YouTube Shooter Identified As Nasim Aghdam

This report was originally published by Tyler Durden at Zero Hedge

As it turns out, Tuesday’s shooting at YouTube headquarters (which has so far resulted in zero deaths other than that of the shooter, who committed suicide) had nothing to do with domestic violence and everything to do with blowback to YouTube’s demonetization efforts – as many initially feared.

The shooter was identified as Nasim Aghdam who slammed YouTube for purportedly censoring her after she claimed that they demonetized her channels, including an exercise one devoted to exercise videos and another devoted to veganism. Aghdam channeled her anger toward YouTube into a paranoid manifesto published online. She wrote in her purported manifesto: “Be aware! Dictatorship exists in all countries but with different tactics! They only care for personal and short-term profits and do anything to reach their goals even by fooling simple-minded people, hiding the truth, manipulating science and everything, putting public mental and physical health at risk, abusing non-human animals, polluting the environment, destroying family values, promoting materialism and sexual degeneration in the name of freedom and turning people into programmed robots!”

"Manifesto" posted by animal rights activist and YouTube shooter Nasim Aghdam pic.twitter.com/RkkgOz6juF

— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) April 4, 2018

She identified herself as an Iranian activist as well as an animal rights activist. Shortly after she was identified, photos of her holding signs with anti-YouTube messages were found online and shared.

YouTube HQ shooter held a sign up decrying "YouTube Dictatorship" in 2017 pic.twitter.com/6ZOCwNDQhc

— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) April 4, 2018

Along with her now-deleted Instagram…

Instagram pages of YouTubeHQ shooter pic.twitter.com/mKiY1UNivZ

— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) April 4, 2018

…One now-deleted YouTube page bore anti-YouTube messages.

User page of YouTube shooter Nasim Aghdam – just deleted pic.twitter.com/HrCIyImqb5

— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) April 4, 2018

She recently published a video ranting about her treatment by YouTube, complaining that they’d deprived her of views. She said the practice was tantamount to censorship. She also maintained a website that remained live late Tuesday evening. It lists five channels for Aghdam.

And driving that point home, she published a video debating whether the US or Iran did more to protect freedom of speech.

Video of YouTube HQ shooter from 10 days ago asking if USA or Iran is better for freedom of speech https://t.co/xFOnXeX1Qs pic.twitter.com/zS8fPbhYa4

— Jack Posobiec (@JackPosobiec) April 4, 2018

A Facebook artist page she created had more than 1,600 followers according to a cached version from archive.org. The Facebook page contains a trove of videos. They range in subject matter from lighthearted and comical to recipes for helping people eat vegan, as well as her exercise videos.

Contrary to initial reports, ABC said Aghdam wasn’t in a relationship with anyone at the facility (so much for those initial suspicions).

She did not have an ID badge, and was carrying a purse. Aghdam was apparently a prolific maker of YouTube videos, maintaining several accounts for videos of different subjects.

What Is a Raw Vegan Diet?

When developing a raw vegan diet, or any diet for that matter, you should focus on choosing foods that provide your body with the five most essential types of nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins. Fortunately, these essential nutrients are present in a wide range of fruits, vegetables, herbs, and plants, so it is actually pretty easy to create a diet for yourself that is highly varied, palatable, and rich in nutritious value.Additionally, consuming these foods in raw form adds additional vitality and enzymes to your body because cooking removes many essential nutrients from foods. Organic, raw foods are also free from many of the preservatives that are added to foods that are intended for traditional recipe cooking.

Carbohydrates for Vegans

Carbohydrates are the first nutrient group to mention and raw, leafy green vegetables are the best source of complex carbohydrates for vegans. Complex carbohydrates take longer to break down and enter your blood stream. This allows the body to absorb them slowly and to use them more efficiently. Legumes are another excellent source of complex carbohydrates that also help maintain constant, healthy blood sugar levels.

