Along The Sea..

Baby chicks adopted by a friend!

2007-12-02T00:13:00.000+01:00

This week we've been blessed with the birth of these beautiful chicks at University. Some eggs are kept in an environmental chamber and some eggs were actually fecunded and.. here some chicks!!!!!!! wow.. I didn't know anything about it but when I've found out I had to check them out! These chicks have now a home so they'll be safe! So sweet!!!!!!

The wedding preparations are going well, we're hoping to have this vegan catering from Firenze, called La Fonte - vegan restaurant. I'm hoping they'll accept to do our wedding. That would be wonderful. The girl I'm in contact with seems supernice and she showed me a super-yummy menu..

For the rest, we're thinking about marrying on the top of Castello Doria, in Portovenere.. the view is breathtaking too! I'll keep you posted!

Something very wrong with Denny's..

2007-11-23T06:03:00.001+01:00

Learn more at DeadlyDennys.com.

Baby Stingrays

2007-10-16T05:16:00.001+02:00

It's been awhile since last time I wrote something.. probably not so many people will read this. :( by the way, news.. I became aunt of a cute little boy, Perry and I just got engaged and we'll marry next summer in Italy.. and I wanted to show a video (now a bit old) of newborn stingrays, released in the bay, in the Gulf of Mexico.
I hope you're doing great!
Love, Valentina

Puppy mills

2007-06-12T05:57:00.000+02:00

I've just watched this video from the Humane Society of The United States and it was really sad. Please click on the puppy picture to watch it and share it with your friends..

I'm very busy right now, preparing for my trip to Dry Tortugas.. ones back I promise pictures! I'm very excited! Here a picture with Perry on Cinco de Maio in a mexican restaurant, we had fun! hehe..

My Birthday and New Orleans

2007-05-24T23:03:00.000+02:00

It's been awhile. Guess this is my common sentence in this period. I celebrated my birthday on May 15, Perry and I went to New Orleans and we had a wonderful time! We went to a jazz bar and there was a band playing beautiful music. It was just disappointing that the food wasn't that great or well.. there was not food for us! We couldn't eat anything local because everything was seafood based.. :( So at the end we ate a vegan burger at the HardRock cafè.. guess better than nothing! :)

It was a really nice weekend. The city is very beautiful and alive, the people friendly, just fantastic! The signs of Katrina are still there though and it was really sad to see part of the city completely empty and a dead forest on our way back home..

Soon I'm going to a research 'expedition' to the Dry Tortugas and I hope it's gonna be great! I'm going to study coral reef/fish! One week on a boat for some great ecological research!

Please Save Shambo

2007-05-09T11:00:00.000+02:00

Taken from the web site Skandavale.org http://www.skandavale.org/shambo.htm:

The National Assembly for Wales
has issued a notice of intended slaughter. This means they intend to kill “Shambo” one of our Temple Bulls.

27th April 2007

· Shambo one of our Temple bulls has tested positive to a routine Bovine Tuberculosis (TB) skin test. This means that he is suspected, not proven to carry Bovine TB.

· The current policy of DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is to kill any animal suspected of carrying Bovine TB.

· Shambo is in a very healthy condition. If TB does develop in him, he can be expected to make a full recovery given appropriate care.

· As a responsible organisation we have sought professional veterinary advice to ensure that the measures we are taking are robust and appropriate to minimise any risk of possible spread of disease either to other animals in our care, other farm animals, wildlife, the members of the Community involved in direct animal husbandry or members of the public visiting the Community for worship.

· We understand and appreciate DEFRA’s position with regards to public health and containing the spread of TB with the view to eliminate it from the national herd. We have been advised by our solicitors that there is provision both within the Animal Health Act 1981 and the more recent TB order Wales 2006 for permission to treat and vaccinate any animal identified as having TB with the prior consent of the minister for the national Assembly of Wales.

· If we were to permit DEFRA to kill Shambo it would be an appalling desecration of life, the sanctity of our Temples and Hinduism as a whole.

· We could no more allow the slaughter of Shambo than we could the killing of a human being. Ultimately we would be willing to defend his life with our own.

· We sincerely hope and pray that the officials at DEFRA will respect, not desecrate, the Hindu religion, the sanctity of Shambo’s life and Skanda Vale’s holy Temples.

· If DEFRA decide to desecrate the Hindu religion and try to kill Shambo, we exhort all those who support the Temple and Sanathana Dharma to come to our assistance.

3rd May 2007

We have today received a "Notice of Intended Slaughter" from the National Assembly for Wales.
We are taking steps to challenge this decision through the courts.

4th May 2007
· Shambo has been isolated from other bovines and from contact with the public in a specially constructed shrine within our main Temple.

Preparing Shambo's new home in the back of the
Murugan Temple

Shambo's new home is ready

Shambo represents Nandi (Lord Shiva's bull)

6th May

We have started an online petition

7th May

Shambo has settled into his new home and is coping well with the pressures of bovine superstardom.
Nearly 600 supporters from all over the world have signed up to our petition in the first 24 hours.
Please tell all your friends to get on their computer and sign the petition.

Happy Birthday Susie!!!!!!!!

2007-05-03T22:31:00.000+02:00

I know I've disappeared in the last months.. This summer I'm actually gonna have a lot more to tell because I'll be involved in a lot of activities...! But today I really had to post that it's the birthday of my truest sweetness! No doubt! Today Susie turns 10!! Happy birthday my sweet Susie! I've sent her two fluffy balls to play and my parents showed her to me through Skype (free callings!!) and she was so happy and playing! I love her soo much!!!!! Can't wait to hold her again! A couple of months my sweet Susina!!

Another news is that my brother will have a son soon, they'll name him Enea, Aeneas in English, I'm not crazy about the name but I'm already loving him! :)

University is going alright, the first semester is already ended and I'm looking forward a busy busy summer!

Lots of love,

Valentina

PIGGIES ARE FRIENDS NOT FOOD!!!

