Reminder: East Side Pride This Saturday!

Just wanted to remind everyone that East Side Pride is only TWO DAYS away! I will post the event details below! I am the head volunteer in charge on the scene during the day, so I will be kicking around from about 8:30am to 6ish! Come say hi if you see me!


East Side Pride
Saturday, June 30/07
11:00am – 5:00pm
Come out and help the VPS kick off our Pride Season by celebrating East Side Pride in the Heart of Commercial Drive.This Festival will feature something from the very young to the young at heart and everybody in between, including the Dog.
East Side Pride Festival will feature live entertainment on our festival stage, great food, and variety of vendors from all over. This is your opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones. Stop by the VPS tent to buy your Pride merchandise and memberships.

For more information on this event, including a list of performers, check out http://www.vancouverpride.ca/event-details.cfm?pageid=36&id=161

On Organic and Local Food, and Rennet!

I first want to post bits from an article that was posted Tuesday on Yahoo Food by Maggie Nemser. I think this will be very helpful for people who are wondering about the healthiest/most ethical food purchasing choices.


"The Musts and Myths of Organic and Locally Grown
Posted Tue, Jun 26, 2007, 10:01 am PDT

So you've been known to occasionally spend extra on organic milk, mosey over to the free-range meat section, and make an effort to support your local farms by buying berries from a roadside fruit stand. Still, I'm betting the farm that if you're confused about when to go local, when you should go organic, and when it's all just baloney, you're not alone.

I reached out to two experts in the field for some solid answers. Joy Bauer, nutritionist extraordinaire, breaks down the musts and myths of organic and local, while Ryan Hardy, the fresh-market-obsessed chef at The Montagna in Aspen, provides five easy ways to include the best of both into our diets. I hope this helps you figure out the best ways to bring farm-fresh food closer to your home.

WHAT IS LOCALLY GROWN? Locally grown means seasonal food from small farms. Some say it applies only to foods grown within a 100-mile radius; others stretch it to 250 miles.
MUSTS: Seasonal fruits, seasonal vegetables, milk and dairy.
WHY? Local crops harvested at their peak of freshness and flavor offer superior nutrient density, and buying produce from local growers reduces the environmental impact and costs of transporting product.
MYTHS: Local food is not necessarily organically grown. However, there is truth to many local farmers' claims that they do not use pesticides. WHY? They just can't advertise themselves as certified organic unless they've gone through the certification process, which is lengthy and expensive.
WHAT'S ORGANIC?For plants, organic means grown on certified organic land without synthetic fertilizers or chemicals (like pesticides). Genetic modification and irradiation are also off-limits. For animals, organic means access to the outdoors, only organic feed for at least a year, and no antibiotics or growth hormones.
MUSTS: Apples, cherries, grapes (especially if they're imported), nectarines, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, bell peppers, celery, potatoes, spinach, beef, poultry and dairy.
WHY? Because these fruits and veggies have been found to contain the most pesticide residue, even after being washed, and organic meats and dairy (though much more expensive) reduce your exposure to toxins, including the one that causes mad cow disease.
MYTHS You don't need to worry about buying these organic: bananas, kiwi, mangoes, papaya, pineapple, asparagus, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, onion, sweet peas, and seafood.
WHY? Because these fruits and veggies tend not to carry pesticide residue, and seafood has no USDA organic certification standards (so "organic seafood" doesn't mean much).
Now that you've got the dirt on organic and local, check out Chef Ryan Hardy's 5 easy ways to bring the benefits of both to your table:

1. Go to farmer's markets. The farmer's market may not always easily fit into your busy schedule, but taking 30 minutes to buy good foods for your family is worth the time.
2. Demand it at your local store. Ask your local grocer to get in products you want -- be specific and follow up.
3. Talk with local chefs who use local, organic ingredients. Chefs are notoriously picky about finding the right product. Ask about the ingredients they use.... You'll probably find out that most are easily obtainable.
4. Buy what's in season. Food is at its cheapest when it's at its best -- so take advantage and eat fresh fruits and vegetables when they're at their peak.
5. Eat more greens. Farm-fresh salad greens are exciting additions to all kinds of dishes, not just salads. Try adding them to pasta, serving them under a steak, or simply sandwiching them with goat cheese between bread."

