Sarah J. Blige

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In Transit

February 12th, 2010 · Stories and Tales

bus stop “GOOD MOENING.” A tiny but loud Asian woman shouts at me as she waves a Metro in my face. “Oh, I’ve already got one, but thanks!” I say more cheerfully than I feel this early in the morning. She looks down at the 24 Hours in my hand, grunts, and pushes past me to the next groggy commuter in closest proximity to me. “GOOD MOENING!” she shouts even more loudly at a wrinkly old man, who I’m certain either pooped himself or had a heart attack from fright.

I round the corner to the bus stop and am met by three massive lines curving down the street and into the Skytrain station. “Fucking students,” I grumble as I take my spot in line, juggling my chai, umbrella and soggy newspaper. A middle-aged man wearing Crocs, coke-bottle glasses and a pilot hat stares at me while he picks his nose absentmindedly. I stick my tongue out at him; he doesn’t even blink, his finger still jammed incredibly far up his nostril. He probably damaged his brain that way, I think to myself.

Two busses come and go before I’m even close to the front of the line. Finally, I’m on, along with around 80 other passengers, and we all cram ourselves in while exchanging looks that say, “I’m on my way to a job I fucking detest,” and, “Sorry I just stuck my umbrella up your bum.” Amazingly, I’m able to score a seat. But not 30 seconds later the wrinkly old pooped-in-pants man walks toward me, looking desperate for somewhere to park his soiled bum. “You can sit here,” I tell him, and he looks as though I’ve just offered him a mansion and a hefty sum of money rather than a less-than-comfortable bus seat. Poor guy, I think, as I get up and watch him shuffle toward me, struggling to push through the mass of commuters who either will not or cannot budge.

I’ve got the flu, and I’m not thrilled about being packed into this bus that looks like a Wal-Mart on Black Friday. I try to meditate into a state of quiet patience so that I don’t barf all over the annoying but innocent commuters, and I think I’m going to be okay, until I look down and notice a man who looks scarily close to death rubbing his scabby face and scratching his nearly hairless head, and the young woman beside him holding a plastic bag in one hand and covering her mouth with the other while she, too, tries not to vomit.

I hear some guy pitch a fit behind me and I notice he’s dropping an awful lot of f-bombs, which piques my curiosity. I tune in and realize he’s bitching out a little old lady. “Learn fucking English if yer gonna live in Canada,” he snarls. He is the freakiest looking little prick I’ve ever seen, his eyebrows extending diagonally upward with no arch or any kind of curvature (that’s a tell-tale sign of crazy, FYI) and his greasy brown mushroom cut hair parted in the middle and slicked to the sides of his face. There is terror in his beady eyes, straight up psychosis, and he shouts, “I would learn fucking Chinese if I was gunna go to Japan! Learn fucking English, you stupid bitch!” I am appalled both by his belligerence and flagrant stupidity and I quickly think up something sufficiently bitchy and valiant to throw back at him, but just as I’m about to do so, I look back and see him stepping off the bus. The second most irritating thing about this moron behind his ridiculous bullying and just ahead of his creepy face was that I heard the little old lady reply to him, kindly, even, and her English was perfect.

I finally reach the halfway point of my commute and step off the bus, somewhat relieved, but also dreading the remainder of my trip to work. I walk into the Skytrain station and notice a new sign by the stairs with a picture above some text that is too small to read: it appears to be a pervert grabbing some girl’s ass. I get closer and realize it’s supposed to be a pickpocket pickpocketing.

Ass grab

My thoughts are interrupted and I almost throw my chai into the air as a booming robot voice hollers at the sleepy commuters, “Please keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior and immediately report it to your nearest Skytrain attendant.”

My heart rate has almost slowed to a normal pace when the robot voice returns, still far louder than it needs to be: “Please stand well clear of the platform edge and allow passengers to get off the train before you board.” Ah, the robot is British, but without the sweet accent. Rip off. As usual, more than a few people crowd the doors as they open, totally ignoring the polite robot’s requests and making it extremely difficult for people to exit the train. This pisses me off to no end, and I really don’t think it should even be necessary for a robot to remind us of things that should be common sense. Then again, I’m starting to lose my faith in the existence of Common Sense; I’m almost certain it’s a myth.

