Monthly Archive for March, 2006

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Mommy, Daddy, what’s Iraq security?

March 13, 2006 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

  • Bush sets out Iraq security plans

    Hmm… three years into this occupation, after the Iraqi army has long since been dissolved and chaos has had control for months, he’s just now figuring out that some strategery might be helpful. And of course he threw in a little jab at Iran, gotta lay the groundwork for the next war liberation. Apparently his latest argument is that Iran is supplying militants with IED’s. Huh. Wasn’t it Rumsfeld and the U.S. that supplied Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war? But that’s different, I’m sure. We’re proud of our democratic methods double-standards here in ‘Merica. Shame on me for even questioning my government. And shame on you for– I mean– fool me once– ah forget it.

  • Third dog dies in Iditarod race

    Iditarod slave dogsA four-year-old female named Cupid died Sunday morning and a three-year-old male named Bear died Saturday morning. I’m sorry but something is very wrong if dogs that are only 3 and 4 years old are DYING from this “sport”. It’s amazing what people will do and who they will kill to win some prize money. [PETA has a very informative page about the cruelty involved with this "traditional" race.]

  • Remembering Tom Fox

    We have lost a great peace activist who was held hostage in Iraq. I am immediately reminded of Rachel Corrie, a 23 year old peace activist who was killed while trying to stop an Israeli bulldozing of a Palestinian home. Ironically, that happened three years ago this Thursday. So now I add Tom Fox to the list of names I only heard about after they made the ultimate sacrifice.

    According to a friend, Tom went to Iraq “with his eyes open. He knew what he was getting into. He knew that this was a possibility… and his love for peace and his love for the Iraqi people were enough to take him there.” Unfortunately I didn’t hear about Fox’s work until he was gone, so I won’t try to sound like an expert. Instead I will point to his blog and his own words. Thank you Tom, for inspiring not only me, but so many others who just want to bring peace to the world.

  • Today’s magic number is 2,309.

    I think it’s worth noting that since March 19, 2003 our country has lost two thousand three hundred and nine soldiers to this invasion and occupation of Iraq. Odd how you don’t see that featured too prominently on the news these days, out of sight out of mind. Well put it back in your mind. Take a minute to try and count to 2,309. Just try it, see how far you get. 2,309 American lives are gone, and their families and friends’ lives are forever shattered. At least 17,000 Americans have been wounded. An estimated 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed. That’s what the Defense Department calls “collateral damage” That’s one hundred thousand. People. Mothers. Fathers. Daughters. Sons. Sisters. Brothers. Aunts. Uncles. Friends. Humans.

    And for what?

it’s hard being vegan– no it’s not– yes it is–

March 10, 2006 0 Comments Tags: .

…no it’s not!

i really can’t decide yet.

the other day i came into work and there was a bag of peanut M&M’s on the table by the fridge, which means free for the taking. instinctively my hand went for it, and then i remembered that milk chocolate is a no-no. d@mn #1!

i bought some blueberry muffin mix last weekend because all it said to add was water, so i thought it was safe. i looooove blueberry muffins. i read the ingredients when i got home and saw that you only add water because the egg’s already in it. d@mn #2!

both of these moments prompted some reconsideration of the whole vegan thing. it has been more of a sacrifice than going vegetarian because i didn’t eat a lot of meat anyway, but i did eat a lot of cheese and milk products. it’s much easier to be lazy and vegetarian at the same time. after work i could come home and put a frozen pizza in the oven or make some mac & cheese. my lady had long since perfected fettuchini alfredo, my favorite. not anymore! now i’m perfecting my sesame tofu and rice recipe which is my current favorite. it’s harder to make but more gratifying when i’m done because i know it’s a much healthier choice. and spaghetti & meatballs, mmmm! okay not real meatballs of course, the fake ones made by Quorn. fabulous. another current favorite.

but back to the M&M and blueberry muffin dilemma. i remember someone telling me that dark chocolate is vegan because it doesn’t have milk in it. sweet! just so happens that my lady works at a place that has a great chocolate selection. she dutifully bought me 3 different kinds of dark chocolate. there was only a minor freak out when we read the ingredients and saw “cocoa butter.” d@mn #3, are you kidding me?? but a quick internet search reassured me that it was all good and chocolate is vegan friendly most of the time.

chocolate crisis averted.

today for lunch i planned on having a can of organic tomato soup. just for kicks i scanned over the label and saw “organic cream” listed. d@mn #4! i had no idea there was cream in tomato soup. maybe that’s ignorance on my part, but i really thought tomato soup was a safe bet. so there went my lunch for the day.

i was resentfully eating some peanut-butter crackers to quell my growling stomach when a co-worker offered me an extra muffin from Tim Hortons. i thought it would lead to another defeat, but alas, i found Tim Horton’s website and of the 3 whole things i can eat there, low-fat blueberry muffins is one of them!

blueberry muffin crisis averted.

for now. i will want another one soon though and i can’t afford to buy them from timmy’s every day. for some reason i’m reminded of that “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” story. if you give a vegan a blueberry muffin, she’s gonna want some soy milk…

Iditarod update and more

March 10, 2006 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Thanks to Gryphen for the Iditarod update.

