compassionategirl

Tarz, I think endcruelty's comments were more intrigue, not criticism. And, kind sir, this one's for you:

Congrats!

By the way, Courtney, it is great that you are reading up on these issues. It is a good way to speak knowledgeably of veganism when you are asked a million questions or even questioned/challenged by omnis. Also, i HIGHLY recommend you watch this. It is only a 14 minute documentary and it is, in my opinion, a must see for everybody, especially a new vegan! www.meetyourmeat.com (click on the Meet your Meat video link from there, and make sure your speakers are on so you could here the narration). Good that you care about making informed consumer choices. And welcome again!

I made it 8. Talkin of 8, 8 days and countin so get offline!

No. But thanks. Anyway, my pioint was just to let you know that I do understand what you are going through.

Crispy Q, please share that recipe with us then!! (as she licks her chops and puts on her bib) :essen:

The only nature conservation organization that I currently support is the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Please, everybody, consider redirecting some of your donations to them. They are, in my opinion, currently one of the most trustworthy enviro group - and the one that is most animal rights friendly. More info on them can be found at www.seashepherd.org.

Love love love the pics. I can never get my "fill" of animal pics. SO feel free to post more anytime. There is no such thing as "overkill".

Quinn is my ex's name. Cool name.

And how could I forget about lychees. Love love love'em.

i always think of tomatoes as veggies! I love tomatoes, especially campari tomatoes, which are slightly sweet instead of acidic. Cut in half, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with fresh parsely and bake for about 5 minutes and enjoy! Yumm....

Loving Nature with a Gun By Sierra Club National Director Paul Watson To what dark depths of immorality is the Sierra Club USA prepared to go to suck up to the hook and bullet crowd? The Sierra Club clearly embraces the slaughter of wild animals proclaiming that 20% of the membership are “hunters or anglers.” The Club hosts a web page showing Club leaders posing with macho smiles of triumph with their slaughtered bleeding trophy victims. We see them proudly gazing at the cameras with pitiful corpses of elk, deer, antelope, geese, ducks and fish. You could see the frigging bulges in their Eddie Bauer pants from getting off on the sick perversion of killing an animal for kicks and sexual thrills. And just to show you that the Sierra Club is an equal opportunity organization when it comes to slaughter – there are woman hunters featured. Like bow hunter Jean Legge of North Dakota, who appears all smiles over a dead deer and proudly states that “hunting is more enjoyable when you have the right equipment.” I think the men agree Jean. Link: http://www.sierraclub.org/huntingfishing/whoweare.asp Even in death the animals look nobler than the smirking cruel clowns posing with their corpses. It was a goddamn embarrassment to discover that as a National Director of the Sierra Club, no one told me anything about the tens of thousands of dollars we had allocated for “hunter outreach” programs [when that money should be going to vegan outreach programs]. Not only are we posting snuff snaps, we are actually spending money to promote the murder of wildlife and enticing more of the sadistic death deviants into joining the Sierra Club. The Club even has an essay contest entitled; Why I Hunt? Link: http://www.sierraclub.org/huntingfishing/whyihunt/ I wonder how many Sierra Club members realize that the Club is offering a grand prize of an all expense paid trip for two to the Alaska Sportsman’s Lodge. The value of the prize is $12,200. Hard to believe but the Sierra Club is actually spending donated funds to send some sadistic bastard up to Alaska to kill a Grizzly or whatever else he stumbles upon. Yep, that’s the way to protect nature – shoot it. I notice this sick little excursion was never brought before the Board of Directors for approval. Trophy hunters argue that hunting is a natural instinct of man. We come from a hunter gathering background they say, yet I don’t see any acorn or root gathering going on. In fact I don’t think there is a single gathering club in the country. So if hunting is a natural part of our instincts then how come gathering isn’t? And there are few predators in nature that would target the biggest and the strongest animals. Humans do so, only because we have devastating weapons of mass wildlife destruction. Targeting the biggest and the strongest is not natural or ecologically sound. Behind all the chit-chat of conservation and tradition is the plain simple fact that trophy hunters like to kill living things and many like Vice President Dick Cheney like their victims helpless therefore they patronize canned hunts and safaris parks to snuff out defenseless captive animals. The Sierra Club webpage posts an essay by Rick Bass entitled, Why I hunt? – Stalking wild game in a rugged landscape brings one environmentalist closer to nature. Link: http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200107/bass.asp Tell me Rick, how does a gun bring you closer to nature unless you enjoy the sight of red blood splattered on green leaves? Is a camera not enough? Is it so hard to look at an animal without wanting to kill it or is it only the fact that you kill it that makes you hard? Bass has a book promotion on the Sierra Club website where it describes how he went to Alaska to investigate the threats to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. An excerpt describes how; “he now pursues game with a primal passion coupled with an environmentalist's conscience, providing nearly all the meat his family consumes. He hoped to kill one caribou and bring home its meat. Link: http://www.sierraclub.org/books/catalog/1578051142.asp If I understand this right, Bass went to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to kill a caribou in order to write about the threats to the caribou. What part of the words “wildlife refuge” did he not understand? The meaning of the word “refuge” is a place of shelter and protection from danger. I guess Bass does not think that caribou need any refuge from his rifle. And do we really want to promote “primal passion?” I thought this was a term for rapists and serial killers. Nor do I but as a director of the Sierra Club for the last three years I have encountered a great deal of hostility because I don’t hunt or fish. I have disrupted hunting and as a child I sabotaged trap lines, releasing animals and destroying the vicious leg-hold traps. But living compassionately with nature is not considered admirable by the Sierra Club. They don’t post our essays on vegetarianism or anti-hunting despite the fact that many Sierra Club members are vegetarian and eighty percent of the members do not hunt. The Sierra Club has decided that nature is best loved with a gun and bunny huggers need not apply. Apparently there is little room for compassion and plenty of resources to promote violence, exploitation and cruelty in the wilderness. Paul Watson is a National Director of the Sierra Club if the United States. _________________ "If the animal rights movement pushes too hard, too fast, it is because the excesses in the opposite direction are mammoth in comparison."