I get on the train and am lucky enough to get a seat, or so I think. At the next stop, an interesting-looking little person gets on the train. She (at least I’m fairly sure it’s a she) is short and stout but without the handle and the spout and with a bright green suitcase and a crazy hairdo. “MOOOOVE! I NEED TO SIT DOOOWN! MOOOOVE!” she hollers as she literally tosses people aside and makes a mad dash for the seat beside me. Oh shit. It doesn’t take me long to figure out that my lovely train neighbor has special needs, including the need for volume control. She looks right at me, wide-eyed and bushy-tailedhaired, and joyfully asks, “Is that one a’ dose pod tingies?” pointing at my iPod, my only means of distancing myself from the public transit crazies. “Yeah it is,” I reply, being pleasant but not offering too much. I can just tell that I don’t want to get this one started or I’ll never get off the train. “Whaddarya listening to?!” she asks, still emphatic but almost incomprehensible. “It’s Modest Mouse,” I say, with a bit of a smile this time. She’s just too hilarious, and I’m finding it difficult to be disinterested in this anomaly of a human being. “Oh. Have you hearda dat one song? It’s by dat one guy….WHAT’S DAT BLACK GUY? Not Beyonce…” she trails off, deep in thought. I hear several people giggle at this, and I’m right with them. It’s not that we’re laughing at her in a malevolent way, it’s just that she’s fucking hilarious without meaning to be, which is kind of awesome. I reach my stop and for once I am almost hesitant to get off the train. The public transit crazies are always amusing but usually rather irritating; this one was special, and I wanted more. I reluctantly stand up, wave goodbye to my quirky transit neighbor and push my way through the group of douche bags crowding the open doors.

→ 1 CommentTags: public transit

Cheese disease: the true story of a recovering cheese addict

January 19th, 2010 · Vegan Living

Beware the evil cheese

Anyone who knows me well knows about my ongoing struggle with nixing cheese from my diet. I’ve never craved any type of meat or poultry, or any other form of dairy since going vegan almost two years ago, but I still long for cheese almost daily. It was once my greatest love, and I kicked it to the curb like a bad boyfriend. Almost.

I have the occasional cheese relapse, usually in the form of greasy pizza when I’m hungover, but I’ve managed to avoid cheese about 97% of the time.

Truth be told, most vegan cheese is disgusting (usually slimy and rubbery), but I’ve discovered a new brand of vegan cheese that is absolutely delicious: the best thing since…well, cheese. It’s called Daiya, and you can get it at Karmavore in New West. (They only sell it in 5-lb, $40 bags so far, but once you try it, you’ll be glad you have so much on hand.) I’ve had it on pizza, veggie burgers, nachos, enchiladas and quesadillas, and it is incredible every time. It melts like cheese, tastes like cheese, and completely satisfies my need for cheese. Daiya is free of dairy, trans fats, gluten and even soy, as it’s made with healthy and non-GMO plant-based ingredients. My prayers to the vegan gods have finally been answered.

Delicious Daiya vegan cheese

Now, if you’re perfectly happy with your fatty, cholesterol-packed cow cheese, that’s all fine and dandy. But don’t say I didn’t warn you about the dangers of cheese when you’re sitting in the hospital with a gallstones attack, or worse, heart disease.

I found it extremely difficult to eat completely vegan while I was in Medicine Hat for two weeks last December (as one waitress put it, “This is a real meat city”), especially while staying in the hospital with my friend and her new baby, and I ended up eating more cheese than I had in my almost-two years since going vegan. I felt kind of icky, but it got worse: I actually ended up in the hospital myself.

The day I flew back to Vancouver I started to get an intense pain in my right ribs (or lung, I wasn’t quite sure which) with every inhale. It worsened throughout the day, and by evening I started to experience more prolonged attacks that left me doubled over, breathless and in tears. I was cursing the blasted hospital cot I was forced to sleep on for five nights while in The Hat, as it was the only thing I could imagine would be causing my pain. I could feel every spring in that tiny cot, and I thought one of them was likely poking into my ribs all night, causing some bruising. As usual, Dr. Blige was wrong.