2007-03-25T05:38:00.000+02:00

I've just watched one of the cutest videos ever!

Check this out!

I'm going to be Aunt Valentina

2007-02-09T01:25:00.000+01:00

Oh yeah.. that's true.. My brother and his girlfriend decided to make me an aunt.

I know- the news is beautiful and I'm super-happy!! Just still a bit shocked because I have to get used to think of my brother as a father! They wanted a kid for a long time and they're around their 30s so I guess it's just more than natural.. :)

I love it! I'm gonna be an Aunt!!!!! I'm going to be the only one and I'm gonna spoil him/her!

Congratulations to my lovely brother and my sister-in-law!

My life in Florida

2007-01-25T03:20:00.000+01:00

I know.. It's been almost a month since last time I posted something.. I guess it's time for some updates. Perry and I moved to Florida.. or well, this is more Alabama since we're in the Northwest! So we moved to Flabama :) to continue my studies in Biology. The city here isn't that great but the beach is one of the most beautiful white beaches I've ever seen!

in these three weeks we've been busy with renting a place and make that our new home.. I still have to find some good vegan food, I was spoiled in Miami :) but I'm sure I'm gonna find some. The girls who work with me at University will make me try some vegan muffins, can't wait.. wow.. there's so much new stuff to tell that I don't know where to start!! Last week we went to Port St Joe for a study on stingrays, it was actually really nice!!

Well, I go back to my stuff.. I'm back!

Moving..

2006-12-28T20:56:00.000+01:00

Hi! Perry and I are packing everything to move to FL! I'll be back to my blog as soon as possible! Have a great New Year's Eve!

Merry Christmas

2006-12-24T13:53:00.000+01:00

Love, Valentina

So we leave.

2006-12-18T19:29:00.000+01:00

Life has been really hectic in the last few months. For a reason. I've been recently admitted to a Master program in Biology/Marine Biology in Florida so we leave. Perry will also study at the same University so I'm very very happy. I've never had a boyfriend in the same school - it was my choice to separate my social life with my sentimental life.. but I don't mind and I think it's so funny to bump into Perry while walking.

So we're going to spend this New Year's Eve in Florida! yeahh! I'm so happy, everything is gonna be new and exciting. And finally I won't walk in the rain all the time.. however I have good memories in Holland.

Thanx PeTA!! Top PETA's Annual 'Worst-Dressed' List

2006-12-09T01:20:00.001+01:00

On PeTA website i just saw the Top PETA's Annual 'Worst-Dressed' List for Their Fur-Wearing Ways, so I though I would share it with you!

from PeTA: http://blog.peta.org/archives/2006/11/petas_2006_wors.php

Skin and Bones: Nicole Richie and Ashley Olsen Top PETA's Annual 'Worst-Dressed' List for Their Fur-Wearing Ways
Nicole Richie and Ashley Olsen may not have much of an appetite when it comes to food, but their craving for animal skins has landed them on PETA's 2006 'Worst-Dressed' List:

1. Nicole Richie: This pelt-wearing party girl is all animal skin and bones. She's an incredible shrinking woman with the heart to match.

2. Ashley Olsen: Wearing fur does add 20 pounds, but if Ashley wants to fill out her frame, we suggest using a fork instead.

3. Christina Ricci: Disregarding the holiday season's "Peace on Earth" message, Ricci recently posed for a magazine cover wearing fur from slaughtered reindeer. At least she's not into fur hats: Imagine how many more pelts it would take to cover that forehead.

4. Eva Longoria: You'd think she'd be more sympathetic to the plight of rabbits considering the way she screws around like one on Wisteria Lane.

Notably absent from the list this year is Paris Hilton, whose fur-wearing ways landed her on top of PETA's "Worst-Dressed" list last year. Paris now tells reporters that she's had enough and is ditching her mink coats, fox collars, and chinchilla trim. The tipping point came when she watched a gruesome exposé of the Chinese fur trade and learned that animals are skinned alive in China for their fur. PETA is hopeful that Paris really has been enlightened but is taking a wait-and-see approach before asking her to be the next "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" model.

http://blog.peta.org/archives/2006/11/petas_2006_wors.php

Vegan Parenting

2006-12-02T12:26:00.000+01:00

I saw this nice video and I wanted to share it with you!

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2006-11-29T18:45:00.000+01:00

Today is my mom's birthday!!! Happy Birthday Mamma!!

As soon as I go back to Italy I prepare a huge chocolate cake covered with crunchy nuts!

Here with my mom: she's tricking you, she was standing on a stair, I'm not so short! hahaha! :)

A Tiramisú for Perry's Birthday

2006-11-28T19:57:00.000+01:00

As I told you, Perry and I took some days just for us. Yersterday we went to Amsterdam and we had a great vegan dinner at a Thai restaurant (and for lunch a great felafel-humus at MAOZ). And for his birthday I wanted to try something that I haven't done since I became vegan almost 7 years ago.. a tiramisú!!!! I had this psychological block, I thought it would be nearly impossible to make a real (vegan) tiramisú, but I've made it and I even wrote on top of it with pure delicious chocolate!!!!!! I'm very happy that it came out wonderfully.

You should also try it. **yummy**

Perry was very happy, and we spent a shining birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PERRY!!!!!!!!!!

VEGAN TIRAMISÚ

First make a Sponge Cake. Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Mix 2 cups of flour, baking soda and 1 and 1/2 cup of brown sugar. Add 6 spoons of margarine and 1 and 1/2 cup of soy milk. Mix again. Add 4 spoons of Corn Starch and vanilla extract. Bake for 45/50 minutes.

When the cake is cooked let it cool. For the cream I used a vegan vanilla dessert cream which is perfect for it if you don't have time like me.

Prepare a strong Italian coffee (espresso), put sugar in it, and let it cool.

When the cake is cool, cut it in strings and put on top of them a bit of liquor, like Vermouth or Martini bianco. Dip the cake strings in the coffee and lay in a pan.

Pour some cream on it (a lot) and repeat.

