#ALL SO THEY COULD BOTH MAKE A BUCK IN PROFIT. *THAT'S* CONSUMERISM.

[veganagenda]

an alternative definition I found quite fitting was "an economic and social system that encourages the consumption of goods as a means of attaining wellbeing."

veganism does none of these things. there are no products that you need to buy in order to be vegan. vegan people do not buy "vegan products," we buy products that are vegan. there is no such thing as "a vegan food," there is only food that is vegan. veganism as a practice is fundamentally based on the exclusion of certain products from our lifestyles, and choosing not to buy things if we recognize that they are produced cruelly and unethically, specifically with the intention of refusing to support and ultimately defunding the capitalist industry that enacts these practices on a massive scale, as much as is practicable to each of us.

veganism has nothing to do with "personality" or "identity." broadly speaking, we use the vegan label for ourselves simply so we can share our beliefs with each other and promote our philosophy with an associated recognizable term. in general, we don't inherently think that we're fundamentally "better" or even "different" as human beings from people who do purchase animal products. any "pride" you might be interpreting from vegan people will very likely be moreso the pride of having been able to decondition ourselves from capitalist propaganda and live a life that is truer to ourselves and our values.

we do not call veganism a "moral imperative" simply to say that we are "more moral" than non-vegans. it isn't a binary or a hierarchy. we talk about the moral imperative to ask you if you are living by your truest morals - because the animal agriculture industry has designed a system and a (consumerist) society in which we are rarely prompted ask these questions to ourselves. all because they profit directly from us remaining under their propaganda.

and - finally - veganism is not about vegans. it is about the animals. it can also be about the workers and the environment, but primarily and historically, we are vegan for the animals. not ourselves. we don't go vegan to get a shiny "vegan!!" badge that we can flaunt around. we do it because we ethically oppose the abuse and exploitation of animals - and we refuse to support it. that includes supporting it financially. our personal "identities" have absolutely nothing to do with it.

so just to recap, things consumerism might be:

marketing strategies that manipulate you into thinking your self worth, status or reputation are dependent on what products you do or do not own

the selling of things like food and medicine as "products" rather than basic necessities

advertisements for products that aren't necessities (especially products that are produced harmfully) that are designed to make you feel like they are

any amount of other things

things consumerism is, definitively not:

an ethical boycott

It is ok to be “that annoying vegan.” Veganism isn’t just a lifestyle choice, it is a moral imperative. When you make an ethical decision you aren’t just deciding that this is wrong for you; it isn’t like saying apples are nicer than oranges. People don’t believe prejudice is wrong just for them, or adultery, or abusive behavior. Ethical statements are truth claims; you are professing the belief that this thing is wrong. For everyone. It is every bit of ok to be “that annoying vegan” because that stereotype only exists to silence us.

[vinceo398147-blog]

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[traviswsoul]