The next day I struggled during my commute to work to not pass out or throw up due to the pain, but when I finally got there, my coworker could see that there was something terribly wrong with me. Once again, I was doubled over in pain and about to vomit. My two physio bosses spent the next hour-and-a-half trying to help me, but the pain was just getting worse and worse. One of my bosses thought I might be having a gallstones attack, which he said could be brought on by the unusual increase of cheese in my diet while I was out of town.

I went home and laid in bed for the next two days, trying to ignore the nagging pain in my chest. Eventually I went to a walk-in clinic and the doctor I saw sent me straight to emergency. I sat there for 5 or 6 hours and by the time someone finally saw me, the x-ray and ultrasound ward was closed, and I was told to come back the next day. (Thanks a lot, VGH.)

Cross-section of a gall bladder with gallstones - EEWWW!!

The pain started to subside over the next few days and the tests didn’t show any abnormalities. The doctors and I were somewhat confused, but one nice nurse told me I most likely had gallstones that had passed before the tests were performed, and were caused by a spike in cholesterol in my diet. Cheese disease.

My experience with gallstones is pretty solid proof that a diet high in fat and cholesterol is a recipe for disaster, which is why it’s important to include lots of fruits, vegetables and fibre in your diet and avoid animal-derived foods at all costs.

→ No CommentsTags: gallstones·vegan diet

Blige’s kitchen: gorge-worthy guac and beertastic dill bread

January 19th, 2010 · Vegan Recipes

Getting my cook on

I started a new job a couple of months ago and in an office of 15 employees, I am the only vegan. And with a new job comes new people asking the same old question in regard to my eating habits and choice to be vegan: What do you eat? It never ceases to amaze me how confused omnivores become when you eliminate meat and dairy from the food equation. They seem to forget entirely about the other (far more nutritional) food groups, as though meat and dairy are the only reasonable choices and you simply cannot eat a well-balanced meal without them. My usual response is a somewhat snotty, Whatever I want. Food tastes so much better when it’s free of pain, suffering and despair.

But I won’t go into vegan eating 101, since I’ve already been there and done that with The Basics of Veganism. Instead, I’ll post a couple of my favorite (and easiest) 100% cruelty-free recipes, because I love you and don’t want you to be fat and unhealthy. Bon appétit!

Gorge-worthy guacamole:
Total time: 15 minutes

My most-declicious guacamole: I must be part Mexican

What you’ll need:

2 ripe avocados*
1/3 small tomato
1/4 purple onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 lemon
1 pinch each paprika, seasoned salt, pepper, cayenne pepper (spice to taste)
1-2 tablespoons cilantro, diced

a bowl, a sharp knife, and a fork

*the trick to choosing perfectly ripe avocados is to find the ones that are starting to turn a purplish brown color and have just a little give when squish them gently. If there are any really squishy parts or the whole thing is overly soft, move on.

How to make it:

- Slice the avos lengthwise, and gently twist the two halves in opposite directions to separate them from the pit. (Fun fact: the avocado is actually a fruit — a berry, to be precise — not a veggie. But don’t let that freak you out.)
- Slice a checkboard into each half (top-to-bottom and side-to-side), being careful not to cut through the skin, especially if you’re cradling the avo in your hand while you slice.
- Scoop the sliced-up avocado out of the shell/skin and into your bowl. Mash it around a little for fun, if you want.
- Dice the garlic, onion, tomato and cilantro as finely as possible. It’s okay to have bigger chunks of tomato, but no one likes biting into a massive chunk of raw garlic or onion, so be more finicky with these. Toss ‘em all in.
- Cut your slice of lemon and squeeze that baby into the bowl.
- Add paprika, seasoned salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste. The spice (and the lemon) is the key to excellent guac, so just start with a little if you’re scared your first time (which is totally normal), and add more as needed.
- Serve with tortilla chips (I like the blue and red ones), or use as a side for your favorite Mexican dish.

