A couple weeks ago Dylan and I went to the Oregon Humane Society and fell in love with these 2 wonderful best friends. We wanted to get 2 dogs so when we are at work they can keep each other company. Angie and Penny have been with each other for a long time so OHS made it mandatory that they go together. Perfect for us and the dogs! They have brought so much joy and happiness to our lives and I know we have brought a lot of joy and happiness to them :) I am going to school at the NW School of Animal Massage so they are already perfect and willing to let me massage and give reiki to them.
Angie is 7 yrs old and is a Bichon Frise mix...I think she is Bichon and Maltese. Angie loves attention! She constantly wants us to cuddle with her, hold her, love her etc. She will lay on her back and put her paws together and move them in a front swimming motion to get you to keep rubbing her belly, soooooo cute! She has a lot of energy at times for being 7. When we go for a walk she will suddenly get a bolt of energy and run as fast as she can. Penny feels like she needs to run too when she sees her best friend running which is good cause Penny needs to lose some weight. These girls are really helping Dylan and I exercise more too. They both seems so grateful to be with us. One of Angie's favorite toys is a Popple that I got from the Goodwill bins.
Penny looks like a Panda Bear so we call her Penny Panda. She is more of the wise one out of the two. Penny is 9 yrs old and is also a Bichon mix. You pronounce it Beeshaun Freezay :) which means "curly lap dog." I learned that the soldiers used to bring them on their ships when they were out for a long time because the dogs brought so much happiness to the soldiers when they would get depressed as they love to love you and be loved :) Penny loves other dogs and becomes a puppy again when she gets to play with them. When Penny runs, all her fluffy hair on her head bounces. She is really really adorable and sweet. Penny and Angie love to follow each other so wherever Penny goes, Angie follows.
I'm not sure what Penny and Angie's past was like. I do know that the last person who had them adopted them from OHS and then gave them back to OHS a couple months later because they couldn't take care of them. Last week the vet found a bump on Angie that she said looks like a BB from a BB gun. I have had a strong feeling that Angie has been abused by the anxiety she expresses sometimes. She just needs to feel secure and be loved. They are both adapting really well here and I can't say enough how important it is to adopt dogs from shelters. Please Adopt! We feel so good that we gave these dogs an everlasting home full of love....they deserve it! :)
My friend Ashes had a Super Hero Birthday Party. Dakota and I decided to be PMS Avengers. The idea was taken from a song called PMS Avengers that a friend (Leslie) made up. We decided to also perform the song for everyone at the party. Our costumes/performance made such a big hit that we decided to wear the costumes again for a friends halloween party. We won Sexiest Costume and Dylan won Best Costume....he was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Cowboy. Everyone LOVED his outfit!
Anyways, this song is really fun to sing and I recommend singing it especially when you are on your period and RAGING! :) Enjoy!
PMS AVENGERS: Don't Don't reach Don't reach for that Midol It's your power time Just let your anger take you for a wild ride
PMS Avenger, don't take that Midol Let your anger take you down to the shopping mall Tear up the make-up counter, rip the heads off the Barbie dolls And get a can of spray paint and put the writing on the wall
Don't Don't expect Rhyme or Reason This bitch is in season And when I'm on the rag I don't use Kotex, I use the American flag
PMS Avenger, don't take that Midol Let your anger take you down to city hall Take the mayor's necktie and wrap it around his balls Then sneak down there late at night and put the writing on the wall
Don't Don't explain Yourself to anyone Just have yourself some fun OW!
PMS Avenger Blow up the Pentagon PMS Avenger Dismantle a nuclear bomb PMS Avenger Telephone your mom
PMS x3
PMS Avenger Hold up the porno store PMS Avenger Kick your boyfriend out the door PMS Avenger Dare to want more
PMS x3 Everybody PMS x3 Celebrate it PMS x3 Proud of my PMS x3 Men get it too PMS x3 AVENGERS!
1. Link person who tagged you and post rules on your blog 2. Share 7 random/weird facts about yourself 3. Tag 7 people at the end and include links 4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving comments on their blogs so here it goes.....
7 Weird & Random Facts About Me 1. I have to sleep with a blanket or my hair covering my ear. My sister traumatized me when I was little by saying that earwigs are called earwigs because they like to go into people's ears. I remember her telling me as we were looking at an earwig in my room. She went into details that I don't remember now, but it was enough to haunt me for the rest of my life. Also, right around that time I watched that episode of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan where this parasite was put in a guy's ear and it started eating his brain. Also around that time my mom got a fly stcuk in her ear and was screaming while my dad was trying to get it out....really disturbing! Now maybe you can understand why I want my ears covered.....especially when I sleep.
