Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Health: Vitamins

I think the best way to be sure you're getting proper nutrition in your vegan diet is to eat a lot of leafy greens, and a wide variety of fresh fruits and veggies. I listen to my body, and if I'm craving carrots I'll eat them because my body is telling me I need more Beta Carotene. If I'm craving broccoli, my body probably wants more iron. And if I'm craving oranges, or orange juice my body is telling me I need more Calcium, or Vitamin C (same with strawberries, which have more Vitamin C than oranges). If we take the time to become more aware of our bodies, and listen to them, we can feed them the fuel they are asking for. Cutting out over-processed foods (containing high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils) help awaken your senses to your own health, and give you more energy.

When I make sure to eat good, fresh, veggie-laden meals, rather than be a junk food vegan (just because its vegan does not mean its "health" food) I feel energized, and satisfied. There are also a variety of vegan vitamin supplements that are available, and I do take some on occasion though not daily because I don't think its necessary. If you are someone who likes taking vitamins, and believes in supplements (we all adhere to different beliefs) here's the ones that I like and take when I'm so inclined.

Hard-To-Get-Elsewhere (not in tablet form), Power Foods, and Supplements:
Vegan B12- Nutritional Yeast
Vegan Omegas- Flax Seed/Flax Seed Oil
Vegan Iron, B12, Protein, Calcium, Beta Carotene- Spirulina, Blue Green Algae Powder
Also Vegans can get Protein from- Beans, Wheat Protein, Soy (should be eaten in moderation), Nuts, Seeds, Oats, Quinoa, Brown Rice, Seitan, Tempeh, Potatoes.
Yerba Mate is rich in Iron, Protein, Calcium,Vitamin C and Potassium
Kombucha great for digestion, liver, skin, and all over health.
Vitamins in a Bottle I'll Take:
Garden of Life, Vitamin Code - Raw Vitamin E
Hero Nutritionals, Slice of Life Gummy Vitamins for Adults - Omega 3-6-9
Rainbow - Women's One a Day

Here are two lists of vegan supplements to choose from too:
Vegan Essentials
Vegetarian Vitamin


Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Recipes: Vegan Split Pea Soup

Split Pea Soup
3 cups of dry (but washed) organic split peas
9 cups of water
1 whole onion (sauteed)
13 blended baked red potatoes (MED. SIZE. Baked while peas began cooking, and blended with three ladles full of cooked split peas for thick, creamy consistency)
1/2 a bag of chopped baby carrots (sauteed w/ onions)
2 diced jalepenos
8 cloves of fresh, coarsely chopped garlic
2 vegan bullion cubes (salt-free)
5 inches of soyrizo
a bunch of parsley
salt, pepper to taste

Served with sprouted wheat toast with Earth Balance "butter" and Nutritional yeast, and San Pellegrino. (Skull and Cross-bone ice cubes to keep us from burning our mouths).


Friday, September 25, 2009

People: Famous Vegans

Who are your favorite Vegan Celebrities?

At the moment I am completely enamored with Zooey Deschanel, she is so cute and seems a little crazy which makes me love her as an actress, and she sings too. Woody Harrelson reportedly started being vegan as a means to get more energy and change his eating habits for a cleaner diet but has found that the whole lifestyle has been extremely rewarding for him and the animals. Go Woody! Can't wait for Zombieland. Alicia Silverstone is one of the old-time vegans, that I have always looked up to as an inspiring strong woman fighting for animal rights and compassion. Natalie Portman is another beautiful vegan actress who has created her own line of vegan shoes. Fiona Apple, and Andre 3000 are two of my favorite vegan musicians, but also Alanis Morissette, Morissey, and Wu Tang Clan's Masta Killa are vegans who inspire me and are using their limelight to help the animals.

There are MANY many more... Look at these lists to find your favorite celebrity vegan


Fashion: Vegan Haircare

What shampoos do you use?

