Are You Kidding Me

Have you ever seen this?
Pure genius.
Go Paul!
Ta Na Na Na Na

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OafqYNCzq5U

Why Not Some Photography Talk-"Shoshin"-Beginner's Mind

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities...in the expert's mind there are few.

Tuck these thoughts in your camera bag for the future:

Photography teaches us to be more patient observers. Without a camera, we might never have taken the time to notice certain things in detail. Have your camera with you-be ready to take the shot!

"Normally we do not so much look at things as overlook them"
Alan Watts

CLICK THE QUOTE BELOW FOR A VISUAL TREAT

"It seems perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to take away"
Antoine de Saint-Exupery in "Wind, Sand, Stars"

Message to Holli Bo Bolli

Non-violence resonates so much more profoundly with the human soul.I ,too, am glad I came across your post entry about eating animal skin.Years ago my wife got us into becoming ovo-lacto vegetarians. I thought it would be a healthy thing to do. Soon after I remembered about a report I did in high school about a white doctor volunteering his services in French Equatorial Africa. He built a hospital in Lambarene. He coined the term "Reverence for Life". His name was Albert Scweitzer.My diet now became instead an awareness, a philosophy,...practically a religion. It's not the food so much. It is the ethics. It is my ethics.The old sanskrit term, Ahimsa, translates into "dynamic harmlessness", or "extreme harmlessness". Scweitzer, walking through the jungles there, avoided stepping on ants.I just can't say that I can judge which life is important and which should be snuffed out.

Just as I hoped

I cut the seitan from yesterday into thinner slices. I sliced a large green bell pepper, and 1/2 onion and fried/steamed in a little olive oil in a teflon-coated fry pan using the top cover to create a little steam. Toss all together for 10 minutes...voila! Delicious. (sorry, no pictures)

I Can Do It...You Can Do It!

Made my first batch of Seitan "from scratch" (kinda):
Step One-Pose for obligatory self-portrait with product
Step Two-Mix water and powder to create 5" diameter-sized disc (must coat hands in flour)

Step Three-Cover with broth made from Swanson's Organic Veg Broth and One Knorrs Veg Cube and 1/4cup soy sauce. Oh yes, and 1/4tsp powdered ginger.

Step Four-Cook One Hour, flipping occassionally.

Step Five-After turning off heat, let sit in broth for 15 min. more.

Then prepare to slice.

Step Six-Slice

Step Seven-Store slices in the broth

in a tight-fitting container. Good to keep for 5 days.

Thanks to "Kay-oh!" for this one

Livestock’s long shadow
Environmental issues and options
Peeled off directly from a refrigerator door in her Laurel home, KO handed me page 112 from Hamptons Magazine. The article titled "Turning Over a New Leaf" recommends both meatless Mondays and experimenting with faux meats. The author did some deeper research and mentions the 408 page 2006 United Nations report called Livestock’s long shadow and also the Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook.
Bottom Line: As you may or may not realize-"refusing meat is THE SINGLE MOST EFFECTIVE THING YOU CAN DO TO REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT."

About the Survival Handbook:


The entire book, from conceptions took 7 months, with the project finding its legs at Pop!Tech 2006. David met publisher Charlie Melcher in the “dungeon” of the Camden Opera House (aka Pop!Tech’s Screening Room). He had just been commissioned to do this book, turn-around time was super short, and Charlie offered to help. They went straight at it in February and were finished by April.

Which tip in the survival guide does David take most to heart? “Number 32: Get lost in nature. .when was the last time you took your shoes off and walked about in nature? It’s important to get yourself outside and re-engaged. In the epic scale of Live Earth, it’s worthwhile to ‘get lost in nature’ in order to remember why we need some new guidelines for living in a changing world.”

For a peek at some of survival tips from the book and a look at the great illustrations, you can visit the Live Earth site

The Hewwww-mung-gusss Cookbook Has Arrived!

Got my copy of VEGANOMICON.
The introduction is hilarious (actually, as I read more, I know the entire book will be a friendly, kick-in-the-pants take, e.g. "The recipes that await you in Veganomicon were created by two women who cook, live and eat in real urban kitchens. Since we're both apartment dwellers, these are lessons learned from waging wars with tempermental gas burners, moody ovens, and tiny little cabinets bursting with pots, gadgets and groceries. This is food made while chatting with significant others, gossiping with friends, and shooing nosy pets off the countertops. In other words, this is the kind of food you make and eat while life happens.") and the layout is thoughtfully arranged to make quick experimentation easy.

From Lividity333 on MySpace

The following was a comment left on the Matchboxtwenty Myspace site as a response to the recent concert cancellation announcement: Matchbox Twenty Pulls Out Of Wyoming Rodeo Concert Out Of Concern For Animals

Apr 13 2008 1:24 AM "Kudos to you for standing up for what you believe in. I wish all the best to you and yours and I think you should add a link to the Shark page so that others have the chance to see it for themselves.Well I found the videos that were disturbing to say the least,and aparently this CFD is not one of the better ones, Ive been to some rodeos in my day and although they were a bit rough, I think maybe the times are changing, with the advent of shocking and prodding, when before it was a buck strap on the hind end of the horse, not cattle prods that made them buck. As for the steer busting, that sounds like the right name for it, considering they damn near if not do bust the steers neck most of the time, but I have to say this, I wear leather and I eat beef and I know that as long as people use animals as a food source, we will never rid the world of all animal cruelty.But it only takes one voice at a time to make a difference so my hat is off to you all for standing up for your beliefs. sincerely, with love in my heart.Melzora/Lividity333"

A Clever One from Christian!

click image to make larger

A New Card Sighting. Did you get yours?

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Introducing my son-in-law's cousin from Jersey!:

Paul

2 quotes from Nikos Kazantzakis

I said to the almond tree, ''Friend, speak to me of God,'' and the almond tree blossomed.
Nikos Kazantzakis

In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.
Nikos Kazantzakis

Reflections

Vegan since 11/07. Ovo-lacto 33 yrs.
Rascal Flatts lyrics keep me pumped:
"When the Sand Runs Out"
I spent the morning at an old friend's grave
Flowers and amazing grace,
he was a good man
He spent his whole life
spinnin' his wheels
Never knowin' how the real thing feels
He never took a chance or took the time to dance
And I stood there thinking as
I said good-bye
Today's the first day of the
rest of my life.
I'm gonna stop lookin' back
and start movin' on
And learn how to face my fears
Love with all of my heart
and make my mark
I wanna leave somethin' here
Go out on a ledge without any net That's what I'm gonna be about
Yeah, I wanna be runnin' when the sand runs out
Cause people do it every day
Promise themselves
they're gonna change
I've been there
But I'm changin' from the inside out
That was then and this is now
I'm a new man, yeah, I'm a brand new man
And when they carve my stone
they'll write these words
Here lies a man who lived life for all that it's worth
I'm gonna stop lookin' back
and start movin' on
And learn how to face my fears
Love with all of my heart
and make my mark
I wanna leave somethin' here
Go out on a ledge without any net That's what I'm gonna be about
Yeah, I wanna be runnin' when the sand runs out.

Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.

A short visit with a short vegetarian!