Well, If you want to be precise, just slightly over 2 months to the Cleveland Walk and around 1 or 2 months to the various other walks around the country (USA).  What is the Walk for Farm Animals?  Well, once a year, during the months of September and October, Walk(s) for Farm Animals are held in various large cities around the country.  The idea is to have the walks around October 2nd in honor of World Farm Animals Day.  Participants generally walk somewhere between three to six miles in order to raise money for Farm Sanctuary.

I had the very deep honor and pleasure of visiting Farm Sanctuary last July (2008) for their Fourth of July Pig-nic! It was wonderful to see how beautiful and peaceful everything was.  The animals living there are cared for unconditionally, given whatever medical treatment and/or diet required to help them lead decent lives, and (hopefully) adopted into loving homes.  The ones that are not (or cannot be) adopted still have a loving home for life at the Sanctuary.

Please, if you’ve ever wanted to help animals in need, either participate in the Walk for Farm Animals or donate to Farm Sanctuary either through my donation page or through the primary site.

For the animals, Thank you.

I honestly never gave much thought to Esperanto until a little over two weeks ago. I might have wondered why the signs on Red Dwarf were written in both English and Esperanto, but other than that…nothing. I knew nothing about it. If anything, I thought it might be a dialect of Spanish.

But an online friend asked me to view a short video about Esperanto and consider spending ten minutes a day trying to learn it. I’ll admit - my first thought was, Yeah, right! Why would I want to do that? But by the end of the video I was convinced.

Now, I’m not telling anyone that they NEED to learn Esperanto. No one does, obviously. BUT it is very useful and really a lot of fun! Not only are there tons of free courses, music, puzzles, games, and literature available on the internet, but it seems that whenever you mention that you are learning this amazing language you immediately start communicating with people from different linguistic backgrounds!

That’s not at all surprising. Esperanto was designed to be a supplementary language to foster international communication. That’s why it was created to be intuitive, making it the world’s easiest language. Depending on the person’s native language, Esperanto is four to eight times easier to learn than any other. Students of Esperanto can become relatively fluent in three to four months, whereas comparative proficiency in another language would take years.

So after viewing the video, I thought, What the hell? Why not? I don’t have a terrific track record when it comes to foreign languages. Like many others, I passed one year of High School Spanish - a course that I took mostly because it was supposedly easy and I lived near Miami. I also managed to live in Germany for over three years while never mastering the German language. I knew a few phrases by speaking but was never able to write even those phrases. I also found some of the sounds hard to pronounce.

Esperanto has been the easiest and most enjoyable learning experience that I’ve ever had. Pronunciation is pretty simple - each letter has only one sound and every letter in a word is pronounced. The only slight difficulty for English speakers might be rolling the “r”s, but that is not a hard-and-fast rule so it’s not really a big deal.

Most languages have hundreds or more grammatical rules, exceptions to rules, and redundancies. Esperanto has 16 rules. That’s it. SIXTEEN. Because the language was designed rather than evolving naturally, there are no redundancies or exceptions, which accounts for the difficulty of other languages.

Because Esperanto was designed to be learned easily and quickly, the ordinary Joe (or Jane) on the street can begin conversing with people in Esperanto in a short period of time. My personal experience shows this to be true. Plus Esperantists typically love to share their knowledge of the language and help any newbies (such as myself).

It’s common for people who learn Esperanto to develop the confidence and desire to acquire other languages. Developing an understanding of the basic rules of grammar while becoming proficient fosters the confidence to explore other tongues.

Last, but not least, it’s really fun! In the past two weeks or so, I’ve made a bunch of online friends, downloaded Esperanto rock music and heavy metal, listened to mp3 lessons, and played Esperanto themed games with my eight year old son (We’re learning together). I’ve even started an Esperanto blog to practice writing and show our progress with our lessons. I’m sure it contains grammatical errors, but hey- I’m learning. ">

I’m not anyone special. If someone like me can pick up that much of a feel and love for the language in just a couple weeks, just imagine what someone who actually has a knack for languages can do!