Sprinkle with cocoa powder. Write something nice for the ones you love and put it in the freezer for one night. Then call them and enjoy!!!

busy time

2006-11-21T16:23:00.000+01:00

I'm just in a crazy period! I've left the bar and now I'm taking care of my sweet Susie because she has a bronchitis.. sweet sweet love. I hope that all our love helps her to feel better soon!

For the rest the last month has been really tiring and well, I won't miss the lunch bar at all! Now I'm going to write some proposal for grants and scholarships and I hope to start my research soon. :)

Today I've tried to make something I ate a couple of days ago in a restaurant: a broccoli-potatoes cream with toasted bread and I totally loved it!

Now I have some more time to post and read your blogs.

To Candi: I've tried to comment something but it fails sometimes.. anyway, I wanted to tell you that I'm totally proud of you, and your choice to go for more raw food!

follow your bliss.

2006-11-09T01:45:00.000+01:00

There's not so much going on at this moment, just a lot of work.. I know this is part of the process to make some projects we got in mind possible! But I would just leave right now for going to the Fiji's and opening a hut/bar in a village! ahah.. that would be sooooo good. I'm trilling to spend some days just with Perry and forget all the rest!! It's his birthday soon and I'd love to make some special cake for him. Any suggestions?

I thought about something like a huge chocolate cake or a tiramisù.. who knows! Anyway I'm craving for some free time and I'm going crazy for working for three weeks - everyday- without a rest day... :( so tired..

It's good it's not gonna be like this for a long time. At the Caffè where I work everything is fine. Now we also have vegan cereals soups!

I'm so sleepy.. Goodnight!

If you wanna shoot down birds.. then shoot yours!

2006-11-06T22:39:00.000+01:00

Autumn is here and the birds are gone. Only if you live in the countryside like I do you can understand what I mean. How sad.. to wake up in the morning without the birds’ songs.. and just hearing that annoying wind that blows so hard! I think autumn can be considered the saddest season, everything is dying, the trees are without leaves and the sky is grey. The other day I went to the beach because I was craving a bit of sunrays and I wanted to relax and give away my thoughts and worries to my beloved sea. Even the sea sounds blue in autumn.. anyway all these gloomy feelings made me think about how wonderful birds are. It just makes me happy to hear and see birds in the sky and when the robin (my favourite one) comes closer and closer to me to take a little piece of bread.. it fills my heart with joy. All this made me think how horrible is hunting and how awful are those monsters who get a gun in their hands and go hunting.. how can it be fun to wait for an innocent animal who’s passing by and living his life and someone just kills him..? Sport? What kind of sport is that! To all the hunters: if you wanna sport go running and leave the animals free to live. And if you really wanna shoot down birds.. then shoot yours!
(in the picture: a shirt from my mom that says this line!)

a vegan biologist in a bar?

2006-11-01T12:40:00.000+01:00

I finally have some time to post something. I hope you spent a great Halloween night! Did you get lots of candies? Lately I've also started to work in a bar, it won't be for a long time I think, but I have some fun. It's funny to be a conservation biologist in a bar.. people ask me stuff about the sea and fish, so there's a lot of talking going on. Of course, I had to veganize it a little bit. Since a week ago, we have cappuccino made with soymilk which is fabulous, just tastes delicious! And people start asking for it even if I don't offer it. Some girls want to know more about vegan diet and about my theory that soymilk makes people prettier! ;) *blink blink*. Anyway, my action made it possible to actually have vegan couscous for the happy-hour night, vegan chocolate for the coffee, and so on for caffè macchiato, caffè-latte, chocolate cake and biscuits to go with the tea. I don't have the power to veganize the whole bar but in the short time there I want to spread around a bit of *vegan taste*.. Who knows that I might get some people who actually decide to change their habits.

But yeah, all this veganization and yes! -the data- are keeping me away from spending some time with my beloved one. So we're going to take 4 days off just for us very soon..

ps. I had problems with commenting on blogs lately, but I'm reading your blogs! sorry for that!

I'm Sorry..

2006-10-18T00:20:00.000+02:00

Hi my friends!! I'm so sorry that I've kinda disappeared but yeah.. the jobs (2..sigh!) and other stuff.. are keeping me very busy. But for the rest, I'm doing fine. I know this is just a period and we'll soon move on with our projects so I'm looking forward to the end of the year.

In the few hours I have left for my self I read (now: Life of Pi) but I'm not cooking a lot.. still have to do that muffin! :( I will I will! Is it possible to make a coconut muffin? I'm so ignorant on this!

I hope tomorrow after the work i can post something interesting and take a look at your blogs!

(-->picture made at the concert of Travoltas, yeah I know.. I love this guy)

okonomiyaki part II

2006-10-06T21:59:00.001+02:00

Sorry.. I don't have a camera with me now so I made the picture with the webcam.. but this is an okonomiyaki, I made it tonight, with mushrooms, zucchini and cabbage.

Okonomiyaki

2006-10-05T21:52:00.000+02:00

Today I worked all day on the analysis of my data but the graphs don't look good at all, so I'm trying to fix the problem.. This is the problem to be far away from my boss, when I had a problem I just dropped by her office and asked.. but I guess now I can think more and learn more.. But yes, the time goes by very fast, on Monday I start a new job, then there's the gym and the project.. a lot to do. I wanted to make a vegan cake for my uncle which had a double by-pass surgery and now he can't eat eggs or milk or meat (how come if a lot of people say it's good for your health?).. a very soft cake.. but I need some time to buy all the stuff and cook and visit him! ahhhrgh!

I told you it's a long time I'm thinking about going to Japan in the future for some months and I'm collecting info about the vegan stuff there.. :

I've found a recipe, that I had in mind since I was a very young girl and I loved (still love..) anime (Japanese cartoons). In the cartoon they often talk about okonomiyaki..