I love Pureology. Its completely vegan, not tested on animals, smells amazing and makes my hair feel great. Its a little bit pricey (roughly $20 a bottle), but I like to treat my hair to that luxury. Plus it lasts a long time, a little goes a long way. I use the purple bottles of shamp & cond *for color treated hair* (for extra moisture, my hair gets dry in this Texas heat) and also have tried and loved their Nanoworks shamp & cond- which are $50 for a bottle of each (but they do have travel sizes). It did a great job with the extra conditioning and repair that it promised. Its a nice occasional treat.

I've also tried using the Kevin Murphy hair care products and like them too, all the shampoos and conditioners are vegan, but not all the styling products are. Kevin Murphy is also the Murphy half of Kusco Murphy, another line that I use a couple products from. I love glossing some Lavender cream, or Beach hair through my clean wet hair to avoid it drying frizzy.

If you're not looking to spend as much on your shampoo, Dr. Bronner's has a great all-in-one body, hair, and hand soap that is vegan, biodegradable and USDA organic found at just about every health food store. They also have a new haircare specialized product that I haven't tried yet. Looks interesting. I have used the classic peppermint Dr. Bronners, and it tingles on my scalp which I like.

Shopping: Vegan Shopping List

What are the vegan basics that are on your shopping list whenever you go to the grocery store, or always in your pantry?


COSTCO:
-large bag of brown rice
-whole wheat pasta (though I can eat regular pasta too, as long as there is no egg)
-canned black beans (if we're lazy)
-tomato paste
-jarred tomato sauce (make sure it doesn't have Parmesan in it)
-organic vanilla soy milk
-extra virgin olive oil
-balsamic vinegar
-Siracha hot sauce
-Yellow Tail red wines (many wines are not vegan due to the filtration process- through gelatin or eggs whites and egg shells)
-Ketchup
-french fries and tater tots (make sure they aren't cheese flavored, many "seasoned" fries are also vegan, but check to make sure the seasonings don't have meat or dairy)
-frozen broccoli
-dried parsley
-pine nuts (for pesto, store in the freezer)
-fair-trade, shade grown, organic coffee
-Julie's frozen fruit bars (blackberry)
-Vegan Frozen Boca burgers (if you get veggie burgers make sure there is no egg or cheese in them, about half are vegan, but the other half are not)
-Bag of Potatoes
-cheerios or health cereal (usually grape nuts)
-Mrs May's vegan snack bars, or nut and seed squares
-tub of mixed nuts
-tortilla chips
-corn tortillas
-large salt crystals for our salt mill
-peppercorns for our pepper mill


    WHOLE FOODS/HEALTH FOOD STORE & BULK BINS:
    -dry black beans (if my husband's feeling ambitious enough to cook our own beans from scratch) -bragg's liquid aminos (for aminos)
    -nutritional yeast (for B12)
    -flax seed oil (though expensive, one bottle will last a very long time... for Omegas)
    -earth balance vegan butter
    -Soyrizo (vegan chorizo)
    -Uncle Eddie's Vegan cookies! (I love the walnut chocolate chip cookies the best)
    -So Delicious Ice Cream pint
    -Vegan Coffee Creamer
    -Egg Beaters Egg Replacer (vegan powder substitute for eggs when baking. just add water. one box lasts forever).
    -Vegan Cheese (Follow Your Heart, vegan gourmet brand, is the only brand that I've found melts and tastes good. note: NOT ALL "soy cheeses" are Vegan! many are just lactose free, but still contain milk fats. deceiving, isn't it.)


