CrispyQ

Neil, OMG!!! That has to be one of the best avatars I've ever seen!! Oh man, you rock!!! Welcome!!

Ahhh, Richard, these are valid questions people have been asking for ages. If you are truly interested in debating this topic, here is Wikpedia's page on "rights" as a starter/catalyst for discussion. Please post any links/insights you have as well. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights

Will, it is obvious that we are both strongly committed to this issue & neither of us will capitulate to the other's point of view. While I do not understand your perspective & I am very saddened by your statements, I respect your views & hope that we can 'agree to disagree.' Peace to you & your family.

Well, I knew that rendering was gross, but I had no idea it is this gross. Oh my, it makes me sick to read what we are feeding these animals. This sound awful, but I hope this practice does come back & bite the human race on the butt. We have lost touch with our humanity. BTW, here is the correct link: http://www.preciouspets.org/rendering.htm

OMG! That little guy on the skate board is adorable!!

I was thinking the same thing. Get rid of the hormones & all the overly processed crap. In the movie "Super Size Me" they showed a school that went with a whole foods type lunch program vs. junk lunch. The teachers said their students performance, attitude & attention all improved on the better diet. Well duh!! What a concept! I also don't understand why ethical reasons for a diet are not as valid as religious reasons.

Cool system! And a great investment! Funny about the dining table & lounge!

We're very untraditional for the holidays. This year I'll make green chile sauce. We have 'candy/cookie' day at work today & I'm taking a batch of 'wacky candy.' Hopefully my co-workers will eat most of it. Sea Siren, this is such a great idea!!

Too cool if you could get these shoes in other colors! Kalahari Shoe by Vegetarian Shoes http://www.veganessentials.com/

Amendment IV of the Constitution of the United States The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches & seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. ===== This issue is not about police activity, it is not about being tested for impaired driving, and it is not about drugs. It is about your government placing wiretaps on your phones without warrants. It is about peace activists – people speaking out against the war – being the targets of domestic spying. If we let this administration continue down this path, where will it end? Maybe it’s a generational thing, but coming of age right after the 60’s & in the heat of Watergate, I’m ed & afraid at how my government is stripping the citizens of this land of our liberties in the name of national security. A FISA warrant takes a couple of hours to get. It’s not much of an inconvenience & the warrants can be issued retroactively, if need be. Bush & his advisors clearly knew it was illegal, so why did they take the risk? Either they believe they are above the law (!) or they believe they couldn’t get a warrant for the wiretaps. Who were they spying on? Who will be the next target? Animal activists? Environmentalists? University professors who teach evolution? Political opponents to the current administration & those that support them? Groups like Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine? Read the New York Times article (link below) & tell me you think the groups targeted qualify as terrorist organizations. The Constitution of the United States is one of the finest documents ever written. Our founding fathers went to war & risked their lives for the opportunity to create this document & build a government based on it's principles. Get a copy, read it, learn it, love it, teach it to your children, but most of all, DEFEND IT! Don't fall for the tactic that if we concede our freedoms & liberties those in power can guarantee our safety. No one can do that. If we stand by & let this administration, or anyone for that matter, shred our Constitution in the name of national security, then Bin Laden wins, the terrorists win. Remember, this is the president who said: “If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier... just so long as I'm the dictator.” (Bush’s first trip to DC as president-elect, Dec. 18, 2000) ===== http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/20/politics/20fbi.html?ei=5065&en=0384c4fe8724565d&ex=1135746000&adxnnl=1&partner=MYWAY&adxnnlx=1135091028-3n4ZOjc6hXMb snip… WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 - Counterterrorism agents at the Federal Bureau of Investigation have conducted numerous surveillance and intelligence-gathering operations that involved, at least indirectly, groups active in causes as diverse as the environment, animal cruelty and poverty relief, newly disclosed agency records show. F.B.I. officials said Monday that their investigators had no interest in monitoring political or social activities and that any investigations that touched on advocacy groups were driven by evidence of criminal or violent activity at public protests and in other settings. more… But the documents, coming after the Bush administration's confirmation that President Bush had authorized some spying without warrants in fighting terrorism, prompted charges from civil rights advocates that the government had improperly blurred the line between terrorism and acts of civil disobedience and lawful protest. One F.B.I. document indicates that agents in Indianapolis planned to conduct surveillance as part of a "Vegan Community Project." Another document talks of the Catholic Workers group's "semi-communistic ideology." A third indicates the bureau's interest in determining the location of a protest over llama fur planned by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. and more… But the groups mentioned in the newly disclosed F.B.I. files questioned both the propriety of characterizing such investigations as related to "terrorism" and the necessity of diverting counterterrorism personnel from more pressing investigations. "The fact that we're even mentioned in the F.B.I. files in connection with terrorism is really troubling," said Tom Wetterer, general counsel for Greenpeace. "There's no property damage or physical injury caused in our activities, and under any definition of terrorism, we'd take issue with that." Jeff Kerr, general counsel for PETA, rejected the suggestion in some F.B.I. files that the animal rights group had financial ties to militant groups, and said he, too, was troubled by his group's inclusion in the files. "It's shocking and it's outrageous," Mr. Kerr said. "And to me, it's an abuse of power by the F.B.I. when groups like Greenpeace and PETA are basically being punished for their social activism." ===== BTW, Tyler, you make an excellent point!

