Vegetarians and vegans hear it all the time. "What do you eat?" Most veg-eaters don't mind the question at all, but welcome the opportunity to educate people on their healthy lifestyle.
But the question itself is a bit leading, and tends to suggest that not only is there not much variety for vegetarians and vegans, but that surely the portions must be minuscule. Restaurants don't tend to serve up broccoli and cauliflower on quite the grand scale as they do chili-bacon-cheese fries.
While cheering consumers on to appreciate largely-portioned veg-friendly meals should be done with caution, the fact remains, a gigantic plant-based entree stands to be a heck of a lot healthier and responsible than a gigantic meat, cheese, and cholesterol-laden entree. If you're going to pig out, at least leave the pig (and other farm animals)... out, right........... [story continued here]
When many first become vegan (a vegetarian following a pure plant-based diet with no animal ingredients), they are willing to become martyrs for the cause. They’ll sacrifice bloody steaks, gooey ice cream, and greasy cheese pizza for the sake of personal health, animal welfare, and the environment......
Besides boasting a snazzy website that includes a recipe book, health toolbox, and weekly challenges, Earth Fare has cornered the Charlotte market on vegetarian and vegan grocery shopping... and perhaps even dining...................
It's been ages since I've blogged, but I have been busy. . . being hired by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)!!! :) I applied for a Corporate Liaison position in late June, and in mid-July, PETA brought me up to Norfolk, VA to interview. Last week, I recieved the call that I'd been selected for the job! I start August 17th!!!!!!!
My dream was always to work for a non-profit, "saving the world". After college, Bank of America made me a good offer, and I signed on and worked on the trading floor for a year, and eventually became a business continuity consultant. A couple years later, I joined Wachovia, in Operational Risk, again specializing in business continuity and Microsoft SharePoint web development. When Wells Fargo took over Wachovia this year in the merger, I was blessed to be offered another position with the new, combined organization, again, in Operational Risk. Around that time, I saw the position with PETA posted, and I decided to go for it. I've always hated math, never been interested in the least in banking and really, this economy is rather depressing if you ask me.
I'd been telling myself since college that I really was
"saving the world" by being a business continuity consultant, as we prepare the bank for disasters - situations ranging from a snowstorm where buildings are inaccessible, to 9/11-type terrorist attacks, to pandemic flu. Truth be told, I've felt for the last four years that all I've done since college is push data around.
The two days I spent in Norfolk, VA interviewing with PETA were incredible. I worked my butt off (it was a volunteer working interview), and felt so satisfied with what I completed, but at the same time, craving more projects. Returning to Wachovia was miserable for me. Sitting in my bank cubicle was tortorous, with the knowledge that I could be doing so much to help end the suffering of animals during those eight hours each day, but instead I was just inputing data. . . and often dealing with office "drama". And boy have chic hormones been flying since the integration started. I've had two quotes hanging up in my cube to "ward off" some of the negativity:
"The reason why dogs have so many friends
is that they wag their tails and not their tongues."
-Anonomyous
"The only thing worse than being talked about
is not being talked about."
-Oscare Wilde
July 30th was one of the happiest days of my life. I can only describe the feeling I had as though I'd just been released from a jail sentence. . . like I'd escaped from a career I had no passion for, and into the freedom of waking up and doing what I feel God created me to do. I've been miserable, the more I came to realize the irony that so many of us spend the majority of our waking hours doing something we don't really like.
Really, think of the breakdown of an average work week:
1.5hrs - Get ready for work
45min - Commute to work
9hrs - Work
45min - Commute from work
8hrs - Sleep to rest up for work
That leaves 5hrs of free time. Twelve hours of our day, each day, revolves around work, commuting to work or getting ready for work. That's half our day! Throw in sleep, and that's 75% of our day revolving around our careers.
Stay tuned in about a week. . . when I start saving animals full-time. :)
Sobering... a visual from the USDA NASS Livestock Slaughter 2008 Summary. The animals you see passing along your screen right now, and the numbers tallying up represent the number of animals killed - in the United States alone - since you pulled up my blog.