      FARMER'S MARKETS/LOCAL VEGGIE DELIVERY SERVICE:
      -all fresh fruits and veggies (we use a lot of tomatoes. but all fruits and veggies are vegan, which is so easy! so many options, and yes coconut milk is vegan, its from coconuts :))
      -jalapenos (we tried growing our own but only got one batch out of our plants. better luck next year)
      -garlic
      -onions (though depending on money, most times we'll buy a bag of onions at costco because we cook them every meal, and so a big bag won't go bad)
      -basil (for pesto), and other fresh herbs

        Thursday, September 24, 2009

        Fashion: Vegan Makeup


        Urban Decay lipstick in "Revolution"
        ZUZU luxe lip liner in "Cherry"
        Urban Decay brow color, brush and hold combo pencil in "Brilliant Blonde" (though I didn't fill in my eye brows above)
        Beauty without Cruelty Liquid Eye liner in "Jet Black"
        Animal-hair free vegan make-up brushes by Sephora and Bourjois
        Eyelash Curler by Tarte.
        MYKA mineral make-up Face Powders in "Ivory" and "Cashmere"(doubles as concealer or tinted moisturizer- just add favorite face lotion, more powder for concealer, 50-50 for tinted m.)
        MYKA mineral make-up eye color in "24K Gold" "Diamond Cluster" "Tawny" & "Blue Hilite" (doubles as lip color, just add lip gloss/chapstick base)

        I love MYKA especially b/c its local, organic, and handmade. The lady who created/makes this product is awesome, and so is her makeup. Not all of her lotions and scrubs are vegan, but some of those are too. If you don't live in Austin you can order off her website. If I ever move I probably will b/c I love how light her make up feels, and its completely fragrance and additive-free. I tend to stick to the neutrals but she also has a large selection of very bright, vibrant shades too.

        Also Whole Foods and most health food stores carry vegan make-up lines. 

        Fashion: Shells, Feathers, and Bones

        How do you feel about shells, feathers, and bone jewelry, decor and products?

        All vegans are different, but this is my view. Being vegan is not consuming any animal-products or by-products. Shells, feathers and bones are animal by-products and were at one point attached to a nervous system, and had a life history.

        The biggest problem that I have with feathers, especially down pillows, blankets, clothes, and jewelry is that I don't know where the feathers came from and most likely their collection involved pain or death. So I will not buy feathers or down. I do however love feathers. I think they are beautiful and they amaze me. Like fallen apples from a tree, I like to collect fallen feathers from the various birds that live in the trees around my property. I've collected several bouquets of black feathers, gray feathers, spotted and striped feathers, and I think they are lovely. I don't feel uncomfortable with them because I know that they fell on their own accord, and weren't plucked or ripped from their skin which would make their energy a lot more negative for me to keep around.

        Shells are similarly something that I can appreciate and see the beauty in, but would not buy a shell necklace, jewelry, buttons or any work of shell craftsmanship. Growing up by the ocean I would collect washed up shells and I still like to find tiny treasures on beaches whenever I visit them, which sadly isn't as often these days. The aura surrounded by an object that used to be alive is effected by his or her death, and though I think my dad's and my brother's abalone shell collections are beautiful in their gardens and backyards, I still feel an overwhelming sadness for all the death that's reflected off of their shiny surfaces. The same goes for store bought shells, I don't know their history but I can sense that the sea animals were used up as a means to an end- producing a pretty shell to string around someone's neck as a death badge. Same goes for pearls. I don't like pearls for that reason and will not wear or consume them. Not until I stumble across a loose natural pearl on a beach.

        Bones. There is a fascination with bones that I know many people are drawn towards. The skeletal structure is beautiful, awe-inspiring and a much needed reminder to our mortality. But again, I will not consume bones, or bone products because the energy of the life that's pasted from the bones, and the death that lingers isn't ever a good energy I feel. How many of the people who love the aesthetics of bones wear human bones? display human bones? Human bones to me are much more interesting but aside from spending a limited time around them (such as visiting the Bone Church in Kutna Hora), I can't put myself in the same space as their death energy for long periods of time. There is a tribal quality to wearing bones, but until the bones that people wear around their necks, and dip in gold, and hang on their walls or turn into buttons and jewelry boxes are from animals that they watched die, or killed themselves, that tribal element is moot.

