“Meatless Monday”: Where’s the beef?

CROSS-POSTED from SALON.com

Meatless Monday poster. Creator unknown.

(Aug. 4, 201) — To understand how utterly broken our society is, how hostile to sacrifice we are and how willfully ignorant we have become, you need only look at the historic drought hammering the heartland — and how our elected officials are responding to that cataclysm.

As you likely know from this arid summer, America is suffering through the worst drought since 1950. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, half of all counties in the nation are officially disaster areas — a situation that has devastated the country’s supply of agriculture commodities. Consequently, food prices are expected to skyrocket, and eventually, water-dependent power plants may be forced to shut down.

This is a full-on emergency, and USDA, a key agency involved in the national security issues surrounding our food and water supply, last week responded with a minor non-binding recommendation. In its inter-office newsletter to agency employees, it suggested that those who want to conserve water could simply refrain from eating meat on Mondays.

The idea is part of the worldwide “Meatless Monday” campaign, which the New York Times notes is backed by “thousands of corporate cafeterias, restaurants and schools.” In the face of a drought, it’s a pragmatic notion. Cornell University researchers estimate that “producing a pound of animal protein requires, on average, about 100 times more water than producing a pound of vegetable protein.” According to the U.S. Geological Survey, that means a typical hamburger requires a whopping 4,000 to 18,000 gallons of water to make.

Considering these numbers in juxtaposition to the drought, taking one day a week off from meat-eating seems like the absolute least we should be willing to do in a nation whose average citizen annually consumes an unfathomable 194 pounds of meat. And yet, in Washington, the USDA recommendation was a cause for outrage.

There’s much, much more to this story. Please continue reading >>

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I believe Americans are good, kind people capable of great sacrifice given half the chance and half the facts. But how great a sacrifice is it to give up meat one day week?

It appears to me this is how broken Washington DC politicians are, not U.S. society. Unless you adhere to the philosophy that Washington in actuality mirrors the average American’s thinking and is giving them what they really want. If true, then it is very, very ugly.

 

Hidden-Broccoli Guacamole (recipe)

Let’s see, how did it all begin? Let’s see. Oh yes.

I saw this cool tweet by The Vegan Woman for 10 Vegan Summer Food Ideas, which took me to Vegangela’s website for this delicious recipe. Just look at it.

Hidden Broccoli Guacamole. Image and recipe by Veganela.

Check out the ingredients.

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados
3/4 cup broccoli pieces (no stems*) – finely chopped so it’s virtually unrecognizable
1 tomato, diced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp lemon juice
handful of fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped – optional
salt

Go here for Directions.

And tortilla chips? Are they vegan? Heck yeah, but check the label to ensure they were fried in vegetable, sunflower, soybean or canola oil.

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*What about those left over broccoli stems?

Toss them into a large pot (that you do not use often) of boiling water, put the cover on, turn the heat down and boil them slowly till tender. Let the pot cool to room temperature or so, remove the cooked stalks and save the liquid and pop it in the fridge.

Use the liquid to cook other vegetables until you have a nice rich vegetable broth. Pour into ice cube trays and freeze. How’s that for a nice, manageable size for your next recipe. Thaw and use.

It is a good idea to wrap the trays in something and twist tie it so that your Aunt Mimi doesn’t put your broth cubes into her ice tea.

 

Can a rocking horse save jockeys’ lives?

Came across this article from 2010, and thought whoa, I wouldn’t want to come off of that horse, even though it is a mechanical one and there’s a nice, cushy whatsit to land on. But what good training.

Cross-posted from the Daily Mail (UK)

John Francome recalls the day he came to grief on Golden Rapper in the Grand National 34 years ago.

‘The first thing to hit the ground was the horse’s nose, followed a second later by my nose and I woke up in Walton hospital,’ said the seven-times champion jump jockey.

It could have been more serious, of course, but Francome appreciates the importance of preparing for the worst.

Which was why he was at the British Racing School in Newmarket last week as a succession of young jockeys were taught the art of how to fall off a horse safely.

It was a sight to stir the blood on the coldest day; young jockeys cheerfully being fired into orbit from the French-built ‘equichute’ time and again, under the battle-hardened eye of former jump jockey Steve Smith Eccles.

Falls and serious injuries are an inevitable part of jump racing.

Francome is a passionate advocate of the machine.

‘There is absolutely no doubt it will save lives and prevent no end of injuries,’ he said. ‘If it stops one person a year from ending up in a wheelchair, then it has paid for itself 10 times over.