Please re-post on your own blogs, Facebook, MySpace, etc, and give a voice to the voiceless. For inspiration on cruelty-free living, please visit my site: www.beavoiceforthevoiceless.com.
So basically, the National Milk Producers Federation located in Arlington, VA is going to pay dairy farms to slaughter 103,000 cows across the United States in the next few months. Milk prices will double in the next year to cover the cost of the slaughter and the loss of “equity.” Farmers are “culling” herds because of plunging exports and the increased cost of corn (funny… aren’t cows supposed to eat grass and not grain anyway?).
According to a Wells Fargo senior economist (Wells Fargo is my new company), “No one is making money producing milk. The milk price remains well below the total cost of production.” Meanwhile, the poor cows are pumping out, on average, over 1,800 pounds of milk each, per year, a new USDA record.
One dairy farmer said, “We are in a depression right now. I have to be an optimist that the dairy farmers can get together and find a way to reduce the cow herd about 5 percent so that prices can recover quickly.”
The article drones on to provide endless statistics on these commodities, as if they are lumps of coal, pools of oil or hunks of gold.
In reality, cows living, breathing creatures that experience the emotions that your pet does… joy, happiness, excitement, loneliness, sadness, fear. At what economic price point does life become an expendable commodity? And better yet, at what point DID life become a matter of profit and loss for a businessman’s balance sheets? If an alternative to suffering exists, why not use it and eliminate suffering? We are the only creatures that drink milk from other animals. Dairy milk alternatives are much more appealing when you think about it… milk from a plant, such as almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, rice milk, hemp milk or cashew milk. Why do we insist on cow milk as if it’s the end-all?
Do your health a favor, and your pocketbook, and quit drinking dairy milk and switch to plant milk. It’s healthier, more sanitary and cruelty-free. Seems a simple and straightforward decision. Personally, I don’t miss dairy milk at all, in fact the mere thought of it grosses me out. I enjoy the variety and cleanliness of the various plant milks, and of discovering which are my favorites.
“The 9 million cows living on dairy farms in the United States spend most of their lives in large sheds or on feces-caked mud lots, where disease is rampant. Cows raised for their milk are repeatedly impregnated. Their babies are taken away so that humans can drink the milk intended for the calves. When their exhausted bodies can no longer provide enough milk, they are sent to slaughter and ground up for hamburgers.
Cows produce milk for the same reason that humans do: to nourish their babies. In order to force the animals to continue giving milk, factory farmers impregnate them using artificial insemination every year. Calves are generally taken from their mothers within a day of being born—males are destined for veal crates, and females are sentenced to the same fate as their mothers.
Mother cows on dairy farms can often be seen searching and calling for their calves long after they have been separated. Author Oliver Sacks, M.D., wrote of a visit that he and cattle expert Dr. Temple Grandin made to a dairy farm and of the great tumult of bellowing that they heard when they arrived: “‘They must have separated the calves from the cows this morning,’ Temple said, and, indeed, this was what had happened. We saw one cow outside the stockade, roaming, looking for her calf, and bellowing. ‘That’s not a happy cow,’ Temple said. ‘That’s one sad, unhappy, upset cow. She wants her baby. Bellowing for it, hunting for it. She’ll forget for a while, then start again. It’s like grieving, mourning—not much written about it. People don’t like to allow them thoughts or feelings.’
After their calves are taken from them, mother cows are hooked up, several times a day, to machines that take the milk intended for their babies. Using genetic manipulation, powerful hormones, and intensive milking, factory farmers force cows to produce about 10 times as much milk as they naturally would. Animals are pumped full of bovine growth hormone (BGH), which contributes to painful inflammation of the udder known as “mastitis.” (BGH is used throughout the U.S., but has been banned in Europe and Canada because of concerns over human health and animal welfare.) According to the industry’s own figures, between 30 and 50 percent of dairy cows suffer from mastitis, an extremely painful condition.