This article quoted from http://food.yahoo.com/blog/editorspicks/179/the-musts-and-myths-of-organic-and-locally-grown

Secondly, I want to talk a bit about rennet. For those of you who don't know what rennet is, I will tell you. Rennet is "is a natural complex of enzymes produced in any mammalian stomach to digest the mother's milk." It is used to coagulate milk, causing it to separate into solids. Some cheese companies use rennet to make cheese, meaning they have to kill cows and calves, slice out their stomachsm, leaving cow rennet in our cheese. If you are a vegetarian, this is no good! I'm concerned about the presence of rennet in cheese I eat.

I recently stumbled upon an EXCELLENT resource for people who are concerned about eating cheese with rennet. This resource links brands and gives other details on how to avoid cheese that is made with rennet.

http://cheese.joyousliving.com/Default.aspx

Lifesaving First Aid!

Ok, so perhaps this is a little bit different from what I regularly post, but today I went to the St. John Ambulance location in Port Moody and got myself certified in Emergency First Aid (Level One) and Level A CPR. It was a one day course, from 8:30am to just before 5pm, and cost me just under $100 dollars. Usually people who take the course are taking it because it is required by their workplace, or because they are volunteering for an organization that requires they take it. I just decided that I wanted to be able to act if I am ever in a situation where someone is hurt and needs my help.

The course came with a book, about a centimeter thick, that I was supposed to read before taking the course. I only registered Thursday, so I must confess, I basically "skimmed" the book before the class early this morning over coffee (with 2 shots of espresso!) and a banana blueberry soy muffin. However, the class was INCREDIBLy thorough, full of practicals (you really get down on the ground), and I ended up passing the test with flying colors.

I strongly encourage everyone to sign up for one of these courses. I learned a lot that I didn't know, and I'd really like to think that anything ever happened to me, someone would be around who took this course.

Another issue came up during the course, actually. Perhaps one that is more relevent to this blog. One section of the course covered severe bleeding, and the instructor encouraged all of us to donate blood. British Columbia is currently experiencing a blood shortage, and as a result, blood often has to be shipped over from Alberta.

This request struck a nerve with me. I donated blood once after 9-11 (I attended University in Maine in 2003) and the requirements for blood donors were, how should I say it... "lowered" somewhat significantly because of the state of emergency. I remember the sheet I had to fill out had VERY few limitations on it. However, upon checking with the Canadian Blood Services website several months ago, I found that both the temporary and indefinite deferral lists were quite extensive. What I found most shocking was the following indefinite deferral:

"All men who have had sex with another man, even once, since 1977 are indefinitely deferred. This is based on current scientific knowledge and statistical information that shows that men who have had sex with other men are at greater risk for HIV/AIDS infection than other people."

This seemed incredibly ridiculous to me... statistic or not, the blood certainly gets tested before being given to a recipient, and I can't imagine that two men in a monogamous relationship are any more at risk of giving a patient a bloodborne disease than a heterosexual individual with several hundred partners.

At any rate, the queer community has certainly been fighting this battle. I am sad to see that there are probably thousands of queer donors with perfectly acceptable blood, willing and wanting to give to those in need of it during a time of crisis, that are unable to because of this rule.

Additionally, I have heard from my peers that people have been questioned as to whether or not they have ever had an abortion or miscarried; two questions which I find have the potential to be quite traumatizing or triggering. I also am having trouble finding any documentation leading to why these questions are even relevent. If anyone can find some sort of medical backing to why these questions should be asked, PLEASE e-mail them to me or post them in the comments!

I honestly asked myself this question: Do I want to support Canadian Blood Services, even though I generally find their politics to be questionable?

The answer?

A reluctant yes. Donating blood does not support Canadian Blood Services. It supports life. Donating blood saves at least 3 lives. By NOT donating blood, I am not hurting Canadian Blood Services; I am only hurting 3 people who need me. I am not willing to let them down. There are other ways to fight this battle.

So tomorrow I will be donating blood. I will come back with a full report!

Leslie Feinberg: Perfect!

Ok, so I was just having a discussion where I declared that if I were to be able to absorb the knowledge and experience of any other person, it would have to be Leslie Feinberg. Somehow, Feinberg manages to be on top of every issue there is: anti-semitism, ableism, classism, racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, you name it. Then I asked... what about the environment? To which the other person responded, "Well, the environment isn't oppressed."

So maybe I am being devil's advocate here in asking, but isn't the environment an oppressed living entity?