our (p)Resident made regarding spying on citizens without warrants? This is worse than Watergate. This administration makes Nixon look like a boy scout! Please consider writing to your senators & reps regarding this issue. It is past time to hold this administration accountable for the crimes they have committed. You can get your congresspersons contact info here: www.vote-smart.org =================== Here's my letter which I sent to both senators & all seven reps: December 19, 2005 Wayne Allard 521 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both. --- Benjamin Franklin Dear Senator Allard, I am disheartened and ed to have to write this letter to you. I am deeply troubled by recent admissions by President Bush that he has allowed the NSA to monitor certain U.S. citizens without any type of oversight or institutional checks and balances. Spying on the American people is in violation of the Constitution, specifically the 4th amendment, and that he has said he will continue to do so, is even more offensive. This man, who would be dictator, has run roughshod over our Constitution, going so far as to call it, "Just a Goddamned piece of paper." This nation's Constitution is not a mere piece of paper for the Bush administration to cut to its desire - it is the law of the land, it is the fabric of this nation. I am appalled by the flagrant disregard this administration has shown for the very things which make this nation great. This administration is not above the law; to the contrary, they have sworn to uphold the law. I urge you to look at this issue not as a Republican, but as an American. What President Bush has done is in direct contradiction of the U.S. Constitution. I realize that the war on terror requires some special tactics, but disregarding our Constitution is not one of them. I find it tragic and ironic that the president spends billions of dollars a month trying to bring democracy to Iraq all the while dismantling our democracy here at home. I urge you to please make a stand on the right side of this issue and that side is the side that the Constitution allows for. I also ask that you move to have Mr. Bush impeached. This Congress has let him slide on horrible breaches throughout his tenure. I am asking you to hold him accountable and hold him accountable now. Every day, people are at risk in Baghdad and Biloxi on Mr. Bush's watch. This attack on the Constitution is the last straw. Please, speak out against this travesty against WE THE PEOPLE, who you were elected to represent. Sincerely,

I've worked on this recipe for a couple of years & finally perfected it early this year. We're having it for Christmas! It is delish over bean burritos with a dallop of Sour Supreme or over basmati brown rice & garbanzo beans. The secret is the can of chipotle peppers. Oh, & it gets hotter as it ages. Yowza! Spicy Green Chile Sauce 1 large onion, diced 2 - 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 – 3 cups veggie broth 28 ounce can of whole green chilies (I like to slice them in long narrow strips) 7 ounce can of chipotle peppers (in adobe sauce) 28 ounce can of chopped tomatoes 1 teaspoon ground cumin 2 large potatoes, peeled & chopped Sautee the onion & garlic in oil or broth till translucent. Add the veggie broth, green chilies, chipotle peppers, tomatoes (with liquid), cumin & potatoes. Simmer over medium heat till potatoes are tender, about 30-45 minutes. Place about 2 - 3 cups of the green chile sauce in a bowl & mash with potato masher. Pour back into pan & heat through.