A cow’s natural lifespan is 25 years, but cows used by the dairy industry are killed after only four or five years. An industry study reports that by the time they are killed, nearly 40 percent of dairy cows are lame because of the filth, intensive confinement, and the strain of constantly being pregnant and giving milk. Dairy cows are turned into soup, companion animal food, or low-grade hamburger meat because their bodies are too “spent” to be used for anything else.”
you do not gather the beauty of the flower.” -Rabindranath Tagore
It seems that "drama" comes in waves. I feel I spend most of my life relaxing on my proverbial boat, with my not-so-proverbial husband and dog, and bob along tranquil waters, enjoying life.
Becoming lost in God's spectacular creation - endless water, plush grass, stoic mountains, emotional animals, billowy clouds - this is what I breathe. Without the ability to take in nature, I feel I would wither. Then I look around, and find blessings of a husband who loves and accepts me for who I am, and who will do anything to plunk a smile on my face. A dog who's entire existence revolves around receiving a tummy rub from mommy and daddy at the end of a long day's wait. A Mom and Dad who have sacrificed everything to ensure I have every chance to be successful in this world by giving me bottomless opportunity and encouragement. And then sisters, in-laws, extended family and friends from whom I receive priceless support and learn more ways to enjoy life by watching them live out theirs.
Then a wave hits on a side of the boat I wasn't watching. Followed by another, and another and another. Just as I'm cleaning off the unwanted seaweed and occasional soda can from a nasty litterbug on one side of the boat, another wave hits on the opposite side of the boat. I hate drama. It's unnecessary and unsightly litter and causes undue stress on my peaceful little boat.
I like feeling accepted and loved. We all do. So why don't we give that simple gift to each other? It's free, in every possible sense of the word. It doesn't cost money not to criticize. It doesn't cost any time to bite your tongue... in fact, it saves time. Unacceptance is drama. it's completely unecessary and useless to not accept someone for who they are.
I used to try to fit in. Desperately I tried to fit in throughout high school and college. I wanted to blend into the crowd, go relatively unnoticed. I didn't know who I was exactly. I didn't know how to be me.
For some, blending in is who they are. It's what makes them feel satisfied, comfortable and happy. It's about doing what makes you happy. Some of us are happy being and looking different. Others are happy being and looking the same as the majority of people. Do what makes you happy, and be happy for others when they choose to do what makes them happy. I'd rather be around a happy person, than one that's suffocated because they're trying to be someone they're not.
I don't care what style someone selects, or food someone eats, or hobby someone invests in. That's their life, not mine. It merely makes me genuinely happy when someone in my life has found who they are and dives into those waters with entirety. Whether that means they're conservative and traditional, adventurous and risky, or free-spirited and carefree.
When we come home from elementary school, crying because someone made fun of our glasses, or our Transformers lunch box, our parents tell us not to worry, that this is a phase. When we're older, we'll find that our adult friends will be much more accepting of us than our elementary school friends are. Kids pick on other kids because they lack confidence in themselves, and so they like to point their finger at someone else, to distract from their own insecurities. This, we're told, subsides with age and maturity.
I've not found this to be true. It happens as an adult, I'd venture to say, just as much as when you're a kid. Sorry kids, it doesn't get any better. All I can say is this.
Know who you are. (I know too many adults who are still trying to figure this out.) Accept who you are. (You're your own worst critic... and you can be your biggest fan.) Be who you are. (Don't change for anyone except for yourself or for God.)
I accept that there will always be unaccepting people in this world... but I also accept and love me for me, more importantly. So when those people do express their unacceptance or criticisim, I know it just doesn't matter.
One of my best friends recently demonstrated this for me. After relaying to her something someone said to me, she said, "Melissa, I want to show you something. Here, take this." She held out a dirty napkin to me. I took it. "Why did you take that???" she asked. I mumbled something like, "well, you gave it to me... I'm not sure actually."