Beertastic dill bread:
Prep time: 10 minutes Baking time: 35-40 minutes Total time: 45-50 minutes

Fresh out of the oven

What you’ll need:

3 cups flour*
12 ounces of beer
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons cane sugar
3 tablespoons FRESH dill, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)
1 green onion, diced (optional)

9″ bread pan, a big mixing bowl and a spoon

*this recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but I’ve also used whole wheat and pastry flour, and they all turned out delicious. You may have to adjust the amount of liquid (add more beer, or use water) to achieve the right consistency when using flour other than all-purpose.
How to make it:

- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and lightly grease a 9″ bread pan with canola oil or vegan margarine.
- Finely dice your fresh dill, as well as the onion and garlic, if you’re using it. (You can get creative and use other herbs and seasonings. Throw in whatever your little baker’s heart desires.)
- In a big mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Toss in dill and other chopped ingredients.
- Slowly pour in beer and mix well, until all ingredients are properly blended.
- Pour batter into bread ban and stick it in the oven.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until bread is golden brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes, or as long as you can wait.
- Slice and spread on a little vegan margarine for extra deliciousness.
- Enjoy the smell of fresh dilly bread wafting through your home and the satisfaction of being an awesome cook.

→ No CommentsTags: dill beer bread recipe·fresh guacamole recipe

Artist Profile: Aegis Strife

December 30th, 2009 · Arts and Culture

Travel is dangerous

Mario Sánchez Nevado, or “Aegis Strife“, is a mostly self-taught 24-year-old Spanish artist who creates whimsical, intricate, surreal images that often evoke an intense emotional response. Aegis Strife predominantly works with photo manipulation, but also paints (with oils and acrylics), does photography, writes poetry and sings in a band. His work has been featured in a number of different magazines and you can purchase his prints online through deviantArt, RedBubble and Artzprojekt/Zazzle.

Aegis Strife’s art is most often a metaphysical exploration of aspects of the human condition: joy, despair, love, fear, lust, longing. It often examines man’s relationship with nature, and with the supernatural realm. Some pieces are simply aesthetically captivating, but they still move you with as much force as the more emotionally charged or conceptual pieces. Using mostly digital tools, Aegis Strife creates beautiful, powerful images that look like snapshots from fantastical dreams, and sometimes creepy nightmares.

I asked Mario Sánchez Nevado some questions about his personal artistic process.

Ahead on our way

Can you tell me a bit about your process when creating an artwork?

The process I take is almost automatic. Usually I sit in front of the computer and I start doodling, and at one point or another, I “understand” what I am creating and from that moment I know where to lead my steps in that creation in particular. Other times it’s an idea I’ve had in mind for a while and I decide to start a creative process, researching information, sketching, etc. The first kind of work is more emotionally-oriented, and the second kind of work is more conceptual, but I prefer the emotional approach. So as you can see, every piece has a different procedure. I try to experiment.

What is your greatest inspiration?

Freedom

I guess my main inspiration, knowing that most of my work is emotional, is my everyday life, how I see it and which reactions it creates in my being. Also, music plays a very important role, so usually I feel inspired by certain melodies and lyrics.

I mainly work with photomanipulation, because it’s easier and allows me to get results faster than any other media in the field of creative ideas. I can mix some photos and see if they’ll look good and fit with the concept, and if I don’t like it I’ll just throw to the can a few minutes of my time. On the other hand, if I like what I see, then I’ll spend days or weeks refining everything. I also like painting a lot, especially with oils and acrylics, but it’s hard to work that way if you want real results as an illustrator, knowing that nowadays traditional medias are almost obsolete (sadly) and more expensive (and dirty). But I also prefer to work in mixed media because the appeal of the images is stronger, at least for me.

The god that failed

Do you go through periods of “artist’s block”? If so, how do you deal with it?

Sometimes I have periods in which I start creating images and one hour later I close them because I think they’re useless. Knowing that I work using an automatic way of making things, experiencing a block is a completely random occurrence. It usually comes when I’ve been working in the same style for more than a month and I need fresh air. How do I deal with it? I just let the things flow. If my brain doesn’t want to create anything I just switch it off and do other things until I desire to paint something. It usually works that way.

