Knowledge: Uncut Interview with Philosopher Dan Dennett

Richard Dawkins interviews Dan Dennett for "The Genius of Charles Darwin",

the Channel 4 UK TV program which won British Broadcasting Awards' "

Best Documentary Series" of 2008.

"I think gratitude is one of the wonderful human emotions and one of the great springs of a belief in god. You get up and you look around and you say "I'm so lucky to be alive- this is so wonderful- I wish there was somebody I could thank. And there's nobody to thank. And so you have to thank your lucky stars and then you can think, "Well', at least I can make more reason for other people to be thankful." - Daniel Dennett

"Given that there's nobody to thank, being able to reflect upon the process that gave rise to you is the nearest we can come to thanking. And it's actually rather better than thanking, because it's a thoughtful thing to do. It's an understanding- a comprehending thing to do- so you're not just kind of thanking your "sky daddy"- you're marveling in the fact that you are here and the process that gave rise to you is the same process that gave rise to all these trees and the earth. It's no accident that we are surrounded by an entire eco-system. We couldn't exist without it. Thanking something can be sublimated into understanding how it all happened, and I think you get the same sort of comfort (as well as awe and exaltation) from that." - Richard Dawkins

"Hallelujah for the universe and for the fact that we can understand it and are working towards understanding it" - Richard Dawkins

"The universe is so wonderful on its own, it doesn't need a boss. It doesn't need a creator. The fact that it can, in effect create itself is wonderful enough." - Daniel Dennett

Vegan Daily Nutritional Recommendations

Legumes: 2 or more servings per day
group includes beans, peas, lentils, tempeh, tofu, & meat/dairy substitutes. source of fiber, protein, iron, calcium, zinc, and B vitamins.

Vegetables: 3 or more servings per day
group includes broccoli, collards, kale, carrots, & sweet potatoes. source of vitamin C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, iron, calcium, & fiber.

Fruit: 3 or more servings per day
group includes citrus fruits, melons, berries, bananas & apples. source of fiber, vitamin C, and beta-carotene.

Whole Grains: 6-11 servings per day
group includes bread, rice, pasta, hot or cold cereal, corn, millet, barley, bulgur, buckwheat, oats, and tortillas. source of fiber, complex carbohydrates, protein, B vitamins and zinc.

Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is produced by bacteria commonly found in the bodies of animals. Vegetables are not reliable sources of B12. Vegetarians should include reliable sources of B12 in their diet by consuming a multi-vitamin, a B12 supplement (be sure and check that the supplements are vegan too), or foods fortified with B12.

I take Hema-Plex daily, which provides me with Iron and B12 among other things.

Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Most people consume too much fat, but few people get enough of the healthy Omega-3 fatty acids. These essential fats can be found in walnuts, canola oil, and flax seeds. For maximum absorbtion, flax seeds should be ground up in a blender or coffee grinder, then added to smoothies or sprinkled on top of other foods. Flax seeds are also rich in protein, potassium, magnesium, boron, and lignans, which may help prevent cancer.

Vitamin D and Calcium
Vitamin D and calcium are important in bone formation. Vitamin D can be obtained from sunlight exposure. Vegans who get little sunlight, or those who live at high latitudes, should take a vitamin D supplement (make sure it is vegan),or consume fortified soymilk or rice milk. Vegans should also get 3 servings of high calcium foods each day, such as kale, broccoli, collard greens, and fortified soymilk & orange juice.

I take Now Foods Vitamin D daily.

Source: chooseveg.com

Knowledge: A Time to Break Silence with Martin Luther King

Delivered 4 April 1967, Riverside Church, New York City

"The recent statements of your executive committee are the sentiments of my own heart, and I found myself in full accord when I read its opening lines: "A time comes when silence is betrayal." And that time has come for us in relation to Vietnam."

"Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world."