Recipe for 10 okonomiyaki (for cup I mean a breakfast cup in this case)

- 1 spoon of sesame oil

- 4 cups of water

- 1/2 cup of whole grain flour

- 1/2 cup of white flour

- 1 spoon of corn starch

- 3/4 cup of cabbage cut in strings

- 1/4 cup of carrots cut in strings

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- 1 cup of onion

- soy sauce

- oil to fry

Prep! In a pan, fry the onion in the oil. When soft, add the cabbage, then the carrots and let it cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and turn off the fire.

In a bowl, add flour, salt and water and mix until you obtain a homogeneous pastry.

In another pan, warm the oil up and add a bit of pastry to cover the bottom (like a pancake) and add immediately the vegetables. When cooked turn on the other side. Ready! Serve with soy sauce!

More about me!

2006-10-03T23:05:00.000+02:00

I wanna thank everybody for the muffins suggestions!!!!!

Here some vegan books!!

*TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF - The Survey*
Name:	Valentina

Birthplace:	"Santa Poco", Italy
Current Location:	Netherlands
Eye Color:	Dark Brown
Hair Color:	Dark Brown

Right Handed or Left Handed:	right
Your Heritage:	100% Italian
The Shoes You Wore Today:	black boots.. a gift from my beloved boyfriend
Your Weakness:	love
Your Fears:	cockroaches (but not too afraid)
Your Perfect Pizza:	Marinara: tomato-garlic-oregano-olive oil
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year:	secret
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger:	haha
Thoughts First Waking Up:	noo.. I'm late again!
Your Best Physical Feature:	smile
Your Bedtime:	00:00-01:00
Your Most Missed Memory:	Toby
Pepsi or Coke:	vanilla coke
MacDonalds or Burger King:	no thanx, I'm VEGAN!
Single or Group Dates:	single
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea:	Estatè
Chocolate or Vanilla:	vanilla
Cappuccino or Coffee:	coffee
Do you Smoke:	nope
Do you Swear:	no
Do you Sing:	oh yes! and I enjoy it very much
Do you Shower Daily:	yes
Have you Been in Love:	I'm in love!
Do you want to go to College:	I did already and I'm gonna go to grad school
Do you want to get Married:	Yep, when the time is right
Do you belive in yourself:	yes
Do you get Motion Sickness:	no
Do you think you are Attractive:	well.. ;)
Are you a Health Freak:	no, but I care about my health
Do you get along with your Parents:	very well
Do you like Thunderstorms:	yes, if I'm not on a small boat in the ocean close to Bahamas.....
Do you play an Instrument:	no
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol:	yes
In the past month have you Smoked:	no
In the past month have you been on Drugs:	no
In the past month have you gone on a Date:	with my boyfriend
In the past month have you gone to a Mall:	no
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos:	no
In the past month have you eaten Sushi:	yes, vegan sushi
In the past month have you been on Stage:	no
In the past month have you been Dumped:	no
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping:	no
In the past month have you Stolen Anything:	no
Ever been Drunk:	oh yeah- i'm a bad drinker
Ever been called a Tease:	noo
Ever been Beaten up:	no
Ever Shoplifted:	no... come on!
How do you want to Die:	I don't want to!
What do you want to be when you Grow Up:	a respected scientist
What country would you most like to Visit:	Japan
*In a Boy/Girl..*
Favourite Eye Color:	Blue
Favourite Hair Color:	doesn't really matter
Short or Long Hair:	short
Height:	175cm
Weight:	I don't know.. let's say 'in shape'
Best Clothing Style:	surf
Number of Drugs I have taken:	none
Number of CDs I own:	about 400 + those of my boyfriend... mmm a lot!!!
Number of Piercings:	4
Number of Tattoos:	1
Number of things in my Past I Regret:	a couple..

Everyone: can you help me with muffins?

2006-10-01T13:19:00.000+02:00

Today I've read it's the vegetarians day! Yeah! So I wanted to celebrate with preparing something I've never tasted before: muffins. Now. I know I could check on the web and find a recipe.. but I would like to know if you have a recipe to suggest me!

In the meantime I eat some of my cake..

Hug a Vegetarian Day

2006-09-29T20:58:00.000+02:00

I hug you all vegetarians and vegans!!!!! I hugged Perry! Vegan hugging a lovable vegetarian.

Today I'm alone because Perry is in the studio all day producing a band so I give myself to some slurpzzz-recipes, since today is a special day for two reasons: hug a veg* day and my parents' 30th Wedding Anniversary... best wishes to you! Thank you for marrying and 'making me' and my brother! ah ah!!!!! So I'm preparing a double choc-vanilla cake and tofu teriyaki w/rice. But first of all, my first rule is: never cook when you're hungry - so I prepare a toast with hummus..

Now I can start:

Veggolato mix Sponge Cake.. why choosing when you can have both?

Tofu Teriyaki w/rice with addition of Taehee's super-spicy sauce.. delicious! (Tetsuro told me how to do it).

Something that Tetsuro told me is that it isn't true that in Japan people eat mainly meat and fish. In fact this happens maybe in Tokyo but in the small towns and villages ('the true Japan', as he said) people eat mainly vegetables.. this made me feel very good because I have in mind to study for an internship or something like that in Japan, in the future.. maybe Perry and I will go there together, who knows. It'd be wonderful..

Leaving the Marine Ecology Center..

2006-09-28T22:06:00.000+02:00

It's been a very busy week, first we had a music festival here and some friends came to visit us. One of these was Taehee, it's been nice to go with her and Perry to see the concerts. This girl in the picture with me is Sophie and we met in Portugal two years ago when I was studying there. So she dropped a couple of lines telling me she was going to visit her boyfriend who's now in Holland so she came to visit me one day! It's been nice to see her again.. it's been a long time since the last time.. at San Joao Party in Lisbon..

Well, and today it has been my last day at the Ecology center, now I need to do the analysis of the data at home. Also today Tetsuro, a guy working at the center, prepared vegan Japanese food for me, some rice with veggie, very good and a delicious miso soup. It was really sweet and I hope we'll keep in touch and eventually meet up anytime soon! Taehee gave me two bottles of korean sauce.. one spicy and the other not to complete my vegan dishes! :-) She also wrote very nice things and I believe I've found a friend in her.

