Shotgun

Are they killed, or just released for pollination purposes? We just released about 1500 ladybugs in our yard to kill the aphids. It was pretty freaky - I had hundreds of ladybugs on each hand as I spread them around on the bushes. If they weren't such cute little bugs I would have been really grossed out.

But "organic" only means that there were no synthetic chemicals used. It doesn't mean that manure was not used as a fertilizer or that rabbits and gophers were not killed to protect the crops. (They could have been killed with traps instead of poison, and that would keep them within the "organic rule", I think.) PETA made a big stink a while back about Whole Foods using mousetraps in their stores. So that is one example of animals being killed to protect the food that vegetarians are buying. (BTW, I think that PETA is way over-the-top... just using that as an example.) I'm not a vegetarian either... but I do sometimes think about animal rights and what could be done to improve the situation (seems like an overwhelmingly complex issue!)... I'm just thinking out loud right now.

So I just went around putting poison in all the gopher holes in my yard... I tried other means of diverting them, like putting cat poop in their holes, but they didn't get the hint... So in an effort to save our flowers and our vegetable garden that we have worked so hard for, I decided the only way was to kill the gophers (as well as the ants and snails and slugs that I regularly kill). So this got me thinking... (and sort of a question for all of those who are vegetarians because of the animal rights issue)... How many animals are killed or at least used for the purpose of growing fruits and vegetables? Besides just the pests like rabbits and gophers that are pretty hard to control without killing them... What about the fertilizers that are used? Steer manure is one of the best fertilizers, and I would imagine it is often obtained from slaughterhouses or other such places... And even the regular Nitrogen/Phosphorus/Potassium fertilizers such as Miracle Gro often contain bone meal or fish emulsion... Anyhow, I'm certainly not trying to convince anyone to stop being a vegetarian... but if you're doing it for the purpose of protecting animals, then I think there is quite a bit to consider about where you are getting your food from. There must be farms that go out of their way to make sure no animal products are used and that no animal pests are killed, but I imagine these are few and far between, and I don't know how one would even go about finding out this kind of information(???). To my knowledge, it is not stated anywhere in the produce section of most grocery stores...(Or is it???) Just some food for thought...

Well, I was going to say it was about eating cheeseburgers and apple pie, but then I read rehmwa's post and decided that he has a much better definition. And I think this website has some good info: People For the American Way

Wow, even Zenister is sounding sensible now! I usually jump in my high-top aerobic shoes. They give a little bit of ankle support and a LOT of shock absorption (which is my main concern because I have a bad back). But it does feel nice to jump in sandals or barefoot, so I have done that on occasion - taking extra care to make sure I will land in a nice area... Though it is not always possible to prevent landing off... I was in a plane once that was having some sort of problem and we were all told to get out even though we weren't over the dz - so we had no choice but to land in a field of mesquite bushes, climbing over a couple of barbed wire fences to get back - glad I had good shoes on for that one. Of course, that's something that most likely won't happen, but it's worth thinking about...

Dude, you are a naughty little troublemaker.

EEEWWW!

Now you guys have got me listening to the "70's Country" station on Netscape Radio. Loretta Lynn is on right now. Yee-haw!

Yum! I'll take some... but I'm on the other side of the country. I'm having salt & vinegar chips and a Hornsby's Draft Cider.

Gruene Hall is cool. I've seen some good shows there - Jerry Lee Lewis was the best. God knows how old he was, but he still ROCKED. Sorry Katie, didn't mean to hijack your thread! But I don't think American Idol is on yet here (CA). Sounds like the "country night" might be fun to watch.

I just happen to have one that you can use.

Let's go to Luckenbach, Texas with Waylon and Willie and the boys This successful life we're livin' got us feudin' like the Hatfields and McCoys Between Hank Williams' pain songs and Newbury's train songs And blue eyes cryin' in the rain Out in Luckenbach, Texas ain't nobody feelin' no pain

Or Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Hank Sr.

The wind tunnel is FUN. It's so cool to have such great flyers to learn from here at Perris. And don't think I can't kick your ass, boy.

I just had an "everything" bagel with vegetable cream cheese and fresh sliced cucumbers. It was yummy.

That's what I was gonna say too - Febreeze. I had a cat pee on one of my cushions before, and Febreeze got the smell completely out. I couldn't believe it... Sorry to hear that your puppy is sick, Lisa.

Hehehe... I forgot about that one! Definitely sexy... Chef is one of the hottest men ever.

John (Mickey Rourke) in Nine 1/2 Weeks was pretty sexy. And Alex (Anne Heche) in Wild Side was very sexy too.

Whoa. Was that real? Or did I just have a flashback? It definitely makes you start dancing if you listen to it long enough.

Yeah, and did you read my post the next day about having a nice little hangover? That Robbie boy is a BAD influence! Ask him if he ended up with his thingy dyed green.

Hey, that's really cool! Congratulations, and thanks for sharing.

Hey, that's pretty good.

Oh, I just thought of a couple more... "In Da Club" by 50 Cent (yeah, I know he's a stupid gangsta, but Damn! he has a sexy voice... and his body ain't too bad either

Hey, I dance the most seductively when I am drunk... as long as any one who's watching is at least as drunk as I am!