When the new year began I decided I should try to eat vegan at least for a month. I decided to do that mostly out of curiosity on how it'll effect me (I really like to try most people think its bad-that's how I discovered wonders of CS!), how hard it was in my country to get that kind of food, how the people around me will perceive it and also because I don't like what's happening to animals all around the world. When I was still in high school these things effected me so much, I could feel them suffer, but because it was too big of a burden for me I decided I should stuff those feelings along with others that made me cry and suffer with them in a place where I wouldn't be bothered with them. Of course in a while I put up my life on a right track, but I started feeling like I was numb, like I should let those feelings back. At first they were a really hard thing for me to deal with, but now I can control them. I know, I feel with people that are sufferening, but I try this energy to be focused and then channeled into helping in other ways and expressing these feelings through music. I really hope this helps anybody, I dont' know if it does-yet, but I hope it does. Well, but that's another topic to discuss, so now let's focus on my decision of being vegan. Here are the results:
Eating out: I've learned there are some restaurants where you can get really nice vegetarian foods and just a few with vegan foods. What I like about one restaurant is, that in a month I've been going there they expanded vegetarian foods. In most restaurants you have like one vegan dish and a few vegetarian ones, but you can get by.
What I missed is that if I go into smaller grocery shops you don't have many foods to choose from as well-mostly you can find foods with added milk, eggs and honey, the only few things you could choose from are: some fruits (like apples and bananas), bread, some crackers, different kinds of juices, other from that you can hardly get anything-it's like cheese, different kinds of yoghurts, sandwiches and snack all around you, but not for you.
Buying vegan foods: you can get bread everywhere, different kinds of flour and grains and nuts as well, that applies for fruit and vegetables as well, but getting soy milk, soy and other vegan products is a bit trickier-you can get them in big supermarkets and in specialized stores for that kind of food (i found 2 in our capital city), but the prices are still bit higher than they are for other foods.
Other people's opinion: I noticed that loads of people think that if you eat vegan you don't have much to choose from and they all think that eating vegan you don't get all the vitamins etc. that you get if you eat "normal". I learned that that's not true, I've also told them what I knew but some of them didn't want to listen to me at all (of course I didn't wont to bug them, its their opinion after all) and some even insisted that the way I'm eating is not healthy for me, that for sure it's ok if I'm only going to do it for a month to clean my body, but then I should eat normal. WHat is normal anyways?
THe most often discussion when you mention that you're eating vegan is-firstly we have to determine what that even means-was about how unnatural that was or about treating the animals. Most people agreed that the way people treat animals they kill for food isn't the right way and that many animals are really suffering. Killing animals: I even discovered about cases around here where they don't treat animals the way they should be treated. We agreed that if the animals wouldn't get the aditives and be treated against their nature (pigs in Ihan don't get to sleep because they want them to think its always daytime, time to eat; chickens everywhere around here don't have even enough place to move so they can't stand on their own-and I can tell you this because we bought one chicken from a chicken farm to be "our pet" and when we got her she couldn't stand normal, she had too long "claws" and she wasn't able to jump on a stick for the longest time, she had really bad feathers and didn't look well, but since we got her she got better and now she's really healthy and looks really beautifull). I think every animal should be treated nice and be left to live freely and if a human being should kill to survive then it shouldn't kill with anger but should recommend that animal to higher powers and "kill her with respect". I know this sound awfull, but if one should kill he should do it because there couldn't be other choice for him to survive or at least if they grow their cattle for eating they should left them to live normal and when killed they should kill them with respect, if you know what I mean. And I'm not for killing, but this could be at least one step closer to not killing at all. Nobody deserves to die in horrible conditions and on force. That's just not right.
