrey. All I had to do E-Mail us at ■'iPb ideas for i m •» ~Jt • J - i was either type in her first name or her full name. Her e-mail address au tomatically popped up. If nothing was found under her name, then it would read “Listing not Available.” This website offers other services, particularly the Yellow Pages. You can search for Member Directory. Professional Connections, Netscape Web Directory, and Instant Messen ger. You can even access from webmail through this website and send flowers with national or inter - national delivery. It helps you keep in touch on-line and off because it s easier to pick up a phone and dial a number instead of writing a letter However, you can’t pick up the phone if you don’t have the number.