Nursing Moms - There’s Still Time Before Next Superbowl!

We all know making good “quality” cheese takes time, right?

Now – work with me here…. Can you imagine the righteous indignation of your guests at next year’s Superbowl, when, after dipping into that delicious plate of cheesy nachos you’ve prepared for their eating pleasure you proudly announce that you made the cheese using your very own breast milk????????

How about this idea – when we get some poor woman to give her baby up for adoption, we get her to agree to using a breast pump and pay her to produce human breast milk so we can make a new line (let’s make it very expensive and put a designer label on it!!!! ) of “exclusive” cheese that we can market to “gourmands.” It’s a win win situation! Heck, things get real good, and we can PAY women to get pregnant, surrender the babies to infertile couples who want perfect Caucasian infants (we’ll have to be delicate about who we hire to birth the babies – drug testing, and the like) and then we can put a whole bunch of moms in a “dormitory” (sort of like a CAFO but with plumbing.) We’ll hook them all up to breast pumps several times a day, and we can laugh all the way to the bank! Sounds like a great plot for a horror flick, doesn’t it? Kind of like a variation on Meet Your Meat on two legs instead of four.

Decaying Flesh Begets Decaying Flesh

About a year and a half ago, I received a telephone call from my friend Carol. She was on her way to the emergency room. I met her there. Within a few hours she’d been diagnosed with Diverticulitis, an extremely painful, and dangerous infection of the digestive system, specifically the bowels. She’d thought she was “blocked up”, constipated, or something of the sort. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone in such pain. She was in hospital for a week, with a belly distended to the size of a woman pregnant with quadruplets. She was humiliated by the gas, the belching, and was unable to avoid either. She was vomiting regularly even though she was on IV fluids only.


I learned much about Diverticulosis and Diverticulitis from seeing my friend in such pain. I was determined to find out what caused it, and help her prevent another attack in the future. I also wanted to learn for my own good what the root cause and preventive measures that could be taken. Imagine my surprise when I learned that a diet high in fiber, a diet low in fats, was the answer. All those evenings we’d spent in front of a block of cheese and bowls of dip had taken their toll on Carol’s digestive tract. All those cheeseburgers dripping in mayonnaise had finally come home to roost. At that time, I was still eating meat, still consuming mass quantities of cheese – but that soon came to an end when I saw them inserting IV’s in her, saw her barfing and retching for a week. The stench was unbearable for everyone around.


They spoke of possibly “resectioning” her bowel, removing the rotted, damaged part, and reattaching the ends. I’ve got another loved one who had a resectioning like that, except it didn’t work, and now she wears a colostomy bag for the rest of her life, and endures THAT indignation.

Since adopting a vegetarian, and then vegan lifestyle, I’ve noticed a dramatic increase in my digestive health. I’m no longer feeling like I am likely to develop Irritable Bowel Syndrome, the precursor of Krohn’s Disease, and other problems. I’ve got every confidence that much of what I’ve accomplished in the realm of great health has to do with inverting that carnivorous food pyramid and putting what is important in my mouth, and learning that the decaying flesh of dead animals, the products from said animals produced through suffering and deprivation of liberty and freedom, can only cause my body to rebel against the suffering endured. But that my friend would have gotten the same message…. Alas, she’s still parked in front of those cheeseburgers, still getting sick, still blaming it on everything else but what it really is, a reaction to eating death.

The Doomed Science Project


Picture me, Selah, in ninth grade, which seems like a hundred years ago. Our school’s Science Fair loomed. I wanted to participate, and I wanted to win. I’d read the work of J.B. Calhoun, who'd written a paper called "The Effect of Overpopulation in Rats and Mice and thought that it would make a dandy of a Science project, one that surely would garner me a big honkin’ red ribbon. I put together my hypothesis and my allowance, and walked to the closest K-Mart, where I plunked down cash to buy a tiny metal cage and as many mice as I could afford.

The idea was that they’d have babies, and then more babies, and I’d be able to write a brilliant paper like Dr. Calhoun’s (only in my own words) about how the mice stopped acting like normal mice and began doing “weird stuff.” This model would then be applied to the human race and I could expound in my best fourteen year old English how this was what was happening in cities around the world…..cities I’d never even seen, and knew little about, but I digress. I was filled with excitement and anticipation while walking home with my Chinese Take Away cartons o’ mice. Upon arriving home, I set up my “laboratory” with the mouse house (my version of a miniature New York) my notebook and pencil at the ready. If I could have found a lab coat, you can bet I’d have worn it.

