beforewisdom

I think there are other reasons, but I think the important lesson is what you stated......no matter what you do, as you long as you are doing something some people will praise you and you will catch shit from other people. It is much easier to talk than to do. People who don't go out and do things are out of touch with what is easy, hard, realistically possible, etc... It is very easy for them to set very high standards to judge what other people actually do because of that. Ideas and talk are cheaper than action. I try to hear everyone's opinion at least once so I can keep learning new things, but if it moves into belly aching I try to pay attention only to people who are doing or who arre trying

The kind of things you are feeling aggravation about can be found in any group that is about anything off of the beaten path and out of the mainstream. I've heard born again Christians, republicans, etc ... say similar things about their communities as vegans do about theirs. It isn't veganism, it is human nature. It is more comfortable to stay in the mainstream, so if someone joins something outside of the mainstream they have to have a powerful reason. For some, it is a chance to fit in where they don't fit in with the mainstream. For others it is about a genuine motivation to the cause. Bottom line, you do something outside of the mainstream, doesn't matter what it is, you will meet some of the worst people in your life and some of the best.

I know how you feel Robert. There is a vegan community in my area, though it is much smaller than the one in Oregon. Staying away from vegans online helps. We have a local mailing list where I live. 85% of its content is hair splitting and vicious bickering. I was starting to feel like you, then I unsubscribed from the list. Months later I feel better about everyone again. People get vicious or persnickety online in a way they will not when you are with them in person. Additionally, people who will actually turn out in person to do things tend to be a bit nicer than people who hide online.

Nasty, but a step up from destroying the entire species environment with urban sprawl, pollution from automobiles, and pollution from extracting energy, mineral resources. Our society does all of those things to horses, in addition to sending them to Europe to become food.

Sounds interesting, thanks for the review!

There is a great list, over 10 years old, for vegans and vegetarians in the area to network about what is cool, local, and veg*n: http://waste.org/mail/?list=veg-dc There is also this kick ass local veg*n restaurant and resource guide: http://www.vegdc.com/ COK is local and organizes a lot of volunteer activities to promote veganism http://www.cok.net BARC ( Balitmore Animal Rights Coalition ) also does cool stuff and is run by high energy, positive, grass roots people: http://www.baltimoreanimalrights.com/ The Vegetarian Society Of The District Of Columbia has some nice non-political events some times: http://www.vsdc.org Glut is a 100% vegetarian workers collective / natural food store: http://www.glut.org Meetup.com has a number of nice groups. Just search on your zipcode with the strings "vegan" and "animal rights" There is also a private announcement list for AR and Vegan advocacy activities in the area. PM me if you are interested in getting on it.

Ok, well now you've got me thinking.... Think about all the campaigns that have been going on over the past 15 years. Got Milk? The more something is advertised the more likely it is crap. Women, are more vulnerable to osteoporosis, tend to be more concerned about their health, and tend to be more concerned about their looks so that is what big orgs like the dairy people will target. Dr. Plant also has a book out explaining how dairy proteins related to prostate cancer. No big surprise, both types of cancer are hormone linked. FWIW, Dan Fogleberg diet of prostate cancer a few days ago.

I don't know if the same goes for women, but for men there is the rule that some men look great with crew cuts and the rest look like Gomer Pyle

There is a huge amount of environmental pollution that people could not do anything about even if they knew what they were up against.

I'm reading this book right now: http://tinyurl.com/2l2z3v It is about a non-medical research scientist who gets breast cancer. She survives by applying her own skills in science to discover that at an institutional level medical science isn't doing science as well as it could be. She then does her own research to conclude that dairy PROTEINS ( not fat, going low fat on dairy does not help ) accelerate breast cancer. She gives up dairy and her cancer goes into remission. Beyond having really SOLID info about dairy, not web maven stuff, the book has many valuable tips on traps to avoid in seeking treatment for breast cancer.

To defend the book, it isn't about essential fatty acids, but about flax seeds and the benefits studies have shown flax seeds to give. It is possible that future studies would show that the seeds do not give such benefits. FWIW, I will be happy when it is settled who does/does not need EPA and DHA supplements. My intuition is that some people do not and since those supplements come at a high price the info would be good to have.

I got a free sample packet last night at a fund raising event. I am interested in trying it since I've heard so many comments about it here.

