strawberryriddick

I gotta ask...if the other countries can figure it out, why can't we?

I remind myself that I don't have the power to go back in time and fix things. For this reason, I just focus on fixing similar situations that occur in the future.

I love learning and I will say that veganism has helped facilitate more about that. One thing I was surprised at was omega-3. I found this out before I was vegan and was a bit surprised. As a native Guamanian, I ate more than my share of fish. I'd have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner some days. I'd eat it raw, rare, and cooked. Then I noticed all these people getting into fish oil, fish oil, fish oil since I work at a supplement store. I knew they wanted it for the omega-3's, but also knew that flax oil provided 3x the amount of omega-3's. We also had an interesting supplement called Chia Pure, which is a brand of chia seed. Wow, are there tons of things in this! More omega-3's than salmon, more calcium than milk, more fiber than bran flakes, more protein than beans. It's like they're just random people who watch all the afternoon talk shows, write down what's "good" and "bad," then call themselves nutritionists as they regurgitate information.

I was driving home from a long trip and saw a billboard for veganism. "YOU'RE a vegan? I don't ever think I've seen a HEALTHY vegan!" Might sound like a not-so-good thing, but shattering stereotypes is always great! My boyfriend, who isn't vegan or vegetarian, was mad when we went to a restaurant and they had no vegan food. "I don't know why they don't serve this stuff. It really pisses me off, because that's not fair to you," he said. He and I also had conversations about being vegan, and stuff he's said: "I just see how happy you are, how much you've changed [in regards to my fibromyalgia], and how great your skin looks, and I think it'd be a good idea." "Oh, yeah, I love portabello mushrooms! I wouldn't even need meat if I had those on a sandwich!" "Oh, don't add cheese to that. Sometimes, you just gotta appreciate the flavors of the hummus and veggies, you know? Can't put too much on there." And, the best was when I was able to meet a fellow vegan who's into fitness at the supplement store I workout at. Her: "Yeah, I do the whey...I'm a vegetarian and worried about protein, you know?" Me: "Well, you don't have to worry. I'm a vegan and into bodybuilding, and I'm fine." Her: "Really? You're a vegan? I always wanted to go vegan but was worried about protein!" Me: "Oh, nothing to worry about! [explained where you can get protein and calcium and all that jazz]." Her: "Wow! That's awesome!" Me: *writes down www.veganbodybuilding.com website for her on a piece of paper* She came in at a later date and showed me a book she bought through a link from the website, too, talking about how great it is being vegan now and whatnot.

I made this bad boy at work. It was the juiciest, messiest burger ever. Soooo good! CHILI 15oz tomatoes with diced jalapenos 15oz beans seasoned for chili 1 small can fire roasted green chilies 1 small can sliced black olives, drained 1/2 cup cubed polenta 1/2 packet of your favorite taco seasoning Combine and heat through. BURGER 1 large portabello mushroom cap, cleaned Dab of olive oil Garlic powder Red pepper flake (optional) Bun Hummus Spring mix salad Green olives stuffed with garlic Drizzle oil on both sides of mushroom cap, season with garlic and red pepper. Cook until warm (I had to use a nuker, as I was at work at the time). Spread both sides of the bun with hummus and top with halved olives and the spring mix. Add mushroom and the heated chili, and enjoy. Of course, you can add whatever you'd like to you burger http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v391/strawberryp0cky/recipes/ChiliBurger1.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v391/strawberryp0cky/recipes/ChiliBurger2.jpg

I don't know if this is the section for it, but I found these vegan king prawns. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v391/strawberryp0cky/recipes/KingPrawn.jpg They're made with: curdlan gum, veggie gum, veggie root starch, paprika, water, brown sugar, sea salt, and veggie seasoning. I don't really do meat replacements but I figured I'd give it a shot since, well, I can report back to you guys. I was scared that it would really taste like shrimp (since they really look like it) and gross me out, but they were pleasant and slightly sweet, that's about it. Very fresh taste. I put them in pad thai and it added a nice texture.