‘It will be good for everybody from jockeys to happy hackers and event riders. In my view, everyone who rides should go on this machine.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/racing/article-1307089/Can-rocking-horse-save-jockeys-lives-John-Francome-backs-machine-teaches-art-falling.html#ixzz22JbbFcs9

Wheeeeeee! I mean whoooooooooa.

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I think I’ll pass. Besides, I have been grounded lo these many years.

I am grateful I was never harmed in any way in all my years of riding and jumping horses no matter how many “risks” I took. And we all know why. You know what’s coming. I was always held in the protective arms of Love, because I relied on God and understood why I could.

 

Burrito Bowl with Guacamole and Salsa

This burrito bowl is so fresh and tasty, and everybody loves it. Recipe courtesy of StraightUpFood.com/blog. Reposted with permission!

Chef Cathy says:

“This recipe is very open to interpretation, so have fun with it and make it with all the ingredients and amounts that sound best to you. If you are watching your calories, you may leave off the olives and avocado, since these are both high-fat plant foods.”

Recipes include the Burrito Bowl, Guacamole and Salsa. Muy Bueno!

Burrito Bowl. Recipe and Image from StraightUpFood.com.

Ingredients
1 cup dry brown rice (any variety)
2 cups water

6 Romaine lettuce leaves, thinly sliced
1 cup very thinly sliced cabbage
1 can black or pinto beans (or about 1-1/2 cups home-cooked beans)
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 of a sweet yellow or red onion, chopped (or two scallions)
1/2 cup black olives, sliced in half (about 20 olives)
1/2 cup cilantro, parsley or basil leaves, chopped
1 cup corn kernels (or kernels from one cob), cooked or raw
1 avocado, diced
2-3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions
1. In a pot, bring rice and water to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook according to the type of rice you’re using. (Short grain brown cooks for 50 minutes, long grain for 45 minutes.)

2. Using two or more large soup or salad bowls, layer all of the ingredients equally into each bowl and squeeze lime juice over the top. Or in one large salad bowl, toss all ingredients together, including lime juice, then serve into your individual bowls. Top with salsa and/or quacamole. The cooked beans and rice may be used warm or cold.

Recipes for guacamole and salsa >>

 

Curing the Incurable: Christian Healer Elise Moore to present talk in Louisville

Prayer really does heal!

Elise Moore, Christian Healer, comes to Louisville, Kentucky, May 26, 2012, where she will present a talk titled “Curing the Incurable” at 10:30 am. Source Image.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — God’s healing power is present in Louisville to comfort and cure.  People are turning to God for solutions, and finding them, even when the picture may look bleak.

International speaker Elise Moore says, “Everyone can learn to pray effectively and humbly, resulting in answers and physical healing for themselves and others”.

Moore, a practitioner and teacher of Christian healing, will present a talked titled, Curing the Incurable on Saturday, May 26, 2012, 10:30 am, at First Church of Christ Scientist, 1305 S. Third Street, Louisville, Kentucky.

During her talk Moore shares simply, practically and compassionately, profound laws of God and how to apply them.

She presents real life stories of people healed of anorexia, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and other diseases. Many of these healing came through their own prayer using the Bible as the source of inspiration. Moore will provide a handout with healing Bible references and introduce a book that unlocks Scriptural power entitled, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

Elise Moore has been in the Christian healing ministry as a practitioner of Christian Science healing for over 25 years. She has spoken in convention centers, universities, and for civil, church and youth groups in over 300 cities in 13 countries around the world.

Moore has appeared on television, radio, and live internet programs in the US and abroad. A prolific writer, she has published more than 250 articles on prayer and healing, many of which are found on her website www.elisemoore.com.  She also teaches Christian Science healing.  Moore has put her faith into action by being a chaplain for a homeless shelter, organizing an after-school program for black youth, shepherding adult literacy programs and coordinating interfaith conferences.

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Curing the Incurable Flyer (pdf, 1 p)

 

Vegan is Love: How can your child suffer from this?

Considering what so many American parents feed their children: meat and dairy full antibiotics and artificial hormones; snacks and drinks saturated with corn syrup and other sweeteners; foods chockful of salt and preservatives of all sorts; very few vegetables and typically little or no fruit . . . . these are the people who should be scrutinized for threatening their children’s health, and what they are teaching them about how to think about the other lives they share their human experience with.