        Fashion: Shoes. Omg Shoes.

        Where do you find and buy vegan shoes?

        Not only is it a little bit more complicated for me to shoe shop b/c I don't consume leather, but I am also a size 10 which can be tricky. But its not as hard as people might think to have a wide variety of really cute vegan kicks, pumps, sandals, running shoes, moccasins, boots and wedges.

        I have ordered several of my shoes online here: at mooshoes and I love this online store because I can choose from anything and everything they have to offer. And they have a lot of cute styles, not just a bunch of hemp gladiator sandals or strangely shaped clog/sneakers that some vegan shoe makers seem to think is appealing... to someone maybe.

        I also love keds. canvas and cute, timeless and go with everything casual.


        Chucks are vegan though I never thought they were comfortable so only have owned one pair in my life. Also Nike now owns converse... choose your own battles.

        A lot of cheap shoe stores also offer a large variety of vegan shoes (all man made materials, no leather, wool or silk), but depending on your moral stance as far as spending money at Payless, Target, Wal Mart, you may choose to go the more expensive route and invest in a mooshoes purchase.

        I don't see the point in spending more than $100 on shoes personally, but I like the look of Natalie Portman's vegan shoe line, and of course there is always Stella McCartney.

        Recipes: Kale and vCheesyv Mashed Potatoes & Salad

          Kale Base: Onion, garlic, baby carrots, vegan sausage, fresh parsley, garlic salt, pepper, a little water and Bragg's liquid aminos.

        Added Kale to the mix, and stirred in and steamed with the lid on after tenderizing it with the back of my large veggie knife.

        Organic "Creamer" Potatoes, baked and whipped with soy milk, earth balance, follow your heart vegan gourmet monterrey jack vcheesev salt & pepper. Also had side salad, lettuce, red bell pepper and avo with homemade vinaigrette.

        Recipes: Vegan Cookbook Collection

        Tuesday, September 22, 2009

        Recipes: Stuffed Hatch Chilies, Cali Tex Mex Rice & Organic Salad

        Hatch chilies stuffed and baked with leftover purple potato leek stew, vegan cheese, and vegan sausage (jason's). Cali Tex Mex rice with onions, garlic, parsley and diced tomatoes. Organic greens with bell peppers, carrots and avocado. balsamic and flax seed oil dressing. mmmmm dinner.

        Monday, September 21, 2009

        Art: Bunny

        Philosophy: "Vegansexuals Don't Want Your Meat"

        some douche bag posted this on a blog i read daily (thatsfit.com)...

        Vegansexuals don't want your meat

        Posted: Nov 13th 2007 4:20PM by Chris Sparling
        Filed under: Food and Nutrition, General Health, Health in the Media

        Just when you thought that the world was a little short on reasons to punch someone in the face, a new phenomenon in the holier-than-thou set is likely to send many a fists flying.
        Meet the Vegansexual.
        Taking their "meat is murder" ethos to a level of outright arrogance, some vegans have adopted a vegan-only policy when choosing their sexual partners. Because someone consumes meat, vegansexuals opt against intimate relations with them, pointing to the distaste it brings them to come into contact with a being whose body they consider to be "a graveyard for dead animals."
        I hope these folks realize that they're able to follow such elitist principles because they are fortunate enough to have meal options in the first place. If you were to visit a third world country, how many vegansexuals do you think you'll find? I'm guessing just as many people as you'd find wearing Prada. People at this very moment, as I write this and as you read it, are going hungry -- not only in those third world countries, but right here in America. Why not refuse to be intimate with people who don't help these impovershed men, women and children? It seems to me that would be a far more noble stance to take than not going to bed with someone solely because they enjoy an occasional steak dinner.
        It's very possible that I'm way off base right now (it wouldn't be the first time), so please feel free to weigh in on the matter yourselves. I'm very interested to hear your thoughts.
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        After a few comments saying it's a vegan's choice to sleep with who they want... he commented:
        6. As I mentioned at the end of the article, I realized that I could be way off base with what was my initial reaction to learning about Vegansexuals. To that point, I agree with those of you who stated that vegans have every right to choose who will be their mate. That said, I still feel that bigotry of this kind is a move backwards in our efforts at social progress. It's easy to suggest that a vegansexual's mate preference is based purely on a commonality, but it's just as easy to forget that shunning the rest of the entire world population based on a commonality is exactly what causes a segregated society. It's snobbery, bigotry and elitism that stems entirely from hubris and an inflated sense of self-importance. You don't want to eat meat or dairy? Fine -- it may actually be more healthy in the long run. You don't want to date people who eat meat? That's your perogative. You think that the rest of us -- you know, us unenlightened, bloodthirsty, meat eating troglodytes -- are not even worthy of coming into physical contact with? A pseudo-PC way to say that you think you're too good for someone.
        Posted at 9:46AM on Nov 14th 2007 by Chris Sparling


