One More Reason to Love Trader Joe's & One More Reason Not to Eat Beef

The funny cashier who expressd how much he loves elevator music, even though they were playing Bebop in the store. And he took it lightly and laughed when I told him he was the only one.

Other food related news - apparently I am intent on foundering. I am packing away food like Homer Simpson at the donut factory. Anyone who says yoga isn't serious exercise don't know they ass from they asana.

One More Reason NOT to Eat Beef (which I positively LOVE)-

While watching one of the submissions for the Native American Film Festival (my friend's the programmer, and I get to help!), I learned that the Bureau of Land (Mis)Management has been decimating the supposedly protected wild mustang population, "after a little-noticed provision was added in 2004 to a catchall spending bill. The provision was offered by Sen. Conrad Burns, R-Mont., essentially lifting a 1971 restriction on the sale of wild horses and burros... The government estimates 36,000 wild horses and burros live on public land, all in the Western states -- down from 60,000 counted in 1974." (4/28/2005 The Courrier-Journal, Louisville)

The B.L.M. has been given power to remove as many horses and burros as they deem appropriate, in order to protect the land. Except that what they are really doing, is clearing grazing land for CATTLE. In case you don't know just how exacting raising beef is for the land, try this site(www.mcspotlight.org/media/reports/beyond.html), or just Google it yourself. Furthermore, the wild horses were being sold to slaughterhouses for sale as food in foreign countries. You can read more about the BLM's handling of the ponies here: http://www.igha.org/BLM.html

Fortunately, some conscientious Senators (Byrd, for one) managed to get the sales frozen for the year 2006, but unless those measures are renewed, the animals are likely to suffer the same renewed fate.

What significance these animals are to you is, of course, up to you. For me they are symbols of the American West, of power, spirit, freedom, and hard work. Horses love to play. They are also direct links to memories of my childhood (my daddy foolishly bought me a Mustang pony when I was a little girl - but that's a whole other story). Driving down the east side of Mt. Hood and descending to the high mountain desert of Central Oregon, there were almost always herds of Mustang in the fields along the highway. They are about as beautiful a sight as any I can remember, but the older I grew, the less often you could find them. Once I saw two standing with their necks intertwined - they rested their heads on each other's backs.

Oh, and for you starfuckers - Viggo Mortensen is active (www.percevalpress.com) in working for the protection of the horses. Whatever Viggo wants...