My family's reaction: At first my mother and brother didn't want to eat vegan and I didn't want to force them. I told them I'll eat vegan and they can eat whatever they want, but in the end we all got adjusted to eating vegan. And I'm really glad my father listened and now he's researching veganism and is all for it :)
How did I feel and how do I feel now: Putting my cold I got aside, ever since I started eating vegan I feel better. I set my mind with this goal and I achieved it. I have to say that the toughest wasn't the begining. Yes, it was though for me because I didn't know how many foods I could eat (I only thought of vegetables and fruit at the begining), but when I found out the variety of foods I could eat it wasn't that hard anymore. The thoughest time for me was the 3rd week of eating vegan, I had this thurst to eat honey, sweet things and cheese, but I got by. Now when I think of eating meat I feel sick, I really don't know why.
My digestive system at first had some problems with gas (hehe), but after that I felt so much better, no more that itching feeling on my skin, no more anxiety and that horrible feeling I'll have to go to the toillet for my diarrhea. Yes, now I'm free from it!
Since I want to know on what my body reacted that badly I'll slowly add foods on my menu to see what it is. I suspect milk and milk products.
WHat now: I'll keep my basic diet vegan, but when needed I'll also eat honey and use eggs for the desserts I'll make. This decision is because we have bees and chicken at home and we treat them real nice and I don't see a problem why I shouldn't use these products. From time to time I'll probably eat some cheese (but really rarely) but I decided I won't use milk and exclude as much milk products as I can from my diet. I also decided I'm not going to eat meat since I don't have any cravings for it anymore. So basically my diet is going to be vegetarian/vegan.
I'm really glad I tried this out it made me see some things more clearly as I saw them before.
At first it was though for my family because we weren't used on cooking whithout milk products and eggs, but now that they've seen how many great recipes one can make even with "just" vegan products it's much easier :)
Oh, and one thing ... Normal sausage costs you like and 1€ for 4 of them but for vegan sausages you have to pay for the same amount of them 5€! I won't be eating sausages, so I'm not complaining, but it's not fair! ;)
To all of you who don't know it or can't decide-try and you'll see if it suits you!
Ok. I don't know if you ever had hair problem. But you probably did, like most of the ppl, i guess.
Usually ppl who have straight hair want to have curly hair and the other way around.
At some point in life (at least) women want to have long hair.
Most of the ppl with straight hair have a problem of greasy hair and would traid with curly-haired to have a dry hair, and those who have dry hair would love to have a bit more greasier hair.
I've had hair problems since i can remember ... So here are a few things that help me maintain my hair all shiny and nice without any artificial hair products (of course i wash my hair with mild shampoo's and every now and then i use LUSH balzams, so don't think these alone help feel your scalp all fresh and wonderfull). I know some of you may have a hard time with your hair and i think nobody deserves to suffer from scalp and hair problems, so i'm posting you 4 things that help
So, my hairdresser has reccommended me to buy this product for my hair tips, which is quite ok, but it's not as good as BEER. Yes, you've heard it right-beer is one of the best product i've ever used for my hair! Every 2nd washing i do i put beer on my hair. I've heard of this method from my friend from Montenegro. She told me her grandmother does this and she does it and it's the best way to have a good rooted hair. At first i thought it was funny and that i would smell like a drunk person after putting beer on my hair, but it's not like that at all (maybe if you'd put like a barrel of it on your head-but nothing's good in to many quantity-it's all about quality, remember this! :)). Ok, so I tried this beer theory out of curiosity and out of fun and after doing it my tips of hair became stronger and shaped more nicely. Ever since i've decided to practice this method. I'm using it for two years now and I couldn't be happier with my hair. They're really curly and strong now and shine nicely. After i put it on my hair, my hair doesn't smell like beer at all (maybe when the hair is still wet, but then it's dried it smells like hair smell usually ...). So, what you'll have to do is:
1. wash your hair, dry it with your towel
2. take a glass of beer
3. drink a sip of it (or more if you like)-of course you can skip this part, especially if you don't like drinking beer or if you're under age
4. put some beer in to your palm and squeeze it at the tip of your hair up (like you'd normally do with your serum for hair), squeeze it for some time, then drop it
5. repeat no.4 as long as you don't cover all of your hair
6. at the end i usually pour the rest of the beer onto my hair and sqeeze it a little more then dry it with the towel (the towel will smell, so you'd want to wash it afterwards)
My friend likes to dry her hair at the end with an electric hair dryer and when she's done she repeats the beer routine to freshen them up (but just a little), but i prefer to leave them dry themselves. So i usually do this routine before i go to sleep or when i don't have to leave the house. That way i don't have any problems with my split ends and my hairdresser usually compliments how nice and healthy my hair is.
