Stories like these, these are the kinds of stories that break my heart and make me want to join the Peace Corp. In my opinion, one of the worst things we can do as humans, is to (directly or indirectly) inflict harm on the other innocent species we share this planet with.
God put us in charge here on earth, he put the creatures of earth in our hands, everything that swims, flies, moves, breathes. They are in our hands, and what foolish hands they are.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19974474/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6918012.stm
There are around 700 mountain gorillas in the world. 700. How small of a number is that?? SEVEN HUNDRED.
Lets put it this way. There are 9,431,748 TIMES that many people on earth. Yep. That'd be millions.
We are pressing the scales on this earth at over 6 and a half BILLION people.
And yet, there is war? There is hunger? There are gorillas being executed for no reason at all? What kind of a race are we? What kind of a species are we?
This makes me sad. Dissapointed. Tearful.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Caffeine HATES me.
So I had caffeine today, for the first time in a long while, and I am feeling terribly sick. I feel like I've been doped up with some sort of methamphetamine or something. My body feels achey and trembling, my stomach is queezy, my head is aching and I am shaky all over. I will never do caffeine again. It is a poison in my body. It wrecks me from top to bottom. Tomorrow I will have terrible hip pain for it. That's just the order of it. It is one of the major culprits to the inflamation that undermines my wellness.
It wasn't always that way, or maybe I just never noticed the connection. I have been drinking caffeine for most of my life. I have also had migraines, inflamation and other less than pleasant symptoms most my life. Most of my years, I have enjoyed a cup or coffee or two for breakfast, tea throughout the day, and atleast one Coke or Dr. Pepper per day. Not only do those drinks have caffeine, I also drank them with plenty of sugar, which also causes inflamation. It is no wonder I have been so miserable for so long!!!
I have been off of it, for the most part, for the past two years, but sometimes I forget how much it hates me, or rather, my body hates IT, and I have to have that cup of coffee or caffeinated soda. NEVER AGAIN will I have another cup of caffeinated coffee. Never again. (And by the way, decaf coffee does me no favors either...it still contains caffeine!! Enough that my body can tell. )
I challenge you to release yourself from the bonds of caffeine for one month. Sure, you'll get a raging headache for a day (or possibly two), that's a sign that you shouldn't have it!!! But I guarantee that after awhile, you'll find that when given the chance your body can produce its own energy, without any harsh side effects.
http://www.wholisticresearch.com/info/artshow.php3?artid=61
http://chetday.com/caffeineeffects.htm
It wasn't always that way, or maybe I just never noticed the connection. I have been drinking caffeine for most of my life. I have also had migraines, inflamation and other less than pleasant symptoms most my life. Most of my years, I have enjoyed a cup or coffee or two for breakfast, tea throughout the day, and atleast one Coke or Dr. Pepper per day. Not only do those drinks have caffeine, I also drank them with plenty of sugar, which also causes inflamation. It is no wonder I have been so miserable for so long!!!
I have been off of it, for the most part, for the past two years, but sometimes I forget how much it hates me, or rather, my body hates IT, and I have to have that cup of coffee or caffeinated soda. NEVER AGAIN will I have another cup of caffeinated coffee. Never again. (And by the way, decaf coffee does me no favors either...it still contains caffeine!! Enough that my body can tell. )
I challenge you to release yourself from the bonds of caffeine for one month. Sure, you'll get a raging headache for a day (or possibly two), that's a sign that you shouldn't have it!!! But I guarantee that after awhile, you'll find that when given the chance your body can produce its own energy, without any harsh side effects.
http://www.wholisticresearch.com/info/artshow.php3?artid=61
http://chetday.com/caffeineeffects.htm
Monday, November 12, 2007
Soup Joy!
One more recipe for the day!
The girls and I made a wonderful chicken soup together, one that Zanna calls 'Soup Joy!'. I call it Chicken Vegetable Soup. We made ours with all organic ingredients.