***

If you are interested:

Lernu.net - A huge Esperanto site aimed at promoting the International language. They have free lessons available in many different languages. Members (free) of this site have access to lesson plans, free audio and text lessons, online forums, and more.

Music - This site has downloadable songs in Esperanto from different musical styles from the Blues to Heavy Metal.

Literature and Podcasts - It’s self explanatory. Get free books and podcasts in Esperanto. It’s fun!

*originally published at ganymeder.com

Do you or someone you know have a birthday coming up? Christmas or other holiday giving thinning your checkbook? Can’t afford to give as much to charity as much as you’d like? Why not plant two seeds in the same pot, and make your purchases through an online charity?

It can work two ways.

If you have a birthday or something coming up where people will be shopping for you, why not ask for a charitable contribution to be made in your name? Just tell them your favorite charity, give them the website or other relevant info, and enjoy a gift that keeps on giving - not just to you but to the world at large. If your prospective giver really wants to give you something to unwrap, many charities have online stores where they sell activism materials, clothing, etc. You can increase your impact by asking for activism apparel to wear or materials for distribution (pamphlets, literature to donate to libraries, etc.).

If you are familiar with Free Charity donation sites, you already know that they are funded by sponsors. By clicking to donate this way (at no cost to yourself), you are taken to a “Thank you” page displaying ads from the charity’s sponsors. Why not increase the impact by making purchases from those same sponsors? Many items can be purchased online this way. Save yourself a trip to the mall when buying a piece of jewelry for your favorite Aunt Berty - you’ll save gas and help a worthy cause in the bargain.

Free Donation sites

Care2.com- A hub of online charitable giving for multiple environmental, animal, and humanitarian causes. Their sponsors’ ads are displayed on their “Thank you” pages.
The Literacy Site - The name says it all. After clicking to donate books, the “Thank you” page displays ads and links from their sponsors. You can also shop directly from their online store and purchase from startling collection of books, jewelry, artisan items, toys and even birdhouses.

Online charitable stores:

Free the Slaves: Abolitionist organization that works to raise awareness about Modern Day Slavery (aka Human Trafficking). Their online store features products made by freed slaves such as jewelry, rosaries, handmade paper products, bags, purses, and even a Fair Trade Soccer ball. Books and films about slavery are also available.

Farm Sanctuary - Their online store features apparel, pamphlets, books, videos, totebags, and even some stuffed animals.

These are just a few of many online options for making your charitable giving go farther. When you get more bang for your charitable buck, you aren’t the only one getting a better deal.

Human trafficking.  I don’t know about you, but when I first heard that term I thought it referred to illegal aliens.  You know the stereotype… people in other countries trying to sneak across borders illegally, maybe paying for the privilege.  But it means so much more.

Slavery.  It’s an ugly word.   It’s associated with images of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade.  Africans kidnapped from their homes and exported to Europe or America as slaves to white plantation owners.  Thankfully, slavery no longer exists, right?

Wrong.

Slavery means Human Trafficking.  They are the same thing.  Human Trafficking is the polite euphamism for Modern human slavery.  Slavery hasn’t been eradicated.  It’s simply changed it’s form.

Slaves of the Old American South were bought and sold for a considerable amount of money.  They were valued as an expensive investment, much like we would buy a car today. It was horrible, disgusting, cruel, and dehumanizing, but today it’s worse.  People, especially children and women, are traded and sold for virually nothing.  So their “owners” treat them as disposable people.  When someone wears out, simply get someone else.

*There is an estimated 27 MILLION slaves worldwide today - more than at the height of the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade. We hide behind the idea that this only happens in other countries far, far away from our own.  It’s true that other countries have slaves.  It’s also true that there are probably slaves in your country or even your own backyard, working behind the scenes, unseen and uncared for.  Slavery exists in virtually every country on the planet Earth, even though it’s supposedly been abolished for years.  Mauritania is the most prominent example of a country that only recently legally abolished slavery.

Sure, that may be true for Mauritania, but what about the Mid Western United States?  What about Florida?  What about England?  What about China?  Yes, they have slaves too.

