I'm finishing up the book! So stay tuned...

Want to know who else is vegan and vegetarian? You might be surprised...

Oprah on factory farming. What are we eating?

Here it is!!! Oprah does an amazing show on factory farming!!!!!!!! I don't have a TV, but I found this on-line. The world has been educated... now let's see what people do with it. I'm impressed.


Here is part 2, but I can't seem to find the rest- anyway watch Food Inc. below.
I'm impressed.


Here is the link to the documentary Food Inc., which Oprah talks about. Watch it for free by clicking here. It's aREALLY good film, so take the time to watch it. It covers everything.

Sweet Mysery documentary about artificial sweeteners... Just amazing.

Here is the quick trailer for the film. Click the link below (at the bottom) to watch the whole documentary.

Watch this documentary. Anyone who has Multiple Sclerosis, Fibromialgia, Diabetes, hypoglycemia, Brain Cancer or a number of other neurological diseases must become aware of the dramatic effects of long-term use of artificial sweeteners. I am blown away- really. And it's not just Aspertame, it's Equal, Nutrisweet, and a slew of chemical sweeteners that are in thousands and thousands of product we eat everyday.

Click here to watch the whole film!

It's the best one I've seen on the subject. There is a direct link to consuming artificial sweeteners and disease. When you stop ingesting it you get better.

Blessings: The Tsoknyi Nangchen Nuns of Tibet:

Here is a wonderful documentary about Buddhist nuns. It was really eye-opening and inspiring.

Synopsis: In a remote nomadic region of Eastern Tibet, 3000 nuns practice an ancient yogic tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Despite near extinction during the destruction of the Cultural Revolution, these remarkable spiritual practitioners have emerged to rebuild their monasteries by hand ... stone by stone. In 2005, a small group of western women Buddhists traveled to Tibet with the renowned Buddhist teacher, Tsoknyi Rinpoche III, to meet the Nangchen nuns.


Using the more than 70 hours of footage shot on this extraordinary journey, Chariot Videos has produced "Blessings: The Tsoknyi Nangchen Nuns of Tibet". Narrated by Richard Gere, the film provides a fascinating glimpse into a world most of us will never see first-hand. A moving, very personal account of a unique meeting of East and West, the film is an inspiration to anyone seeking a spiritual path through the challenges of 21st century life.

Click here to watch the whole film.

Living Yoga: The Life and Teachings of Swami Satchidananda

This is a really great documentary about the combination of physical yoga, mind yoga (meditation) and adopting a plant-based diet. I thought it was well done and presented in a fresh way, not leaving out the main reason for all of these things... to understand your true self and the higher powers, whatever you take that to be.

I have to admit that something has happened to me since I broke my arm in the accident (if anything is really an accident). I have allowed myself to meditate, at first to focus on anything but the pain I was in, but then, as the hurting lifted a little, I started doing it for the way it made me see things. Some of you will know what I'm talking about, and others will think I'm nuts, but it doesn't matter. I am learning a lot about what is truly important to me and what I can live without.
Click here to watch the whole film.

Oh yeah! And this is Josh when he was 12 years old. He made himself these little business cards to sell his crystal and silver jewellery (he learned from artisans in Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico). I'll have to put up some photos of his work later!

Reversing diabetes by going going raw vegan- Can YOU do it??

This is a really short tidbit talking about the movie Raw for Life Documentary. It gets right to the point.

Go to www.rawfor30days.com. or Click here to watch the whole movie for free and without downloading it!

Woody Harrelson on Being Vegan:

A great film about the Jewish take on veganism and the planet:

I was thrilled with the discovery of this film that really addresses the link between what we eat and every aspect of our lives on this planet. It starts out looking like a documentary about Judaism alone, but blossoms into a heart-felt, and detailed look at what it is going to take to save the planet. Veganism is growing through the Jewish faith and it's lovely to see. I love anyone who practices what they preach. Please watch this no matter what your background is.
Click here to watch the film.

Ok... I broke my Master Cleanse fast on day 20 :(

The Future of Food Documentary- watch it!