I have some cool shoes from Veganessentials that I love. Comfy & I like the look. The uppers are fabric. I wish, however, they would make them in other colors. A brown, a navy & a red would be soooooo nice!!

We had this debate on another board: Do you support the product or the company? I believe we have to let our voice be heard by supporting the product. If we boycott Silk because they are owned by dairy, then Silk could go under. That doesn't serve anyone well -- the animals or us. We did have one hard core vegan who said he would not buy from companies that also produced meat/dairy. Whoa! What does he buy & where does he shop? Years ago Boulder had a vegetarian grocer - sold dairy, but no meat. It was wonderful, but was eventually bought out by Wild Oats & now sells meat. Vegan Madre was right: The corporate masters have the majority of the population properly conditioned. BTW, Nat, I've not only seen lots of Silk ads, but I've seen it on breakfast tables in movies as well.

Hi, CrispyQ! My favorite cardio is kickboxing (Powerkicks, which will be coming out with some new workouts soon!), and I also do step, rebounding (though it haven't had it out for a while) and various hi-lo. I have a spinning bike, but haven't use it for a while. I have soooo much equipment, but no actual workout room (my living room is also my workout room! Or maybe I should say I have a sofa and a TV in my workout room!. I have a full compliment of dumbbells, from 2# (rehab weights) to 35# (one of those, for lat rows). Barbells. Bands. Medicine balls. A rebounder. A Bodywedge. A chin-up tower. A Soloflex Rockit. A Wavemaster heavy bag. Weighted gloves (for kickboxing). A high step. (My "Fanny Lifter" became a computer table quite a while ago!). And a bunch of other stuff that's not currently in view, so I'm forgetting it. LOL - funny about your workout room having a sofa & TV in it!! A few questions: Is a rebounder a mini-tramp? What the heck is a bodywedge & what type of workout do you do with it? Have you used a stablity ball? I have some new tapes that use them for weights & general flexibility exercises. Any recommendations on the type of ball to consider? I have a nice bench to use for high step work. Do you have any vid recommendations for such a workout? Do you frequent Video Fitness? BTW, you are the only other person I know who has a Rockit! We've had ours for years - actually I don't think they make them anymore. In fact, is Soloflex even in business anymore? It's a great way to do squats though, huh? So glad you are here! You can turn me onto new vids -- I've been out of the loop for about 5 years.

Hollywood is also really bad at perpetuating that veggies eat chicken/fish. In Notting Hill with Julia Roberts, in one scene she tells the people shes vegetarian but later in a restaurant, she recommends the tuna to someone. I wanted to scream "WHEN THE HELL DID TUNA BECOME CLASSIFIED IN THE PLANT KINGDOM?" when I heard that! I've posted this before, but it is humorous & I like it: http://www.purewatergazette.net/vclassification.html I especailly like this quote: Some people still say that being a vegetarian or a vegan is too drastic. Drastic is having your breast or your bowel removed, or being sawed in half, with veins from your leg plugged into your heart; that's drastic. --Caldwell Esselstyn, Jr., M.D. Thanks Chesty for the GREAT cartoon!!

Welcome Pete! That tatoo looks fantastic! I assume it's on your back? Maybe you can share your more motivated approach if it works? Good to have you here!

Welcome, Kathryn! I'm a vidiot too! I love my exercise vids & I love working out at home. What's your fave cardio & what type of weight equipment do you have at home? I like step the best & we have a nice home gym setup for weights. Now I just need to get more consistent in using all of it! BTW, I'm older too, but sure don't feel my age!

Only when the last animal is gone. I'm a cynic. I have no hope for human beings. A character in a movie I like said it best: Most people only do the right thing when it's the easy thing to do.

"Whenever people say, 'We mustn't be sentimental,' you can take it they are about to do something cruel, and if they add, 'We must be realistic,' they mean they are going to make money out of it."—Brigid Brophy Thanks SeaSiren.

Welcome to the journey . . .& the site!

Whoa! A Santa who's lap I wouldn't mind sitting on!

Oh Tiffaney, I am so, so sorry to hear this tragic news. My deepest sympathy to you & your family during this difficult time.

If you believe in life after death, can you provide a descriptive of that life?

Thank you for the update.