Young Activist Changes Name to GoVeg.com

[mavsfanforever]

Young Activist Changes Name to GoVeg.com
Thu Jul 31, 2:42 AM ET Add U.S. National - AP to My Yahoo!


By MARTHA IRVINE, AP National Writer

She knew her new name might finally stick when she got a phone message recently: "Hi, GoVeg.com. This is your mother. Please call me."



It might sound more than a little odd — but it's true. A young animal rights activist from Indiana once known as Karin Robertson has legally changed her name to that of a Web site run by her employer, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.


It's not a first name or a last name — just one name. And don't call her "Veg" or "Dot," as some have tried to do.


"I like the whole name together," says the 23-year-old recent college graduate, who is now a youth educator for PETA and living in Norfolk, Va., where the organization is based.


The point, she says, isn't necessarily to promote PETA, where her bosses were as surprised as anyone when she came to them with the idea this past spring.


She says she made the switch to get people talking about vegetarianism and animal rights wherever she pulls out her new driver's license — at the airport, the bank or anyplace else.


"People are really perplexed," she says. "They say, 'You've got to be joking.'"


They usually laugh — and so does she.


"Every time I go to the bank, the tellers will report back about vegetarian food they've tried," she says, gleefully.


Her decision to take on such an unusual name also offers a chance to talk about the treatment of animals on farms and in processing plants — a source of heated debate.


The conditions under which chickens are raised and slaughtered was, for example, the topic of much discussion at the International Poultry Exposition in Atlanta earlier this year.


Agriculture experts there said animal rights activists are simply choosing sentimentality over science and practicality.


Now those in the agriculture field are rolling their eyes over GoVeg.com's name change.


"It sounds like she needs to get a life," says Kara Flynn, a spokeswoman for the National Pork Producers Council, a lobbying group in Washington. "If she actually went on a farm and saw what was happening there, she might be pleasantly surprised."


The activist formerly known as Karin Robertson seems undaunted by the criticism — and that's not unusual, says her mother, Melanie Robertson, of Culver, Ind.


She says her daughter first became concerned about conditions of animals on farms after doing a science project for school. While still in high school, her daughter then joined an animal rights group on the campus of nearby Ball State University in Muncie, Ind.


Admittedly, her mother says, the name change has been difficult to get used to.

"My first comment was 'But your real name is so pretty. Why would you want to do that?'" says Melanie Robertson, a kindergarten teacher who named her daughter for a college friend.

GoVeg.com's father, Bob, regularly eats vegetarian food, too, since having triple bypass surgery two years ago. But when it comes to his youngest daughter's name change, the fisheries biologist, who counts many hunters among his friends, is taking his share of ribbing.

Still, the family — most of whom GoVeg.com says aren't vegetarians "yet" — is standing behind her.

"To us, she will always be Karin," her mother says. "But I think she has a good reason for doing what she's doing."

[u2sarajevo]

This world is full of wacko's.

[mavsfanforever]

How would her boyfriend introduce her to his friends.

Hi, This is my girlfriend GOVEG.COM.

[Drbio]

What a moron.

[Chiwas]

Chiw@s from now on, please.

Until further notice.

[signoftimes]

I can't remember if this got posted on this site or not, but it's along the same lines.

CUYAHOGA FALLS -- A member of Ohio's 5694th National Guard Unit in Mansfield legally changed his name to a Transformers toy.

Optimus Prime is heading out to the Middle East with his guard unit on Wednesday to provide fire protection for airfields under combat.

"On Sunday, we were awarded as the best firefighting unit in the Army National Guard in the entire country," said Prime. "That was a big moment for us."

Prime took his name from the leader of the Autobots Transformers, which were popular toys and a children's cartoon in the 1980s. He legally changed his name on his 30th birthday and now it's on everything from his driver's licence, to his military ID, to his uniform.

"They razzed me for three months to no end," said Prime. "They really dug into me about it."

"I got a letter from a general at the Pentagon when the name change went through and he says it was great to have the employ of the commander of the Autobots in the National Guard."

Prime says the toy actually filled a void in his life when it came out. "My dad passed away the year before and I didn't have anybody really around, so I really latched onto him when i was a kid," he said.

[mavsfanforever]

Originally posted by: Chiwas
Chiw@s from now on, please.

Until further notice.

Which one is your last name and which one is you r first name

[Chiwas]

Originally posted by: mavsfanforever

Which one is your last name and which one is you r first name

Answer:

It's not a first name or a last name — just one name.

[u2sarajevo]

Can I be u2$@r@jev0?????

[Chiwas]

Originally posted by: u2sarajevo
Can I be u2$@r@jev0?????

You bet.

[mavsfanforever]

Now for norm dad joke of the week.

Chiwas your first name is You and last name is bet??

[Chiwas]

Originally posted by: mavsfanforever
Now for norm dad joke of the week.

Chiwas your first name is You and last name is bet??

I answered you a couple of posts above. And say Chiw@s, not Chiwas.

I'm thinking if The Chiw@s or only Chiw@s.

[mavsfanforever]

Originally posted by: Chiwas

I answered you a couple of posts above. And say Chiw@s, not Chiwas.

I'm thinking if The Chiw@s or only Chiw@s.

The Nash syndrome is running wild.

[Chiwas]

The Nash syndrome is running wild.

Say the The Nash syndrome.