Honestly, I'm glad. As another person said, he planned to pull from Iraq and put into Afghanistan, and that's what should have happened long ago. We didn't need this shit. Afghanistan was ready to go. They were finally freed from Taliban rule to be regular people again instead of oppressed, women were allowed to go back to work and school, men were allowed to shave their beards. Then we just slowed way down and jumped into Iraq. Ugh. No. Bad. I hope Obama can fix this. I'd say the same if it was McCain. Iraq and Afghanistan both need stability and I believe it's our duty to help because we were the ones who came in and fucked up the place.

I'm with you on this one. While some people are providing sources for cats to be on vegan diets, the short and skinny of it is that cats, unlike humans or dogs, are not omnivores. They are carnivores. Supplements are supposed to supplement what you're already getting, not to be relied on as a replacement for what you won't/don't eat. I work at a place that sells supplements and I sometimes have to actually tell people this. "A dietary supplement is supposed to supplement what you're already getting from food. This pill/powder is not a replacement for those things." For someone who is interested in the best for their pet, that should also be the goal. If you end up having to supplement a cat's diet with a bunch of things it's "missing out on because it's only found in meat," then you're doing your cat a disservice. Let your brother know that it's far more cruel to feed a cat a diet where it must rely on laboratory-created nutrition to live than it would be to feed it the meat that the cat needs to survive. I don't need meat. Dogs don't need meat. Bears don't need meat. Cats do. This is very true. Richard, I understand that you're not getting a cat...myself and I assume others are trying to tell you things to tell your brother. As HCPin said, because cats aren't omnivores or herbivores, it would be cruelty to animals to try to raise them that way.

To echo what CollegeB was saying, you need to always envision that you are in a life and death situation when it comes to training. You aren't there to "complete a task" or "get around an obstacle," but "OMG THERE'S FUCKING FIRE EVERYWHERE AND LIVES ARE AT STAKE!! THE PLACE MIGHT COLLAPSE AND KILL ME ALONG WITH IT!!!" That way, you'll ensure you pick up the pace and really get through. When you convince your body that something like that really is happening, you can trick up some adrenaline to help you out as well. I haven't done any firefighting training, but that's what helped me during Marine Corps boot camp.

You speak the truth, my friend!

Kind of an all-or-nothing sentiment I'm feeling here. As a Marine, there are four phases: boot camp, MCT, MOS school, and the Fleet. In each phase, you are not your own. You are government property and, as such, are denied some basic rights. Despite this, each "phase" gets you treated slightly better, but never regain your personhood. Yes, I volunteered and these cows didn't, but the sentiment remains the same: it is far better to be in a shitty situation and treated with some regard to your mental stability than to be in a shitty situation and treated like shit. It doesn't take a large leap of the imagination to know you'd choose the former over the latter. We'd all opt to not be enslaved, that goes without saying, but that's not a realistic option right now and may never be, so I'm happy their happiness is being considered and documented since the alternative is much worse. Who cares if it's a ploy to make people feel better or if a guy can't remember if his cows are or aren't too comfortable to get up and eat? At the end of the day, the cows are getting better treatment, and that's what's important. Not our personal ideals and preferences, not our theories on motive, but their treatment. If you'll only be happy when the world finally agrees with you, you'll never be happy. So they will be milked and eaten, like they have been since their domestication, but at least the industry is recognizing they need to be treated humanely. They do it for monetary purposes, but that doesn't negate the fact that they do it.

Great way to incorporate the environment and business. Or we can just bike there, weather permitting

"Animals that are tame and comfortable around people are more productive." These are the words of a man working with the Dairy Quality University. The article talks about how the proper treatment of cows increases milk production. Hey, it's a step in the right direction. Link: www.dqacenter.org/university/moreinfo/rh12.htm

I completely agree with everything you said. It's complicated if only in our reporting of events. Things like this unfortunately happen worldwide. We back Israel not because they may be right in their position, but for the fact that we're allies. We'd put the same spin on it if it happened in, say, the UK. I don't claim to understand the hearts, minds, and motives of others, and for that reason I don't understand events like this. It's all just for selfish reasons that we rational people can't possibly comprehend.

Sort of a strange question, but does anyone know where I can get information about publishing a cookbook? I wouldn't know where to begin.

Sort of a strange question, but does anyone know where I can get information about publishing a cookbook? I wouldn't know where to begin.