No Use For Vivisection

2006-09-25T20:56:00.000+02:00

Oh yeah.. late 2006 and we're still talking about vivisection.. Today I've found this post by Beppe Grillo an Italian stand-up comedian.. he's really great.. During his shows he always talks about the messed up things in this world.. so going to his show is better than watching the news..
he wrote about vivisection too, if you want to take a look at his blog (in English): http://www.beppegrillo.it/eng/

I copied and pasted his post:

Vivisection is No Use

I admit that when I think of the vivisection of animals I am ashamed of the human specie and I feel solidarity with agent Smith of Matrix when he says that humans are not mammals but viruses. I would like to abolish animal vivisection by law. The objection offered is that “vivisection is useful, better them than us.” I would like to see if someone were to vivisection your cat or your dog how you would react to these words. Anyway, vivisection is not useful and it’s not said by a comic but by the journal Nature, a reference point for the scientific world, which on 10/11/2005 published an article with the declarations of some scientists:“ - Tests for toxicity that we have used for decades are simply bad science. Today we have the opportunity to start from zero and to develop tests based on evident proofs that give us a real opportunity for toxicology to at last become a respectable science.- The bad quality of most of the tests on animals has been recognised. These have never undergone the rigours of validation today imposed on alternative methods “in vitro”. Most of the tests on animals over-estimate or under-estimate the toxicity, or simply are not capable of providing precise data about toxicity in relation to humans. (75% of tests on animals are done for toxicology tests – editor’s note)- Embryo toxicology tests done on animals cannot be trusted to be extended to humans: when we discover that cortisone is toxic for the embryos of all the species tested except for humans, what should we do?"

The REACH proposal is being discussed in Brussels. It’s concerned with the evaluation and regulation of chemicals sent into the environment. It has been established that these have caused a million premature deaths in the EU (cancer, degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis).I have decided to support the Scientific Campaign group Equivita (previously called Comitato Scientifico Antivivisezionista), which is asking for a clause to be included in the REACH proposal forbidding the use of experimentation on animals to evaluate the toxicity of substances.Experimentation on animals allows industries to get whatever result they like (by changing the species of animal used) and to avoid civil responsibility by maintaining that the animal model does not allow for “ the certainty of the test”.There are predictive investigation methods for humans such as toxicgenomics, already in the text of the REACH proposal as a possible choice. Toxicgenomics studies the reaction of the genome of the human cell with results 100 times faster and more cost-effective.

I’m ending this long post with a thought from Albert Einstein: “Vivisection. Nothing is of such high importance as to justify such unethical methods”

PS In Lugano, I met Hans Ruesch, a really young 90-year-old founder of the antivivisection movement and author of the book: “Imperatrice Nuda” (Naked Empress or the Great Medical Fraud). I send him affectionate greetings from this Blog.
Posted by Beppe Grillo

Four Years Together..

2006-09-22T19:18:00.000+02:00

Today Perry and I celebrate our 4th anniversary! We had a nice lunch in a Cafè and walked in the city. Now we're going to have a dinner at Tortillas -- the Mexican restaurant..

I'm so happy! I love him so much! *blink*

Update..

the food and the night were wonderful!

Gaia tagged me!

2006-09-21T16:34:00.000+02:00

Hey Gaia.. I didn't forget that a couple of weeks ago you tagged me.. but with the project and the holidays I was really too busy to think about something good! :)

So: "create a list of top picks for things you've eaten and think that everyone should eat at least once before they die."

Baked Ziti
Vegan Mexican Zucchini
Veggolato - Chocolate cake from heaven
Dahl Soups
Italian Ice-Cream (vegan of course!)
Indian Curry with Tofu and veggie
focaccia + farinata (directly from the area where I grew up)
Salads (many of them..) and RAW RAW RAW FOOD!!
Felafel w/hummus on pita bread
all kind of vegan sweets!! So we better start trying everything now!! Included Home-made ''Bounty" -- there's no reason to add milk!!!!

(recipes + pictures soon on my blog!)

Did I write too many things??!

Back in Town

2006-09-21T14:01:00.000+02:00

So--I'm back in town! And also back to my blog. I didn't miss Holland during my stay in Italy.. I missed a bit internet the first day because I'm addicted to it but I'm working on it.I've been visiting my family and spent some time on the beach trying to get a bit of a tan even if summer is almost gone :-(..

I took Perry to Portovenere and Cinque Terre (Five Lands) cuz I never did before and we had great time! There's not a lot to tell about holidays especially when you spend all the time on the beach and eating! yeah!! :-)

I also could keep my sweet lovely Susie in my arms and pet her. I cannot get why she dislikes Perry; my mom says that she must be jealous of him.. haha.. I don't know, but she's so sweet!

Ok I'm gonna post some pictures from my holidays and I'm gonna start reading your blogs!! I wanna see how you're doing!

On a holiday..

2006-09-12T16:38:00.000+02:00

Hi everyone! SORRY SORRY!!!! Just a short note to let you know that I'm on vacation and I'll be for about 7 more days so I won't post anything until I come back home. Then, I'll post the pictures I've made!I hope you're all doing great and once back I'll check your blogs to see what you've been up to!I'm very happy to be finally with my sweetheart Susie, my family and I love going to the beach with Perry! In September the weather is always so nice, it's not too hot and on the beach it's very relaxing..
See you along the sea..

Veg* Quiz

You scored as vegan vixen.

You're a vegan vixen! You use your good looks and body to encourage people to go veg. You're probably a little perky and a little adventurous. You may have tofu-wrestled, worn a lettuce bra, or are about to do one of the two! If you're a guy, consider yourself a virile vegan (vixen generally refers to women...). Though you may have feminist beliefs, it's fine to use sexual attraction to get people to stop eating animals. More on www.goveg.com

What type of vegetarian are you?

