I'd love to show up for a Cecil the Lion protest dressed as a pig covered in blood

The other day I went to click on a Walter Palmer news story.   Several things of note happened:

• I was shown an advertisement for Red Lobster.   
• The article quoted someone from Zimbabwe quoting that this was the wrong way to kill a lion.   
• It was noted an animal was used as bate (without any sympathy at all for the animal used as bate). 

I'm guessing most of you know where I am going with this.  One animal is dead and you are using this to sell me on supporting the deaths of numerous other animals by visiting Red Lobster.  Your telling me that somehow if murder is done a certain way then it is okay; yet I bet you don't apply that standard to humans (well other than when the weapon of choice is a vehicle).  And somehow the animal that was killed for bate doesn't seem to matter either?

All I can say is that I hope this serves as a wake-up call.   Do most of these people realize that righting the death of one lion isn't going to save the millions of cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys and fish that are murdered each year that are brutally murdered?  

Personally, I'd love to show up for a Cecil the Lion protest dressed as a pig covered in fake blood; or a cow, chicken, etc.

Because what I can say for all of this is that I hope it sets a new standard of what is going to happen to those who murder an animal; any animal regardless of species.

                                        

Book Review: DIY Household Green Cleaning

I've decided to put to use my love of reading by reviewing the books I read (for better or for worse).

Today I review: DIY Household Green Cleaning by Sonia Cherry

                                                               

Rating: 2 out of 10.

Pros: The book offers some information about chemicals and products to avoid.  It was free.

Cons: Very short.  Little useful information on what one should actually do.  I don't feel like it delivered on what it promised: A DIY household green cleaning solution.

If I had spent money on this book, I would have to say I would have felt Green-washed.  First, this book is even shorter than it seems.  I started reading it when I took my economy class seat and was done reading it by the time the plane started to taxi for take-off.  The real writing actually started on my kindle at 18 percent and ended at 69 percent.

Given there wasn't much in this book, I don't have much to say about it.  Only, that perhaps while it was nice to know some of the products to avoid, what I really wanted to know was how to clean effectively with natural products.  A few products were listed: vinegar, baking soda, boric acid and tea tree oil; but I think most people already know about these.  I'd also mention that while boric acid is natural I don't recommend using it.  Boric acid is a poison; it will kill insects (which is not something I want to happen) and can make you and your pets sick if ingested or not used correctly.

Anyways I don't think this book is worth 99 cents, let alone 2.99.    

                                       

Bubble Burst: The Truth About the Dairy Farm Explained: Why are the "kids" in bubbles?

If you think about it the bubbles are really a very superficial and dumb solution for a paranoid society.   The bubbles are also a very selfish solution, emblematic of a society that only focuses on the individual; a society that doesn't focus on group or societal solutions.

You can see examples of this in the current state of the United States.  Instead of focusing on designing livable safe spaces or banning unneeded oversized SUVs, you see person after person obsessed with car seats (which we will get to more of later in the book).  There are constantly more and stricter laws regarding car seats, yet making spaces livable and safer is hardly even an afterthought.  Even more importantly studies not done by those who make car seats have found that car seats don't actually increase safety, because they provide a security blanket which encourages drivers to drive more recklessly than they would if they weren't using a car seat.

The scary thing is those of us in the United States already live in a society where people make superficial and dumb decisions that don't make anyone any safer.  A perfect example of this is all the idiots driving around in SUVs who don't even know their SUV's are built on cheap truck frames.

Even worse, superficial, dumb, and selfish solutions to fear and paranoia seem to be becoming more common, at least in many parts of the United States.  What will happen when this generation raised with these three types of solutions takes things one step further?


                                                              

Send this letter: Free George Simolaris

George Simolaris is a hero.  Instead of sitting around on the internet (like most of us do) trying to save lives, selectman George Simolaris actually went out and painted the crosswalks which Billerica had failed to paint as promised for months.

Please send this letter to as many people as possible who work in the Billerica government.  Here is a directory with email addresses.  Also, please note the trending hashtags and tweet under them #FreeSimolaris #paintgate #Simolaris2016 #resignCurran and #Simolaris.  

Dear Billerica Civil Servant,

You should be ashamed about what your town of Billerica has done.  Not only have you failed to protect lives by properly repainting crosswalks, now you want to try Selectman George Simolaris for being a hero and doing what the rest of you were too lazy to do.  

Billerica may now be the cause of a worldwide boycott of Massachusetts.  Everyone involved in your government except George Simolaris should be ashamed. 