2. I'm horribly addicted to baths!
3. I have been pooped on by birds several times (besides the birds that live in my home). My family likes to joke about this....they think it's funny, and I think it's gross and embarrasing (ok maybe it's a lil funny).
4. My parents are conservative right-wing pro-life republicans. I'm the opposite, radical, revolutionary, and pro-choice. How did this happen?
5. I sing A LOT!!! If you know me well you would know that I will just start singing about anything. I like rhyming too.
6. A boy dated one of my barbie's named Christie and still does not know to this day HAHAHAHA! When I was a kid, I had a barbie named Christie and I set one of my friends up with her. I remember my barbie Christie was sitting on the table and I would talk in a high pitch voice to him and pretend I was Christie. I think Christie ended up breaking up with him over the phone at some point. They never got that close as they never actually met face to face...or shall I say face to barbie HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Let this be a lesson to never date someone over the phone heeheehee!
7. I dream (one day it will be reality) that I will be living on 2+ acres in a cob hobbit house off grid with solar, green roof, a huge veganic garden, surrounded by forests and a creek....oh and a sanctuary made out of cob for the birds I rescued :)
We went to a Guerilla Gardening workshop this evening. It was sooooo AWESOME!!! We are transforming an old gravel car parking lot (NW Burnside & 16th) that was overgrown with grass into a beautiful garden with wild flowers, calendula, and other beautiful flowers/plants. We also took seeds from some plants that were already there, like amaranth, clover, dandelions, and some sort of opium plant. So we first gathered seeds from some of the plants which felt really good. I have never collected seeds before. You learn so much about different plants and where you can find their seeds. It's like opening treasure boxes and finding the treasure inside. We then all spread the seeds on the ground. It was wonderful seeing a child giggling and running around throwing seeds in the air. So keep watch of the empty space on NW Burnside & 16th. It will be interesting to see what it transforms into. EXCITING!!!! :) So for all of you that do not know what Guerilla Gardening it.......
What is Guerilla Gardening? Guerrilla Gardening is beautifying empty ugly spaces with plants and creativity. Is it legal? No. Guerilla gardening, like many forms of guerilla action or communication, is not typically legal unless it is overtly sanctioned by a city. Some guerilla gardeners have been questioned by the authorities, suspected of vandalism or even accused of terrorist activity.
Technically, guerilla gardening is a kind of graffiti or vandalism - just done with plants instead of spray cans. However, the kind of guerilla marketing addressed here, though illegal, rarely gets people into trouble. Other higher-profile types such as moss graffitiand mayday actions have caused conflicts with the law.
President Obama said in his speech on Nov. 4th that his family will be getting a dog. Please EMAIL Obama and urge him to get a dog from a shelter. The new first family would be setting such a wonderful example for the rest of the world if they adopted a dog rather then buy one from a breeder. There are too many fantastic dogs out there in shelters that NEED homes. The dog pictured on the left, is one of the many wonderful dogs available for adoption in the Washington area found thru Petfinder (a really great resource for anyone looking to adopt any animals.) I guess rumor has it that one of his daughters is allergic to dogs so they have to get a hypoallergenic dog. I hope this doesn't make Obama think that he can't find one in a shelter. Check out this great blog for more info, www.earthvegan.blogspot.com
What is Cob? Cob is BEAUTIFUL ART that can be made into houses, garden walls, benches, chicken coops, etc. Cob is a mixture of clay, sand, and straw. Your hands and feet are the main tools you need to build with cob. Cob connects people with their artistic side. Cob is earth. Cob is beauty. Cob is sculpting. You don't need to be a builder or architect to build a home with cob. The word cob comes from an old English root meaning a lump or rounded mass. Cobbing is a process best described as mud daubing. Earth, sand and straw are mixed together and massaged onto the foundation, creating thick load-bearing walls. It's like hand-sculpting a giant pot to live in :)
Earthen homes are common in Africa, the Middle East, India, Afghanistan, Asia, Europe, South and Central America. Easily one-third of the world's population is currently living in homes made of unbaked earth.