Day 27 Portland to Brooks Memorial State Park 0 miles

July 31 3:49 time, 2.004 calories, 13.2 avg mph 1,014' climbed Portland, as it does, sucked me in, I stayed for almost a week between my Uncle's and my friend Terron's. I was only going to stay at Terron's for two night but doubled that to stay and watch the UFC 214 on paper view which he and his brothers were getting.  I'm glad I did, I have always enjoyed UFC, obviously for same bazaar, primal, man reason that had tens of thousands of Romans watching hundreds of gladiators and beasts tear each other apart regularly, I don't claim to understand it but I am glad that it is now a much more tame and civil servicing of our brutal desires.  I also really appreciate watching people do things they are very good at and train hard for, my guilty pleasure is the TV talent show extravaganzas that dominate pop culture like the Voice and America's Got Talent.  Of all the crap on TV I have nothing to say bad about these types of shows, celebrating talent will always be better than another mindless reality show glamorizing drama and dysfunction.  However, cutting to commercial break right before the big moment almost ruins it for me every time knowing how it really is only about money and manipulating us but Grace Vanderveer's performances or seeing anyone be validated with admiration when they are terrified and self doubting is always worth the wait.  I love them because they remind us that people are awesome and despite the highly competitive nature of this dog eat dog world we get to see people rooting for people and being excited about positive things,  we could us more of that, and I'll sit through the commercials for it.  I'll probably complain about capital and consumerism as I do but I'll wait.  The UFC is an exhibition of the top tear of overall human athleticism and even if there wasn't something in my wiring that was pleased by watching men hurt each other (a primal things that baffles me and I'm not proud to admit) I would still be intrigued by these specimens of commitment, determination, nutrition, breadth of study, strength, endurance and will.  It was different this time because I was right in the middle of personally treating  my fitness with more awareness and respect than I ever have. I'm working harder than ever on this trip, observing my bodies adaptations is intriguing, seeing the results is awesome, yet I am no where near the physical capacity or knowledge that a champion fighter has.  This heightened my interest when the opportunity arose to watch what was being hailed as the UFC's most exciting ticket ever, so I stayed and me and Terron got to catch up, talk about life, our struggles, our dreams, women, work and we did some really fun stuff along the way. The first  night at his crib was low key, I arrived before he was done working and luckily there was a key under the mat (don't tell anyone).  I introduced myself to Salmon, his soft, sweet, fat cat and we were soon napping together on the couch.  I fully embraced the nap this Portland vacation knowing well enough how much rest my body was asking for.  I woke up starving as usual and the house he was painting took longer than usual so I went out to find the German spot I knew he was wanting to take me to.  I found Steigelhaus down the street and ordered the pickled vegetable plate, a pretzel of course, and a beer, it was all delicious and soon enough my old buddy showed up and we were thrilled to see each other, a big hug later and we were reunited, it had been years,  he and I met when we starting modeling about the same time in Milan, Italy. We've since been all over the place together as we were the faces of Polo for several years and ended up living near each other in Brooklyn. Oh the memories!  There are several things in my life that I have to give credit to Terron for, none less than Yoga! Terron is the one that took me to my first Yoga class at the Bikram Studio in Union Square in NYC.  That changed my life.  I absolutely would not be who I am or on the path I am had it not been for that. I will forever be grateful to my friend Terron for that blessed gift.  We have had a few ups and downs over the years but when I knew I'd be in Portland he jumped to the top of the list of who I had to call, he's one of those guys you know you could call for anything and he'd do all he could to help you.  A big part of our relationship is how much each of us discovered our selves and grew up along the way parallel to each other.  We were both having exceptional careers in our generation of models and were the stars of our agency for that time.  We both owe a lot to our agent (and my dear friend) Jason Kanner, the man who shaped my 20's more than any other and to whom I'm the most grateful! We made a lot of money, we spent a lot of money, we traveled the world, we became NYC locals and unbeknownst to us great friends along the way.  The second night I was there Brendon, Terron's older brother, drove us to Salem for Karaoke.  The Woods brothers are great singers and karaoke naturals, I wish I could sing like that! They sang the Killers, King's of Leon, Matisyahu, and several other challenging vocalist's hits.  I enjoyed the music and, again, seeing people who are good at something they love and going out and doing it as this was not an amateur karaoke night.  The next day, after a nap of course, we went to the old swimmin hole Terron grew up in and floated the river for an hour.  There was a house there that had a huge telephone pole stuck in the ground,  I assume it was there for exactly the  reason I observed because it had a small platform mounted on top that a hawk had made a nest on.  It was really beautiful, I watched it as long as could,  there were two hawks with white heads and black and gray bodies, absolutely regal and majestic.  I didn't get to see them fly off or see any others arrive although I kept hoping to.  After we got out we recovered the longboards we had stashed in the blackberry bushes at our exit point before we drove down and jumped in so we skated back through a neighborhood, found the truck, and went for prime rib and mashed potatoes, with plenty of Horseradish Cream sauce, just like my brother has always had it and now I guess I'm the same because I ordered a second serving of it!  We were sufficiently sun beat and digesting meat, we called it a day.  The next day the great idea was to drive half an hour to play disc golf. This is something I have been wanting to do for my entire adult life and never had the chance.  Terron is pretty good at it and has a full collection of discs.  That is an activity I could, and plan on, really getting used to!  It's super chill, it's outside, requires very honed skill, there are endless way to improve, it's basically free and required minimal exertion.  Most of my activities require high levels of exertion so I really appreciated the laid back nature of this sport, it's like golf, minus all the country club-ness.  After that we made our way to his parents place for the fight, which was everything you want out a fight night you pay fifty bucks to watch.  Terron and Brenden are certainly UFC super fans and were great to watch it with.  The next day it was back to the real world, err, my real world for the time being. Because I had stayed two extra days Terron drove me 100 miles down the road and up the hill.  It was a 3,000 foot climb and I don't have any part of me that tells me I don't succeed if I don't ride every single mile so we road tripped down along the Columbia river on highway 84 then turned north on 97, crossed the river which is the border and found ourselves in Washington state.  This was the only part of eastern Washington I have ever seen, Maryhill, an uber famous  downhill run that we have had world cup races at every year that was traveling and racing downhill skateboards.  We pulled off at the overlook where you can see most of the hill and I had a mini sentimental moment there with all the memories from a very different part of my life.  It was weird being there and not having a skateboard or a hundred of my friends,  I miss those days, there not over!  The nearest town is Goldendale, another easily missed little town if not for that hill.  We used to stay in the hotels or campsites there and I know it well.  Fifteen miles past that we found the Brooks Memorial state park on the west side of the street and I was "home."  I set up camp while Terron napped on the picnic table and eventually we said our goodbyes, I hope it's not so long again until we reunite.  I climbed into my tent and read more of Thomas Paine's classic The Age Of Reason, I suggest this for everyone.  It's brilliant, it's so many things I have spent the last decade of my life coming to understand all distilled into easily consumed pages and I have been pouring over it, I can't believe this book didn't some to me sooner except for the fact that I know everything that teaches me comes to me at exactly the right time.  The title "The Age of Reason" caught my eye at the Nakima RV Resort on a "give one take one"'  bookshelf in the laundry room.  It sat there amongst fiction and self help books and called to me, I took it, I didn't have one to leave but I was grateful and I don't think my karma will suffer.  It took a few days to make time read among all the demanding writing schedule I have made for myself but now that I did I'm hooked! If you have ever struggled with why religion seems to be such a big shitty man made monster now but can't jump straight to nihilism/ atheism then this books for you.  Paine essentially shits all over religion while maintaining and true scholar's approach to scientific and rational deduction of knowledge.  His point so far is not just that religion is wrong and stupid but that it was flawed from the get go because it was crafted by men in order to make populations more moldable and profitable. We don't need any structure to teach us about God! Creation is the only case that needs to be made or observed in order to understand divinity and our place in it.  I'm only in  the first half but he's already gotten into the triangle being the foundation for math and then science and understanding the rules of the universe. Namely, the movements of the heavens which parallel the law  of physics on earth from which we can understand the magnitude and omniscience of our God, creation, our place, our divinity and reason all without needing any hint of dogma, fundamentalism, sin, shame