International Women’s Day

March 8, 2006 0 Comments Tags: , .

March 8th, 2006

photo by soljaInternational Women’s Day is an occasion marked by women’s groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day, they can look back to a tradition that represents at least nine decades of struggle for equality, justice, peace and development.

International Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for “liberty, equality, fraternity” marched on Versailles to demand women’s suffrage.

The idea of an International Women’s Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.

[learn more]  [top photo by solja]

This post is dedicated to: My Mom, Sister, my Grandmothers, Aunts, Ellen, Arlene, Mary, Janet, Eva, Angela, Jenna, Kiersten, Shelly, Margaret, Kate, Mollie, Beth, Alicia, Nancy, Allison, Judi, Amanda, Sara, Amber, Basak, Elena, Brandon, Carolyn, Dana, Laura, Tiffany, Missy, Kelly, Shannon, Liz, Steph, Tricia, and any other great woman I’ve forgotten to list here.

Women Say No to War… and Genocide.

March 7, 2006 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Save Darfur: Rally to Stop Genocide

The Iditarod Truth

March 6, 2006 1 Comment Tags: .

  • The Iditarod Started Saturday in Alaska


    From the Sled Dog Action Coalition: “The Iditarod is a dog sled race held every March in Alaska. The 2006 Iditarod will begin on March 4. In this race mushers (dog sled drivers) force their dogs to run 1,150 miles from Anchorage to Nome in 8 to 15 days over a grueling terrain. This is the approximate distance between Los Angeles and Seattle, New York City and Miami, Chicago and Houston. Mushers press their dogs to run at ever increasing speeds, so that the dogs get little rest or sleep. The current speed record is 8 days, 22 hours and 46 minutes, less than half the time it took to run the first Iditarod race. No dog wants to run so far and so fast.”

    Any animal lover should look into what this 1,100 mile race really involves and what price the dogs have to pay for “tradition”. To quote Gryphen (who lives in Alaska) over at The Immoral Minority:

    “I helped a teacher from my school exercise her team when I was about nineteen. I helped hook the dogs up after we pulled them from these tiny little compartments attached to the bed of their pickup truck. The compartments were so small that the dogs could barely turn around once inside of them. When they came out they were so excited that their legs started running before I placed them on the ground. Once their feet touched the snow they pulled mightily to escape from me. I had to hold on tight or else they would escape. And that is the real truth behind sled dog racing.

    These dogs are not athletes. They are not pets. They are prisoners.”

    Would you like to learn more?

A great example of a meat-based recipe vs. a vegan recipe

March 3, 2006 1 Comment Tags: .

From a VeganFreaks forum post:

Meat-based recipe

  • 1 Dead Chicken
  • 1 can of This
  • 2 cans of That
  • 12 tablespoons of Salt
  • 6 pounds of cheese

Take Dead Chicken and place in pan. Pour cans of This and That over Dead Chicken. Add Salt. Sprinkle the cheese over the Dead Chicken. Bake long enough to kill the deadly bacteria. Serve immediately.

The vegan alternative

  • 1 teaspoon of granulated, hard-to-find, grown-in-japan-only seaweed
  • 1 tablespoon of the granulated root of the Tse-Tse Fly Tree from South America, which must be mail-ordered from an overpriced New Age catalog
  • 2 lbs of flavorless bean curd that has been soaked in Homemade Tahini Concoction (see recipe on page 362)
  • 1 lb of Not-Chicken (see recipe page 455)
  • Extra, Extra, Extra, Extra Virgin Olive, Cold-Pressed, Organic, and Italian

You will also need:

  • A juicer
  • A Dehydrator
  • A Rehydrator
  • A Bamboo Rice Steamer from Nepal
  • A Food Processor
  • A Vegetable Steamer
  • 3 Woks
  • 2 Frying Pans
  • A Gas Oven
  • Cheese Cloth
  • 7 days to prepare this recipe
  • The skills of Sherlock Holmes to find all the ingredients
  • The billions of Oprah to be able to afford them
  • The patience of Job to assemble

This is soooo true!! I’m so glad to find this post and realize I am not alone.