The three most common forms of earth buildings are adobe, rammed earth and cob. In the southwestern United States, the five hundred year old Taos Pueblo, as well as many homes and churches, are made of adobe. Adobe is a form of building using unfired earth. Dirt, straw and water - the same ingredients as in cob - are made into bricks which are then sun dried and built into walls with a "cob-like" mortar. Some very old Native American structures like the Casa Grande ruin in Arizona are made out of cob. These are described locally as being built of "puddled or coursed adobe".
There is evidence that cob building began in Europe about 800 years ago. Some buildings that were built in the 16th and 17th centuries are still standing today. In England, there are approximately 50,000 cob buildings still in use today. Most of these were constructed in the 18th and 19th centuries.
“Remember, remember the fifth of November, The gunpowder, treason and plot, I know of no reason Why the gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot.”
It seemed appropriate today (Nov. 5th) to write something about not only the movie, V for Vendetta, but to also explore where the idea for V for Vendetta came from.
I found out that the real V for Vendetta was a comic book by Alan Moore and set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s about the 1990s. A mysterious anarchist named "V" works to destroy the totalitarian government, profoundly affecting the people he encounters.
The series is set in a near-future Britain after a limited nuclear war, which has left much of the world destroyed. In this future, a fascist party called Norsefire has arisen and is the ruling power. "V", an anarchist revolutionary dressed in a Guy Fawkes mask, begins an elaborate, violent and theatrical campaign to bring down the government. The film V for Vendetta was released in 2006.
Alan Moore, distanced himself from the film, as he has with every screen adaptation of his works to date. He ended cooperation with his publisher, DC Comics, after its corporate parent, Warner Bros., failed to retract statements about Moore's supposed endorsement of the movie.[9] After reading the script, Moore remarked:
"[The movie] has been "turned into a Bush-era parable by people too timid to set a political satire in their own country… It's a thwarted and frustrated and largely impotent American liberal fantasy of someone with American liberal values standing up against a state run by neoconservatives—which is not what the comic V for Vendetta was about. It was about fascism, it was about anarchy, it was about England."[10]
He later adds that if the Wachowskis had wanted to protest what was going on in the United States, then they should have used a political narrative that spoke directly at the USA's issues, similar to what Moore had done before with Britain. The film changes the original message by arguably having changed "V" into a freedom fighter instead of an anarchist. An interview with producer Joel Silver suggests that the change may not have been conscious; he identifies the V of the comics as a clear-cut "superhero… a masked avenger who pretty much saves the world," a simplification that goes against Moore's own statements about V's role in the story.[11]
I would LOVE to read Alan Moore's comic book V for Vendetta!!!! Oh and Happy Guy Fawkes Day!!!
Victory for Animals in California!!! Hopefully, the rest of the states will follow California's lead to halt the inhumane confinement of animals on factory farms.
Prop 2, the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, will provide more humane treatment of millions of farm animals by phasing out their confinement in small crates and cages where they can barely move for virtually their entire lives. The law would take effect in 2015 and would require that calves raised for veal, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens are given enough space to turn around, lie down, and stretch their limbs. Similar laws have been passed in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Oregon, and throughout the European Union’s 27 member countries.
What are veal crates?
IIn order to produce veal, calves are taken from their mothers, usually when they’re just hours old. For the four months before they're slaughtered, the calves are typically tethered by their necks in crates too narrow for them to turn around or even lie down comfortably. Prevented from engaging in their natural behaviors or from satisfying basic psychological needs, calves crated for veal suffer immensely, virtually immobilized in filthy, barren confinement.
Not only has the American Veal Association now recommended that the industry phase out the confinement of calves in veal crates, but the largest U.S. veal producer is ending its use of veal crates. The company's CEO asserts that veal crates are "inhumane and archaic practices that do nothing more than subject a calf to stress, fear, physical harm and pain." .
What are battery cages?
California has approximately 19 million egg-laying hens. The vast majority of them are confined in barren battery cages that are so small they can barely move. In fact, each caged hen has less space than a sheet of letter-sized paper on which to live for more than a year before she is slaughtered.
The birds can't even spread their wings, let alone nest, dust-bathe, perch, walk more than a few steps, or engage in nearly any of their natural behaviors. They endure lives filled with suffering.
Poultry scientist Dr. Ian Duncan states unequivocally: "Battery cages for laying hens have been shown (by me and others) to cause extreme frustration, particularly when the hen wants to lay an egg. Battery cages are being phased out in Europe and other more humane husbandry systems are being developed."
How will egg-laying hens be housed if they must be able to turn around and fully extend their limbs?