On the flip side in that situation, every time someone buys cigarettes it goes back to something progressive like soy milk.

I've seen youtube clips of the Shaolin monks performing. I really hope that the next time they come to the US I know about it so I can go.

Won't you need it for moving expenses? Is that in addition to them returning your safety deposit?

Indeed, impressive!

Both pictures flatter you The calendar is a great idea. Pit bulls have gotten such a bum wrap. I've met three and all of been the most affectionate, quiet, obedient dogs I have seen.

This Wall Street Journla article has a video with it http://tinyurl.com/3x639o The PRC is trying to make Wu Shu ( war art ) into its contribution to the Olympic Games by staging a Wu Shu competition at the same time as the upcoming games in Bejing. The monks of the 1,500 year old Shaolin temple in the PRC, know as some of the best fighters in the country have refused to participate saying they practice Kung Fu ( pronounced "Gung Fu" meaning "achieved effort" ) as a compliment to meditation as a mean of reaching the goal of enlightenment.

I've read a few of Dr. Barnard's popular books and had similar doubts as other people about the information. Someone on a mailing list I am said he read the abstracts for the studies Dr. Barnard & The PCRM published in medical journals. He claimed that the studies were well designed and that the information in the journals ( and PCRM publications meant for medical professionals ) was of much better quality than the information in Dr. Barnard's books.

You don't look like you have a weight problem, but I have a slow burning system. 1 teaspoon of oil ( 1/3 of tablespoon ) is about 33 calories depending on the oil. 4 tablespoons of oil is 400 calories you added to the dish, with next to no nutrition added. 1 cup of cooked brown rice and 1 cup of cooked lentils, slightly less than a meal for me is about 450 calories. A Big Mac is about 500 calories. 250 excess calories a day is enough to put on 25 pounds a year.

Can you add links to the main site from the forum index page. I have the later bookmarked as my main point of entry and rarely ever go to the former. Great profiles......forget PETA's contests. I think we have all of the sexy vegans right here .

If you can invite non-vegans I would suggest this woman. She knows her stuff and her book is backed the research community: http://www.volumetricseatingplan.com/ Rory Freedman ( Skinny Bitch author) I saw her at Tom Regan's conference, natural born speaker.

She gave a very good talk about how to start using spent vegetable oil to fuel your car at Summerfest.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XH8X9BGQL._AA240_.jpg From http://tinyurl.com/272dj2 Flax Your Way to Better Health (Paperback) by Jane Reinhardt-Martin (Author) This book is specifically about flax seeds, rather than flax oil or essential fatty acids. The book starts with a brief and very interesting history of the use of flax seeds. The bulk of the book is a listing and explanation of studies that demonstrate the health benefits of eating flax seeds. The explanations are written in a clear and friendly language suitable for all types of adult readers. The upshot of many of the studies described in the book is that eating flax seeds is beneficial for your health and that eating flax seeds has health benefits you will not get by taking flax oil. This is good news for the health conscious consumer. Flax oil is expensive and highly perishable. Flax seeds are cheap and stable. The book ends with 15 recipes that use flax seeds as an ingredient. The recipes come with nutrition information, including how much flax a person can expect to consume with each serving. Nine of the recipes are vegetarian, five are vegan, and one is omnivorous.

There is an excellent book about Flax seeds written by an RD who walks you through, in plain english, the research showing you how the seeds ( not the oil ) offers additional benefits: http://www.amazon.com/Flax-Your-Way-Better-Health/dp/0971230404/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1197559953&sr=8-1 The author recommends that people use no more than 2 tablespoons a day. That amount isn't going to hurt you, will give you most of the EFAs you need, and will give you a lot of nutrition beyond the fat as a bonus I take about a tablespoon every day. I use a Starbucks coffee grinder to do it fresh every morning. The grinder cost me about $20 and has lasted 5 years so far. The seeds are so cheap I don't even bother figuring out how much they cost in terms of my food budget. It isn't known if people or all people need DHA & EPA supplments, but to safe I take the water4life vegan EPA supplements. I get the "buy 2 get 1 free" deal which costs me a little bit over $80 and comes out to about $1.30 a day.........the same as a bottle of soda from my office vending machine. An amount I never cry about, an amount that is still CHEAP compare to using highly perishable oils and other expensive supplements.