1 whole young chicken
1 large can of chicken broth
3-4 carrots
2-3 potatoes
1-2 stalks celery
1 cup frozen corn, or mixed veggies
1 cup chopped cabbage
Any other veggies you have around that need to be used up!
1 cup of any kind of rice (Of course, brown will need more cooking!)
2 tbsp. Seasoned Salt
Pepper to taste
Plenty of water
Boil the chicken up in one large pot of water. Allow to cook for 20 min. or so, or until juices run clear. It will cook quicker if you take out the chicken pieces that are inside, but some people like the flavor it adds. Let it stand in the water for about ten minutes, then remove from the pot (reserve the broth!) and let cool for a good 30 minutes, you don't want to burn yourself in the de-boning process. All of this will give you time to chop up the veggies. When the chicken is de-boned, it should make 3-5 cups of meat. Throw all that back into the pot of broth, and add the chicken broth, carrots, celery, potatoes, rice and seasonings. Bring it to a boil (you will probably have to add water along the way) and cook it until the rice and veggies are almost done, then add the cabbage and corn. Cook for a few more minutes, then let it cool for a bit.
This would work for a crockpot if you de-boned the chicken ahead of time. Make sure you reserve the broth, of course. The homemade broth is what makes the soup!
The girls and I made a wonderful chicken soup together, one that Zanna calls 'Soup Joy!'. I call it Chicken Vegetable Soup. We made ours with all organic ingredients.
1 whole young chicken
1 large can of chicken broth
3-4 carrots
2-3 potatoes
1-2 stalks celery
1 cup frozen corn, or mixed veggies
1 cup chopped cabbage
Any other veggies you have around that need to be used up!
1 cup of any kind of rice (Of course, brown will need more cooking!)
2 tbsp. Seasoned Salt
Pepper to taste
Plenty of water
Boil the chicken up in one large pot of water. Allow to cook for 20 min. or so, or until juices run clear. It will cook quicker if you take out the chicken pieces that are inside, but some people like the flavor it adds. Let it stand in the water for about ten minutes, then remove from the pot (reserve the broth!) and let cool for a good 30 minutes, you don't want to burn yourself in the de-boning process. All of this will give you time to chop up the veggies. When the chicken is de-boned, it should make 3-5 cups of meat. Throw all that back into the pot of broth, and add the chicken broth, carrots, celery, potatoes, rice and seasonings. Bring it to a boil (you will probably have to add water along the way) and cook it until the rice and veggies are almost done, then add the cabbage and corn. Cook for a few more minutes, then let it cool for a bit.
This would work for a crockpot if you de-boned the chicken ahead of time. Make sure you reserve the broth, of course. The homemade broth is what makes the soup!
Fish Tacos
We made these today, after deciding that wheat tortillas were best.
I used my generic tortilla recipe, using organic whole wheat flour. The recipe works with all whole wheat flour, half and half whole and all-purpose, and just plain old all-purpose. I have not tried it with anything else but wheat flour and brown rice flour, and rice does not work!
Whole Wheat Tortillas
4 cups whole wheat
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. Baking Soda (this is optional, just makes them fluffier, I usually do without)
2/3 cup margarine (we use butter)
2/3 + cup of water, you'll really have to use your judgement there, because all-purpose flour needs less water, whole needs more, and a combination needs somewhere in between
Mix dry ingredients, then add margarine and crumble into mixture with your fingers.
Add water and mix with a spoon until blended.
Knead gently and let it stand for a few minutes before tearing off a handful and rolling out onto a floured board. I roll one side, then flip and turn then roll the other, until I have a tortilla shape that is quite thin. If you used b. soda, you'll find that they puff quite a bit, so you may want them thinner. Cook them in an oiled or non-stick skillet for just a minute or so on each side. Place them to cool in a covered container, because the moisture helps with their flexibility when you are ready to eat them.