Cage-free housing usually provides hens 200-300 percent more space per bird. The animals are able to walk, spread their wings, and lay their eggs in nests—all behaviors permanently denied to hens confined in battery cages. Several California egg producers already operate cage-free egg farms, and several national retailers such as Burger King and Safeway are already increasingly purchasing cage-free eggs. Moreover, the 9.5 billion chickens raised for meat in the United States are already housed in cage-free systems.
What are gestation crates?
During their four-month pregnancies, thousands of female breeding pigs in California are confined in barren gestation crates—individual metal stalls only two-feet wide. The crates are so small that the animals cannot even turn around. Barely able to move, the pigs can develop crippling joint disorders and lameness.
Renowned farm animal expert Dr. Temple Grandin agrees that gestation crates are problematic, stating, "Basically, you're asking a sow to live in an airline seat. . . . I think it's something that needs to be phased out."
How will female breeding pigs be raised if they must be able to turn around and fully extend their limbs?
Many farmers already raise pigs without using gestation crates, so there is no reason why those currently using gestation crates here in California can't do the same. In fact, the nation's largest pig producer—Smithfield Foods—is ending its confinement of pigs in gestation crates, and its competitor Cargill already raises more than half of its breeding sows without gestation crates. When gestation crates aren't used, pig producers generally use a group housing system where the sows are kept together in more spacious conditions, with room to turn around and extend their limbs.
Why focus on veal crates, battery cages, and gestation crates?
Generally speaking, there are already laws on the books that provide some semblance of protection to some farm animals at the point of slaughter and during transportation, but there are virtually no laws regulating the treatment of animals while they’re on the factory farm, where they spend the vast majority of their lives. The confinement of farm animals in tiny crates and cages is one of the most abusive practices used on industrial factory farms—both in terms of the intensity and duration of confinement. Keeping animals so restrictively caged and crated that they barely move for months on end is cruel and inhumane.
Why launch this initiative in California?
Prop 2 will reduce the suffering of nearly 20 million animals confined on California factory farms. The measure will also prevent other out-of-state factory farm operators from setting up shop in our state with veal crates, battery cages, and gestation crates—reducing the risk that these noxious factory farms will pollute our air and water, drive family farmers out of business, and harm rural communities.
Florida, Arizona, Colorado, and Oregon have banned gestation crates, and Arizona and Colorado have also banned veal crates. Major California food retailers are moving away from supporting battery cages and veal and gestation crates. California city councils have also passed resolutions opposing battery cage confinement. It’s time for California to address this growing problem of industrialized agribusiness that threatens animal welfare, food safety, our communities and neighbors, and public health—and for “California Grown” to mean better animal welfare standards and better food for our families.
How are these factory farms cruel to animals?
It’s simply wrong to confine calves raised for veal, breeding pigs, and egg-laying hens in tiny cages barely larger than their bodies. Calves are tethered by the neck and can barely move, pigs in severe confinement bite the metal bars of their crates, and hens get trapped and even impaled in their wire cages. We wouldn’t force our pets to live in filthy, cramped cages for their whole lives, and we shouldn’t force farm animals to endure such misery either. All animals, including those raised for food, deserve humane treatment.
How are these factory farms affect food safety and public health?
We all witnessed the cruel treatment of sick and crippled cows exposed by a Chino slaughter plant investigation this year, prompting authorities to pull meat off school menus and initiate the nation’s largest-ever meat recall. Factory farmers have put our health at risk by allowing these terrible abuses, and now are recklessly telling us it’s okay to keep animals in overcrowded, inhumane conditions. Cramming millions of animals into tiny cages fosters the spread of animal diseases that may affect people. The scientific literature provides overwhelming evidence that the passage of Prop 2 will improve food safety and protect the health of Californians. For example, the largest study ever performed comparing Salmonella risk in battery cage versus cage-free egg production found that factory farms crowding hens in tiny cages had up to 25-times greater odds of being infected with Salmonella than cage-free flocks. Proposition 2 is better for animals—and for us. That’s why the Center for Food Safety and the Center for Science in the Public Interest, among many other leading organizations, support Proposition 2.
How do these factory farms impact the environment?
The American Public Health Association, the largest organization of public health professionals in the world, has called for a moratorium on new factory farms because of the devastating effects these operations can have on surrounding communities. Factory farms often spread waste on the ground untreated—contaminating our waterways, lakes, groundwater, soil, and air. Phasing out the worst animal confinement practices means fewer animals per operation, and that means less manure and toxic pollution. Proposition 2 helps protect our precious natural resources. That’s why Clean Water Action and the Sierra Club support Proposition 2.