Click here to watch the Future of Food right now

Vegan Makeup and brushes! Afterglow Cosmetics:

Earthship Home designs:

In these videos you can see how the designs and materials used are pretty environmentally responsible, but you don't actually need to buy a pre-fab package from these people. There are plenty of open-sourced designs available and you can alter them to your own tastes and needs. This cuts down dramatically in the cost and encourages people to actually do it instead of waiting around for a day in the future when they might have enough money to pull it off. Just do it.
This is, of course, just one way of building an off the grid home that is beautiful, strong and environmentally sound. Go to the natural building button on the right hand side of this blog to see more examples, or go to you-tube for thousands of ideas on how to build using earthbag dome house construction (my favourite, but specifically with straw bale outer insulation for Canadian winter climates), straw bale house building, rammed-earth tire homes, adobe-style, cob and much more.

James, Josh and I will be building our own house in the near future. I have applied to the Sustainable Eco-House Building program at Fleming College, which is the most comprehensive, hands-on and intensive program I have come across. To top it off I have already taken some workshops from the two main instructors who are absolutely wonderful and knowledgeable on building in this climate and others.

So we'll see if the fates will give me what I want. If not I will learn from my good friend Russel who is taking the program this spring, and from my friend Ali who is now teaching intensive eco-building workshops herself! One way or another it will happen. I promise, and we'll be documenting the whole process.

Living off the grid- how and why?

Mind Yoga: Take time out right now. How can we become better people?

What powers do we all have?

1. The power to change our awareness: Anyone who tests us is our teacher. We are the students, so we must listen to everyone who speaks to us because they have a lesson. Especially pay attention to those who really annoy or anger you. They are reflecting something about yourself that you would like to change.

2. The power to become the leader, not the follower: Don't speak the language of a follower: "If she apologizes I will apologize", "If he changes I will change", "If my situation changes I will change"... Many people come out of bad situations and change their lives. A leader is the one who takes initiative. Do not wait for leaders- you are the leader.

3. The power to react with calmness: Every situation can be changed simply by our reactions to circumstances. We have a choice in how we react in every case. When our personality, looks or ability have been attacked we can either get upset and take it personally, or realize that the reason people are launching the attack is about them, not us.

4. The power to play a fair game: Everything in life is a game (even though it looks and feels like real drama). If we lose a game, but played fairly we cannot feel like a loser, but if we won a game and did not play fairly then we cannot feel like a winner.

5. The power to feel worthy: People from all walks of life feel unworthy and have low self-esteem, no matter how hard they try to present themselves. This comes from feeling defeated by their own weaknesses, whether it's anger, greed, ego, dishonesty or intolerance. These things all lower our energy and make us feel bad about ourselves, but we are the cause. When we become honest, humble, calm and giving (giving something as simple as a smile or helping someone who needs it), we gain strength so self-respect and self-esteem grows.

6. The power to become an extraordinary person: Become a hero-actor, not just an actor... our roles are created by the actions we perform. Maybe our old self-portrait put us in the role of a martyr, victim or follower, but now we are changing it all. Why? Because how it was before just did not make us happy. Life is a play- we can change any scene we want, add or remove any drama, and choose what character we want to play.

7. The power to not gossip or defame others: Not only do these things give us a heavy feeling, but they create complication and a feeling of being trapped. If we talk about negative things or join in on gossiping it leaves a bad taste in our mouths and can affect our mood for the rest of the day. By changing the subject or saying something nice about someone we can change our day from bad to good.

8. The power to be alert: If we know that anger or impatience etc. are our weaknesses we have to be aware of when we are being triggered and instantly go inside of ourselves to calm down. Otherwise circumstances can become out of control when they don't need to.

9. The power to control our words, thoughts and actions: If a car does not have powerful breaks it can cause accidents. Sometimes small, sometimes big, which can cause a lot of damage. Watch where our thoughts take us- they can cause the greatest damage to ourselves. Our words and actions can be uplifting to other people or hurtful.

10. The power to not be absorbed in the problem: Concentrate on the solution, not the problem. As we focus on the solution the problem will lose it's edge. There is always a solution.

If you'd like to practice this more (how to become the best person you can be), go to the Brahma Kumari website to find the free meditation classes that are nearest to you. They have centres all over the world so I'm sure you will find one! I've taken all sorts of meditation classes from different groups of people, but I connect most strongly with the genuine, kind Brahma Kumari sisters and brothers. You can belong to any religion or race and you will be welcomed with open arms. These people practice what they teach.