[ber39james]

Here’s the Real History of Mother’s Day

Did moms come up with Mother’s Day as an easy way to get pancakes in bed? Did activists fight for its adoption as a way to get folks to focus on peace? Or did card companies invent it as a way to make a few (billion) bucks?

If you answered all of the above, you’re right. Well, at least partially. Peace activists did play a role in early versions of Mother’s Day, and makers of cards and candy (not to mention florists) do get to rake in the rewards the second week of May every year. And yes, who would ever pass up an excuse for pancakes?

But there’s more to the history of Mother’s Day than meets the eye. In addition to the hidden history of the holiday, there’s a whole lot of controversy, from debates about who came up with the holiday first, to lawsuits about who’s able to use the name “Mother’s Day,” to one of the founders actually trying to get the holiday scratched from the books, even after fighting to get it recognized as a national day. Besides all that, there’s the question of where that pesky apostrophe goes. (Don’t worry: we’ve got you covered on that one.)

Here are the secrets of Mother’s Day and its history. And, for good measure, a few ideas on how to celebrate your own mom on the second Sunday of May.

The Birth of Mother’s Day

The origin of Mother’s Day as we know it took place in the early 1900s. A woman named Anna Jarvis started a campaign for an official holiday honoring mothers in 1905, the year her own mother died. The first larger-scale celebration of the holiday was in 1908, when Jarvis held a public memorial for her mother in her hometown of Grafton, West Virginia.

Over the next few years, Jarvis pushed to have the holiday officially recognized, and it was celebrated increasingly in more and more states around the U.S. Finally, in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation making Mother’s Day an official holiday, to take place the second Sunday of May.

Anna Jarvis put Mother’s Day on the calendar as a day dedicated to expressing love and gratitude to mothers, acknowledging the sacrifices women make for their children. That’s why she was determined to keep “Mother’s” a singular possessive, as marked by the apostrophe before “s.” Each family should celebrate its own mother, so that individual women across the country could feel the love, even in the midst of a broad celebration of motherhood.