Interlude

How has your artwork changed over the years, and how has it changed you?

It has changed due to my will of experimentation. I don’t publish everything I do. Most of my published artworks are photomanipulations and digital mixed media pieces, but I work a lot in collages, paintings, photography, found objects, etc. Some of that work is used in digital artworks and the rest remains in my private collection. So, my artworks evolve as long as I try new methods and materials in analogical medias. It’s sounds strange but that’s the way I work .

I can hate you

My digital artwork has changed a lot since I started in 2005, because at first it was plain dark art and it has gone through periods of surreal or almost pop pieces. Every new style you work with leaves a little “something” in you that changes your style when you mix that with other themes and concepts, so it’s ever-evolving, it always changing, sometimes for good, and sometimes for bad, but that’s the risk!

Finding

Retransmission - A comment on the hypocrisy and misdirected efforts of censorship.

Bottom of a lake

See more incredible pieces at Mario Sánchez Nevado’s website: http://aegis-strife.net/wordpress/

→ 2 CommentsTags: digital art

Cruelty-free Cuteness

November 13th, 2009 · Animal Rights Issues

A lot of people believe that you have to sacrifice fashion when you adopt a vegan lifestyle, but that is simply untrue. There are plenty of high-quality, cruelty-free alternatives to leather and fur out there that don’t look like crap. In fact, some of them are rather charming. I like Forever21 because they make super cute vegan clothes with synthetic materials that won’t cost you (or a fur-bearing animal) an arm and a leg. (Not only is fur and leather inhumane, it’s expensive!)

Like this cropped faux leather jacket ($48.50):

A no-leather jacket by Forever 21

And these très adorable biker boots ($43.80) and flirty taupe-colored open-toed booties ($29.80):

Biker-inspired textured faux leather boots

Sassy cut-out booties by Forever 21

Even the belts and handbags at Forever 21 are made from faux leather or other vegan materials!

Faux fur vest from Express

If you’re feeling like splurging a little, you might want to check out some of Express Clothing‘s faux fur and leather jackets, shrugs and vests, like this pretty mock-fur vest made from synthetic materials that will leave you $70 poorer (after using the $30-off coupon) but looking exponentially chicer (it also comes in chocolate brown).

I’m always a little wary of faux fur, because the labels don’t really have to be accurate (check out my post on dog and cat fur), but if you have no qualms about wearing something that claims to be cruelty-free, all the power to ya. It’s probably legitimately faux, but you might want to do some research on the product before you buy it just to be sure.

Olsen Haus is a “pure vegan” company that makes some pretty irresistible shoes, but they’re a little more pricey than the vegan shoes at Forever 21, so this is another vegan company that falls into the splurge category. Even though I can’t afford most of the shoes at Olsen Haus, they’re one of my favorite vegan companies because they have material about the gruesome truth behind leather, suede and wool on their site. It’s important that people know where their purchases come from, which is why I urge you to check out the page here: http://www.olsenhaus.com/truth.html.

And now for some eye foot candy from Olsen Haus:

Balance in black and citron, from Olsen Haus ($205 USD)

Faith pumps in grey from Olsen Haus ($215 USD)

→ 2 CommentsTags: cruelty-free·Express Clothing·Forever 21·Fur clothing·Olsen Haus·vegan clothes·vegan shoes

Well, at least they’re being honest

November 13th, 2009 · Vegan Living

Yummy Canadian hormone meat sold in China

Can I get an order of hormone-packed decomposing flesh with a side of poop and extra puss?

Mmmmm. Pork intestines, beef liver and the first stomach of beef, all jacked up on hormones. Sounds delish. But who doesn’t like hormones, right? (The alcohol is for afterward, to make you forget what junk you’ve just shoved into your face hole.)

This delightful, unintentionally truthful packaging is kinda funny, but the sad thing is that it’s accurate.