Steve Irwin

2006-09-04T22:37:00.000+02:00

2/22/1962-9/4/2006

News report-BRISBANE, Australia - Steve Irwin, the hugely popular Australian television personality and environmentalist known as the Crocodile Hunter, was killed Monday by a stingray during a diving expedition, police said. He was 44.Irwin was filming an underwater documentary on the Great Barrier Reef in northeastern Queensland state when the accident occurred, Sydneys The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported on its Web site.The Australian Broadcasting Corp. said Irwin was diving near Low Isles Reef near the resort town of Port Douglas, about 1,260 miles north of the state capital of Brisbane.

***

Steve has always been a model for me, he loved the animals so deeply and he showed such a commitment to the conservation of every of them, made everyone love the animals people usually fear.. He is a legend.. Conservationism and the entire world lost someone so important..

We'll all miss you Croc-Hunter...

***

Here some of his famous quotes:

_ "Crikey!" — his catch phrase, exclaimed repeatedly during his television show whenever something interesting happens.
_ "I get called an adrenaline junkie every other minute, and I'm just fine with that."
_ "I have no fear of losing my life — if I have to save a koala or a crocodile or a kangaroo or a snake, mate, I will save it."
_ "I've worked with more dangerous snakes than anyone in the world and I've never been bitten. It's a gift."
_ "I bled a lot. I got hit across the face. We couldn't film for seven days. I got hit, whacked, underwater, across the face. I finished the shot, got into the boat and blood started coming out." — on one particularly close shave.
_ "Crikey, mate. You're far safer dealing with crocodiles and western diamondback rattlesnakes than the executives and the producers and all those sharks in the big MGM building." — comparing dealing with deadly animals with show business.
_ "Crocodiles. I've been catching them since I was nine. No problem."

Goodbye Yerseke...

2006-09-03T14:18:00.000+02:00

Soon I'll be finished with my project at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology and I'll go back to Italy for awhile.. When I drive my bike from the station to the center I always see these beautiful lamas walking around in the field and I've decided to make some pictures coz they're beyond beautiful. Their big funny eyes and the way they eat the grass.. I could watch them for hours! Even if the weather was pretty bad in the last month and this made me a bit depressed, passing by them made me smile.. they're just too cute to be true!! :) Look how the stare at me like they would tell me: 'what do you want?' Or they were just posing.. ahah.. I love them!

Next week I'll go back to Italy on a holiday with Perry.. I can't wait to see my family, my sweet Susie!!! And going to the beach, staying in the sun and enhancing my underwater photography skills! :)

Korean rolls & tofu

2006-08-29T22:35:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I helped all day my friend Tae Hee with her project so today she brought me some delicious lunch! She's soo sweet! She prepared this simple rice rolls with Korean tofu, which consists, basically, in tofu (yeah!) and mushrooms.. all cooked in soy sauce and red pepper paste! wow.. that was awesome.. I'm sorry the picture is pretty crappy but I took it very quickly cos I was pretty hungry.. Have I already mentioned that it was really good!?? I'm thinking about something to prepare on Friday for Tae Hee and another girl which has been very nice to me, Francesca. But there'll be an update on that. ;)

Since I'm here posting I'm gonna write a recipe I'm very jealous about, something I use for showin' up with my non-vegan friends.. hehe.. It's similar to what Tae Hee made for me but I learned how to make it in Bahamas.. well, long story I guess.. ;)

Please try this and tell me how it was:

Korean Tofu (2 persons)

150 gr natural tofu

1 big potato in large pieces
1 large carrot cut up

1 large onion cut up

4 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon chili paste

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

salt to taste

Prep! Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet. Add garlic, chili powder and the paste and mix it. Add the tofu (I first fry it a bit). Add veggies after a few minutes. Add salt, sugar and soy sauce. Cover the pan and lower the heat. Cook until carrots get soft and add a bit of water if necessary.

Serve with rice.

Save a baby crab in the morning and eat hummus in the evening.. vegan life!

2006-08-23T22:29:00.000+02:00

Today I saved a baby crab. It belonged to the same species of this little guy in the picture. Very often at the center little crabs are entrapped in the sediment.. it's not a big deal, the sea is two meters away and you can free them back to the sea. But not a lot of people think about it. Since I arrived I had to free a lot of animals that otherwise would have been thrown away.. so that I got the feeling some people just wait for me for putting back the animals in the wild. I saved snails, crabs and oysters. It's good I'm there doing it and I hope people realize that it doesn't take a lot of effort and it feels great to give freedom to a poor entrapped little guy. But I wonder if anyone would do it once I'll be gone.That's sad.

********

I'd like to present the recipe of one of the best creams in the world: HUMMUS. There're actually two versions (that I know), cooked and raw. Choose the one you like the most. Both best served with pita bread!

Cooked:
1 can of chick peas (400gr)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon tahini
juice of two lemons
1\2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1\4 teaspoon paprika
salt and pepper

Prep! Blend the chick peas with the garlic and a little water to make a smooth, creamy consistency. Spoon in the tahini, add most of the lemon juice and the salt and pepper (not too much).
Whizz again and add the rest of the lemon juice.
Serve on a shallow dish, scattered with the parsley and sprinkled with paprika.
Serves 4-6.

Raw (dedicated to my friend Candi):
1 can chick pea sprouts (sprouted overnight)
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons raw tahini
Optional seasonings: ground cumin, sea salt to taste, chives, paprika, cayenne pepper

Prep! Blend all of the ingredients. Add water to thin to desired consistency.
Very delicious spread on leafy greens or red bell pepper strips or even celery. Enjoy!

(ps. the picture isn't mine.. it's too late for cooking now! :) have a good evening!)