Protein for Vegans

Although meat is usually thought to be the primary (or only) source of protein, incorporating protein into a raw vegan diet isn’t nearly as difficult as you may think. Protein is much more abundant in plant material than people have been raised to believe. Our civilization and the advertising wizards who pull the strings have promoted a myth that a plant-based diet is unable to deliver all of the protein a person requires. This is not based on fact, but rather, on a desire to promote meat as a food source for economic gain. In actuality, protein is abundant in many types of vegetable sprouts. Broccoli sprouts, for instance, contain 35% protein, while pea sprouts contain 25% protein.

Many of the same leafy green vegetables from which we gain complex carbohydrates also provide us with protein. Broccoli and kale both consist of 45% protein, while spinach consists of 30 percent protein. Eating these vegetables this will also enrich your body with essential minerals, vitamins, and amino acids which we will examine more closely in a moment.

Nuts and seeds are two fabulous sources of protein for the raw vegan diet. Seeds make excellent, filling snacks between meals and are also a source for the essential fats required by the human body. Almonds are 12% protein per ounce. Pumpkin seeds consist of 21% protein per seed, while hemp seeds consist of 22% protein. A lesser known food source, but protein rich at the same time, is Spirulina, a type of algae. It is almost 68% protein—more than any land-based plant life. It also contains fatty acids and appears to have detoxification qualities as well. Another algae, Chlorella, is 60% protein and also possesses certain tissue repair properties.

Fats for Vegans

There’s no harm in avoiding unhealthy saturated fats but certain types of healthy fats are necessary for a healthy raw vegan diet. These fats can be obtained from many of the nuts and seeds mentioned previously. You can also get them from organic, raw avocados, and milk substitutes made from nuts and oily seeds. Hemp milk and almond milk, for instance, are two of the healthiest dairy substitutes that anyone can consume, vegan or otherwise. Avocados should be consumed independently from sweet and starchy foods in order to prevent the body from craving excessive amounts of sugar.

Minerals for Vegans

It is also necessary to make sure that your raw vegan diet contains plenty of essential minerals. The most important of these minerals is calcium, followed by iron, magnesium, and a host of others. The following lists is a handy reference chart of plant sources for each type of mineral the body requires.

Calcium	Iron	Magnesium
Figs Brazil nuts Flax seed Sunflower seeds Sesame seeds Almonds Green leafy vegetables Broccoli	Spinach Cereals Whole grain Watermelon Green leafy vegetables Legumes Beans Organic prune juice	Bananas Whole grains Dried figs Legumes Beans Almonds
Potassium	Zinc	Iodine
Kiwi Tomatoes Grapefruit Cauliflower Raisins Bananas Dried apricots Spinach	Corn Spinach Collard greens Wheat germ Sunflower seeds Lentils Legumes Pumpkin seeds	Sea vegetables

Vitamins for Vegans

We also need to make sure that our raw vegan diet provides us with plenty of vitamins. The following list enumerates some of the most popular plant-based sources of vitamins that are completely appropriate for vegans.

Vitamin A	Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)	Riboflavin
Broccoli Red bell peppers Apricots Kale Spinach Apricots Carrots	Legumes Various nuts Sunflower seeds Wheat germ Watermelon	Mushrooms Whole grains Beans Broccoli Spinach
Vitamin B3 (Niacin)	Vitamin B6	Vitamin C
Broccoli Tomatoes Leafy green vegetables Legumes	Peanuts Walnuts Legumes Watermelon Bananas	Cabbage Tomatoes Bell peppers Grapefruit Broccoli Strawberries
Vitamin D	Vitamin E	Vitamin K
	Spinach Sunflower seeds Peanuts Leafy green vegetables Nuts Whole grains	Spinach Tomatoes Parsley Kale Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Leafy green vegetables Green tea

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5 Vegan Calcium Sources

People who are beginning to implement more vegan foods into their diet are usually concerned with the nutritional give-and-take that happens when you exclude certain types of food. Specifically, when it comes to cutting out dairy, most people are concerned with how that will affect their calcium intake. The good news is that vegan calcium sources certainly do exist and, whereas dairy products may offer calcium in spite of other health concerns (fat content, hormones, production methods), most vegan sources of calcium have few, if any downsides and contain a large volume of other essential vitamins and nutrients that makes your body happy.