Halloween AKA Day of the Dead is definitely my favorite holiday! Besides how beautiful the trees are when the leaves change their color, I love dressing up in costumes, eating vegan junk food, decorating with spooky stuff, and celebrating the people/animals that have passed on.
This year we started celebrating Halloween by going to the Underground Tunnels in Portland. Portland's Underground Tunnels are the 10th most hanunted place in North America and #1 Most Haunted in Portland. The evening on Halloween was all booked up so we went the Tuesday before. REALLY SPOOKY!!!! I defintely recommend going on the tour. We went on the Ghost Tour. They took us to a few places above ground where ghosts have been reported....like Skidmore Fountain. A woman has been seen there several times crying by the fountain. There of course is a story to go along with that.
There is a deep creepy history of Portland and the Shanghai Tunnels. The "Portland Underground" tunnels, also known as the "Shanghai Tunnels", were basements of buildings that connected to other buildings through brick and stone archways that were intersected with tunnels that connected under the streets, linking block to block. These "catacombs" or "tombs", as they were sometimes called, created a unique network of passages and thoroughfares that were used by unscrupulous individuals called "shanghaiiers" or "crimps", in addition to "white slavers" who grabbed women and sold them into prostitution.
Women, in early Portland's history, had to be cautious when venturing into certain areas of the city. They were warned not to go to dances and to stay out of restaurants, saloons, and other establishments of the evening. Women just seemed to vanish and were never heard from again.
It was for this reason that Portland was considered the most "dangerous port in the world" because of the "Shanghaiing Trade" that existed. Stopping for a drink in such notorious establishments as Erickson's Saloon, the Snug Harbor Saloon, and the Valhalla Saloon, people became unsuspecting victims who found themselves beneath the streets in tunnels and being carried out to the waterfront and sold for "blood money". Portland, Oregon, the Victorian-refined "City of Roses" along the Willamette River, earned the reputation of being the "Shanghai Capital of the World" because of the uncontrolled shanghaiing of unsuspecting men.
Shanghaiing was an illegal maritime practice where able-bodied men --- sailors, loggers, cowboys, sheepherders, ranch hands, construction workers, and vagabonds, in addition to other hard workers who were either employed or who frequented the waterfront, were grabbed or kidnapped and sold to sea captains who forced them to work aboard their ships for no pay. Portland was unique because trap doors (known as "deadfalls") were used to drop the unsuspecting victims into the "Portland Underground", where they were forcibly held in cells until the ship was ready to set sail. A sea captain who needed additional men to fill his crew notified the shanghaiiers that he was ready to set sail in the early-morning hours, and would purchase the men for $50 to $55 a head. "Knock-out drops" were then slipped into the confined victim¹s food or water. Unconscious, they were then taken through a network of tunnels that "snaked" their way under the city all the way to the waterfront. They were placed aboard ships and didn't awake until many hours later, after they had "crossed the bar" into the Pacific Ocean. It took many of these men as long as two full voyages --- that's six years --- to get back to Portland.
If you would like to experience the Shanghai Tunnels you can take a Portland Underground Tour. The tours take approximately an hour and a half, and participants are with a guide at all times. The tour-goers receive an above-ground orientation, and then the guide will lead participants into the "Portland Underground", where they receive the majority of the historical and oral history about this infamous maritime practice that gave Portland a notorious reputation throughout the world. On these tours you will see a segment of the once-hidden world of shanghaiing. You will venture into the "Portland Underground" to see remnants of this shocking maritime history --- unique architecture, underground holding cells, a "deadfall" trapdoor, unearthed artifacts of this terrible, misguided labor practice, and more.
These are great posts from Portland Indymedia that I wanted to share because I think it's incredibly important to be getting back to nature. We not only need to be prepared for what's ahead (major food shortages?), we need to be reconnecting with our inner beings. Our lives are so fast paced and we live and breathe in boxes. We are so disconnected from ourselves and nature. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are blessed with healing and nutritional plants that a lot of our ancesters used to heal themselves and for nutrition. I will update this blog as they show up on Indymedia.
Understanding our place in the Plant World is important to survival. Much plant knowledge has been lost due to the mechanization of the world. All around us are plants that could help to be healthy and live lightly on the earth. It is important for as many people as possible learn about the plants and how to let the plants teach us and heal us. Enjoy!