Since i've mentioned hair drying ... If you have a chance don't dry it with a hair dryer, but do it "on the air", to leave them dry themselves. Unless you're in hurry. But in other case, take your time and it'll pay of! :)
Oh, and another thing-it's funny to do it, because every time i need beer i go to our male section and ask them for beer and every time they make fun of it. Like the other day i was preparing for and evening concert so i've washed my hair in the morning and one of them came in, saw me with a beer in a bathroom and said: "Oh, you drunk! You've started really early today. You must have been really thursty then!" and then he went and told everybody else that i'm having a beer at this time of day :) Well-the concert in the evening was a big success!
One of the things I usually do (maybe it won't help you, but it helps me) is to finish your washing with cold water. I feel like my hair gets stronger then. Like if you feel cold one of the way to warm up is to swap from hot to cold water-it's good for your blood circulation.
Usually when i got sick of my curly hair i straighten them with hair straightener. I noticed that after that-when i wash them, my hair gets more curlyer. But don't do that too ofter. I do iron once a year, and that's enough, since ironing damages loads of your hair.
Ok, another thing that helps my scalp is Cammomile water or Henna (the natural colour). After you're done with your washing just simply pour a cammomile tea (you've prepared before and is now cold or at least not boiled!) over your scalp. Alternative for this is if you mix OLIVE OIL+HONEY+LIME and put it on your scalp (i do this like once a year, maybe twice, not more, whilst you could do the CAMMOMILE method more often). Another alternative i like to do is HENNA colour (look at the link i've posted). I do this once/twice every year. After i do that my scalp feels soooooo much lighter. I usually live it on my scalp at least 3 hours. Make sure you buy the one which has the most natural ingredients in it. But you must note, that if you use henna your hair will get coloured (usually red/orange, but there are other colours available as well), so if you want to keep your hair your colour, don't do that :)
My friend gave me a scalp massager for my birthday once. They say it's very good for your scalp, some say it even prevents your hair to grow or not fall of that much. Well I don't know about that since i've got no problem with that, but if nothing else after you use it-it stimulates your scalp and you feel really good (like you do after every other massage) only you can this by yourself. You can read more about it here.
So, those are a few things that help my scalp and my hair. Some of them you may like, some of them maybe not. Try what is good for you and it helps you-USE IT! You must note that every person has it's own scalp and its own type of hair, so if this helps me it doesn't mean it'll help you (but for beer thing, i guarantee that it will help you no matter what!) and that it's not good to do this things every single time you wash your hair!! Ok? So don't exaggerate. Try to find what's best for you and do that! :)
(wow, didn't know i was able to write that many words about HAIR. don't think i'm a hair maniac!)
Hope you'll find sth to help you. Wishing all of you guys a splendid day! And here is one pic I made when i was in London. It made me laugh and appreciate my curly hair! :)
I've got a new web site. If you're interested in different kinds of art (i'm not as good as Rembrand and others, that's for sure, but i do it for relaxation, so don't expect too much!) and hand-crafted things, music ... then you're more than welcome to browse through it! If you've got any questions, just ask!
I hope you'll find something you enjoy on one or more of the web pages that I have recently linked together.
Near the top of each page, in the center, you'll see a small image of one kind or another.
Just click on the image, and you'll be taken to the next page in the series. If you continue clicking, you will soon arrive back at the page from which you started.
All the material on these pages is there for you -- and any of your friends who will use it constructively.
After you have explored the library, just click on the little (yellow-colored) picture of Kilroy, near the top of the page.