Fish Taco Recipe:
1 4-5 oz. Tuna Steak (or other firm fish)
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup frozen corn, or frozen veggie mixture
1 tbsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
2-3 tbsp. olive oil (or more, to taste/texture)
Put a bit of olive oil in a pan and fry it all together. I served ours up with Vegenaise , sliced avocados, shredded cabbage (as a high nutrient alternative to lettuce), diced tomatoes and slivers of red peppers. Best recipe I've created in a while!
I used my generic tortilla recipe, using organic whole wheat flour. The recipe works with all whole wheat flour, half and half whole and all-purpose, and just plain old all-purpose. I have not tried it with anything else but wheat flour and brown rice flour, and rice does not work!
Whole Wheat Tortillas
4 cups whole wheat
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. Baking Soda (this is optional, just makes them fluffier, I usually do without)
2/3 cup margarine (we use butter)
2/3 + cup of water, you'll really have to use your judgement there, because all-purpose flour needs less water, whole needs more, and a combination needs somewhere in between
Mix dry ingredients, then add margarine and crumble into mixture with your fingers.
Add water and mix with a spoon until blended.
Knead gently and let it stand for a few minutes before tearing off a handful and rolling out onto a floured board. I roll one side, then flip and turn then roll the other, until I have a tortilla shape that is quite thin. If you used b. soda, you'll find that they puff quite a bit, so you may want them thinner. Cook them in an oiled or non-stick skillet for just a minute or so on each side. Place them to cool in a covered container, because the moisture helps with their flexibility when you are ready to eat them.
Fish Taco Recipe:
1 4-5 oz. Tuna Steak (or other firm fish)
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup frozen corn, or frozen veggie mixture
1 tbsp. seasoned salt
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
2-3 tbsp. olive oil (or more, to taste/texture)
Put a bit of olive oil in a pan and fry it all together. I served ours up with Vegenaise , sliced avocados, shredded cabbage (as a high nutrient alternative to lettuce), diced tomatoes and slivers of red peppers. Best recipe I've created in a while!
Accidental Cracker Recipe
In an attempt to make wheat free tortillas, I inadvertently created a cracker recipe. Brown rice flour does not make good tortillas. It has a sandy texture that is difficult to soften, but oddly enough, they tasted a lot like crackers. Since the girls love crackers, they want them often, though we rarely have them. So, a problem recipe turned to a problem solved!
Wheat free/dairy free crackers!
4 cups of brown rice flour
tbsp. salt
tbsp. baking powder
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup water (add slowly, you may need more or less to get a workable dough)
Mix all ingredients together until you create a good dough that is not sticky.
Flatten out on a cookie sheet ( Carefully! I used my hands mostly.) and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until it looks dry.
Wheat free/dairy free crackers!
4 cups of brown rice flour
tbsp. salt
tbsp. baking powder
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup water (add slowly, you may need more or less to get a workable dough)
Mix all ingredients together until you create a good dough that is not sticky.
Flatten out on a cookie sheet ( Carefully! I used my hands mostly.) and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until it looks dry.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Blood Diamond
I loved this movie.
I didn't really think that I would. I was optimistic about liking it, and perhaps that is part of the reason that I do, but sometimes I can't see past the brutal violence. The violence was an extremely vital part of this movie, without it, there simply wouldn't have been a movie...the diamond had to be bloodied.
Halfway through it I found myself angered. Naturally. The movie does evoke feelings of anger and ferocity. What happens is absolutely astonishing and hardly graspable for us, living in a country where the ground has not been bloodied (save 9-11) for well over a century.