Within hours, the boys were fighting. No amount of discipline, pleading, scolding or harsh looks could get them to stop. There was blood, bitten ears, screeching, and horror. I hit my big brother up for some more cash and back to K-Mart I trudged to get a second cage. Within weeks I had baby mice alright, but the mommies got scared because the daddies were still in the cage so they ate them. I bought more cages. As a scientist, I think I failed. As a young girl, I believe my humanity triumphed. And now, so many years later, when, at the end of each day that I’ve eaten, and eaten well – without causing any sentient being any suffering, that young girl triumphs again.

Vegan Blog Tracker

It’s come to my attention that the reading of Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth, my developing awareness, and my revulsion for being in the company of others while they consume the decaying carcasses of sentient beings are not mutually exclusive. Eckhart Tolle warns that I might see friends drop off, and boy- have I ever.

In an effort to connect with other vegans, and to become even more active in the vegan microcosm of society, I’ve been searching for other bloggers and folks in my area with whom I can learn about alternatives to cheese, the best way to share the information we’ve been learning about how veganism is the single largest contribution we can make individually, regardless of our socio economic status, to improving the environment for everyone to enjoy. When I get a request from an animal activist group that the polar bears are drowning due to the melting of the polar ice caps brought on by global warming, my heart aches. If everyone would simply wake up and realize the Quarter Pounder with Grease, the Kentucky Fried Cruelty, and the Smithfield ground up pig that was probably smarter than your dog sausage they are eating is the reason this is likely the last generation of polar bear cubs that will ever be born in the wild, I’d be a happy gal; wildly happy, ecstatic, really.

In the course of my search, I tripped over VEG Blogs, a Vegan Blog Tracker, a very cool concept indeed. Veg Blogs AKA Vegan Blog Tracker keeps an eye out for all things vegan, and lists them for my reading and writing convenience. They also have a city guide for listing groceries and restaurants, a veg health section, and a veg products guide that lists product alternatives to dairy, eggs, meat, pet food, supplements, and more. Thanks Veg Blogs.

Water Heaters Wear Out and Things are Fine Anyway

I’d have to guess the water heater’s days are over. If memory serves me, it’s never been replaced in the twenty years I’ve lived in this house. Couple of things: 1. I have this nifty insurance policy where they send someone out to fix it or replace it – and the most I ever have to pay is $55.00. 2. I have a second shower in the pool house. I turned off the power to that unit years ago, but in about 20 minutes, I’ll go check and hopefully there’ll be hot water for bathing. Let me go now – hold that thought. Yup, I’m in business. Just have to move all the kayaking equipment out of the shower and I’m good to go. My fellow employees and customers will appreciate that, I am sure. The service call is scheduled for Monday, between 9-11am. Hope they get here closer to 9, since I’ve got to go to work at noon. It is the “is-ness” of the moment. There’s little reason to not believe it is exactly as it is meant to be.

Speaking of work, what I’ve learned from reading A New Earth is being put into practice there with much success. Customers and co-workers alike are responding to the calm, in the moment Selah that they are faced with. I am able to separate the egos and pain bodies of those who believe by complaining long and loud about things over which I have no control. I am remembering to be the duck with the human mind, the one Tolle talks about where the two ducks are fighting, and then swim away. The duck flaps his wings, and settles right back into being a peaceful duck. He’s not thinking, “I can’t believe he got so close to me! He acts as if this lake is his and his alone! He’s probably over there right now plotting his next move. I’ll show him!”

With regard to ducks with a human mind, I’ve had to rethink participating in Oprah’s message boards due to this individual who reminds me very much of Omarosa of The Apprentice fame, who consistently attacks each and every time I post. I’ve come to realize there’s little value to setting myself up for that sort of abuse, and she’s relentless – probably in no small part to the irrefutable truth that she is likely delusional. So I am flapping my wings and swimming over to the other side of the pond.

