Our school's literary magazine Dominion is online! We got it posted on Friday. This is my first year doing this, but I pretty much just delegated and stressed a lot. My students did a fabulous job! I hope you'll take a look!
http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/nhs/magazine/NHS_Lit_Mag_Finished_Online.pdf
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Happy Mother's Day, Moms!
To Mom and Mom-in-Law!
We hope you both have a great day! We love you and appreciate everything you've done to help us become who we are today. You both managed to raise more than one decent human being, which is no small task these days.
Love,
Ang and Al
We hope you both have a great day! We love you and appreciate everything you've done to help us become who we are today. You both managed to raise more than one decent human being, which is no small task these days.
Love,
Ang and Al
Sunday, May 3, 2009
People With Too Much Time on Their Hands
This one was introduced to me by Kenzie:
And this is a music video by the band OK Go. Kind of makes me want to play Rock Band!
And this is a music video by the band OK Go. Kind of makes me want to play Rock Band!
Friday, May 1, 2009
Three Reasons to Eat Less Meat--Part 3
Today won’t be about a lot of facts and figures. While the information I’ve given in the last two posts are undeniable, research proves that this is not the case for vegetarian/less-meat/carnivorous diets. For every benefit of vegetarianism, there is a drawback, and vice-versa. There is really no cut-and-dry, simple answer. What good health ultimately boils down to is lifestyle.
The myth is that vegetarians are healthier because they ingest less fat, more grains, healthy protein, etc. But plenty of vegetarian foods can be very high in fat content: French fries, chocolate cake, cheese quesadillas. It is very easy for vegetarians to eat unhealthily. Likewise, meat-based diets can be very low in fat. Vegetarians might have difficulty getting certain vitamins, but meat eaters can face their own set of vitamin deficiencies as well. The herbivore-omnivore arguments go back and forth and around in circles.
Studies and research have shown that overall, vegetarians tend to live longer and be more healthy than meat-eaters. I don’t think it’s so much the diet as it is the knowledge and thoughtfulness that vegetarians tend to put into their daily health and nutrition decisions. The majority of the vegetarians I know are very well-educated on nutrition, sources of vitamins, their daily needs, etc. They are also very mindful of exercise. I think this is a simple side-effect of analyzing every single thing you put in your mouth.
Omnivores don’t have to do this thinking. They generally don’t have to look for alternative sources of vitamins or minerals. My observations have shown me that health-conscious omnivores are usually concerned first with calories, then with fat. Vegetarians are concerned first with the absence of meat, then with nutritional value.
I know I’m generalizing here, but that’s beside the point. The real point is that the more mindful you are about your food, the healthier you will be. Healthful living is all about mindset, which affects diet, which affects lifestyle, which affects health.
Eating vegetarian twice a week will help you to get into that mindset. You will analyze your food and become more mindful about what is in the food you eat. You will research vegetarian recipes and educate yourself on the basics of nutrition. I think that this change in diet, then in mindset, will lead to a healthier lifestyle.
For my non-Mormon friends, you can move on to my links. For my LDS readers, there is one more thing I’d like to present. The following is from Doctrine and Covenants 89:12-15. You should recognize section 89 as the Word of Wisdom.
12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and thf fowls of heaven, and alll wild animals that run or creep on the earth;
15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess hunger.
Now, I know it’s my fault for not being a more thorough reader of the D&C, but I find it interesting that for 18 years, I went to Sunday School and seminary, and we debated whether or not caffeine was included in the “strong drinks” category, but this simple direction to eat meat as a last resort was never mentioned.
I’ve done my research on Joseph Smith, and I’ll be the first to tell you that he was both smart and practical. So if this came from him, I’d take it as good advice for the same reasons that the biosphere scientists chose a vegetarian diet over a meat-based one. But those faithful members of the church will say that this direction came from God, who knows all and sees all. Either way, this teaching should be practiced church-wide. Why is it, then, that this very simple, very direct instruction is being ignored by the general population of the LDS faith?
The popular rationalization is that meat was scarce way back then. Yes, meat was not readily available. People farmed and raised grain to feed themselves and their work animals. Raising enough meat animals for a small family would have exhausted resources and workers—and we know the LDS standing on family size, so raising a bunch of meat wasn’t all that practical. That same impracticality still exists today. Check out my part one of this “Eat Less Meat” diatribe. So while, yes, we can eat more meat today, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we should eat more meat.
The Word of Wisdom clearly states that meat should be eaten as a last resort. That fact cannot be rationalized or argued. Why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints doesn’t advertise, teach, or encourage this is beyond me. But I think it is some of the best advice out there.
Let’s take a walk down a tangent and do a fun math problem. We’ve already established that the average American consumes 273 pounds of meat each year. For each pound of meat, 7 pounds of grain is required. In 2005, church records indicated membership to be 5.5 million Mormons in the U.S. Let’s round that up conservatively to 6 million in order to account for new converts over the past four years and children under eight. Activity estimates are anywhere between 50%-80% being active members, so let’s again be conservative and say that there are 3 million active members in the United States. If each of those people became 2-day vegetarians, they would consume 76.5 pounds less meat per year each. Multiplied by 3 million, that’s 229.5 million pounds of meat not needed. How much good could the LDS charitable organizations do with the 1 billion, 606.5 million pounds of grain that wasn’t used for meat agriculture?