It is time to drop all charges against George Simolaris including any fines.    

We are also asking that John Curran resign due to his incompetency and his comments about George Simolaris resigning.  Additionally, we are asking for anyone else who called for George Simolaris to resign, to resign themselves and anyone whom was involved in pressing charges against him to resign.   

Thanks, (sign your name)

                                   

More yummy vegan food from Budapest (Ganga Vega edition)

We got a variety of food at a cafeteria style vegan eatery called Ganga Vega.  The food was great-as you can see in the picture below!  

While it might not look like the best thing from the picture-the best of all of it was the meatless meatball (they call it a veggie burger) on the left.  

The staff were very nice.  It is really neat that when you go to a vegan restaurant anywhere in the world you feel a sense of community and common purpose.  

By the way Ganga Vega is really easy to get to.  It is really only one stop north on the M3 from the touristy areas and it is right across the street (not on the square itself) from the M3.  

                                         

Irish Language 101

English is the most commonly spoken language in Ireland and Dublin.  There is an Irish language as well, but even a number of the Irish are not fluent in the Irish language.  The Irish language gets referenced under different names including Irish, Irish Gaelic, and Gaelic.  In Ireland the Irish language tends to be referred to as just Irish.  The Irish take pride in their language.  As such, it is common to see both Irish and English signage together.  Also many museums offer Irish and English write ups.  It is rare that information is only presented in Irish.  Tours are almost always in English, but sometimes the tour guide might speak a few words of Irish for show.  Thus learning Irish is more for the experience, rather than a need.  English only became the more spoken language in Ireland following the potato famine. 

But just for fun here are a few Irish words:

Hello: Dia dhuit 

Thank You: Go raibh maith agat

How are you: Conas ta tu

Left: Cle

Right: Ceart

                                                                       

Bubble Burst: The Truth About the Dairy Farm Explained: Why is Jael a 23 year old kid?

Okay, so I'm still on chapter 2.  I guess I have a lot I want to say!  So today I will discuss why Jael is a 23 year old child.

I've recently been hearing expressions such as "18 is the new 8" and "12 is the new 2".  I'm not sure exactly why-perhaps it is the internet or the ever present fear mongering media, but whatever it is there is a scary trend of hampering the proper development of children by treating them younger than their age.

The problem is transitions are unavoidable.  There has been a slew of recent articles in regards to children of helicopter parents overwhelming the mental health systems at even the nations top universities (or perhaps I should say especially at the nations top universities).

These young adults aren't even able to cope with the smallest of life challenges because any time a minor challenge shows up the parent steps in the way.

Let me give you an example:

A group of teachers were taking a group of teens on a trip.  One of the teens was freaking out and all upset she had to ride the subway because she had an irrational fear of escalators not to mention being underground.  One of the other teens asked her what she did when she went to their local mall which had escalators.  She said her dad would drive her from one side of the mall to the other all so she could avoid an escalator!  She tried to call her dad numerous times from the train to complain about the trip, only to find her phone didn't work underground!  And I have to give the group leader props who told the teen who was being quite obnoxious and ridiculous she had to stick with the group and she was going to have to do thing such as ride on escalators if one was present.  

But beyond this there are many young adults in their 20's who have parents who still treat them as if they are minors or even grade school aged kids.  The only difference is in Elalfwons the law has been changed to enforce babying those 18-27 on others.

You can buy Bubble Burst: The Truth About the Dairy Farm Below:

                                                             

Book Review: To Travel Hopelessly

I've decided to put to use my love of reading by reviewing the books I read (for better or for worse).

Today we review: To Travel Hopelessly by English Teacher X (Subtitled Five Years of Teaching English as a Foreign Language).

                                                                

Rating: 4 out of 10

Pros: Well given he's an English language teacher, use of the English language in the book was good (well edited and good writing quality).  I found the work related stories entertaining.  And from what I can tell the book is always in free mode (although the hope of the author seems to be that you will buy his other books).
Cons: Stupid stories about women (who the author seems to view as almost objects).  Doesn't use his real  name which makes some of the stories perhaps questionable.  Needlessly crude.  Book gets depressing.

I started off enjoying To Travel Hopelessly,but by the end of the book I was eager for it to be over.  The book is basically endless stories about how everyone else is stupid and it is everyone else's fault (of course it is never the author's).  Most of the stories can be classified under one or more categories- bad work experience, bad drug experience, or bad relationship experience.  Some of the stories though are quite entertaining...others are just crude and pointless.