Masoor Dahl Soup

2006-08-19T14:28:00.000+02:00

This is my very special Masoor Dahl Soup recipe! I don't know if other people have my same feeling but I'm still amazed to see how easy it is to have a tasty dish without a lot of effort. It's just damn good. So if you're looking for something good here you go ;-b

MASOOR DAHL SOUP

Ingredients:
250 gr red lentils
1 veg cube
spices (1/2 teaspoon each): black pepper, cumin, curry, coriander, sereh, turmeric
2 red chili peppers
3 garlic cloves

Prep! Wash the red lentils and cook them until water has come to the boil. Then add the vegetable cube and the garlic cloves. Cook for 5 minutes. Add all the spices and leave it cooking until you get a thick soup. Take off the garlic cloves and serve!

Guys dig it!

(Perry enjoying the soup)

If you like Indian food I suggest you to check this book, very useful if you wanna try A Vegan Taste of India

Save Bimini

2006-08-17T16:13:00.000+02:00

Bimini Islands are a group of subtropical islands, part of the Great Bahama Bank, 86 km east of Miami. I've been in Bimini last year, participating in a field research on the beautiful lemon shark Negaprion brevirostris, as my final stage for my BS degree. These islands are most famous to serve as a nursery for the lemon sharks and believe me they're a natural paradise on Earth. Unfortunately a huge catastrophic action has been taken against Bimini Bay by The Hilton Hotels Corporation. In fact a massive destruction of all the mangroves has started for building a resort for tourists and I saw it my self, I was disgusted and full of anger. Please to know more about it and to protest against it, visit BIMINI BAY RESORT DESTROYS BIMINI.

White Roses

2006-08-15T21:43:00.000+02:00

Today I've been a bit sick; it must be the Dutch weather, the temperature first rising to 35°C then dropping to 15°C in a couple of days.. I was riding my bike in the rain and I might have caught a cold that way.. But today I received also white roses from Perry. He went out for bringing back some stuff to a friend at the computer store and he just came back carrying this bunch of beautiful roses.. I was very happy.. I love him very much and I really look forward to move to another country with him. In fact soon I'll be done with my project at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology and we're making plans to re-start school somewhere else; I wanna go to graduate school to get my Master degree and then a PhD in Marine Biology. Perry has a BA in Art and he would love to study Communication & Multimedia. So we're gonna move together.. where.. there's still a bit of time to decide but for the end of the year we wanna leave. We need to find a place that suits our clothes.. Holland is too cold!

About Being Vegan

2006-08-13T22:19:00.000+02:00

Many many times I've wanted to write about me being vegan. How it started. Why. But I had so many arguments that I've got a shortage of words for it. Since I can remember I always loved animals, well I first wanted to be a vet and then I just wanted to have a farm full of animals to pet.. (what a great job.. ;-b). My parents aren't vegetarian and I've been raised as most of the kids with a marked distinction between the animals I wanted to pet and 'the stuff' on my plate. My mind just never connected the two things. Beside the fact that I've never eaten chicken in my life or horses, sheep.. cuz I used to see 'em around. Until a day I saw someone killing a rabbit at my grandma's.. the violence was absurd and I swear even if I was a kid (6-7 years?) I started to have a clue about what that meant. But forget about it.. being vegetarian was unacceptable.. even if I asked to stop eating animals.. and I remember my dad approved it and of course he got into a huge fight with my mom.. result: I had to keep on eating meat. The rest of my family lives in the South of Italy, so we usually went to visit them one time a year (we live on the northwest coast), it was 26th Dec 1997 when, I can say without exaggerating, my life changed.. positively! Basically i saw my uncle killing a beautiful rooster. An incredibly beautiful one. He just cut his throat. That was it. I saw the life in the eyes of the rooster I saw the fear. Then I didn't see anything anymore. That was death. I know it might sounds a bit 'too much' for almost everybody I know. I tried to tell my story and I saw people laughing at me. But I can finally tell everything. I was 15 and vegetarian. By then I was grown enough to take my own decisions (now my mom is the biggest fan of my vegan diet.. not bad!!). The way I felt (even if in high school and mocked all the time) was just paradise and becoming vegan it just took me 2 years, the time to realize everything behind livestock, milk farms, egg farms.. I became veg* because I love life and all the animals. I abhor the idea that someone, some asshole, just decides that someone's life has to be miserable and eventually has to end. I'm vegan because of this.

Of course as a vegan I had to learn a whole different way of seeing the ingredients of my food, and I eventually made my first Vegan Birthday Cake for my 18th birthday (I don't have pictures here but I gotta say it was amazing). Today I wanna invite all my friends to try the best recipe of BROWNIES I have. I swear you're gonna love them:

You need:
3\4 cups of soy vegan margarine
1 cup 1\2 of sugar (I use brown sugar)
1 cup 1\2 cup of flour
1\2 cup of bitter cocoa powder
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1\4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup of apple cream
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 cups of chocolate chips

Prep! Preheat oven to 175°C. Mix all the ingredients, putting aside 1\2 cup of chocolate chips. Spread into oiled 9X13 pan. Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips over the top. Bake for 35 minutes. Let it cool... cut and eat!
Enjoy being vegan!

Being vegan is healthy for the body & the soul and drinking soy milk makes you pretty! ;-b

>loos hier!<

2006-08-06T23:05:00.000+02:00

I didn't know that when you get into the 013 during the LOOS you also get this. This is a bag in which you should puke in case you get drunk (and they like it very much €€€).
I was amazed. First time I saw such a thing. so funny.
The club is very big and has three halls; we were in the Bat Cave where our friend Vincent, dressed up with a long blond wig and sunglasses of questionable taste, entertained the crowd with his hard-rock dj performance and everybody had a great time (sometimes he was speaking dutch so I didn't understand but people looked amused).
We also saw some guys we haven't seen in a while so we had some good time and lots of drinks.

Also, I go back to the lab tomorrow to continue my sorting.. Now I go back to the couch & my boyfriend. We rented the 4th season of the Sopranos and we're gonna start with the first episode right now. Ah! I hope you liked my photo slide cuz it took me 1\2 hour to upload.. hehe..
Have beautiful dreams..

some pictures from the latest years..