Vegan Is Love Book Cover

Parents who raise their children to respect and protect other lives by eating a Vegan diet should be praised to the heavens, not castigated with monstrous accusations of child endangerment.

Where do these people who attack Veganism come from? Do all the people who do not eat a Vegan or vegetarian diet work for animal agriculture? I suppose in a roundabout way they do. Those who consume meat and dairy do work for animal farming by supporting them with their food dollars.

But enough about what I think.

This was posted on Opposing Views. The topic of discussion: “Children’s Book ‘Vegan Love’ sparks outrage for Vegan diet.”

MICHAEL ALLEN submits:

Ruby Roth, a mom who writes children’s books about veganism, has drawn criticism for her new book ‘Vegan is Love.’

The book, which goes on sale on April 24, slams people for using animals for clothing, medical testing and entertainment purposes. However, it is the nutritional claims that have caught fire.

A Kirkus book review claimed: “It could easily scare a young child into eating vegan, and, without proper guidance, that child could become malnourished.”

Nicole German, a dietician, stated: “The main problem I have with this book is that children are impressionable, and this is too sensitive of a topic to have a child read this book. It could easily scare a young child into eating vegan, and, without proper guidance, that child could become malnourished.”

In a video book trailer (below) for ‘Vegan is Love,’ [author] Roth says:

“If we want to move towards an era of solutions where the planet is healing, people are fed and healthy, there is good in the way we do business and a reverence in the world for all living things, then all we have to is live that life ourselves.”

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Stellar statements Ms. Roth.

I am going to buy the book to have on hand when I am visited by youngsters, and they ask why I serve the food I do, or make this statement when we are finished eating: “I am grateful that no one was harmed in the making of this meal”.

Hey, kids of all ages, here are some fun resources:

:: VeganKids.org
:: Vegan Children

I decided what I would and would not eat when I was a child. Read about it here >>

:: Vegan Starter Kits

 

Yes, New York Times, veganism is good for everyone

The New York Times has a discussion on the pros and cons of Veganism called “Is Veganism Good for Everyone?”, hiring a group of food writers to battle it out.

From the intros to the anti-Vegan articles it makes one wonder where these people get their ideas.

Here are the silly, scare-mongering anti-Vegan introductions.

Nina Planck says:

You may choose to be a vegan. Your baby doesn’t have that luxury. Let her grow up omnivorous and healthy.

Drew Ramsey states:

Veganism’s total exclusion of animal nutrients poses some serious problems for the human body.

Rhys Southan says:

Allergies to multiple vegan staples like soy, gluten, and nuts, and other complications, can make veganism an immediate no-go.

Wrong, wrong and wrong.

Added to these is someone called Tara Parker-Pope who opines that going Vegan is “fraught with physical, social and economic challenges.”

Really?

Why don’t these people just admit they love the taste of dead animal flesh, or scared of taking the challenge (as they see it)?

There is absolutely no reason to be scared to go Vegan. And it is not difficult as people like these keep banging on about. Like any change for the better, it just takes a bit of getting used to. All you have to do is change your thinking about what you put on your plate, and the rest follows easily and naturally. I am living proof.

As of this writing I am in my 50s.

I have been vegetarian since aged 12 (my father says 10), and I have lived a strong, active, healthy life. I do not typically go to the doctor because I do not need to. The few times I have gone, it has been for a work demanded physical for insurance purposes. Without exception, every doctor who has examined me has marveled at my health.

By the way, I take no medications, because I do not need to.

I am not sure how long I have been Vegan — there are various definitions of that even among Vegans — but I have had little dairy since about the same age.

The last doctor I visited several years ago told me that because I eschew dairy products, I have no calcium loss in my bones. As a matter of fact, I have the same bone density as a 21-year old. I also do not get colds or flus, and experience very few, if any, aches or pains.

I walk quite a bit to get from point A to B, but otherwise take no other exercise.

My father, incidentally, was a medical doctor, and concerned when as a child I would eat no meat. He got over that after a few months or so, and decided to let me live my life the way I wanted. What an enlightened father, and physician.

Not long ago, I met an interesting lady at a fruit and vegetable market, who was heavily pregnant. We had a lovely conversation about the wonderful nature of the Vegan diet. During our talk, she declared proudly that she had never eaten an animal product in her life, neither had her mother, or her mother’s mother, and she is passing this same gift on to her children.

To answer the Times‘ question: Yes, Veganism is good for everyone.

Go Vegan. For Life.