Other Mother’s Days

Before Anna Jarvis worked to get a day just for recognizing mothers, her own mom played an important role uniting women for good causes. Mama Jarvis—also known as Ann Reeves Jarvis—cared for wounded soldiers on both sides of the field during the Civil War, and in its aftermath she organized a “Mothers’ Friendship Day,” the goal of which was to foster reconciliation between former Union and Confederate soldiers by having them come together, along with mothers from both sides. With the senior Jarvis’ lifelong focus on caring for children and promoting peace, it’s no wonder her daughter fought for a day just for moms.

At around the same time Ann Reeves Jarvis was working with mothers in the spirit of peace, Julia Ward Howe, another activist—as well as abolitionist and suffragette—worked to have June 2 be celebrated as “Mother’s Peace Day,” and wrote a “Mother’s Day Proclamation” calling on mothers to work toward world peace.

These women and others were responsible for precursors to Mother’s Day in American culture, but celebrations of motherhood go back deeper than that. Such celebrations sometimes involved worship of a mother deity, such as the Goddess Isis in Ancient Egypt, or Cybele and Rhea in Ancient Greece. In other cases, celebrations were only tangentially about mothers: Mothering Sunday in the United Kingdom, for example, was originally dedicated to the “Mother Church,” but was later broadened to honor human mothers, too.

Around the world, Mother’s Day is celebrated in a variety of ways and on different dates throughout the year, though many countries observe the holiday on the same day as the United States—proof of the powerful impact made by Anna Jarvis.

The Big Mother’s Day Controversy

Even after Anna Jarvis was successful in getting Mother’s Day made an official national holiday, she wasn’t satisfied with the way that holiday was celebrated. She had teamed up with florists while she was lobbying to get the holiday recognized, even recommending a white carnation as the symbolic flower of Mother’s Day.

However, in the first few years of the holiday’s official existence, Jarvis observed as florists, candy-makers and card-makers, and even charities used Mother’s Way as a way to make an extra buck. The commercialization of Mother’s Day, according to Jarvis, defeated the whole point of a holiday that was supposed to be about celebrating the personal, individual connection between a mother and her children.

From about 1920 onward, Jarvis fought hard to prevent businesses from profiting by means of Mother’s Day cards, candy, flowers, and other gifts. Although she had fought to be recognized as the one and only “Mother of Mother’s Day,” she later lobbied to have the holiday removed from the calendar of national holidays, and spent piles of her own money in lawsuits against profiteers she saw as using the Mother’s Day name in vain.

The Commercialization of Mother’s Day

Did Anna Jarvis have success getting people to cut down on the consumerism? If you’re considering buying your mother a card or a bouquet of flowers, you’ve got your answer.

The National Retail Federation does a yearly survey to find out how much Americans are planning on spending for Mother’s Day. Here’s a hint: most people aren’t busting out the crayons to make a homemade card.

In 2017, the expected total spending for Mother’s Day in the United States is $23.6 billion. That’s an average of $186.39 per shopper. In the fourteen years the National Retail Federation has conducted the Mother’s Day spending survey, that’s the highest amount yet.

But don’t feel bad if you’re not planning on forking up quite so much. There are plenty of ways to celebrate Mom without emptying your wallet. It’s all about making it special.

How to Celebrate Mother’s Day Today

For most modern moms, going out to brunch or getting a Hallmark card and a fat bunch of flowers will do the trick. Sure, Anna Jarvis will roll her eyes, but if Mom’s grateful, where’s the real harm?

If you want to go the Anna Jarvis route, make your own card or write a letter to show your love to your mommy dearest. Need inspiration? Use a phrase involving the word “mother” (like, “Word to your mother” or “Shall I be mother?”) or a nice mom-centric quotation. Here’s a good one:

There is no way to be a perfect mother, and a million ways to be a good one. – Jill Churchill

More where those came from here.

For some more free alternatives, you can pick up the phone (fun fact: Mother’s Day marks the highest phone traffic of the year in the United States), take Mom for a walk (if you live nearby), or send over something sentimental, like these pictures of animal moms with their cubs, pups, kits, or kids. Irresistible, right?

