Rants *enter at own risk*

[Kemaru]

Gotta love unlimited bandwidth 100 Mbps for just 10–20€/mo. I think that was the price, our housing co-op made a contract with an ISP to provide easy and affordable internet to all residents. ^_^

[david.atwell]

I bike to work when the weather is nice (so, pretty much all summer), and on my way in today, a dragonfly ran into my mouth as I was going at high speed.  It rather hurt a lot.  I'm just glad my mouth was closed.

[Kemaru]

^ ouch!

 

I bike to school, and insects fly towards my face all the time but they're just tiny flies. My rant: I can't seem to find headphones that block out wind and sound decent. I bought a pair of budget closed-can Sennheisers and they sound way worse than the reviews lead me to believe and they don't block really any sound at all. I'll probably return them.

[minni]

IMO - why the west is going to H in a H:

 

Nowadays, "enlightened" people say:

"Ha, people in long-ago centuries were SO primitive.
Their kings drank from lead cups.
[oh?? and nowadays FDA kings haven't approve thimerosal + amalgam fillings?]
[and speak of LEAD - we have LEDs containing Phosphors, and LEDs often zap eyes from brightness!

Back to the future:

"Ha, people in the 20-21st centuries were SO primitive.
Their zero-empathy professionals tended to spout what they "knew"
...Vs. "wisely-knowing" subtleties surrounding "facts" they spouted.
They would subject people to barbarically rigid medical/surgical regimens.
Personnel at clinics acted like icebergs to patrons, then charged fortunes with no money-back guarantee's.

Then the naive patrons would agree to be subjected to all sorts of dead-end regimens, based on Zero-Transparency, sorta like guinea pigs on treadmills, because they'd be taken in by the sophisticated facades of the zero-empathy administrators. They'd agree to have labels slapped onto their conditions (as if they're wine bottles), even though ABC-condition might have similar symptoms AND causes as XYZ-condition.

Compare that to nowadays, where we tap into zero-point-energy (such as L.I.F.E. or SCIO etc.) for diagnostics. We detox bi-monthly via ancient NON-INVASIVE proven methods such as Leeches, AND/OR the sequence of salt-water-immersion followed by Suctioning Grounded-mudpool while Far-InfraRed shines on the pool.

This serves to Detox, Decharge, and ReGround any of us who become overcharged from too much stress, or chemicals, metals & parasites. Not that we much need it, since our societies are wiser than to subject ourselves to toxins.

We then take our bi-monthly maintenance dosage of phototherapy which hones in on the precise areas of our bodies requiring maintenance, in order to photoactivate the stemcells in that area.

[Ego Eram Reputo]

Rant:  Time.  Why is there never enough?

[barbieq25]

Rant:  Time.  Why is there never enough?

 

Yeah...

 

Related to that theme: why do some folk think their time is more precious than anyone else's?

Interviewing 3 clients today & I bet none turn up & none will let me know. At least I will get some reports written then

[skullbonz]

I still have a suspicion that minni is one of my relatives. Do you live in Alaska? Or maybe Massachusetts?  

[minni]

<snip>

Edited August 29, 2014 by Ego Eram Reputo
Minni - you've been warned. KNOCK IT OFF.

[Kemaru]

I don't think there's a thing such as lost time.

 

Even this ridiculous house arrest I've been put in isn't a waste of time; I'm learning to be punctual! I sorely miss social events though. Not being able to drink is nice too I suppose, keeps me on a healthy track. Albeit I said I quit drinking, the other day I walked by the beer aisle (the shelf is opposite UHT-products where I get my soy milk from) and I felt a slight craving for a bottle of good kriek. My schoolmates (oh good news by the way, I'm studying clothing production!) were asking me what I like to drink and the conversation made me miss Riesling... 

 

At first I thought this sentence was asinine. I could go out and work and essentially go about like normal... But now that it's been going for almost two months, my house is starting to feel like a cage. It hit me that instead of doing what I please, I'm doing what someone else has allowed me to do. And all this because I refused something that shouldn't be mandatory in the first place. I can't go to Helsinki, I can't travel to Europe with my friend in November, I can't even properly celebrate my friend's birthday, because staying too late (I proposed a timeframe of 2pm to 8pm) would increase the risk of alcohol consumption.

 

And another revelation this week was that when we were talking about animal fibres at school, I began thinking about leather and somehow the thought that leather was a dead animal's skin started revolting me... Now whenever I so much as think about my wallet, my shoes, the details of my lovely backpack, I feel a bit sick.

[MikeRobe]

So no crackling then?

[Sozo]

And another revelation this week was that when we were talking about animal fibres at school, I began thinking about leather and somehow the thought that leather was a dead animal's skin started revolting me... Now whenever I so much as think about my wallet, my shoes, the details of my lovely backpack, I feel a bit sick.

 

Do you feel the same way about glue? Eggs? Isinglass? Sponges? Silk? Wigs? Animals have been living and dying for as long as there has been life on earth. It seems a bit silly to get squeemish about using what they produce, living or dead. At least, that's my opinion.