Most people would probably like to believe that the beef that ends up on their plate was once a happy, healthy cow blissfully grazing green-as-grass pastures and basking in the warm sun until the end of her long, full life when it was time to take her to the slaughterhouse (or “put her out to pasture”), honor her life with a heartfelt sermon and give her an injection of some sort that first renders her unconscious and then stops her breathing, naturally and painlessly. Others are just fine with believing cattle raised for beef is treated humanely before and during slaughter, and that the slaughterhouses follow strict health regulations and maintain a clean, sanitary environment. Sadly, this is not the case. The meat you eat is likely full of hormones, steroids, feces, urine and other nasties. The majority of cows raised for slaughter are kept in terrible conditions and lead very unhealthy, miserable, short lives.

A cow with a controlled-release hormone implant

But all prodding, beating, tormenting, branding, shackling, dismembering, scalding, skinning and decapitation aside, the meat industry is still pretty dirty. It is more profitable for factory farmers to have big cows who eat less, so cattle are pumped with growth hormones and steroids to make them bigger and less hungry. According to the Cattlemen’s Beef Association, 90% of all US feedlot cattle are implanted with controlled-release implants, which are reported to increase the treated animals’ growth by 20%, and decrease by 15% its feed consumption for every pound gained. (The implant-treated cows typically gain three pounds each day.) The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and Beef Information Centre confirms that cows raised by conventional methods can be treated with growth hormones and veterinary products, and even states that cows who have become sick (and there are a lot of them, since animals raised on factory farms are forced to live in tiny stalls full of urine, feces and vomit) and have been treated with antibiotics can still legally be labelled as “organic beef”. And to give you a better gage of the scale of antibiotic use in

Gettin' what's comin' to 'em

factory farms and its effect on meat-eating humans, I’d like to add that half of all antibiotics produced in the United States are used on farm animals, ultimately building up antibiotic resistance in people. And that’s not the worst of it: meat is often tainted with toxic chemicals, pesticide residues and industrial pollutants. (If you’d like to find out more about the scary stuff that ends up in your burger, check out David Steinman’s book, Diet For a Poisoned Planet.)

You still don’t care, because “meat just tastes so good!”? Well what if I told you that consumption of hormone-infused and toxic chemical-laced meat can cause developmental problems, issues with the reproductive system, early onset of puberty and a big, fat ass?

I’m with Paul McCartney in the belief that everyone would be vegetarian if slaughterhouses had glass walls, and I also think people would stop eating meat if it was accurately labelled with all of the gross extras it contained.

The trailer below is for the 2006 film Fast Food Nation, which is loosely based on Eric Schlosser’s book of the same title.

→ 1 CommentTags: hormones in meat

Ellen goes vegan and her awesome quotient skyrockets

November 6th, 2009 · Vegan Living

Ellen goes vegan and shocks us all by being able to get even cooler

Being sans TV, I am missing out on one of my favorite shows: the ellen degeneres show. If I was still able to follow Ellen and her kookiness on her uber popular daytime talk show, I likely would have already known that she recently made the switch to veganism, but unfortunately I usually get super-important celebrity dietary news a little later than most.

On her website, Ellen says this about making the switch to a vegan diet:

“I personally chose to go vegan because I educated myself on factory farming and cruelty to animals, and I suddenly realized that what was on my plate were living things, with feelings. And I just couldn’t disconnect myself from it any longer. I read books like “Diet for a New America” and saw documentaries like “Earthlings” and “Meet your Meat,” and it became an easy choice for me.”

She goes on to suggest that her viewers (and the general public) educate themselves on the significance of their dietary choices and the benefits of veganism, and also provides a link to a page on her site that lists some of the best reasons for going veg.

And for your viewing pleasure, I’ve included a video from Ellen’s website of her cooking a vegan roast meal with her personal chef, Roberto Martin. This is a totally easy meal: it’s simply a veganized version of a typical holiday roast meal using common and widely available vegan alternatives.

→ 2 CommentsTags: Ellen Degeneres·veganism

Remembrance Day Comes Early With Mass Shooting at Fort Hood

November 6th, 2009 · Human Rights Issues

Major Nidal Malik Hasan: Portrait of a Shooter

Next Wednesday, November 11th is the annual day of remembrance for soldiers who have fallen in battle, though I don’t doubt victims of yesterday’s mass shooting at the army base in Fort Hood, Texas will also be honored on Remembrance Day this year.