One small anomaly you will notice is that there are two versions of the page entitled: "Kyosai's Haiku Works" -- one for Japan, and one for the USA. Being a Yank, I began by making just one page that was more-or-less USA-oriented -- but then realized there should be another page to properly recognize the fact that the fascinating form of poetry known as haiku (as well as taiko drumming, which is also featured in the page's film clips) originated in Japan -- consequently, the additional page entitled "Kyosai's Japan Haiku Works." Of course, folks every nationality are most welcome to visit and enjoy either of these two pages that you find of interest. Except for the "header" and "footer" sections, both pages are identical in content.
Try surfing through the full series, and have fun !! If you like what you find, please tell others. If you don't -- or if you have questions, comments, or suggestions for improvement, please tell me !!
>>> If you want to forward this material to others, the correct URL is:
Dave Matthews, Facilitator
The Civic Action Free University http://www.tcafu.net
"Nation-Building: Are You Serious ??"
E-Mail Address: civact6@yahoo.com
Being a human Acerca de esta categoría: Paix; Conflict
Being a human
When youths today are idolizing violence, the society of tomorrow will most likely be lost in darkness. To majority of teenagers nowadays, physically harming others is a normal thing. If someone contradicts you, then the outcome will be a brawl and even if it is your fault, you are willing to fight to the death. Is this what being a human is about?
Where has our society gone wrong? For a land of peace loving hospitable people, this shift in cultural paradigm is astonishing. We might have to blame the western influence of materialism and aggressive mentality for this rise in violent ideology.
But the irony is the west is trying to embrace the old way of the east. They are searching deep within to live in peace with your inner spirit and to live in harmony. Like the ways of yin and yang, the west is becoming east and the east is becoming west.
I strongly believe that it is not too late for change. As a society we should reward hard work and humility. We should consider not just success, but the path taken to acquire that success. The tao to the end must be ethical and righteous.
The recent disaster in Japan has brought so many of us together. Even in these grave times true humanity has shined. The will to never give up hope, to persevere even when all of nature seems against you and to think of others well being ahead of your own. These are the shining attributes which makes us human.
When you give the only food you have received in days to a hungry elderly person – that is being human, when you open your home to strangers, who have lost it all – that is being human and When you go out of your way to help a person in need – that is being human.
It is time for us all to step up and act our part. To show humanity what being a human is all about. We have to do this now, before we lose ourselves in the darkness.
There are so many things one could write in blogs. About your life, what's happening around you, about things you like and don't like, you are inspired by. This last week of our previous year was a week to let me think. I fell and hit my knee so hard i couldn't walk normally, and then i got a cold, so here i am, sitting behind the computer writing words, instead of doing this a bit differently-by composing music about it (which i'm going to do as soon as i write this down-sometimes words help you to write better-although i have still loads of things to learn).
Well, sadly, after this hectic year i had the only thing i can think of is- I HATE MEN. Or not, i don't hate man, because loads of them are allright and really good friends of mine, i just hate man in an aspect of them as being your second half. You know-true love and all. But, shouldn't true love wait for you and not jump near you in one moment and away from you in another? I don't know. I guess after all these years i don't believe in me finding it ever. And that's what i hate. Maybe it's good for the others, but it looks like it's not meant to be for all of us. I believe it happend to you guys as well, but ... At least i hope this pain will help me understand music in some deeper depths of human soul.
Right ... they say every experience is good for something. I have to say i'm lucky to have a family as mine, friends as i have and life as i have at the moment. So, i'm not allowed to complain about anythings else. I should appreciate what i have and what God has given me. And thank Him for all of that. But still, it hurts.
And all these things made me think what i once promised i would do and what i loved ... Maybe it's meant to be like this and i should take a slightly different path. Mysterious are the paths of the Lord ... Let's see where they bring us.
... and i still got a tea-so everything's gonna be allright :)
A few weeks ago a man on a bycicle came to our village and since he had a long ride and after a whole day of cycling felt he was hungry, naturally, went to the store to buy some food. When he arrived at the cashier he discovered that he hadn't had the money to buy his sandwich with himself, so he asked the cashier if he could take the sandwich and brought the money sometime later. At first the girl looked at him all surprised but then she said he could do that.