[Kemaru]

Do you feel the same way about glue? Eggs? Isinglass? Sponges? Silk? Wigs? Animals have been living and dying for as long as there has been life on earth. It seems a bit silly to get squeemish about using what they produce, living or dead. At least, that's my opinion.

 

As a vegan, yes.

 

You raise a fair point about the life and death of animals, but wouldn't you agree that for many of the species you listed, it would be more accurate to say that currently they are raised in captivity and often killed prematurely.

I'm not interested in preaching, condemning or converting anyone to a vegan lifestyle, and what I say next will probably anger many users here, but if any of you were genuinely sorry to hear about the two unfortunate cat events, but are fine with eating meat, dairy or any animal products, then you need to think about why one is sad but an immensely large number of animals being slaughtered and abused for not much else than personal pleasure isn't. I'm not judging anyone who eats meat, I'm just trying to provoke some thoughts.

and inb4 you vegans get off yer high horse you're not perfect either: That's right. I'm not. I make mistakes. It's not been very long since I fully embraced a vegan lifestyle, I still have non-vegan items. It's only been 4 years since I turned vegetarian, and I still think cheeses, eggs and yoghurt taste great. But I realised that unless you live in an area of the world where you simply cannot survive without one-sidedly using animals, or you simply do not care at all for either animal or human welfare, there is no reasonable justification for any of it. The choice is your own, but it impacts everyone.

 

Rant: the same class again. This time, silkworms. The samples I could manage, because it is important in my future line of work to know, but I thought the keychain (which had two silkworm pupae with the poor dead worms still inside) that our teacher used to show what they look like was in very poor taste.

Edited September 18, 2014 by Kemaru

[skullbonz]

Maybe you shouldn't be taking that class then.  Why don't vegans care about the plants also? They live, reproduce and emit life giving oxygen. Are they any different than the animals that feed us? It also is a scientific fact that plants scream when cut or broken. 

 

McDonalds works very hard to bring us a balance of both worlds by adding wood pulp to their burger meat,lol    

Edited September 18, 2014 by skullbonz

[Ego Eram Reputo]

With my partner I own a small farm.  We raise animals, some for food.  We do so with their well-being in mind and ensure that they have happy lives free from disease, hunger and confinement.

 

Setting aside the meat issue, what could be wrong with a free-range egg?  Or wool that I clip from a sheep?

[Kemaru]

Maybe you shouldn't be taking that class then.  Why don't vegans care about the plants also? They live, reproduce and emit life giving oxygen. Are they any different than the animals that feed us? It also is a scientific fact that plants scream when cut or broken. 

 

McDonalds works very hard to bring us a balance of both worlds by adding wood pulp to their burger meat,lol    

 

Unfortunately, I don't get to decide my curriculum. And the class is important as we learn the differences of fabrics and learn to recognise materials by feel, sound and look. There's nothing that's wrong about the class itself, except maybe the idiotic keychain.

 

And also about the plants. I've heard this ridiculous argument so many times (seriously, it's such a common question that it's basically a vegan meme, right there next to "what if you're stranded on an island" and "if you had to choose between a cow dying or your mom") I'm shocked that a plant rights movement isn't happening.

I'm assuming that was just a joke/troll but I'm going to respond to it at any rate. YES, they are different. I would think that is relatively obvious, since plants don't have a nervous system, ergo they don't feel. There's no point in talking about their pain. They might react to certain stimuli such as light and heat, but they can't feel.

And even if they did, the only rational way to minimise plant suffering would actually be to go vegan, becuase for each pound of meat an animal has to consume at least twice as much feed. To say that vegans don't care about plants would be a misinterpretation of what a vegan is. To be vegan includes minimising harm not only towards animals, but also the environment and other people. 

 

And to address EER: well, there's a situation where there isn't really a consensus among vegans. I don't think that using products of animals, such as eggs or wool, is categorically wrong, but there are those who do. I also don't think it's inherently a bad thing to consider ourselves superior to other species. What I do think is wrong is unnecessary harm and abuse.

The issue with all industrialised animal products is that despite their claims, they are still profit-driven, and animal welfare is a secondary or tertiary matter. Free-range chicken, if I recall correctly, only need to be "free" for a couple of hours per day. Large henhouses, which are most common, also face the same issues as any other form of poultry farming: there isn't enough space for the animals to be as they were.

 

I admit, I don't have a lot of knowledge about the welfare of sheep and other wool producing animals, but I have heard and read of crutching and mulesing. I don't know if those practices are still in use, but I assume they are and thus avoid buying wool. It's really hard to get unbiased information anywhere, though. I still wouldn't use wool unless I raised the animal and shore its fleece myself, or if I knew they were treated well.

 

You obviously value the animals you raise. I don't feel like I have a right to comment on your situation either way. If raising your own animals for meat, eggs and wool means you are minimising your use of unethically produced products, that's great.

But I still disagree with killing animals for meat, no matter how well they were treated during their life. Eggs from happy chicken are good though. Milk's still a dilemma; on one hand, it doesn't necessarily cause harm towards the cow, but a cow needs to be lactating, and that usually means that there has to be a baby, and what happens to the dogies? 