12 soldiers and one civilian were killed and 30 others injured when 39-year-old U.S. Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire at a processing center in the Fort Hood military base. Hasan was eventually shot and apprehended, though reports claim he is still alive and recovering from his wounds. This was one of the largest mass shootings in U.S. history, and the deadliest at an American military base in modern history. However, it isn’t the first case of fratricide in the U.S. Army in recent years.

In today’s issue of The Globe and Mail, a reporter states, “In May, a U.S. Army soldier was arrested after a shooting rampage at Camp Liberty in the Iraqi capital Baghdad that killed five people and wounded three more. That attack occurred at a clinic for soldiers suffering from war-related stress.
In 2005, in what was believed to be the first recorded case of “fragging” in Iraq, a U.S. Army sergeant was charged with premeditated murder in the deaths of two U.S. officers who were killed in an explosion at their base in Tikrit.
And in March of 2003, just days after U.S. troops poured over the boarder into Iraq, an American soldier was detained after grenades thrown into three tents exploded at a U.S. base in Kuwait, killing one soldier and wounding another 13.”

Monica Cain, wife of soldier Darren Cain, fearfully waits outside Fort Hood during the shooting.

Many people are asking themselves why this happened, What could possibly have been Major Hasan’s motive for killing his own?

Of course, I don’t know the answer to this question. But I am anxious to hear what Hasan has to say about it, and therefore am thankful that he’s still alive. What’s known and thus far published about Major Hasan is that he is American-born of Middle Eastern decent, he joined the military as a psychiatrist before September 11, 2001, and openly opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s reported that he fought deployment to these war-torn countries for years, and often argued with soldiers who strongly supported the wars. Ironically, he worked with soldiers suffering from combat stress to help them overcome the effects of violence. Family and acquaintances of Major Hasan have described him as “mostly very quiet”, and “a good American.” Those who know Hasan have said there was no indication that he had radical religious ideals or would be capable of committing an extremist attack.

However, The Globe and Mail also reported that there had been an inquiry six months ago into Major Hasan’s activity on the web after he allegedly made Internet posts about suicide bombings and other war threats. A post under the name Nidal Hasan said, ““If one suicide bomber can kill 100 enemy soldiers because they were caught off guard that would be considered a strategic victory.” Perhaps Hasan considered his attack a “strategic victory” in making a symbolic statement to the government about the affects of severe stress on soldiers. Or maybe he just lost it. Hard to say at this point.

His relatives have told the media that Major Hasan had been taunted for years because of his Islamic beliefs, and some of his family members suspect he was pushed to the edge by the abusive treatment from his peers and simply “snapped”. They also told the press that Hasan had become extremely devout to Islam following the death of his parents, though one of his cousins added, “Our religion does not support violence, as the West believes,” trying to quell concerns that the attack had been religiously motivated. Hasan’s family is pleading with the media not to make this a case of a Muslim terrorist brazenly professing his hatred toward America.

It is likely that Hasan was hoping to be killed by officers during the attack, ultimately avoiding deployment to Iraq but refusing to go down without a fight. It looks like Hasan was trying to escape his life, but until he speaks with officials, we can only speculate as to what drove Hasan to commit the mass shooting.

To me, this much is clear: the victims of the Fort Hood shooting are also victims of an unprovoked and unjustified war, as is Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who was obviously terribly troubled by the American occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and would fight at all costs to avoid being forced to support a war he didn’t believe in. Benjamin Franklin said, “There never was a good war or a bad peace,” and I agree. War is a product of ego-driven greed, and it is the worst crime against humanity.

→ No CommentsTags: combat stress·Fort Hood shooting·Major Nidal Hasan

The Wood Brothers Lit My Fire

October 26th, 2009 · Arts and Culture

The Wood Brothers, Chris on bass and Oliver on guitar

Every few years, I stumble upon a band or musician that totally rocks my world and leaves me a changed person. At their intimate concert last Saturday night at The Media Club, The Wood Brothers did just that.