Most importantly, show your mom that she (and Grammarly) taught you well by putting the apostrophe in the right place when you write “Happy Mother’s Day.”

The post Here’s the Real History of Mother’s Day appeared first on Grammarly Blog.

from Grammarly Blog https://www.grammarly.com/blog/history-of-mothers-day/

[disastrouslyfabulous]

Could the Holy Grail of Beauty, Bargains and Convenience Really Exist?

The shops are closing their doors and internet retailers are reaping the rewards.

It seems that every day the next craze is taking over the Internet. Sales go through the roof because everyone needs to buy the hot product just because it’s cool. So many major retailers are closing their doors, which as a result malls have started to resemble lounges for all ages. Even though the traditional shops seem to be disappearing in drones, consumerism is doing quite the opposite. On the contrary, it’s nearly doubling in size.

Are beauty boxes really a bargain, or just another excuse to collect samples and clutter?

On somethings, such as such as clothes and shoes, buying something for a bargain that just looks like a hundred bucks is acceptable. Cause really who needs to know? But, buying bargain cosmetics is another story they could result in lasting effects that no one wants to have such as breakouts both subtle and severe. That’s when the questions come that aren’t that easy to tip toe around. How on earth can you spin the truth to the dreaded inquiry, “What on earth happened to your face? That looks painful! Is it?”

Top quality skin care and cosmetics are out there, but getting access to them is another story. Just a few ounces of these little concoctions could cost as much as a car or mortgage payment. Nevertheless, those companies need to make some kind of a profit, that’s when those little beauty boxes which have taken over the Internet come into play. Companies such as Birchbox and Ipsy may seem like they’re saving you a hundred bucks but after a closer look the effect be quite the opposite?

At first glance these handy little beauty boxes delivered directly to homes across the country seem like a great deal. For just around $10 high end cosmetics will be directly drop off at your front door. Long gone are the days of scary price tags and obnoxious sales ladies drowning unsuspecting shoppers in a cloud of perfume samples. Sure these fragrances on there on are lovely, but mixed together they’re more akin to smelling like a car freshener dipped in alcohol, than a flowery garden.

Like a bucket of cold water…

The excitement starts to die out upon realization that the samples are so small they are only good for 3 or 4 uses if that. Once a winning product is found to locate it at the bargain price once again is highly unlikely. Getting the same sample twice is highly unheard of.

Another invisible downside is that just because these samples may contain high-end ingredients, doesn’t mean they work for everyone’s skin tone. Sometimes high class can translate to the dreaded rash. For consumers who are conscious about the types of ingredients they use on their skin these tiny boxes may not be such a good idea after all.

Full size products worth $200 being sold for nearly a quarter of the price?

There’s got to be a catch right? Fab Fit Fun a company also peddling beauty products and cosmetics seemed to take bargain shopping to a whole other level. Suddenly it seemed the reality of getting high end merchandise for a price that would not break the bank was actually in sight. The main website to place the order offers no lists of products offered. The only clues as to what may be hidden in these secret surprises that are delivered on a seasonal basis are photographs of boxes from past seasons.

At face value, these boxes seem on contain adorable little trinkets of everything a girl could dream of. However, after closer inspection the contents of these boxes are anything, but a treasure trove of high end beauty products. Single packets of granola bars and seaweed chips can be seen to be lurking in the mass. To add to this a blanket, maybe a mug, a pretty water bottle or an umbrella of bright colors are also seen within the package. Maybe a couple of beauty products are tucked away in there such as some lip gloss, facial cleaner or a bottle of nail varnish.

Just because they are adorned with cute designs and a couple of bottles doesn’t mean they truly come to a net worth value of $200. You get what you pay for is a phrase that keeps lurking through the air. The $40 tag starts to make a lot more sense. Because that may be all they are worth.

Giving these boxes the benefit of the doubt is the ideal thing to do. But, the very fact that no company can afford to go bankrupt is the reality. In the end these boxes may not be money saving gold mines, but little luxuries those with a few extra dollars can afford to splurge on. Isn’t it true that if something is too good to be true then it probably is right?

Stop and think, explore then decide.

So, before you click and swipe try to get a peek inside. The last thing anyone wants to see inside is a lump of coal when they’re expecting a Christmas surprise.

About the guest blogger: Mary Thompson is a writer forSW & Associates Public Relations.  She covers Politics, Lifestyle, Fashion and Celebrity News.

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