I had to write about this because I am so disturbed that anyone could do this to their family dog.
In Forest Grove, OR, Hyrum Long, 75, and his daughter, Susan Johnson, 49, decided that they needed to kill their dog Molly who was 13 because Molly was ill. They claim they did not take her to a shelter or vet to get euthanized because they did not have money and were worried they would get charged with animal cruelty. So instead, they beat Molly over the head with a hammer until they thought Molly was dead, buried her in their yard, and then WENT OUT TO DINNER!!! A neighbor heard the dog crying and called 911. Molly was still alive when the police found her. They took her to the Oregon Humane Society. Spokesperson Barbara Baugnon said Molly was in extreme pain and in terrible condition when it arrived. "She couldn't lift her head but her eyes were following people around the room, obviously she was suffering," said Baugnon. "It's one of the worst cases i've ever heard of." Baugnon said places like Dove Lewis Animal Hospital will euthanize animals free of charge and so will some veterinarians, depending upon the situation.
UPDATE!!! Dad & daughter who killed dog arrested for animal abuse & neglect Watch the video here
Officers from the Forest Grove Police Department arrested 75-year-old Hyrum Long and 49-year-old Susan Johnson around 8:15 p.m., Monday. Long was charged with aggravated animal abuse in the first degree, a felony, and Johnson charged with animal neglect in the first degree, a misdemeanor. Both were released from jail Tuesday morning with no bail.
Johnson is now set to appear in court at 8:30 a.m. on November 7th for her arraignment and authorities said Long would likely have his first court appearance on Monday, November 10th, at 8:30 a.m.
Police spokesperson Aaron Ashbaugh said a necropsy report from the Oregon Humane Society indicated the dog had suffered from a chronic skin disease, body sores from lying down for prolonged periods of time, and that the dog had suffered from long term lack of nutrition and chronic starvation.
TAKE ACTION!!! I URGE everyone to call Washington County District Attorney's office. Even if you are out of Washington County, please call them today.
Here is the contact info: PLEASE contact the Washington County District Attorney's office (503-846-8671) and urge them to prosecute these horrible people to the fullest.
It's an anonymous call; you don't need to leave contact information.
1) As mayor of Wasilla, Palin made rape victims pay for their own forensic evidence kits 2) Palin is opposed to abortion in cases of rape and incest (even if victims are children) 3) Palin believes creationism should be taught in public schools 4) While mayor of Wasilla Palin tried to fire the librarian because she refused to censor books 5) Palin has no international experience and only obtained her first passport just last year (2007) 6) Palin supports the Alaskan Independence Party which seeks independence from the USA 7) Palin is presently under investigation in Alaska for abuse of power 8) Palin offered a bounty of $150 for each left front leg of freshly killed wolves 9) Palin promotes aerial hunting of wolves even though Alaskans voted twice to ban it 10) Palin used $400,000 of state money to fund a propaganda campaign in support of aerial hunting 11) Palin believes man-made global warming is a farce 12) Palin strongly supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge 13) Palin is a champion for big oil and her campaign slogan has become "Drill, baby, drill!" 14) Palin is suing the federal government to prevent listing the polar bear as an endangered species 15) Palin is opposed to listing the unique Cook Inlet beluga whale as an endangered species
"Our website contains full journal citations for every Sarah Palin fact. To read more about her atrocities committed against wildlife in Alaska, despite the protest of Alaskan citizens and wildlife biologists, view our webpage at: www.GrizzlyBay.org/SarahPalinInfoPage.htm"
1st Mobile Regiment's 1st & 3rd Company(1001st, 1003rd Mobile) of the South korean Combat Police corps against a very pissed off protest group in South Korea, 2002.
We found some funny and disturbing youtube videos last night of cops and skaters. It blows my mind that people can get in trouble for riding skateboards. Well...not that it doesn't surprise me, you can get in trouble for just about anything, especially when an officer is bored, on steroids, or has too much testosterone.
US Wargames in Georgia involving over 1,000 US troops
Why are world leaders suddenly so upset with Russia for invading a country, when the US invades a country world leaders just bat their eyes give a thumbs up and a few of their troops to help out?
Soldiers and Marines from the United States, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Ukraine conduct joint training exercise "Immediate Response 2008" at Vaziani Military Base in the Republic of Georgia and the surrounding area. The state of Georgia is represented by the 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry, headquartered in Winder, as well as members of the 122nd Rear Operations Center from Glenville. This 'training exercise' took place at the Vaziani Military Base, and was to run for 3 weeks from July 15th, Until "roughly" August 8th, which is precisely when the fighting broke out.