There passed a week, and another and a man never came back. A girl wondered whether she did right to trust that man-of course those few euros aren't much (especially if we compare how much money is lost every year in food stores because ppl eat stuff there or steal food etc.-but that's not an issue now), but what if she trusted like that everybody, what if everybody said they forgot their wallets at home-can't imagine the loss ... And just as she expected the least the man came into a store and brought her money for the sandwich and gave her 5-times of the price of the sandwich to her, because she trusted him.
Why he hasn't come back sooner? He probably was from somewhere far.
Why he came back at all if he could just forget about it and leave it be? Some ppl would do that ... But this example just proves that there are still good and trustfull ppl living on this Earth. And this is just a plain example, which could be ignored and is just one small of many bigger things that lead me to a conclusion how simple some of the things in this world are that make us feel better in it. Even a "simple" walk in the woods with your dog on a sunny (or even not sunny) day could make you feel the same, because it leaves in us a feeling, it makes us feel that it's worth living, though sometimes things seem to get "out of focus". You know what i mean?
p.s. This reminds me a bit of one time when i forgot all the documents with the money alongside at home and went to a petrol station to fullthe tank of my car (from time to time my car has a tendency to be hungry or thirsty so i have to feed it) and when i arrived at a chashier i realised i don't have anything worthy (in material way) with me. So, what to do now? I didn't have anything to prove who i am, so that guy just had to trust what i was saying and take the risk. They gave me a paper that said that if i didn't pay the bill in a weeks time a police will hunt me down and put me in the jail. Of course i payed the bill as soon as i got my wallet, but what would happen if that man wouldn't trust me at that point (he hesitated a lot)? (Thank God for him trusting me.) And this was just one of many adventurous things that happened to me and my car :)
Dave Matthews, Facilitator
The Civic Action Free University http://www.tcafu.net
"Nation-Building: Are You Serious ??"
E-Mail Address: civact6@yahoo.com
Its worth noting that the texts of books provided by Google are searchable. This can be quite helpful to students who are writing book reviews, or who are engaged in studying the books and/or authors involved.
We hope you will find some some items that are both interesting and useful !!
***
>>> If you want to forward this material to others, the correct URL is:
Dave Matthews, Facilitator
The Civic Action Free University http://www.tcafu.net
"Nation-Building: Are You Serious ??"
E-Mail Address: civact6@yahoo.com
Let this link be a starter. I've never heard about her untill today. And if i look in music history i can only find St. Hildegarde mentioned as a composer, speaking of literature and other art etc. you can barely find any. Why is it that history don't speak much of women? Even nowadays some ppl make boundries between women and man. I've experienced it lately. Have you?
Item 1. As you probably know, at The Civic Action Free University's on-line movie theater, "Kilroy's Classic Film Festival," we are gradually collecting a wide selection of movies -- from the entertaining to the serious.
Two very powerful films that focus on Resistance to Oppression are:
A. "Gandhi," the outstanding movie covering Mahatma Gandhi's life, and his leadership of the revolution of non-violent direct action to achieve India's independence from British colonial rule.
B. "Z," a fictional but breathtakingly realistic portrayal of efforts to overcome the repressive military dictatorship that had come to power in Greece during the late 1960s.
Both of these movies have recently been added to Kilroy's Film Festival -- you will find them in the "Newest Arrivals" section:
Enjoy the movies !! Obviously, if you don't care to watch them in short segments on a computer screen, it should not be too difficult to find DVDs so you can see full-length versions on your television screen instead.
New films are continually being added to the Kilroy's Film Fest page, so you are cordially invited to come back frequently and sample the latest arrivals.
***
Item 2. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
I hope this information will be useful. If you have questions or need further assistance, please advise.
Best wishes to all,
Dave Matthews, Facilitator
The Civic Action Free University http://www.tcafu.net
"Nation-Building: Are You Serious ??"
E-Mail Address: civact6@yahoo.com