Just a thought.

Taste of Health 2007

This event won't appear on the events calendar until September, but I am going to give everyone a heads up! Earthsave Canada is holding the 9th annual Taste of Health vegetarian festival Saturday September 29th - Sunday September 20th! The event looks amazing... I'd go into detail, but I wouldn't be able to do the festival nearly as much justice as their own website:

http://tasteofhealth.earthsave.ca/

You may also want to check out the Earthsave Canada website, as it has the 2007 Greater Vancouver Area 2007 Vegetarian Directory which lists a vast number of businesses that cater to the needs of vegetarians, vegans, and health conscious people.

http://www.earthsave.ca/

Dad's Rice and Beans + My Cabbage = Delicious!

Ok, I made a great thing for dinner and I had to pass the recipe your way.Take my word that it really is delicious, even my friend Susan, who is a meat and potatos kind of person, really thought it was good. It may seem like a meal from the Irish Depression straight out of a Frank McCourt book,but TRUST ME here!!!

Ok, the first part is dad's bean and rice recipe with a little twist. If youare doing this as one meal, make the rice first, because the rice takes longer. I will refresh your memory on how to make the rice:

"Dad's Rice And Bean Recipe"

-1 Cup Rice (we used basmati, but any kind will do)
-2 Cups Water
-1 pinch of Salt
-2 Tablespoons of Oil
-1 Can of Beans (Kidney Beans taste great, we used black beans because L won't eat kidney beans. Don't use like... Heinz Baked beans or anything likethat. Not refried, either. Won't work)
-1 teaspoon of Adobo Seasoning or Seasoning Salt

Now, I recommend you just throw all the ingredients into a rice cooker, stirwell, and turn the rice cooker will work the magic. Otherwise use theseinstructions:

1.)Boil 1 cup rice and 2 cups water and oil and salt.
2.)AFTER it boils, add beans and stir.
3.)Keep covered, then simmer for 20 minutes. DO NOT REMOVE THE LID!!! (Dadnotes in his recipe, that mom gets mad when you take off the lid! So keepthe lid on for the entire duration of the simmering!!!Ok, now for my part of the recipe, the cabbage part!!!

"Monika's Special Cabbage"

-1/2 head of cabbage
-2 medium carrots
-1 vegetable bouillon cube
-1 cup water
-1 tsp garlic, finely chopped
-1 whole, medium sized onion, diced
-olive oil-some Adobo of course!
-some Goya Sazon-it! if you have it, (If you don't have the Adobo or Sazon-it!, then you can use Seasoning Saltor Allspice)
-Salt and/or pepper, depending on what you like to add for flavoring

1.)Peel and slice carrots thin and at an angle.
2.)Cut the half cabbage head in half again. Cut out the core. Slice thin,about 1/3 in to 1/2 an inch.
3.)In a large pot, add the oil. When the oil is heated, heat the garlic andthe onion.
4.) Once the onion and garlic are hot (don't burn them!) raise the heat abit, and add the 1 cup of water and the boullion. Wait until the boullion iscompletely dissolved before going on to the next step.
5.) Make sure that there is enough water (just enough, not too much) tocover the bottom of the pot. If the water boils too much add just a littlebit more water.
6.)Now add the sliced cabbage and the carrots. Sprinkle in some of the saltand a bit of your seasonings.
7.)Turn heat to low. Cover pot, and let simmer for 2 minutes.
8.)Uncover and stir well. Re-cover. Repeat every 2-3 minutes until cabbageis tender but has a crunch to it. You want to steam the cabbage, not boil ituntil it's mushy. This should take about 10 minutes or so. Watch the liquidat the bottom. If all is absorbed add another 3 or 4 Tbsp.
9)Once the cabbage is to the desired texture, add a dash seasoning, and mixwell. Serve with dad's rice, and I am telling you, it will be a delicious, savorymeal!!!! SOOOO GOOD!!!!!

Vancouver Pride Desperate for Volunteers

The Vancouver Pride Parade is in jeopardy as they lost their sponsorship. If anyone is interested in volunteering, please read this article:

http://www.xtra.ca/public/viewstory.aspx?AFF_TYPE=4&STORY_ID=3158&PUB_TEMPLATE_ID=2

and/or sign up to volunteer using this form:
http://www.vancouverpride.ca/involve_volunteer.cfm?pageid=8