__

In any case, the fact is that a lot of suffering happens in factory-farming. It's up to each individual to decide if they want to stop supporting it, but it's vital to acknowledge that it is not a choice that concerns only the individual.

Edited September 19, 2014 by Kemaru

[Pixey]

As I've grown older I've become more 'aware' of not really liking to eat animals.  I hate fish - so that's easy.  Over time I've begun to eat less and less meat. 

 

Then, last December I had to have my pancreas removed, and now must take CREON tablets with every meal I eat in order to absorb the food's nutrients.  CREON is made from pork fat and there is no substitute!  So, in my case I could not live without having to ingest a poor piggy ................. and I adore pigs    

[RFX]

"To eat or not to eat, that is the question..."

I have relatives back in Asia which have no choice in what they can eat because many are in small farming / fishing villages where food isn't abundant. They grow all of their own food and whether it's plants, animals, or seafood, respect is always given to those things which unwillingly, unknowlingly give their lives so that they can live theirs. Anyone which says grace before a meal would be doing the same thing basically.

I love to use food as a metaphor for the perception of "right vs. wrong". (note: sorry in advance to anyone that minds) - In some parts of the middle east, some cultures do not eat cow as to them, it's a sacred animal yet here in America, we don't think twice about it as to us it's hamburgers, steak, etc... In America, we'd never think of eating quadripeds but to other parts of the world, it's considered gourmet food and is totally understandable especially if there is no other source of food.

Neither side is right nor wrong, we are just taught to live and believe differently is all. It's like asking which is more valuable, a person sleeping on a park bench or a mansion? Neither is more valuable as life itself is invaluable and can't be assigned to a value the same way as an inanimate object would be. Just my 2 cents. lol

/end rant.

[barbieq25]

RFX it is all about perception. What I see as food, some see as an object of veneration. What I see as a pet, some see as sustenance. Some religions teach that we should be thankful for all life. 

 

Yesterday, I asked my class to write down 20 things they were thankful for. I was astounded by some of their responses. Interestingly food rated quite at the end. They were only told to write down things as they came to mind, so not in any order. Family, values & helping others rated high. 

 

Pixey, it is a dilemma. I love piggies too. I am thankful that we have them to give life to others & also quality of life. 

[Kemaru]

Rant:

 

I have to quit school in order to avoid going to jail.

To elaborate, I'm under house arrest due to objecting to conscription. Faulty devices, unclear instructions –to me at least, I'm not very good at understanding what parts of an instruction are relevant– and unnecessarily aggressive, purposely misunderstanding authorities have put me in a situation where school causes too much of a risk.  

[BoltBait]

How about online school?

[Sozo]

Rant:

 

I have to quit school in order to avoid going to jail.

To elaborate, I'm under house arrest due to objecting to conscription. Faulty devices, unclear instructions –to me at least, I'm not very good at understanding what parts of an instruction are relevant– and unnecessarily aggressive, purposely misunderstanding authorities have put me in a situation where school causes too much of a risk.

 

Sorry to hear it bud. Stay safe over there.

[Kemaru]

I'm in a very practical school, studying sewing and clothing; I can't study it at home really. I've been rethinking my decision, and I think I'll go on with my studies for another month. If the changes I make work out I might not need to quit at all.

 

The risk I mentioned was that the radius of the monitoring device at home is too wide, and when I'm leaving for school, it registers my anklet even though I'm outside the apartment building (when I exit the cellar), and sends an alarm saying I'm leaving too late. At first there were some issues with me coming home to soon, which I'm also not allowed to do. And I didn't really do that, either, I was staying outside the apartment.

As much as it pains me to quit cycling to school, I guess there's no other way to avoid further alarms. sigh. I can't really afford to spend money on train tickets. 

 

Then again, I can afford even less to spend time in jail and possibly prolong my sentence...

 

I've also supposedly had issues with responding to phone calls (I missed a call twice. Twice!) and not informing the surveillants of changes in schedule; dentist's appointments and the like (I forgot to call them the day before and I apparently let the wrong people know on the day of the appointment). I have one warning and there isn't a second, and there already is a chance that I will have to go to jail.

 

EDIT: I forgot to say, thanks Sozo. I'm halfway through already, almost 100 days done out of 172.

Edited October 10, 2014 by Kemaru

[barbieq25]

Kemaru, it seems so unfair. I object to conscientious objectors being put in jail. Kind of like making a sick person who'd rather stay with natural remedies work in a morgue! Instead of jail, why not community service. There are so many organisations that need a helping hand.

 

Conscription is barbaric, archaic & draconian! Heck, it's just plain wrong. 

[MikeRobe]

It happened a lot in during WW2 in many allied countries too. Many people who didn't want to join the army were imprisoned, or at least ridiculed, attacked etc. There was a lot of that in the US...patriotism and all that.

 

I'd object to conscription too, regardless of the consequences.

[Daniels]

Hope the remaining days of your sentence go by quickly, Kemaru. That's a lot of red tape just for sticking up for your beliefs. Did they not give you any options for alternative service?