Never heard of durian.

Lezly, we missed you too. I know all about the disease. My dad has cancer. When he was first diagnosed with it 5 years ago he riddled with it too. He has lived with it though for 5 years with virtually no quality of life - he cant eat or drink ANYTHING by mouth because the cancer has completely blocked his throat. So he has a G-tube connected to his insides and he has to do "feedings" that way, daily three times a day for three horrible hours at a time. Can you imagine never being able to swallow food again, or even a sip of water? It's horrible. Eating is one of the greatest joys of life! I wish my family had adopted a vegan diet when they while there was still time. Veganism reduces your risk for degenerative diseases like cancer... I hope your dog has helped ease the sadness that you are feeling right now. I have always found that my nonhuman friends are especially therapeutic to my soul when it has been hurting. I am happy that you are posting again, and we are here for you every step of any journey you will allow us to be a part of. Like any friend, you have been thought of often while you were absent. Here is to your new found passion for fitness! P.S. And any time you need a good laugh, just re-visit my old thread viewtopic.php?t=1535&start=0 - the one where I describe how I did a perfect "caulk" job, but spelled that word incorrectly! That thread always makes me laugh!

SO do I! You should be one proud pappa.

That is very cheap! Awesome, thanks!

So glad she was rescued. How terrible to think they might have left her to starve to death between those two walls! And I am impressed by what Kelly Rippa said (about being a being's child). Too bad she cant make that same connection with dairy (which directly results in the heart-wrenching veal industry, and other animal products that causes the separation of mother and babies. ).

Inspired by raw ambition's recent thread, if you could only eat 5 fruits for the rest of your life, which would you choose: For me, not necessarily in this order: 1. Cherries 2. Blueberries 3. Pineapples 4. Pomegranite/passion fruit 5. Pink Grapefruits 6. GREEN apples or crab apples (okay i cheated that is 6). I am not too keen on the other fruits, and I absolutely am NOT keen on bananas , red apples (boring!), and plums (especially if they are mushy and over ripe).

JW your daughter will have great skin! Fruits when eaten a lot while growing is supposed to have a whole host of benefits, one of whcih is great adult skin! I never was much of a fruit lover. I always prefered the crappy sugars like cakes and what not.

I already know that I really like you as a person.