2006-08-06T16:21:00.000+02:00

Am I over-working?

2006-08-02T22:59:00.000+02:00

Perry made this picture this morning. It was around 7:00 and I was 'ready' to go to the Ecology Center to continue my sorting.. but I was so sleepy and tired (yesterday we watched The Omen -the original one- and I was so afraid to go to sleep alone that I had to convince Perry to come with me even if it was too early for him.. it took me awhile so we went to sleep a bit late..). If he wouldn't have told me I would have just gone out like this. People here might have thought it was some kind of new fashion.. or that I was just a moron.

Last day of field work for the project

2006-08-01T17:57:00.000+02:00

Yesterday was the last day of field work for the project at the Nioo. We loaded the van and drove one hour to reach the site. I'd actually never expect to work so hard. We had to sample 45 sediments cores and carry 'em to the van which wasn't so close (plus all the equipment.. of course!). I'm so glad we're done with the sampling (& sieving) and now we got to start with sorting and analysis of the data.
Just close to the research site there's a field with lots of sheep.. even if the crew that was with me didn't agree, I think they're such beautiful sweet animals so I couldn't resist and I made some pictures.
Most times I find the Dutch countryside extremely boring but sometimes it can be enchanting, something that you don't see a lot anymore. Also, the mind goes immediately to some Van Gogh's extraordinary painting.. I will never forget my time here in the Netherlands, and even if the last winter has been particularly difficult for me, this is a part of my life to remember.

Carnivale in Tilburg!?!

2006-07-29T10:51:00.000+02:00

Carnivale in Tilburg is some serious stuff.. Honestly both Perry and I aren't big Carnivale's fans but we wanted to give it a try and we went taking a look.
Lemme tell you.. This carnivale (or Luna Park as we call it in Italy) is huge.. all the city center is completely full and there're so many people around! We kept our opinion at the end.. this is nothing for us.. so we went back home watching ''don't come knocking'' a movie by Wim Wenders.
This weekend I'm just gonna relax and work out in the morning cuz on Monday we've the last field work. We're gonna take 45 cores!!! crazy! :-) It's going to be tough but what you want me to say.. I dig science.

Just another week spent @ the Nioo-center

2006-07-28T18:42:00.000+02:00

This has been another week full of hard field work. We went back to the field again to sample additional 6 cores of sediment for 13C analysis. It was really sad to find out that some of our plots were fully covered of large seaweeds; also all around in the area most of the macrofauna (i.e. arenicola, small shrimps, etc..) was dead.. Something really wrong in the seawater around Zeeland -we think.
But this has been also the week of the barbecue in the back yard, the discover of the famous Yerseke Beach and the Thai dinner with Francesca, Arnon and Tae Hee.

I've arrived a bit late at the barbecue and most of the people ate already.. guess I haven't miss that much since there aren't so many vegetarians at the guesthouse but there was still some Thai vegan salad; by the way it's been kinda nice and we talked and had a lot of fun. Then there's Tetsuro. Tetsuro is a Japanese guy working at the Nioo-center living in Yerseke with his wife and missing Japanese food. This guy is one of the funniest I've ever met in my life and I feel so lucky to know him. Lots of the guys were asking him the meaning of their name in Japanese when suddenly this guy asks and Tetsuro jumps up and stands in the middle of the yard "Do you wanna know the meaning of your name in Japanese? I'm gonna tell ya: it means BIG DICK.. THICK DICK".. that was so funny and everybody couldn't stop laughing and *you made my day man!*. I gotta tell: you need Tetsuro at the Nioo-center. Unfortunately he and other 5 guys will leave tomorrow for some courses in Denmark for three weeks. It's gonna be a whole different story. I'm not stayin' at the guesthouse no more.. I rather travel back and forth cuz it's just one-hour-trip and I can spend more time with Perry.

Yerseke Beach. I've heard a lot about it so during the break, yesterday, I asked Tae Hee if she wanted to take a look. So we went and we talked a lot and it was actually really nice. The beach is kinda legendary because it's actually the only beach in Yerseke.. I mean you can just dive from the side road but there ain't a proper beach. So here we are. There were a lot of families and low tide but we had a relaxing time which I really needed.

Finally yesterday night Arnon was so kind to prepare for Tae Hee, Francesca and me some great Thai Curry. I would love to share the secret but I'm just gonna show up for some future dinners. Hehe..
I can say that it was very spicy and there was tofu cooked in coconut milk.. delicious.. thanx Arnon!

Some more field work

2006-07-26T02:00:00.000+02:00

Today we got back to the field to sample again in 6 plots for a total of 12 cores of sediment. We manipulated the composition of infaunal assemblages and we want to measure how the ecosystem changes to environmental stress (here: organic enrichment).
Hopefully everything in this project will work out fine.

Now I'm just in my afternoon break and this evening at 9:00 we all gotta come back to the lab for some extra measurements.. So I'm going back to the guesthouse to rest a bit and cooking something for dinner!
And if I'm lucky I'm gonna steal some more cooking secrets from Arnon, the Thai guy who's also working at the center and he's living at the guesthouse. I love Thai food.
See you along the sea!

Start!

2006-07-24T23:43:00.000+02:00

Hey everyone! Today I'm gonna start my *blog*.. sweet.
I'm Italian but I live in the Netherlands now, since last January and until November, because my boyfriend Perry is Dutch. I've been vegan for 1/4 of my life and I'm going to be until my last day. I've never been so healthy and my heart is full of love for all the animals. In Italy I live with Susie a beautiful cat who gives me so much joy and I miss her very much now that I'm in Holland.. my mom is taking a very good care of her anyway, so I feel better.
I'm currently working in a project at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology, investigating the consequences of biodiversity loss on ecosystems functioning; in particular we're investigating the implications of macrofauna diversity for the capacity of ecosystems to buffer external inputs of organic matter.
**heavy stuff**
I'm just getting everything ready to leave and reach the center and my friends there.
Talk to you later..