What about this article written about slavery in Kansas?  Here’s another one about a slave in Florida.  England has it’s share of trafficking rings.  China’s slave labor camps imprison people the government considers undesirable (such as political dissidents or homosexuals) and force them to work producing cheap export products.

What can we do, what can ANYONE do, to stop this?  It’s overwhelming.

We need to be informed and make people aware that slavery isn’t history! The first thing we need to do to eradicate this evil is let people know it still exists.  Read books.  Watch documentaries.  Write and tell as many people as you can.  Raise awareness.

There are lots of things that you can do to help.  Hold a screening of a slavery documentary at your library.  Invite friends to a movie night at your house featuring a movie like Amazing Grace.  Then talk about how slavery still exists.  Make and print out flyers to post at local bulletin boards.  Blog.  Write to newspapers, magazines, and your government representatives.  Hold a bake sale or yard sale; give out flyers with purchases and donate the proceeds to an abolitionist organization.

Also, watch the types of goods you consume.  Don’t inadvertently support slavery through ignorance by purchasing slave chocolate or coffee products.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a lot of money.  It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a lot of resources, time, or transportation.  You have something slaves don’t have.  Freedom.

And a voice.

So use it.

Recommended books:

Enslaved can be read (with some omissions towards the end) as a Google book preview, though I strongly urge you to either buy a copy or check it out at your local library.  In my opinion, it really brings the issue home by having the individual slaves tell their own stories.

Not for Sale is another must read.  This also has individual slave stories, but told from a third person point of view.

Abolitionist campaigns: 

I Abolish

American Anti-Slavery Group -(from their website) a nonprofit organization that works with former victims of human trafficking to abolish modern-day slavery, focusing primarily on systems of chattel slavery in Sudan and Mauritania.

Not for Sale campaign -(from their website) a campaign of individuals, musicians, artists, people of faith, businesses, school and sports teams united to stop (slavery).

Additional websites:

End Human Trafficking - an online resource for articles, videos, links, ideas, and more through the Change.org website. This is one of the most active abolitionist sites I’ve come across.

Stop the Traffick -(from their website) a global movement of ordinary activists from around the world who believe that PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE BOUGHT AND SOLD. We believe that when people act things change.  Visit their website for news, activism opportunities, and sign their declaration.  They even have a store where you can buy activist materials like shirts, buttons, posters, and banners.

Free the Slaves - an online resource for activist materials.  Easy access so that anyone can get involved in the modern abolitionist movement.

Video recommendations:  

Amazing Grace - the story of the abolitionist, William Wilberforce, who worked to end the slave trade in the British Empire.  A Church would be a great place to hold a viewing of this video.

DEMAND - a documentary about the sex slave trade.  The website offers the full 45 minute version with the warning features graphic material, nudity, and sexual content.  Underneath there is a16 minute condensed version that does not contain graphic material, nudity or sexual content and is ideal for churches, schools and youth.

What Traffickers Don’t Say - just barely over a minute, this public service announcement is incredibly powerful.  Please watch it.

*The 27 Million slave estimate was taken from the Free the Slaves site, though I’ve seen similar estimates on other abolitionist sites.

Here is one of my favorite snacks. It’s inspired by the Creamy Cottage Cheez recipe (p. 46) in The Ultimate Uncheese Cookbook by Jo Stepaniak. My version is a little lazier, but it’s still high in protein.

Vegan Cottage Cheeze with Pineapple Chunks

1 14 ounce tub firm (or soft) tofu

1 20 ounce can sweetened pineapple chunks

salt and pepper to taste

*

Drain out most (but not all) of the syrup from the can of pineapple chunks.

In a colander in the sink, crumble the drained tofu between your fingers. The colander will catch the tofu and let the liquid drain out. Crumble it in your fingers until it’s the consistency of cottage cheese.

In a bowl, combine crumbled tofu with the pineapple chunks and syrup (little bit left in can). Mix together. Salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy by itself or with your favorite soup, salad, and/or sandwich!