Why is the media trying to spin this situation to make Russia look like the aggressors in the eyes of the international community? Why are pictures of dead American troops inside Georgia being censored? Putin admitted that he knew American troops where running around in the area. What is really in this "Humanitarian Aid" package that the US is flying into Georgia? Why is the US still pushing for its missile shield in Poland even though Russia said it would take the move as an act of war? And why ignore the fact about US Russian wargames and the "Business Vacations" that Bush and Putin take together? What is Dick Cheney doing going to Georgia visiting in that area. Why is Chavez accusing US of Direct Intervention in the South Ossetia Conflict? whole thing seems very staged.
Ok I had to post this. I have been looking for dairy free, soy free, vegan yogurt. I went to People's Food Co-op the other day and found vegan soy free yogurt made with COCONUT MILK by So Delicious . I try to limit my soy intake, as too much of anything can be a bad thing. This yogurt was soooo yummy! The flavors are vanilla, blueberry, rasberry, strawberry banana, passionate mango, and plain. So I thought....why can't I make vegan coconut milk yogurt? I googled it and found a recipie from Cindalous Kitchen Blues. Great Blog! I have yet to try it, but i will very soon. So here it is.....
~*Coconut Yogurt (half batch)*~
1 can (15 oz.) organic coconut milk or lite coconut
heaping 1/4 t. dairy free probiotic*
Tools Needed:
-2 half-quart Mason jars (I used cleaned salsa jars)large stainless steel spoon
-2 large/medium stainless steel pots (I used a double boiler nested pot setup)
-kitchen thermometer
-a few old clean kitchen towels,
-a large pot and lid (large enough to hold mason jars) OR yogurt maker
*I used Culturaid dairy free probiotic since it is free of many of the common allergens: gluten, dairy, yeast, corn, soy Instructions for Coconut Milk Yogurt
(Gluten, Dairy, Soy, Corn, Yeast Free and Low Carb/Low Fat)
1.)Sterilize your container(s):I boiled water in my electric kettle to sterilize my yogurt jars and stainless steel pot. After the water boiled, I let it sit for 10 or so minutes while I went onto step 2. When you need two yogurt containers, just discard the hot water.
2.) Pour out the sterilizing water from the pot and pour in the coconut milk. If you didn't shake the can and the milk has separated, just give it a quick stir with a clean/sterilized stainless steel spoon. Turn the milk to medium high heat and keep your thermometer handy. Bring the milk to just boiling with your thermometer in the milk, but not resting or touching the pot (you want the temperature of the milk, not the pot). Continuously stir the milk until it reaches around 160 degrees. I've seen the range of 170-180 degrees for "normal" milk in order to kill the bad bacteria, but the canned organic coconut milk does not suffer bovine growth hormones, animal antibiotics passed into the cow milk, pesticides, or any chemical residues that can hamper regular milk. I am more lax with the temperature for this reason. If you'd prefer to go to the higher temperature, go for it, but make sure to keep stirring so the milk doesn't burn. 3.)Set up your yogurt-making area. The yogurt culturing area can be a real yogurt maker or this handy type setup shown below. All that is necessary is that the yogurt stay around 100 degrees (or as close as possible). I placed 2 jars in my largest pot with a few warmed towels on the bottom to insulate the jars. I used 1 jar for steaming hot water and the other jar for the yogurt. Here's a cool site for making yogurt by livelonger on HubPages which gives nice pictures and the incubation idea of a cooler and hot water instead of a yogurt maker.
4.)Let the coconut milk cool.Check the milk comes to around 100-110 degrees before adding the probiotic starter.Once the milk has cooled, stir in the probiotic starter. If you were making normal cow-based dairy yogurt, you could use premade/purchased yogurt with live cultures instead of specialty probiotic starter. For dairy free coconut milk yogurt, we can't do this of course- hence the Culturaid.Boil some more water and pour into one of your open jars shown above. The hot water in this jar along with the insulating towels and closed pot will help keep the yogurt jar warm so the cultures can grown during incubation.Pour the inoculated yogurt/coconut milk into the other jar and close the lid to keep it warm. I added a few more towels for jar insulation. 5.)Cover the whole setup or your yogurt maker. I turned my pot to very very low heat (barely on) to keep the setup warm. You may not need to do this depending upon the temperature of your kitchen. It was cold and rainy when I made this (Murphy's law in action). Let the yogurt ferment for 6-10 hours. Mine took more like 10 hours since it was so cold in my kitchen (crazy spring weather). Let the yogurt rest while it ferments.