Hi! Of course I wouldnt think you are being rude. But i did want you to feel welcome and come out from behind the shadows, re-assuring you that we wont bite (unless you want us too). We have many non-vegans here, and all are welcome, but if you plug non-veganism, be prepared for the wrath that will descend upon you! And a very warm welcome to you. Oh ya, and one more thing:

hello brent!!!

yes, the smoking point - very bad for your skin too (not to mention your lungs obviously). And also what seasirn said about laughing causing laugh lines Also, I forgot to add that I have also started doing the topical vitamin C powder. I mix a little differently though. I mix 1/4 teaspoon of powder with two teaspoons of avocado oil, and then I first dab it around the eye area, then forehead, laugh lines, and then the rest of my face and then my neck and decollete area. Dont forget the neck adn decollete. Also, remember to rub the creams/mixture on your neck in an upwards direction, fighting that nasty gravity . I have only done this for about a week. The article says that you need to be patient. You will notice the benefits to your skin in a few months. So we'll see. I have absolutely no patience. I am the kind of person that will apply something to their face and then wake up the next morning and expect a whole new skin to have replaced the "older" skin cells. so ya, i am bad when it comes to patience in seeing results. I was at the health food store where they have a natural sin care area. The girl introduced me to a product line called Viva - environmentally friendly and cruely free. She said it was the best, top of the line quality. The company describes its line of skin care as "revolutionary line of all-natural, ultra safe skin care products. unlike anything you have ever seen before." One product in particular caught my attention because of the ingredients and the order in which they are listed. It is called Viva Concentrated Amaze Anti-Aging Serum, formulated to be extremely potent and highy effective. Ingredients: DMAE, C-Ester, Alpha Lipoic Acid, Hyaluronic Acid [this ingredient is supposed to be a miracle ingredient, holding more than 1000 times it weight in water, so it attracts lots of moisture to your skin apparently], vitamins A, E and D, geranium, Co-Q10; in a base of Whole Lemon Extract, Aromatherapy, MSM, and rosehip oil. The claims are: *Advanced repair of cellular damage *Replenishes and maintains needed moisture *Improvment in skin tone and clarity *Lifts and tightens skin providing a firmer, more radiant glow * Reduces lines, wrinkles, and furrows in a remarkably short time. What impresses me is that they say they disclose all ingredients, and the ingredients are very powerful in this serum. But it is expensive though - like $40 canadian for a small small jar. One day if I could afford it I would try it though. But, also, I think if we stick to the basics, like a good nourishing oil, and maybe mix in some extra vitamin C as in the recipe above, and use sunscreen we when we are out but not tanning, that will significantly slow down the aging of our skin? I think it is important for us not to wait until we are 60 to start taking care of our skin. It is all about prevention of further wrinkles and lines, which is what I think the article tries to get at. No point in waiting till we are 65 and then getting an anti-wrinkle cream (like my mom did. She regrets not starting much younger).

Hey Crash I am glad you put in your two cents I am interested in both the men's and women's skin care regime (that is why I put this in the "unisex" health category ). Re the "wear sunscreen all year round" point. The article I think was trying to emphasize that people wrongly assume that UV dmage to skin happens during the summer, sunny days. It does, but sun damage also accumulates from winter exposure too. I too am a sun worshipper, but this advice made me think of something. We dont tan during the winter months outside in the cold, and so our skin is being exposed to damaging UV rays for nothing during the winter! So this is what I figure: let's wear sunscreen during the winter months any time we go out, and indeed any time during the summer when we are not tanning (ex. stepping out to the grocery store, etc). That way, we can at least "save" some damage. So when we tan during the summer, we can feel a little less concerned because we have "saved" some damage by wearing sunscreen for a good portion of the rest of the year. THis isnt very clear but do you know what I mean? I step out in the winter and my skin is getting exposed, but for nothing - i.e. i am not gaining a tan from it so why should I "waste" my UV time on that? Anyway, I am not explaining this well but I am going to do it - makes sense to me. Only thing though is that I read somewhere else that the parabens and chemicals in sunscreen's can also cause free radical damage and even cancer! SO I am trying to find the best, most natural sunscreeen in the world that has no parabens and lots of vitamins. Havent been successful so far. Anybody know of a good sunscreen that is NOT laden with chemicals, including parabens? Re sleeping on the back. Unfortunately, I too have found a corrletaion between sleeping on my back aand nightmares, like seasiren. That and I always end up on my stomach no matter how I try to resist that urge to stay on my back, or even my side. So I am stretching my whole facial skin BIG TIME throughout the night. Re avocado mask and conditioner. THANKS FOR THE RECIPE! I get my avocado oil at any health food store that sells essential oils and base oils. You should have no problem. Try it! I use avocado because it is one of the oils that is rich in EFAs and Vitamin C, A, and E, BUT DOES NOT CLOG PORES. The last thing I want is a break out, since I had acne when I was a young teen. Also, I am curious as to what you mean by the jojoba not agreeing with your skin? What exactly was the reaction of your skin to jojoba? I am curious as they say that jojoba oil is the closest when it comes to your skin's own natural oils, sebum, waxes, etc. so it is supposed to be one of the best skin conditioners ever.