She went on to explain, "Melissa, just because I handed you that piece of trash doesn't mean you had to take it. Life is full of choices. You chose to take that worthless piece of trash from me. It's the same when someone throws some unwarranted criticisim or negative opinion at you. You can choose whether you want to take it. If you see the words are worthless to you, kindly say your 'no thank you' and walk away. But if you see that it's going to make you a better person, you can choose to take it. But choose wisely. Just because someone tells you something, you don't have to take it and carry it around with you. You can walk away from it."
It all starts with knowing who you are, so you can understand and embrace it. I recommend creating a simple list of three things that encompass who you are, and explaining what each item means to you. Understand that those who love you in your life, and are worth your time and effort and affection, won't try to change anything you put on your list.
Here's mine.
I am a follower of Jesus Christ. This means I live my life in such a way that I strive to make Him proud of me by treating others the way I would like to be treated, and by choosing to honor Him even when no one is looking. I am a free-spirit. This means I enjoy experimenting with clothes, makeup and hair styles and am happy looking different. It also means I enjoy differnet forms of entertainment and relaxation, and am proud of my activity and hobby choices. I am a vegan and an environmentalist. This means that I do not eat or use products that contain any animal products or that have been tested on animals. It means I believe I have a purpose on this planet to protect animals as well as the other natural resources and beauty in God's creation.
This has been one of my favorite quotes since college. It speaks of confidence.
"Perhaps the crescent moon smiles in doubt at being told that it is only a fragment awaiting perfection." -Rabindranath Tagore
Visit the new site and take a little trip through a wonderful world of marketing services. Our music for the eyes will take you over the rainbow. Hint, hint.
Visual Melody is a little marketing company I started in October 2007, specializing in print design. My focus was on business cards, wedding and funeral programs, brochures, newspaper ads and copywriting. I pride Visual Melody in our one-on-one client relationships and fresh aesthetic design.
Over the past year and a half, the company has grown at the request of clients to include internet marketing activities. We are currently focusing primarily on web design for clients, and have capabilities to design very simple sites (using GoDaddy.com's Website Tonight software, for example), to beautiful advanced sites (using our resources with DreamTemplate), to mesmerizing full-Flash sites made with Wix.com (such as www.visualmelodymarketing.com and www.beavoiceforthevoiceless.com) and Content Management System (CMS) stites (using Microsoft SharePoint or Joomla).
Visual Melody is also (and of course) a vegan company. We never use or promote any animal products. Please contact me at melissa@visualmelodymarketing.com if you have any animal-free projects that need a personal touch from a free-spirited professional. :)
After celebrating three years of marriage with David in Vero Beach and Miami, FL, I'm back! I've posted the pictures from our trip on my Facebook, but for those who won't make the journey out there, here are a few below:
Also, new Have a Heart Action Items on www.beavoiceforthevoiceless.com... you've got to actually visit the site to take action... not gonna make it that easy for you! ;)
Animals- Write Oprah and complain about the free KFC (Kentucky Fried Cruelty in PETA's and my books) she's giving away
People- Send a birthday wish via Amnesty to imprisoned American Journalist Roxana Sabari
Earth- Buy an Ech2o filtered stainless steel water bottle. It's worth every penny of the $45.
Reminder... I don't use any paid blogging services... anything I reccomend is strictly because I love the product!!! Just think of me as a friend. :)
I consult as a Corporate Liaison for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). I own Visual Melody Marketing, and I'm the Charlotte Vegetarian Restaurants columnist for Examiner.com. Currently, I'm training to become a registered yoga teacher and a certified holistic nutrition consultant. I'm working toward an MS in Complimentary Alternative Medicine.
My passion is in being a voice for the voiceless (Proverbs 31:8-9)... Unborn children, animals, impoverished people. I am pro-life, I am vegan and I am a follower of Jesus Christ.
I'm married to David. We have a Bearded Collie named Shaggy and a Catahoula Leopard Dog named Cody. David and I met July 29, 2005, were engaged October 29, 2005, and married on April 29, 2006. Life is quite wonderful. :)
