CrispyQ

Hmmm, is this the same cat who has a crush on Rob?

You look great! Thanks for sharing.

That was good! I love creative thinking!

Welcome! Love your screen name -- fits nicely with your real name.

Daniel, you are right that there is no heirarchy of suffering.

Thank you for this link. PCRM is a great organization.

Daywalker, I cannot watch the movie. I have enough issues with the human species without seeing how we treat our fellow co-habitants. Laurie & Gene Bauston, of Farm Sanctuary, say that chickens are the WORST TREATED of all barnyard animals. From what I've read, I believe that is true. However, I will send a contribution. Thank you for this alert. Lezly

So true, Robert, so true. Personal experience is the best catalsyt for change. Regarding farms, sometimes you are shown some good stuff, too. I grew up (mostly) on a farm (from 7 years old on). My step-father (a good man) raised cattle. Every year we would have these baby calves whose mother's would not recognize them as their calf & therefore would not let them suckle. The local vet, another good man, made a suggestion that my mother & I followed through with & had remarkable success with! First, we would separate the cow from her calf. (Cow stayed in the 'general population' pen, calf in the barn.) Then we would splash Mennen's Aqua Velva on both the mother & the calf. A few hours later we would rejoin mother & child & ya know, 95% of the time, this little trick worked! She would walk right up to the calf she wouldn't have anything to do with 4 hours earlier & let the little guy/gal suckle. Amazing!! Our second option depended on having another nursing mother cow. We would bring the disinfranchised calf in with the nursing mother cow & her suckling calf & 99% of the time, she would let the 2nd calf suckle! Her motherhood instincts were not limited to just her own calf! Ahhh! Motherhood is an amazingly comprehensive, all-encompasing, love thing. And the third option was a bucket with a nipple at the bottom & we would mix a formula the vet gave us & three times a day we would go to the barn & feed the little guy/gal. This was certainly the saddest option, in more ways than one. Although it worked - they did not starve - it was also the option where the little guy/gal would bond most closely with us. Later, I found this was a mixed blessing. When those transport trucks pulled up to take all our 'live stock' away, I knew they were going to auction & that they could end up on my plate. This was a driving memory when I went veg, years later. === Farms of the past are places where there was certainly animal explotation, but generally, it was not done to the degree it is today, & rarely done to a degree that harmed the animal, but more importantly, if harm was done, it was done to the animal by an individual on a personal level. I ask myself why that personal involvement makes a difference, but it does. I honestly believe that the majority of our population would be veg if they had to slaughter an animal themself. I suspect many would be veg if they had experienced a personal encounter with an animal that they are generally told is "just an animal" -- like a cow, or a chicken, or a rabbit. (not what our culture considers a pet, like a dog or cat.) At one point, years later, I made the connection between those calves & the chickens & pigs I was eating. It took awhile, but I finally did it. And then when I had pet rabbits, EVERYTHING changed, EVERYTHING! Such mild, unassuming creatures & I discovered that 'such creatures' each had their own personalities. ~~smile, love, hugs to them. It may seem silly, but rabbits were a key catalyst to my veg committment. The memories of Buckaroo Bunzai & Unit Bunny live in me & inspire me moment to moment. Forgive my sappiness.

"Sorry honey, not tonight. I'm doing my inner-thigh exercises!" I actually found an exercise online that I can do at home with a barbell & weight. You lie on the floor on your side & position your top leg with your foot on the floor in front of your bottom knee. With an appropriate weight on the bar, place the end of the bar on your lower foot & raise your lower leg. Looks very uncomfortable but like it will really focus on that inner thigh muscle.

This went around via email several years ago. I really like it & thought I'd share. ======= In First Things First, Stephen Covey tells a great story: One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." He then pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table. He produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them one at a time into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing it to work down into the space between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand and started dumping the sand in the jar until it filled the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?" No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "Good." Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!" "No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point." "The truth this illustration teaches us is that if you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all. What are the 'big rocks' in your life? Your children, your loved ones, your education, your dreams, a worthy cause, teaching others, doing things that you love, your health; your mate. Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all. If you sweat about the little stuff then you'll fill your life with little things and you'll never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big, important stuff."big So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life? Then, put those in your jar first.

Aaron, thanks for responding. I definitely have fat to lose, but what I'm looking for are some exercises that target the inner thigh area. I'm starting to see some progress on my outer & upper thighs, but absolutely nada on my inner thighs. Maybe I'll check out some women's fitness magazines for some ideas. It seems to be an area that women have more problems with than men.