On another note, I’m delighted to report that the City of Tampa has once again, outstripped St. Petersburg on being progressive and responsible. In my email today:Tampa Becomes Fifth Florida City to Oppose One of Factory Farming's Worst AbusesTAMPA , Fla. (March 20, 2008)— Tampa joins a growing number of cities supporting the move away from one of the worst forms of factory farm animal abuse. Today, the Tampa City Council approved a resolution to oppose cramming egg-laying hens into tiny battery cages so small the birds can barely move. The resolution states that the Council “opposes battery cage egg production, based on the inherent cruelty of confining egg-laying hens in battery cages,” and further “encourages consumers of eggs not to purchase eggs produced by caged hens.”

Tampa is the fifth Florida city (and eleventh in the nation) to pass a resolution on battery cage confinement. “ Tampa ’s council members should be applauded for taking a stand against one of the most egregious forms of animal abuse,” said Paul Shapiro , senior director of The Humane Society of the United States ’ factory farming campaign. “The confinement of laying hens in battery cages is out of step with mainstream American values, and it‘s time for the egg industry to end this cruelty.”Facts· Tampa joins Hollywood, West Palm Beach, Winter Springs and New Port Richey in passing such a resolution. Florida-based Burger King is moving away from selling eggs from caged hens, as part of a national movement away from supporting battery cage confinement.· U.S. factory farms confine approximately 280 million hens in barren battery cages that are so small, the birds can’t even spread their wings. Each bird has less space than a single sheet of paper on which to live.· While cage-free does not mean cruelty-free, cage-free hens generally have 250-300 percent more space per bird and are able to engage in more of their natural behaviors than are caged hens. While cage free hens may not be able to go outside, they are able to walk, spread their wings, and lay their eggs in nests—all behaviors permanently denied to hens confined in battery cages.

Timeline· February 2008—Safeway announces a far-reaching animal welfare program, including a purchasing preference for cage-free eggs.·

December 2007—Compass Group, the world’s largest food service provider with over 7,500 U.S. clients, begins phasing out cage eggs.·

March 2007—Burger King announces that it has started phasing in cage-free eggs in its North American locations.·

March 2007—Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck announces that he will no longer use cage eggs.·

September 2006—Ben & Jerry’s announces that it will phase out cage eggs in its ice creams.·

May 2005—Whole Foods Market announce that they have ended sales of cage eggs.·

November 2003—The Better Business Bureau rules that it is misleading to label eggs from battery-caged hens as “Animal Care Certified.”

BUY ONE GET ONE FREE FAJITA NIGHT

AND THE PAIN-BODY/EGO FEST

One of the last dates I went on was to Cody’s Roadhouse on a Wednesday, otherwise known as two for one fajita night. It goes without saying the place was jam packed with those who’d called ahead, and those who chose to show up, get a playing card, and hope for the best. We showed up oblivious to the two for one offer. We were told it would be a half hour to forty five minutes before we could be seated. I’ve no issue with waiting, even though Cody’s was not exactly my idea of a fun place to eat. I am vegan. I don’t eat meat, eggs, or dairy. I don’t go to circuses with animal acts and I don’t attend rodeos. I don’t buy new leather, but have old shoes and bags and feel it best to not add them to the landfill, so wear them until they wear out. But I won’t buy any new leather.

I adopted a vegan lifestyle for numerous reasons. Of utmost importance is the environment, and the knowledge that in order for Gaia to recover from the damage we’ve willfully inflicted upon her, I must make sacrifices. Along with that, I truly believe that we are connected to all sentient beings, and as such, are stewards of them, not murderers of them. I believe the only way to end the horrors of factory farming is to vote with my wallet. As such, I don’t contribute in any way to their profits. I am aware that by reducing my meat and dairy consumption, I am making a massive contribution to reducing (and hopefully in my lifetime eliminating) the death by starvation of 60 million of my fellow human beings.

Within the first few minutes, I heard numerous impatient complaints from the egos of those standing nearby. Within the next few minutes, my date joined in the complaining. Then he asked me to return to the host’s podium to verify (read interrupt and make her stress even more than she was already) when we’d be seated. Perhaps he thought she had some very special psychic ability to be able to guess when all the guests would finish consuming mass quantities of dead animals and their byproducts. Against my better judgment I complied with his wishes. Of course the answer was the same.