"Over the past two years, as I have moved to break the betrayal of my own silences and to speak from the burnings of my own heart, as I have called for radical departures from the destruction of Vietnam, many persons have questioned me about the wisdom of my path. At the heart of their concerns this query has often loomed large and loud: "Why are you speaking about the war, Dr. King?" "Why are you joining the voices of dissent?" "Peace and civil rights don't mix," they say. "Aren't you hurting the cause of your people," they ask? And when I hear them, though I often understand the source of their concern, I am nevertheless greatly saddened, for such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known me, my commitment or my calling. Indeed, their questions suggest that they do not know the world in which they live."

You can read the full transcript here: americanrhetoric.com

Knowledge: The Golden Rule

By Sarah Kiser

At its foundation, the dairy industry is built upon stealing babies from mothers,

stealing milk from babies, and sentencing both mother and baby to death.

Animals will never be able to speak up for themselves. It is up to us.

Music: Taste of Cindy

The Jesus and Mary Chain, Taste of Cindy

Knife to my head when she talks so sweetly
Knife in my head when I think of Cindy
Knife in my head is the taste of Cindy

Music: Only Yesterday

Taken By Trees, Only Yesterday

Oh honey

Knowledge and Compassion: Gene Baur Educates

Common Hour: Gene Baur from Franklin & Marshall College on Vimeo.

"In fact, if one person is unkind to an animal
it is considered to be cruelty,
but where a lot of people are unkind to animals,
especially in the name of commerce,
the cruelty is condoned and,
once large sums of money are at stake,
will be defended to the last
by otherwise intelligent people."
- Ruth Harrison

"Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty"
-Stanislaw J.Lec (Polish writer, 1909-1966)

Music: Moth's Wings

Passion Pit, Moth's Wings

You come beating like moth's wings
Spastic and violently
Whipping me into a storm
Shaking me down to the core
But you run away from me
And you left me shimmering
Like diamond wedding rings
Spinning dizzily down on the floor

Music: Back to Black Live and acoustic

I go back to black.

Recipe: Vegan Vegetable Lasagna

Vegan Vegetable Lasagna Ingredients:

3 cups fresh broccoli, steamed and crumbled
1 cup of mushrooms
2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 small jar artichoke hearts, crumbled (squish them between your fingers)
12 oz vegan mozzarella style cheese, shredded
1 box vegan lasagna noodles (cook 9 noodles to make 3 layers) Double-check the ingredients.
1 jar vegan spaghetti sauce
1 small can black olives

*Crumbled firm tofu is a possible addition

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Boil noodles and prepare all vegetable and cheese as noted above.

Once everything is prepared, assemble the lasagna in a 9x13 baking dish in the following order:

1st spread a layer of sauce over the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking.
- noodles
- sauce
- mushrooms
- artichokes
- broccoli
- spinach leaves (single layer)
- mozzarella
- noodles
- sauce
- black olives

Place on a cookie sheet, in case it drips over, and place in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Serves: 8-12

Preparation time: about 30 minutes

(original recipe here)

Music: Don't You Remember

I had no idea of the state we were in

Music: P.S. You Rock My World

I was at a funeral the day I realized
I wanted to spend my life with you
Sitting down on the steps at the old post office
The flag was flying at half mast
And I was thinking 'bout how
Everyone is dying
And maybe it is time to live

I don't know where we're going
I don't know what we'll do

Walked in to the thriftee
Saw the man with the hollow eyes
Who didn't give me all my change
But it didn't bother me this time
'cause i know I've only got this moment
And it's good
I went to the gas station
Old woman honked her horn
Waiting for me to fix her car

I don't know where we're going
I don't know what we'll do

Laying in bed tonight I was thinking
And listening to all the dogs
And the sirens and the shots
And how a careful man tries
To dodge the bullets
While a happy man takes a walk

And maybe it is time to live

Music: Baptism

Music: Not in Love

Knowledge: Hawking and Hope

“The victim should have the right to end his life, if he wants. But I think it would be a great mistake. However bad life may seem, there is always something you can do, and succeed at. While there's life, there is hope.” —Stephen Hawking

Gratitude Journal

• Bike + wind + moon

• Homemade vegan pizza

• Home

• Bob Dylan

Gratitude Journal

• The last episode of Six Feet Under for so many reasons.

• Cameras

• Crystal Castles

• Which Which (as in a yummy vegan sandwich)

• Blue Valentine