As a side thought, it needs to be said that this information isn’t just for vegans. It’s been reported that over 75 percent of Americans are actually deficient in calcium. This is a problem that has serious consequences and will continue to have serious consequences. Did you know that within the next decade the surgeon general has projected that half the population over age 50 is going to be at risk for osteoporotic fractures?. Hello! America has a nutrition problem and that includes calcium, don’t be one of the statistics!

Here are five sources of calcium that are friendly to all, including vegans. Even if you’re not vegan, making a conscious effort to include these foods on your plate can make a serious difference in your calcium intake and probably even get you higher than persons who consume dairy (with an added bonus of vitamins C, K, and a truckload of minerals):

1. Kale

In addition to being a great food-based protector against radiation, kale also happens to offer up 180 mg of calcium per cup. Creighton University in Omaha Nebraska analyzed the calcium absorption in women who drank milk and compared it to women who consumed kale. The women who consumed kale had higher calcium levels than the milk drinking group and researchers advised of the excellent absorbability of calcium from kale. ^[1]

2. Collard Greens

Collard greens pack a very strong calcium punch, with 1 cup alone containing 350 mg. With the established recommended intake between 1,000 and 2,000 mg daily for an average person, it only takes a relatively small serving of collard greens and other vegan alternatives to meet this criteria. Research has suggested that the bitter taste of some vegetables, like collard greens, is an indication of high calcium content and some animals can pick up on this. In fact, when given the choice between a low calcium vegetable like broccoli, and a high calcium vegetable like collard greens, calcium deprived mice and rats will choose the collard greens. ^[2]

3. Almond Butter

If the bitter taste of collard greens leaves you unfulfilled, perhaps almond butter will be your answer. In addition to its great taste and raw quality (when purchased in its raw form) just 2 small tablespoons of almond button contains 86 mg of calcium. Almond butter also provides an alternative, not just for vegans, but persons with food allergies to tree nuts, including peanuts. And actually, it’s a better option. When compared to peanut or sunflower seed butter, almond butter has significantly more fiber, calcium, and potassium. ^[3]

4. Figs

Considered to be a treat by many and actually used historically in dessert-styled candy and pastry dishes, figs contain 120 mg of calcium within only ½ cup. If you have not yet tried figs, you are missing out on a nutrient-loaded and energy dense powerhouse of a food!

5. Blackstrap Molasses

Blackstrap molasses can be really handy as a calcium rich ingredient for a number of savory recipes, including baked beans. Two tablespoons of this black gold hold 400mg of calcium!

Adequate levels of calcium help your body properly develop your teeth and bones… everyone knows this. But, calcium is also involved with brain and cardiovascular health. It’s relatively simple to enhance your diet with all-natural, vegan-friendly sources of calcium as long as you make a concerted effort to do so. Conscious eating is always important; getting each and every one of the nutrients your body needs to operate at peak performance is a daily habit and it won’t happen by accident.

Calcium Supplements

There are many types of calcium supplements available and some are worthless, literally nothing more than ground-up, encapsulated sea shells- beware of their presence. If you need to fill the nutritional gaps in your diet with a calcium supplement, I recommend IntraCal™, my calcium orotate supplement. Calcium orotate is the most absorbable form of calcium and is the only one I recommend if you’re truly trying to achieve the benefits of proper calcium levels.

References (3)

1. Heaney RP, Weaver CM. Calcium absorption from kale. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990 Apr;51(4):656-7.


2. Tordoff MG, Sandell MA. Vegetable bitterness is related to calcium content. Appetite. 2009 Apr;52(2):498-504.


3. R. Thomas, S. Gebhardt. Sunflower seed butter and almond butter as nutrient-rich alternatives to peanut butter (PDF). Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center.

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Leonardo DiCaprio is Going to Make You a Vegan Environmentalist (Like it or Not!)

Leonardo DiCaprio is patient. He waited decades for his first Oscar win earlier this year. He tirelessly dates gorgeous supermodels one after the other after the other in search of the perfect soul mate (presumably), and he seems to be waiting out every single one of the climate naysayers with the release of yet another poignant climate change documentary he’s narrated and starring in.