Normally, I prefer to use ordinary, everyday ingredients in my cooking. You know what I’m talking about. The type of ingredient that you can get at virtually any grocery store, whether it’s in Los Angeles or the most out of the way town you can find. Things like flour, spinach, apples… heck, even vegan soy milk can be found in almost any store nowadays. They sell it in Target! But one of the few products I try to always keep on hand, even if I have to drive out of my way to get it, is Nutritional Yeast. Why? Well, there are several reasons.

First and foremost, it’s yummy. I am completely serious. I know the name sounds unappetizing, but that’s not the point.

Nutritional Yeast usually comes in bags or a plastic container that you can buy at your local health food store, co op, or even order online. You can sprinkle it on salads or add it to dishes like soups and sauces for additional flavor. Sometimes I like to sprinkle it on dishes just because it makes the presentation pretty. It looks like golden colored flakes or powder.

That’s important. Nutritional yeast comes as pretty golden flakes or a fine golden powder. It is NOT the granular yeast you get to make your bread rise. If you get that stuff and use it as a condiment, you’ll be very disappointed.

Nutritional Yeast lives up to it’s name because it’s very, you guessed it, nutritional. Mainly, it contains a ton of B vitamins, as well as being cholesterol and fat free. And tasty. Did I mention tasty?

The flavor has been described as both nutty or cheesy. I think it has a hint of both. It’s used in a lot of vegan cheesy-ish type recipes for soups, sauces, and even faux cheeses. Honestly though, if you really want to know what it tastes like, you’ll just have to taste it. You can usually get a small bag of nutritional yeast for a few dollars.

Now, I’m not telling you to rush out, buy a bag of nutritional yeast, and just eat it straight. But as a condiment? Heaven! I find it combines nicely with vegan margarine on mashed potatoes or popcorn, but I’ve also loved it on salads, soups, and even in brown gravy!

Among vegetarians and vegans, Nutritional Yeast is a staple for the simple reason that it’s an easy and versatile source of B12. I’m not going to go into incredible detail about why vegans need to make sure they have an adequate source of B12. Just trust me. It’s important. It’s not difficult either since many cereals, soy milks, and other staples are already routinely fortified with B12. As I said before though, Nutritional Yeast has other benefits.

On the B12 note though, let me mention one more thing. Not all Nutritional Yeasts are created alike. The Red Star Vegetarian Support Formula Nutritional Yeast contains B12, but some of the other ones do not. Some stores even carry (for some unimaginable reason) Nutritional Yeasts that contain non vegan ingredients such as whey and other dairy products. So it pays to read the label.

So let’s sum up. Nutritional Yeast. It’s nutritious. It’s a great source of B vitamins - especially B12. It’s versatile, yummy, and last but not necessarily least, it’s pretty.

What are you waiting for?

When I first went vegan, I was asked several times what we’d do around the holidays - as if eating flesh, eggs, and dairy were prerequisites for a happy holiday!

I offer as an example our Christmas feast for this year (2008).

We had Celebration Roast with brown gravy, mashed potatoes, carrots, and brussell sprouts with mustard sauce. Everything was incredibly easy to make and find.

I had been toying with the idea of making a vegan mushroom strudel, but then I saw the Celebration Roast at my local conventional grocery store. I was dying to try it! I’d heard rave reviews about it on the Vegetarian Food for Thought podcast.

The Celebration Roast was absolutely delicious! The flavor was divine - something of a roasted vegetable flavor. The gravy complimented it nicely. Since the gravy had no fat, my Mother in law (who is on a restricted diet) was even able to eat some. The carrots and brussell sprouts were steamed, and the mustard sauce was something I’ve improvised before. I make the sauce similar to white gravy, but use mustard and lemon juice and less margarine. I used soy milk instead of cow’s milk.

For dessert I made a pecan pie, but since I don’t care for pecans I also made brownie a la mode for myself. The brownie recipe is super easy (I made both desserts last night). I heated the brownie for about 30 seconds in the microwave and topped it with So Delicious vanilla ice cream and sprinkled it with slave free cocoa.

It was yummy.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this and maybe will try some of these recipes in the future. I don’t think I’ve ever had such an enjoyable meal that was so easy to prepare. Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!