GNC's doing a "Buy One, Get One 50% Off" sale on their sports nutrition products, so I figured I should take this opportunity to try the Protein Isolate by Ultimate Nutrition. I cracked into the chocolate and didn't know what to expect, taste-wise (wheat + chocolate = chocolate bread?), but it was great! I have a shaker cup with a blender ball in it, so I didn't have the same mixing issue as Fallen Horse...in fact, it took only three shakes until it was mixed completely. I left half of it out overnight and found that it gets, well, glutenous, so I don't recommend pre-mixing it. The chocolate tastes close to chocolate cake batter. The vanilla smells like a vanilla Slim Fast but tastes like...sweet broth with a hint of cheese? It's not BAD, just didn't expect THAT. I like to mix with coffee and tried it to see if it came out any better. The verdict? Yeah! It tastes like one of those vanilla cappucinos you can get at gas stations (from your pre-vegan days, of course). The amino acid profile per serving is as follows: Leucine - 1502mg Isoleucine - 690mg Valine - 742mg Lysine - 342mg Theronine - 506mg Methionine - 276mg Phenylalanine - 1112mg Tryptophan - 384mg Arginine - 620mg Aspartic Acid - 700mg Cystine - 554mg Alanine - 530mg Glutamic Acid (Glutamine) - 6460mg Glycine - 808mg Histidine - 398mg Proline - 2720mg Serine - 1028mg Tyrosine - 628mg Two noteable things are the glutamine content and the fact that the label reads "vegan" on the front. It's nice to know they recognize vegan lifters exist.

I just read a blurb from the Sep 2008 edition of The Natural Foods Merchandiser and wanted to share. It was titled "Backyard Gardens For Lazy Locavores." "Want organic veggies from your own backyard without getting your hands dirty? Trevor Paque, founder of MyGarden in San Francisco, will plan, install and maintain your garden. He'll even pluck your harvest when it's ripe and leave it at your doorstep. With as little as a 4-square-foot plot of dirt and a dream of fresh produce, you can be part of Paque's 'decentralized urban garden...increasing local food production and securing a sustainable food system,' according to myfarmsf.com. 'We ask what vegetables you like and grow them just for you.'" How cool is that?

I'll give Vegan Outreabh a look. I've heard of them and it's always better to be part of an existing group than starting one from scratch...especially when you're working 3 jobs.

Forgive me if this exists on the site or forum...but I was just wondering about having local vegan cell groups. Basically, we could get together and try to make pro-vegan changes in the local area, try to pass pro-vegan bills or promote the benefhts of veganism on campuses. Thoughts? Input?

Yet again science backs up something religion has been saying forever.

I went vegan to manage my condition, not because I cared about animals. Like most people, I wouldn't walk around and kill a dog but figured that it wasn't a problem to go ahead and eat an animal. I accepted the slaughterhouse practices as a by-product of our society. I planned on hunting this winter. However, I noticed that the longer I was vegan, the more I began to care about the animals. The adorable chicks were now also adorable cows, adorable pigs, and not only were they adorable, I figured they shouldn't be eaten by people in a non-life/death situation. I think about animal welfare and safety when I shop for clothes, food, shoes, or anything else. I think about having a farm with fresh veggies as I drive through the countryside, and thanks to the pamphlet that I got from ordering VegNews during that special offer, I also start to think about having rescued animals on that farm so they can live out their days. I think about the lamb on my father's plate. I think about the sharks whose cartilidge was taken and put into a pill when I have to restock shark cartilidge at work. Imagine your mother being reduced to a pill! I think about the fabulous fish swimming in the sea when I have to restock the fish oil. I saw a gloriously beautiful little lobster in the waiting room (picture below) and asked how anyone could see that thing and think of food. I am assuming this is somewhat normal for vegans? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v391/strawberryp0cky/rotweiss.jpg

Has Al Gore said anything about the Pac North's situation in regards to Global Warming?

And here I've been wasting it on soap!! http://www.gbposters.com/image/image/2848/product_shadow/FP1773-FIGHT-CLUB-soap.jpg

Or, even better, when people enjoy what they're eating until they're told what it is. My mother is an omni and always has been. As a kid, she was eating meat from the BBQ and noticed she loved it. Her mother told her it was beef tongue, and she hasn't eaten it since. I never understood that: if it was the best meat you've ever had, why stop because you know what it is? You can say the same for anything, but that was the example I had on-hand.