The tiny space becomes packed easily, so we decided to get comfy and claim a spot on the floor, only feet from the stage where the incredibly talented brothers would be performing. Chris Wood, one-third of the musically progressive (not to mention popular) jazz-funk trio Medeski Martin & Wood warmed our hearts with his mad upright bass-playing skills, while his singing, guitar-strumming brother Oliver (guitarist and vocalist for Atlanta-based King Johnson) wooed us with his raspy-but-rich voice.

The Wood Brothers have joined forces once again after being separated by thousands of miles and the pursuit of each of their dreams, and boy am I glad they’ve found their way back to one another. The have a unique bluesy-folk-rock sound and have captured the perfect combo of soul, sweetness, funk and fun on their 2008 album Loaded. The only thing I don’t like about this band is that they’re not ridiculously rich and famous (as they very well should be) and therefore I can’t find a video of adequate quality on youtube to do justice to their abilities. However, you can check out a bunch of their songs right on their website: http://www.thewoodbrothers.com/. And better yet, you can support fantastic talent and encourage these boys to continue to make beautiful music by purchasing one (or all!) of their cds.

The Wood Brothers’ songs are playing on repeat in my head, and I’m making their music the new soundtrack to my life.

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Origin Assured = Cruelty Guaranteed

October 22nd, 2009 · Animal Rights Issues

Origin Assured label furs claim to be a "responsible" and "ethical" choice, but nothing could be further from the truth.

I was flipping through the October issue of VOGUE when I came across a four-page ad for Origin Assured (OA) label furs, complete with cheesy slogans like “LABEL ME fabulous” and misleading claims from fashion designers, such as Roberto Cavalli’s “The OA label assures customers that they are making a stylish, responsible choice.”

The OA label claims these furs come from a “well-regulated industry that adheres to strict animal standards.” Funny that this campaign, if I may call it that, is the brainchild of none other than the International Fur Trade Federation (IFTF) and its industry partners. The IFTF professes OA was born of a “desire to heighten awareness about ethically sourced fur,” but I say this is a slimy, ill-intentioned ploy to trick caring but generally naive consumers into feeling good about supporting an unethical product.

The Origin Assured label claims to assure customers the fur they’ve purchased comes from a country where national or local fur production regulations are in place. But how can we trust an organization with its sole interest in making a buck to be completely honest about the origin of the fur its promoting? The international auction houses that sell the majority of the world’s fur (and who are in collaboration with the IFTF) are responsible for sorting, invoicing and labeling furs with the OA mark. Wouldn’t it be extremely easy to simply slip the OA label on a dog fur coat from China?

Okay, so let’s give these noble furriers the benefit of the doubt for a moment, and say all of the furs marked with the OA label really have come from responsible countries concerned with animal welfare. Like here in the Great White North, for example, the leading producer of seal pelts, where newborn seals are routinely hooked in the eye and dragged across the ice squirming and squealing, then beaten senseless until they’re dead enough to be skinned. Or in Japan, where thousands of dolphins and whales are killed every year, either by being barbarically harpooned or having their throats slashed with large knives. Or perhaps in the United States, where millions of historically wild animals (mink, for example) are kept in tiny, unsanitary cages on fur farms, literally going mad in captivity and resorting to self-mutilation and even cannibalism. Even Hong Kong Fur Factory Ltd., which lists China United Fur Industrial Ltd. as one of its subsidiary companies made its way onto the list of OA approved manufactures. Curious, says me.

An injured fox suffers in his cage

The fur trade rakes in an estimated $15,000,000,000 annually, all stemming from the cruel slaughter of 50 million animals worldwide. What you can be assured of is that the IFTF is keen on keeping profits up and will tell consumers whatever they need to hear in order to ensure that happens. Don’t believe everything you read. There is nothing “ethical”, “humane”, or “responsible” about the fur trade. Spin doctors will weave a wild web of lies and only need you to perpetuate their agenda.

Learn the facts at PETA’s media center. To see a full list of designers who use fur in their lines (and avoid their clothing at all costs), visit http://www.fur-style.com/en/designers/?pagination=5&cHash=f076441d4b.

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The musings of Ms. Blige

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