The anger I am talking about is different. I felt a compassionate anger, and at the same time scratched my head over why the US has made the choices in war that it has made in my lifetime. I have never understood the purpose behind our choices as a nation and have just trusted that those in power know what they are doing and such things are their concern. How that opinion has changed and bloomed over the years! I have come to realize that I am an American, and it is just as much my business as it is theirs. When I look at what we are doing now, and what is going on around the world, I shake my head. This movie has nothing to do with what is going on now, but just the same, it awoke my senses. When this story was unfolding in Sierra Leon, it hardly made news here. How irreparably blind and ignorant we are to the desperation that is out there! We live in the bliss of our 'safety'. We watch movies like this in our comfortable homes with full refrigerators, and that is the extent of our exposure! IF only we would look outside our world and see what it is that we can truly do as a nation, as a people, as humans.
I love Leonardo DiCaprio. I call him my favorite blonde, since I'm not much for blondes, and well, he's the only one I like. I have liked him since his appearance on Growing Pains, and in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. He is a tremendous actor! I remember back in high school when he was doing the Basketball Diaries and Romeo and Juliet, when I told people that he played the little brother on Gilbert Grape, they argued with me and said "No, that was a real retarded kid."
No. It was Leo, being the excellent actor he is.
But what he is doing now is even greater, because he is not resting on his laurels. Not only has he had six blockbusters since 2000 ( The Beach, Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond ), and has six more in production ( Revolutionary Road, Body of Lies, Freedom Within the Heart, Shutter Island, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, The Chancellor Manuscript ), but he has also released a timely documentary that no one on earth should miss. The 11th Hour. Deny it, dismiss it, go ahead, but no matter what, the truth is still there. Go see it. Kudos to Leo for using his fame and status for the greater good, standing up for what is vitally important to the earth and remaining true. Bravo.
The 11th Hour Film
11th Hour Action
Leo's YouTube Message
I didn't really think that I would. I was optimistic about liking it, and perhaps that is part of the reason that I do, but sometimes I can't see past the brutal violence. The violence was an extremely vital part of this movie, without it, there simply wouldn't have been a movie...the diamond had to be bloodied.
Halfway through it I found myself angered. Naturally. The movie does evoke feelings of anger and ferocity. What happens is absolutely astonishing and hardly graspable for us, living in a country where the ground has not been bloodied (save 9-11) for well over a century.
The anger I am talking about is different. I felt a compassionate anger, and at the same time scratched my head over why the US has made the choices in war that it has made in my lifetime. I have never understood the purpose behind our choices as a nation and have just trusted that those in power know what they are doing and such things are their concern. How that opinion has changed and bloomed over the years! I have come to realize that I am an American, and it is just as much my business as it is theirs. When I look at what we are doing now, and what is going on around the world, I shake my head. This movie has nothing to do with what is going on now, but just the same, it awoke my senses. When this story was unfolding in Sierra Leon, it hardly made news here. How irreparably blind and ignorant we are to the desperation that is out there! We live in the bliss of our 'safety'. We watch movies like this in our comfortable homes with full refrigerators, and that is the extent of our exposure! IF only we would look outside our world and see what it is that we can truly do as a nation, as a people, as humans.
I love Leonardo DiCaprio. I call him my favorite blonde, since I'm not much for blondes, and well, he's the only one I like. I have liked him since his appearance on Growing Pains, and in What's Eating Gilbert Grape. He is a tremendous actor! I remember back in high school when he was doing the Basketball Diaries and Romeo and Juliet, when I told people that he played the little brother on Gilbert Grape, they argued with me and said "No, that was a real retarded kid."
No. It was Leo, being the excellent actor he is.
But what he is doing now is even greater, because he is not resting on his laurels. Not only has he had six blockbusters since 2000 ( The Beach, Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond ), and has six more in production ( Revolutionary Road, Body of Lies, Freedom Within the Heart, Shutter Island, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, The Chancellor Manuscript ), but he has also released a timely documentary that no one on earth should miss. The 11th Hour. Deny it, dismiss it, go ahead, but no matter what, the truth is still there. Go see it. Kudos to Leo for using his fame and status for the greater good, standing up for what is vitally important to the earth and remaining true. Bravo.
The 11th Hour Film
11th Hour Action
Leo's YouTube Message
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)