A market for all things – Vegan Strip Club

You won’t find any meat at a new spot in Portland, but you will find a whole lot of flesh. Casa Diablo claims to be the world’s first vegan strip club — there’s no meat, eggs or dairy on the menu.

The club reflects the ideals of its owner, Johnny Diablo.

“My very sole purpose in life is to save as many creatures from pain and suffering as possible,” Diablo said.

Diablo, a vegan for more than 20 years, insists his club isn’t a publicity stunt.

He hopes to expose people to the vegan way and change the way they think.

While it may not be the most orthodox way to win over new vegans, Diablo hopes people bring some green and eat some green at his new club.

“(It’s) vixens, not veal, and sizzle, not steak,” Diablo said. “We put the meat on the pole, not on the plate.”

In addition to laying claim to the world’s first vegan strip club, Diablo also said his club offers another first in Portland — the first non-smoking strip club in the city.

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Interesting Democrat Super Delegate

Jason Rae is a typical junior in college.

He spends several hours a day in class at Marquette University in Wisconsin where he is majoring in history and political science. He is closely following the Marquette basketball team and has the Golden Eagles’ schedule memorized.

But not many 21-year-olds start their Monday with a personal breakfast with Chelsea Clinton, as Rae did this morning at the student union at the nearby University of Milwaukee.

Rae got the one-on-one treatment from the former  and possibly future  first daughter because he is a Democratic National Committee member from Wisconsin and thus a “super delegate,” one of the 796 free agents who can back any candidate in the race for the Democratic nomination.

Never Voted Before
Rae may be a typical college junior but he is certainly not the typical DNC super delegate.

He is only 21 years old  he has never voted in a presidential election because he turned 18 after Election Day in 2004.

Since the race between New York Sen. Hillary Clinton and Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is so tight, Rae has become a power broker of sorts, as both campaigns push hard to lock down the support of super delegates.

Rae said he and Chelsea Clinton talked about electability and mobilizing young people to get involved in politics. He said she spoke about what states her mother can carry in the general election and what demographics favor her candidacy. The two talked about how the campaign’s operations were going in the states and what she is seeing on the ground.

The breakfast lasted about 30 minutes. Rae said he had to hustle back to campus and get to his afternoon classes.

Rae was elected as a DNC member at the Wisconsin state party convention in June 2004. He was 17 years old at the time but there are no party rules that say a DNC member has to be of voting age. Rae ran against and defeated the president of the state firefighters’ union and a state legislator.

Rae has been called on his cell phone by former President Clinton and former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright who tried to woo him to the Clinton side and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, who was pushing for Rae to endorse Obama.

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One Lovable Pig

A cute little piglet born with heart-shaped markings on his side is the centre of attention as lovers gear up for Valentine’s Day this week.

The 10-day-old Gloucester Old Spot piglet christened Valentine – what else? – is one of a litter of seven born at Byford’s Farm in Taynton, near Newent, Glos.

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It just makes me think of heart-shaped-bacon.

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The Bible as Graphic Novel, With a Samurai Stranger Called Christ

Ajinbayo Akinsiku wants the world to know Jesus Christ, just not the gentle, blue-eyed Christ of old Hollywood movies and illustrated Bibles.

Mr. Akinsiku says his Son of God is “a samurai stranger who’s come to town, in silhouette,” here to shake things up in a new, much-abridged version of the Bible rooted in manga, the Japanese form of graphic novels.“We present things in a very brazen way,” said Mr. Akinsiku, who hopes to become an Anglican priest and who is the author of “The Manga Bible: From Genesis to Revelation.” “Christ is a hard guy, seeking revolution and revolt, a tough guy.”Publishers with an eye for evangelism and for markets have long profited by directing Bibles at niche markets: just-married couples, teenage boys, teenage girls, recovering addicts. Often the lure is cosmetic, like a jazzy new cover. Sales of graphic novels, too, have grown by double digits in recent years. So it makes sense that a convergence is under way, as graphic novels take up stories from the Bible, often in startling ways. In the last year, several major religious and secular publishing houses have announced or released manga religious stories.

The medium shapes the message. Manga often focuses on action and epic. Much of the Bible, as a result, ends up on the cutting room floor, and what remains is darker.

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