6.) After the allotted time has passed, check the coconut milk yogurt. It should be firm and more of a yogurt texture. Mine was not as thick as cow milk yogurt (which often has yucky thickeners in addition to the plain old yogurt, especially if you eat the nonorganic kind), but it was definitely thicker. It had a nice slightly sweet-sour yogurt bite to it as well as all those uber healthy (nondairy) probiotics! Now I can down yogurt by the quart like Jon, right? :) Refrigerate the yogurt when it is thick and "finished."
The probiotics in yogurt and fermented foods (kraut, etc) are the "good" guys you want in your intestines to help improve your immunity, keep you regular, build and strengthen your bones, lose weight, and detoxify you.
Here's the Top Ten list of foods I try to always buy organic. This list consists of food with the highest pesticide residues:
1. Peaches
2. Strawberries
3. Cantaloupe
4. Cherries
5. Apricots
6. Watermelon
7. Apples
8. Green Beans
9. Spinach
10. Corn
I have always wondered which fruits/veggies has the highest amount of pesticide residue. It's healthier and safer to buy organic if you can. This was taken from Greenridge Organics blog. I stumbled across them when I was looking for vegan organic natural skincare products. I have been using Dr. Haushka's skin care/cosmetic stuff and realized the eyeliner I have been using is made with Carmine which is the wings from cactus beetles. C'mon people! That is just gross and wrong! I don't want to be putting beetle wings on my eyes. It's bad enough that when I ride my bike I get bugs in my eyes accidentally. I don't want to be purposely putting bug parts in my eyes. Yuck! So Greenridge Organics seems fantastic and once I get paid again I am going to start buying from them.....unless I find products that are more local. Check them out. http://www.greenridgeherbals.com/
I was supposed to write earlier to say we moved in, but we do not have the computer hooked up yet. We moved in the weekend that we manifested moving which has been 2 weeks ago. We have been busy packing, unpacking, and cleaning our old apartment (today we hand over the keys!) I cannot express how happy we are now and I cannot believe the place we were letting ourselves live in (discovered black mold everywhere....eeew). The house we are living in is beautiful with lots of opportunities to expand our creativity and heal ourselves inside and out. We will post pictures once we have settled in and we will be having a house warming party very soon :)
I would consider myself Veganic as I am vegan and mostly eat organic :) But the term actually refers to vegan organic gardening. Yes, that's right! No yucky animal stuff like manure, bone meal, etc. Having an organic garden to me is not enough, it really needs to be vegan and let me tell you why.
The primary source of nutrients on most Certified Organic farms comes from factory farmed animal wastes. Manure, bone meal and other animal by-products are relied on heavily, even though crop rotations and green manures are alternative methods to ensure soil fertility.
Veganic describes an approach to agriculture that breaks the link between vegetable production and animal products.
Veganic agriculture is much less dependent than traditional organic farming on fossil fuels - seeds are transported to the field and the plant matter just stays there instead of being transported to a cow and then transported back again as manure after being processed by the animal's stomach.
Veganic farming does not help subsidize inhumane and environmentally damaging farming practices often found on large-scale livestock operations from which most animal-based fertilizers are purchased.
Certified Veganic seeks to demonstrate a more sustainable form of agriculture and provide a labeling system for organic farmers that are willing to completely sever the tight bond that exists between raising animals for food, and organically grown fruits and vegetables.
We are trying to wait patiently to start moving out of our 1 bedroom apt into a beautiful 3 bedroom house. I will write more on how we manifested the house later. Usually we procrastinate, but we were really excited to get out of our place so Dylan packed most of our stuff in boxes while I was at the Faerieworlds Festival. What? You don't know what the Faerieworlds Festival is? Check it out: http://www.faerieworlds.com/index2008.html So now we have been waiting in a sea of boxes for over 2 weeks to move. We didn't know it would take this long for the owners to be done with whatever they are doing to the house. We can't pack anymore stuff because our living room is almost entirely filled with boxes and then there wouldn't be anywhere to sit. "When are you moving?" you ask. We don't know....whenever the owners of the house are done fixing stuff. I am manifesting we will be moving in no later than this weekend :)
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