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        and this is how I responded:
        9. Wow. Hahaha, it sounds to me like you as an, "unenlightened, bloodthirsty, meat eating troglodyte" don't really seem to like vegans (this blog and your comment seem bitter and aggressive), so why if you think vegans are so annoying- do you keep getting offended when you can't get in our pants? oh yeah, because we taste the best, and are totally hot (i am better-than-you, holier-than-thou blah blah blah)! haha, i'm totally joking around, but seriously...

        If Veganism was in fact, merely based around diet... as another vegetarian commented- if you are veggie or vegan, kissing someone after meat is pretty gross- similarly gross as if someone with onion or garlic breath was breathing down your neck (most people accept this as "not attractive"). I personally LOVE garlic, AND onions, and I eat them with almost everything. So does my husband, so we are well matched by the fact that we both think "spicy breath" is hot. At the same time, I don't really care if people who think that is gross or unattractive. To each his own, you know?

        Veganism however, isn't just a diet. Although, sure there are some "in vogue" Hollywood exceptions... you mentioned Prada in third world countries as a means to connect Veganism with a spoiled, high-class snobbishness, implying that vegans are removed from world issues, social struggles, and therefore are not humanitarians... I for one grew up poor, paid my own way through college and loved how cheap it was to live on rice and beans and salads- just like most of my vegan college friends. I also have been aware of not only the cruelties of the meat industry but statistics that show how land growing grain/vegetarian crops can feed far more people worldwide than the same amount of land used for cattle/the beef industry.

        Veganism is also many times a strong spirituality and a belief in equality for all living beings. Would you question aggressively why a Jewish family would want to marry into another Jewish family? or prefer to date/sleep with other Jews? There is a way of thinking that comes with being a practicing vegan (or even vegetarian)- of taking only what you need/not living in excess (beyond foods), practicing earth-friendly, and environmentally safe daily modes of conduct, and a general way of life- such as the choice to actively buy fair-trade organic clothing over clothes from sweat shops, leather-free shoes, etc....

        It's easy to have superfluous negative connotations for things that you haven't really taken the time to understand or experience first-hand, but as a life-long veggie (though raised by meat-eaters- who I love dearly), and having been vegan almost 8 years now... While many of my dearest friends do eat meat though they also have the sensitivity to not do so around me, or question my beliefs in a way to make me feel uncomfortable about my lifestyle, I find that this sensitivity is a rarity amongst meat-eaters. And when it comes to being intimate with someone I've found I am most compatible with people who never have to question my non-meat and non-dairy eating habits, and lifestyle. So of course it is an immediate turn-on to meet another vegan. The instant understanding, and immediate reassurance that I won't feel judged, or like I need to explain myself to someone who may trivialize my strong beliefs definitely is an instant aphrodisiac. hahaha. Sparks fly when you put two vegans in a room together, because so much can be unspoken and already understood.