That is a good article, Daniel. Thanks for sharing. The "Gift of Ark" makes me want to puke. I also didn't realize they supported that dietary experiment on the Kenyan children. On another board, we had an extensive discussion on the problems & issues with that experiment when the findings first came out. I was appalled the first time I got one of their catalogs & realized their "gifts" were live animals for slaughter & exploitation. The saddest was the rabbits. If I recall correctly, their blip for rabbits was they were an ideal gift because they reproduce quickly & so the people can eat them & increase their stock of rabbits at the same time. Retch!!! I have had bunnies & love them so much. It hit me like a punch in the stomach. Heifer sends me a catalog every holiday season in spite of the fact that every year I have asked them to take me off their list. So far this year I have not received one. Perhaps they finally got the message.

For a species that claims to have souls (humans) & that other species do not, have souls, we humans behave in a soul-less manner. Wouldn't a species with a soul behave with a higher level of compassion, a higher level of integrity, than species without a soul? Yet, my observation of human beings shows me otherwise. ...cry

Kick! Hello! Any suggestions?

Crimini's are mushrooms. Not as expensive as shitake's, but better flavor than button/white 'shrooms. Cilantro? Mini-retch. I'm not fond of cilantro. I prefer parsley. This would also make a delish pizza sauce ===

Richard, your avatar is cracking me up!! Heilige Scheisse! If only they could smell themselves, huh? ===

Ok, so I don't usually spend Friday night in the kitchen, but I was concerned that Jeff would set my Saturday morning alarm for 7:00am & put me in the kitchen to make this recipe. I used shitakes & some crimini's. Oh, man, this stuff rocks!! I doubled the recipe & I will say that sauteing the garlic & mushrooms in the little bit of spray oil was not possible, so I added about 1/3 of a cup of water to keep it from sticking/burning. I'm not sure I added the whole amount of milk, but probably about 3 cups milk for the doubled amount. The consistency of the sauce was very nice -- not runny, not globby -- just right. Next time, I will add a bit more vegan parm (I used 1/2 a cup, but in future, I will probably use 3/4 cup-1 cup) & add soy milk to thin out the sauce. Very good!! Jeff gives it 5 stars.

That was wonderful! I've got tears in my eyes. Thanks for posting!!

Crash, I loved 'meeting' the animals on Sasha's site, but some of their stories are simply heartbreaking. http://www.sashafarm.org/images/LOVEY-DOVEY.jpg Lovey-Dovey endured a barrage of bullets at the Hegins Pigeon Shoot, a "sporting event" that took place in Pennsylvania every Labor Day weekend. At the canned hunt, the defenseless birds were flung out of boxes only to have a row of hunters take aim and shoot them out of the sky. Those that dropped to the ground but were not dead yet had their necks wrung by adolescent boys as part of the "fun." Brave animal advocates ventured onto the killing field to rescue birds before they could be strangled. Lovey was saved in this manner. She is one of several pigeons that survived after being wounded and maimed (no longer able to fly), and was transported to SASHA Farm to live in a specially constructed pigeon coop with her feathered friends. Shame on every adult who participates in this dreadful event, but especially shame on those that allow their young boys to share the "fun." I wonder how many of these families espouse 'family values'? Retch. I have a couple of spare dollars -- Sasha & Friends of Animals will get a little something from me.

LOL - Yeah, it's not exactly the book you want to read prior to or right after a meal!

I did a seven day colon cleansing fast once. By day 3 I was not hungry & at the end, my skin was radiant & soooooooo soft! Although I was not energetic, I was not weak either. I've wanted to do another one, but you know how you put these things off. I got most of my info from this book by Dr. Bernard Jensen: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0895295849/qid=1133481308/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/104-3444144-6171150?n=507846&s=books&v=glance

Koll, with the exception of believing in G-d & souls, I agree with what you said, especially the erradication of our species. If humans are the only creatures with souls then we have an obligation to hold ourselves to a higher standard & treat those without souls with compassion, kindness & care. What a tragic statement about us that we claim to have souls & yet we behave in the apalling way that we do. The way we treat animals is abominable. It's inhumane. I always wonder at the irony of our species name being based on the root word humane. I think it's time to change our species name to inhumans.

Whew! My brain is tired just reading all that! I have enjoyed school so much more since getting out of school! Good luck, CL! I'm sure you'll do well! And congrats on the college acceptance!

Nat, we will just have to whip you with a wet noodle dripping with Alfredo sauce -- opps! My bad -- dripping with Creamy Garlic & Mushroom Sauce. If I can find the shitake's, I will be making this this weekend. Now we must get Megan to post her vegan gnocchi recipe!

Season finale results: 1st place: 339 - 157 = 182 final weight; 46.31% weight loss 2nd place: 291 - 123 = 168 final weight; 42.27% weight loss 3rd place: 227 - 95 = 132 final weight; 41.85% wieght loss Some of these folks hardly look like the same person! Inspiring! http://www.nbc.com/The_Biggest_Loser/