Now the bad work stories were kind of funny.  But just from reading the book I seriously doubt English Teacher X is an easy person to work with.  I can't imagine the drugs were helping the situation either.

The relationship stories were what truly drove me nuts.  Why English Teacher X thinks he is the gift to all women, I don't know?  Are all the stories even true or is this some barbaric male bragging?  And if they are if one has as many relationships implode as English Teacher X perhaps at some point they need to realize that they are the common denominator in all of those relationships; well if one can even call them relationships.  And perhaps the common denominator is treating women like sex objects.

Oh and if you are planning to go to Thailand, Cambodia, South Korea, Czech Republic or Russia you might want to use discretion in reading this book.  You aren't going to get a happy picture of any of these places from the author.   

But worst of all, the authors attitude rubs off against you and by the time you are done reading the book all the glasses look half empty.


                                  

What should you pack when visiting Dublin?

Here are a few of the most important items to bring to Ireland with you.  First off don’t forget your passport or if you live in the EU or UK your identification card-that’s the one thing you absolutely won’t get into Dublin without.  If applicable, another document you should bring with you is your student identification card.  Some attractions offer a discounted price for students. 

As for items, a good raincoat or rain resistant coat, good urban walking shoes, good shoes for hiking (if you plan to do any of the tours outside Dublin), long sleeve shirts and sweaters that you can layer, hat, gloves, and scarf.  Even if you are traveling to Dublin during the summer, pack some long sleeve shirts and a light jacket.  Outside of clothing, other items that you should bring include convertors for your electronics, fake sugar if you are into it (it’s rare in Ireland), cash, anything you will want for the plane ride, birth control (if applicable) and medications along with their packaging and pamphlets (if applicable).  

Basic vegan food is available in Dublin and Dublin has numerous small grocery stores. (See my previous post on vegan food)  Thus, you do not need to bring food with you.  

                                                                   

Bubble Burst the Truth About the Dairy Farm Explained: Chapter 2 Law of Judgment

Let's look at a few more lines from chapter 2 of Bubble Burst: The Truth About the Dairy Farm:

The most important law in our society is the Law of Judgment.  We are taught the Law of Judgment from the time we are young.  “Thou shalt not judge”.  The penalties for disobeying the Law of Judgment are serious; people spend their lives in jail for disobeying the Law of Judgment. 

Now you might be inclined to think this sounds good.  It isn't nice to judge others.  Or even yes judgment shouldn't be allowed.  

But remember this.  Judgment is useful.  Without judgment how would one stop evil?  A specific situation that comes to mind is AG GAG laws.  Laws that are used to silence judgment for the purpose of perpetuating evil in the name of blood money.      

In fact, when you think of the current AG GAG laws you realize that many states have already imposed the Law of Judgment.  Now none of them call it this.  But here is a law stopping good caring people from exercising their right to free speech.  Meanwhile blood thirsty animal murderers are allowed to rape, kill, and abuse animals all in the name of blood money.  Yet, sadly the United States has become a dystopic society where there is no punishment for evil, only for good.    

Sadly, judgment has become one of those buzzwords that has lost all of its importance.  That isn't to say all judgments are right; some judgments are wrong.  But without the freedom of speech to stop evil, evil will continue.     

You can buy Bubble Burst: The Truth About the Dairy Farm Below:  

                                                                         

What's new at Kaufman Green Books and Guides July 2015

Hope everyone is having a good summer.  Here is what I'm currently working on:

• I'm guessing the next book out, will be a book I had no idea I was going to write even a few months ago.  Let's just say we have had some visitors this summer; visitors of the German cockroach variety.  Realizing there is a lack on information on how to humanely rehome cockroaches, I'm working on a book called the "No Kill Cockroach Solution".  
• I continue to work on my Kaufman Green Guide Washington DC.  As previously mentioned this will be my first guide book where the food section will be exclusively devoted to vegan food.  It probably won't be out until close to the end of the year both due to reasons of the difficulty of obtaining tickets for certain attractions in DC and that it is going to be a rather big guidebook.  
• I haven't started a sequel to Bubble Burst: The Truth About the Dairy Farm.  But I have been thinking about it.  
• I still at some point plan to finish my book on childhood obesity.
• I plan to do another travel guide.  Where will largely depend on pricing.  

Also, wanted to mention, if you have read and enjoyed any of my books, it is always appreciated if you would leave a review on Amazon!

Speaking of my books, here are all five of my books below (from newest to oldest):