        I think for social progress to happen- which seems to be the root of your post- a need for everyone to get along, perhaps the meat eaters of the world need to also be more accepting of vegan and vegetarian lifestyles- instead of assuming its a fad, or a superficial criteria for compatibility.


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        And I really liked some of these other comments to his post, here's my fave:

        8. Hey, you know what? I don't want to have sex with fat people. It isn't that I think I'm too good for them, except maybe I have stronger willpower, more athleticism and better genes. You know WHY? Because I find them physically repulsive. I'm guessing this is how vegans feel about meat eaters. I wouldn't have sex with someone who eats poop either. And I shouldn't have to. That's the beauty of the world as it is right now, I get to CHOOSE who I want to sleep with.
        Vegans make up a tiny minority of the pop'n, so don't worry yourself too much about the dwindling supply of sex. You'll be okay.
        And while I'm sure you all have sex with those you find physically unappealing- covered in moles, fat, smelly, etc., remember that THEY DON'T HAVE TO have sex with you. This is the basis of mating- two people who are attracted to each other. If they aren't attracted to you, say because you put something in your body that they think is VILE, get over it! It has nothing to do with elitism. They just think you are gross.

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        ****

        trash resources

        Alexis Gordon

        hmm, i'm a little disturbed by the last comment. it seems really fatist. i hate to be overly PC, but its really kind of sad when everyone just assumes that everyone thinks it's ok to characterize fat people are unattractive, not fuckable, repulsive. i mean, that is really harsh. i feel like it has nothing to do with the point vegans are trying to make.

        but even more so, i am disturbed by this author and his thwarted search for people to have sex with. there are so many men out there who seem to have such a huge problem with women choosing not to have sex with them. there is this underlying cultural belief that all women should be available to all men, at all times. which is obviously ridiculous and sexist.

        also, just as curious, how come when conservatives rally around something passionately, like war or religion or other moral issues, it's considered at best piety, or at worst stupidity, but when liberals rally around something, it's elitist, self-righteous, and we are all drones trying to out-PC each other because we're all really rich and bored?
        Posted by trash resources on Wednesday 14/11/2007 - 3:01 PM
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        Tyler January
        the point i got from that last comment, and why I liked it- wasn't that the it was meant to be "Fatist" but rather highlight preference, not as a generalization, but a personal opinion on who they choose to sleep with. she also says she wouldn't date someone who eats poop. and not b/c she thinks she's better than them, but b/c its not what she's attracted to.

        agree with you on the fact that so many men think women SHOULD be available at all times by, and take offense on the reality that MANY WOMEN DO NOT WANT TO SLEEP WITH THEM; while at the same time they (men, generally speaking) hypocritically have their own set of culturally accepted standards of sexiness (women should be shorter than men, meek, thin, have big boobs, a pretty face...etc etc...). completely sexist.

        rich and bored? you mean "we" as in both sides of the spectrum, or "we" as in the liberals? personally i dont really see enough of the wealth poured into the leftist side of things. the scale is definitely tipped to the right-wing (who make up the top 5% of the wealthiest people in the world). we have the technology for sustainable living, solar and green-power, but where are the funds to put this into action? bored? more like fucking frustrated.
        Posted by Tyler January on Wednesday 14/11/2007 - 3:29 PM
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        trash resources

        Alexis Gordon

        we, as in liberals. i'm on your side. i am just frustrated that young liberals are always depicted as rich kids with unrealistic ideals and that liberalism is always depicted as the "cool" thing to do, or an elitist thing.
        Posted by trash resources on Wednesday 14/11/2007 - 4:40 PM
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        Tyler January
        yeah i get what you mean, especially in relation to this guys view on veganism. all to be the "cool" "elite"- but thinking conversely, if the hip/elite thing to do was to drink your corporate starbucks every day, drive your hummer to run your errands that are 2 blocks away, and send every else's kids to die (physically or psychologically) in the war, i doubt a lot of us would change our ways just to "fit in" you know? its hard to ignore the problems that surround us, and if knowing/awareness is seen as "cool" and "elite" fuck yeah! may it last forevermore.
        Posted by Tyler January on Wednesday 14/11/2007 - 4:46 PM
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        trash resources