That’s what can happen if a lot of people do a little. All it takes to save 1.6 billion pounds of grain is for half of American Mormons to eat vegetarian twice each week.
Hopefully, by now, you’re thinking that this might actually be worth a try. I’m sure you’re wondering, like I was when I made this decision, “How do I do this?” One thing about vegetarian activists: they like to share. There are so many great resources out there. The best one is:
http://www.goveg.org/
They have recipes, advice, all sorts of information, links, whatever. One of the coolest resources is the free get started kit!
Another comprehensive site is:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4860859_eat-less-meat-become-vegetarian.html
I think I’m finished ranting about conservationism now. I’ll look into posting a fun video or something tomorrow in order to lighten the mood a bit! Thanks for reading!
The myth is that vegetarians are healthier because they ingest less fat, more grains, healthy protein, etc. But plenty of vegetarian foods can be very high in fat content: French fries, chocolate cake, cheese quesadillas. It is very easy for vegetarians to eat unhealthily. Likewise, meat-based diets can be very low in fat. Vegetarians might have difficulty getting certain vitamins, but meat eaters can face their own set of vitamin deficiencies as well. The herbivore-omnivore arguments go back and forth and around in circles.
Studies and research have shown that overall, vegetarians tend to live longer and be more healthy than meat-eaters. I don’t think it’s so much the diet as it is the knowledge and thoughtfulness that vegetarians tend to put into their daily health and nutrition decisions. The majority of the vegetarians I know are very well-educated on nutrition, sources of vitamins, their daily needs, etc. They are also very mindful of exercise. I think this is a simple side-effect of analyzing every single thing you put in your mouth.
Omnivores don’t have to do this thinking. They generally don’t have to look for alternative sources of vitamins or minerals. My observations have shown me that health-conscious omnivores are usually concerned first with calories, then with fat. Vegetarians are concerned first with the absence of meat, then with nutritional value.
I know I’m generalizing here, but that’s beside the point. The real point is that the more mindful you are about your food, the healthier you will be. Healthful living is all about mindset, which affects diet, which affects lifestyle, which affects health.
Eating vegetarian twice a week will help you to get into that mindset. You will analyze your food and become more mindful about what is in the food you eat. You will research vegetarian recipes and educate yourself on the basics of nutrition. I think that this change in diet, then in mindset, will lead to a healthier lifestyle.
For my non-Mormon friends, you can move on to my links. For my LDS readers, there is one more thing I’d like to present. The following is from Doctrine and Covenants 89:12-15. You should recognize section 89 as the Word of Wisdom.
12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and thf fowls of heaven, and alll wild animals that run or creep on the earth;
15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess hunger.
Now, I know it’s my fault for not being a more thorough reader of the D&C, but I find it interesting that for 18 years, I went to Sunday School and seminary, and we debated whether or not caffeine was included in the “strong drinks” category, but this simple direction to eat meat as a last resort was never mentioned.
I’ve done my research on Joseph Smith, and I’ll be the first to tell you that he was both smart and practical. So if this came from him, I’d take it as good advice for the same reasons that the biosphere scientists chose a vegetarian diet over a meat-based one. But those faithful members of the church will say that this direction came from God, who knows all and sees all. Either way, this teaching should be practiced church-wide. Why is it, then, that this very simple, very direct instruction is being ignored by the general population of the LDS faith?
The popular rationalization is that meat was scarce way back then. Yes, meat was not readily available. People farmed and raised grain to feed themselves and their work animals. Raising enough meat animals for a small family would have exhausted resources and workers—and we know the LDS standing on family size, so raising a bunch of meat wasn’t all that practical. That same impracticality still exists today. Check out my part one of this “Eat Less Meat” diatribe. So while, yes, we can eat more meat today, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we should eat more meat.
The Word of Wisdom clearly states that meat should be eaten as a last resort. That fact cannot be rationalized or argued. Why the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints doesn’t advertise, teach, or encourage this is beyond me. But I think it is some of the best advice out there.
Let’s take a walk down a tangent and do a fun math problem. We’ve already established that the average American consumes 273 pounds of meat each year. For each pound of meat, 7 pounds of grain is required. In 2005, church records indicated membership to be 5.5 million Mormons in the U.S. Let’s round that up conservatively to 6 million in order to account for new converts over the past four years and children under eight. Activity estimates are anywhere between 50%-80% being active members, so let’s again be conservative and say that there are 3 million active members in the United States. If each of those people became 2-day vegetarians, they would consume 76.5 pounds less meat per year each. Multiplied by 3 million, that’s 229.5 million pounds of meat not needed. How much good could the LDS charitable organizations do with the 1 billion, 606.5 million pounds of grain that wasn’t used for meat agriculture?
That’s what can happen if a lot of people do a little. All it takes to save 1.6 billion pounds of grain is for half of American Mormons to eat vegetarian twice each week.
Hopefully, by now, you’re thinking that this might actually be worth a try. I’m sure you’re wondering, like I was when I made this decision, “How do I do this?” One thing about vegetarian activists: they like to share. There are so many great resources out there. The best one is:
http://www.goveg.org/
They have recipes, advice, all sorts of information, links, whatever. One of the coolest resources is the free get started kit!
Another comprehensive site is:
http://www.ehow.com/how_4860859_eat-less-meat-become-vegetarian.html
I think I’m finished ranting about conservationism now. I’ll look into posting a fun video or something tomorrow in order to lighten the mood a bit! Thanks for reading!
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