While waiting, I began to feel the collective pain body around me. It was a tangible presence that only amplified when we were seated. Apparently I was not alone in my sensing of the enormous amount of agony in the immediate area. We were seated next to a booth populated by four morbidly obese women, one of whom tried without success to calm a toddler whose pain body was causing him great discomfort. He wailed, and truly, I could feel how deeply unhappy he felt. Mostly because as I sat watching others around me get served platters of steaks, shrimp wrapped in bacon, salad soggy with mayonnaise based dressings and dripping with shredded cheese, steaming plates of chicken and beef fajitas, and butter laden rolls, I could feel little else other than the suffering of the animals at the moment of their death, and the collective poisoned pain bodies of those whose jobs required them to do the killing.

It was a cacophony emanating from every person in the restaurant, servers and guests alike. I was aware, and watched quietly, listening to snippets of conversations floating about my head, mostly complaints and judgments. The majority of the patrons were, to the naked eye, unhealthy. One man had an oxygen tank, and most were exogenously obese. The noise was deafening, the rank smell of death hung in the air, the pain body expanded like a massive black cloud that enveloped the entire room, like a roach fogger, poisoning everything it touched.
I won’t be returning to Cody’s and within a week I terminated the four year relationship with the man who is apparently oblivious to how much pain it causes me to be in such surroundings. I’d rather be alone than contribute, by default, to the suffering of the animals, those who have to kill them, and the planet.

Vegan is Cheaper

Lately I've been posting in the Oprah boards about Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth about veganism, how important it is to the environment, and how it is the simplest, and best way to reduce one's impact on Gaia.

Surprise! Those of us talking about this enormously important subject have been met time and again with opposition. These are the reasons given:

1. I have been told by my doctor that I MUST consume meat and dairy.

(OK, I'll bite - I'm to assume you do EVERYTHING your doctor tells you to do. )

2. But what about the tomatoes? They are living things too! Who knows what kind of pain they endure!

Ummm yeah. But we are addressing sentient beings with a central nervous system here - and we know that the cows and pigs and chickens who live out their lives in fetid CAFO's are denied the most basic comforts of light, liberty, their young, and ultimately their lives.

3. "I buy all organic products! That's good enough for me!"

Well, ackshully...... the organic label simply means your cow's milk didn't come from a cow who was shotgunned antibiotics, that's all. It doesn't change the reality that she was forcibly bred via artificial insemination, and then had her baby ripped away from her breast around the three day mark. If her baby was a boy, he's destined to be kept in the dark, forcefed milk, never get to feel what it is like to run (to do so creates muscle, and we want our veal tender and milky white, right?) If the calf was a girl, she's destined to Mom's fate of being milked until her production drops and then having some vicious sicko scramble her brains at the end of her usefulness.

4. I've visited all the places my food comes from and it's all very clean, healthy, and humane.

Not unless you boycott fast food restaurants, never buy or consume processed foods, never buy nachos or cheese fries at a baseball game, and don't eat at friends or families homes. Oh, and it is nigh onto impossible to obtain any pork not produced by the Big Guns - Hormel, Smithfield Foods, which increased capacity following the purchase last year of Farmland Foods and Alliance Farms; Premium Standard Farms; Seaboard Farms; Christensen farms; Iowa Select Farms; Prestage Farms; The Pipestone System, which also owns Ellison Meat; Cargill, which has announced plans to exit the state of North Carolina; Goldsboro Hog Farm and the Hanor Company, a Wisconsin-based shareholder in Triumph Foods.

That said, my very favorite response for the "Why I can't go vegan" answer is this one -- Ready???

5. It's more expensive! I can't afford it!!!

So today I conducted an experiment. I pulled a recipe for the classic American Macaroni and Cheese from http://www.cooks.com/ and the vegan version I whipped up last night, courtesy of the http://www.fatfreevegan.com/ (which, by the way, was mind expandingly good. Now since both recipes are copyrighted, and I am all about not ripping off other writers, photogs, or any other creative talents - I will not be reproducing the recipes here. However, I printed them out and went shopping. Using the organic argument, I put together a price list for each dish. The dairy heavy heart clogging model came in at (approx - I couldn't waste time computing the amount of money for the 1/2 teaspoon of paprika....) $10.30. The vegan version came in at $6.35. You do the math.