“Before the Flood” is the latest documentary directed by Fisher Stevens who’s best known for another Oscar winner: 2009’s “The Cove,” which followed the egregious annual Japanese dolphin slaughter.

“I just want to know how far we’ve gone, and if there’s anything we can do to stop it,” DiCaprio says about the state of the climate in the film’s trailer as he visits chunks of Antarctica’s ice shelf breaking off, floods, deforestation, ocean acidification, and other destitute parts of the planet before talking climate solutions with experts including Barack Obama, Pope Francis, and, of course, Mr. Save-the-Future himself, Elon Musk.

Earlier this year, DiCaprio also reportedly joined forces with the Hindu Nationalist Party, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, in calling for a major global decrease in beef consumption. DiCaprio produced the 2015 documentary “Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret,” which looked at why some of the world’s leading environmental organizations refuse to call out animal agriculture as a leading cause of climate change.

Animal agriculture accounts for at least 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, although some experts suggest its impact is even higher.

Beef Magazine (yep!) deflects DiCaprio’s urging, pointing instead to his lavish lifestyle as the real culprit: “DiCaprio jets around the world on his private plane, sails the open seas on his personal yacht and lights up his oversized mansion, the actor-turned-activist is calling for average Americans to curtail their energy use and to fight climate change by, get this — banning beef,” writes Amanda Radke.

Radke, a cattle rancher herself, says climate change is questionable, equating it curiously to just visible smog, and insisting that millions of beef cattle aren’t a problem, “perhaps we should look collectively at the many things we use in our everyday lives that require energy — from the clothes we wear to the cars we drive and to the electricity we use,” she writes. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen smog over a pasture full of cattle, but I certainly have seen it in the concrete jungle of big cities where people, not animals, live.”

While yes, of course we should be (and already are) looking at clothes, electricity, and certainly the impact of cars, among other culprits, the blatant ignorance about animal agriculture’s impact on the planet reinforces the need for films like “Before the Flood” and radical calls to shift our dietary habits to more plant-based foods.

Certainly most meat-eaters aren’t going to give it all up just because Leonardo DiCaprio asked them to. But maybe if he keeps asking—keeps making poignant documentaries, delivering powerful speeches, and getting the message out there however he can—maybe it will change some minds. And just giving up meat a few meals a week is not insignificant. Some experts say it’s enough to tip the scales, and one of the easiest ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Moving toward the abundance of plant-based proteins now widely available could reduce costs related to climate change by as much as 50 percent by 2050, found a recent study.

But yet, despite data, and films like “Cowspiracy,” or “Before the Flood,” most people “are still not aware of the full extent of meat’s climate impacts,” researcher Annick de Witt wrote in Scientific American earlier this year.

“We examined how citizens in America and the Netherlands assess various food and energy-related options for tackling climate change,” de Witt explained. “We presented representative groups of more than 500 people in both countries with three food-related options (eat less meat; eat local and seasonal produce; and eat organic produce) and three energy-related options (drive less; save energy at home; and install solar panels). We asked them whether they were willing to make these changes in their own lives, and whether they already did these things. While a majority of the surveyed people recognized meat reduction as an effective option for addressing climate change, the outstanding effectiveness of this option, in comparison to the other options, was only clear to 6% of the U.S. population, and only 12% of the Dutch population.”

“This is the most important issue of our time,” DiCaprio says in the film, “the question is: Can we change our course in time?”

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climate change, environment, greenhouse gas, vegan

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Jill Ettinger

Jill Ettinger is a Los Angeles-based journalist and editor focused on the global food system and how it intersects with our cultural traditions, diet preferences, health, and politics. She is the senior editor for sister websites OrganicAuthority.com and EcoSalon.com, and works as a research associate and editor with the Cornucopia Institute, the organic industry watchdog group. Jill has been featured in The Huffington Post, MTV, Reality Sandwich, and Eat Drink Better. Twitter @jillettinger | www.jillettinger.com.