        Alexis Gordon

        amen!
        Posted by trash resources on Thursday 15/11/2007 - 12:29 AM
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        Keren
        shoot, sistahs, i'm all for choice for all, which most certainly does not exist in this world of ours, but my most favorite moment in reading that person's post was that somehow eating a fat, juicy steak is not a choice. It's a sad kind of crack-up to see how skewed we all are in our normative lives (race, sex, food, nationality, etc...) to think that being vegan is not a political choice, a social choice, a serious adoption of anti-consumerism, of sustainability, and of global choice. Yes, we are a huge global minority in that we do get to choose what we eat, but we'd be real dummies if we didn't think that what we eat, who we screw, and, most importantly to me, what we ADVOCATE doesn't have a far-reaching effect...
        Posted by Keren on Friday 16/11/2007 - 5:16 PM
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        Tyler January
        keren, thanks for reading! i miss and love you so so soooooooo much. i love hearing your thoughts and insights, because you are always- so right on. xoxox
        Posted by Tyler January on Friday 16/11/2007 - 5:21 PM
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        Keren
        i love and adore you tyler! Your blog is just about the only one I check out often...you're such a passionate, intelligent, interesting lady! ooxxooxxo
        Posted by Keren on Saturday 17/11/2007 - 10:18 PM
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        Tyler January
        thanks for your comment Al! it means a lot to me xo The cool thing is, after i wrote that reply/comment he deleted his post. which in some way is successful to the extent that he realized how lame his rant was, but i'm sort of bummed that other people can't read it and learn from his [previous] lack of understanding.
        Posted by Tyler January on Friday 16/11/2007 - 5:07 PM
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        .+m+.
        'dripping with insight' well put. I read the whole post and you're damn articulate in your thoughts and words foss. I've actually been eating quite a bit of meat lately for sheer hunger and there's this idea in my psychoculturology that 'meat and potatoes' are what's truly satisfying in a meal. Of course, I've not really been thinking too much of world issues (which are essentially our, local issues), but I feel it's a sad excuse to continue. Today i had some vegan meatballs in my pasta sauce and want to start branching out a bit into other vegan/vegetarian options. The fact of the matter is that we have a growing population with dwindling resources on our planet. And i wanna have a kid or two one day too.

        How much of my current lifestyle is reconcilable with the future I want for myself and the generations that come after me?

        This is the question I think we should be asking ourselves (and of others) if we are to make any kind of progress towards the next chapter in our evolution. I think a drastic rethinking of our current systems of food, body, mind and spirit production/cultivation is needed. Folks writing and communicating and coming correct (like you did on dude's comment) are inspiring and proper towards this.

        I also agree with all comment Alison said about you too:)


        you go grrrrrrrrrrrl.
        m


        ps. on a side note, one of my friends asked me if I would ever eat 'in vitro' meat grown in a petri dish:

        http://www.alternet.org/environment/38755

        you get just a few cells from an animal and then you can grow and harvest your own meat. frankly, I find the idea repugnant.
        Posted by .+m+. on Saturday 01/12/2007 - 11:50 PM
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        Tyler January
        thanks for reading morgan :) i miss you! and meat in a petri dish? hadn't heard of that one before. gives me the willies. and also makes me wonder if those cultures are developed enough to have nervous systems? beyond all my political, environmental and philosophical reasoning, I could never emotionally or morally bring myself to knowingly cause pain to any living thing in the world. either way though, icks.
        Posted by Tyler January on Sunday 02/12/2007 - 12:01 AM