Free Vegetarian Starter Kit from PETA
March 12, 2010 | Tina Noga | No Comments | Food and Drink, General, Health, The environment
fruits, food
When it comes to vegetarianism, the number one question on most meat-eaters’ minds is, “What do you eat?” I have often met meat-eaters who says “so you just salad?”. No, I eat everything. There are vegetarian alternatives to almost any animal food, from soy sausages and “Fib Ribs” to Tofurky jerky and mock lobster (if you so desire).
There are also great alternatives to dairy products such as soy ice cream, soy chocolate milk, Tofutti cream cheese, and more.
Becoming a vegetarian today is certainly a lot easier than 17 years ago when I became a vegetarian. Seriously, in Denmark we had hardly any veggie products. We had one kind of (not delicious) canned sausages and some paté. That was it. I am glad I did it out of love for animals and not for health reasons because it would have made it harder to keep.
Today it is so easy to become and be a vegetarian and there is a lot of help and inspiration to find. The American animal organisation PETA is doing fantastic work to promote vegetarianism. They have a website called www.goveg.com which has all the information you need about becoming a vegetarian including: the issues at stake, meet the animals, recipes, literature, famous vegetarians and the most amazing part: A FREE vegetarian starter kit.
It’s a great vegetarian starter kit with information and recipes and they send it to your home address for no cost at all. I have already ordered it for my sisters and my mum and it is really nice.
You can order the free vegetarian starter kit on the following link: http://www.goveg.com/order.asp?c=pfvskvp09
Good luck!
Vegetarianism: The meat of the argument
March 7, 2010 | Tina Noga | 4 Comments | Food and Drink, General, Health, The environment
The health benefits of a vegetarian diet are well-documented, as are the increased risks of heart disease and cancer that come with eating meat. But these are “merely” personal benefits, and personal risks. Most people will say that this is a personal “lifestyle” choice. Yes, I agree. What you do with your body – is certainly your choice.
However, the decision to eat meat or not to eat meat is actually broader than personal lifestyle. With the advent of factory farming, other factors have to be considered.Modern meat production is a completely automated, mechanised industry with billions of animals spending their entire lives – 24 hours a day, seven days a week – in tiny pens or cages, never seeing the sun, never feeling fresh air, never being allowed the freedom to walk even one step. By eating meat you not only decide on a lifestyle for yourself – you decide the cruel life of these animals.
How many of us can remain complacent in the face of such institutionalised cruelty?
Did you know, for example, that 70 % of the grain grown in the United States is used to feed animals destined for slaughter? Or that 80% of the water used in the States goes toward animal agriculture? Or that land growing potatoes, rice and other vegetables can support 20 times as many people as land producing grain-fed beef? Or that many leading scientists now rank the environmental damage caused by the meat producing industry as second only to that caused by fossil fuels?
By eating meat you not only decide on a lifestyle for yourself – your decision influences the environment, global hunger and the cruel life of these animals. Don’t be cruel – be a vegetarian!
Video: Sri Meenakshi Temple in Madurai, India
March 6, 2010 | Tina Noga | No Comments | Events and Activities, General, India, Travel, Video
Sri Meenakshi Temple in Madurai is the most beautiful temple I have ever seen in my life. I have travelled a lot and I have seen a lot, but this temple was beyond anything i have ever seen before.
The temple is Dravidian architecture and was designed in 1560 by Vishwanatha Nayak and built during the reign of Tirumalai Nayak, but its history goes back 2000 years to the time when Madurai was a Pandyan capital.
The temple complex is 6 hectares and has 12 very decorative gopurams (towers) ranging from 45-50 meter tall. These towers are decorated with rich carvings of celestial and animal figures.
Inside between the statues and finely sculpted columns, you will find a frantic activity of tailors and shops crammed into crevices.
There is a free admission to the temple, but there is a camera fee and a relatively large video camera fee. However, the temple is an unforgettable experience whether you take pictures or not.
The video below shows a few glimpses of the spectacular temple.
Video: Munnar: Centre of the world’s highest tea-growing estates
February 25, 2010 | Tina Noga | No Comments | Events and Activities, General, India, Travel
Munnar (1524m) is famous for its rolling green hills which is the commercial centre of some of the world’s highest tea-growing estates. The crisp mountain air makes it a perfect get-away from the humidity of the coastal kerala.
The town itself is divided into old Munnar and new Munnar. The Lonely Planet describes the town as “noisy and grubby”, but I actually think it’s a fine little town. Well basically any place which is safe is fine for me (after Central and South America).
I stayed in old Munnar which has the cheapest guesthouse options – new Munnar is basically just new hotels (no locals living there).
There are many beautiful walks around Munnar and I also recommend that you visit the DTPC tourist office in new Munnar. They offer fairly cheap tours in the area (much cheaper than the regular travel agencies) – among others the “Sandal Valley Tour” for 300 Rs.
The video below shows the beautiful mountain scenery surrounding Munnar. Enjoy.
Podcast: Starting an internet business in Spain
February 21, 2010 | Thomas | 1 Comment | Online business, Podcasts, Spain, Travel
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Finally, I’ve managed to get around to doing an Earthoria podcast, the first since the Eco Yoga Park in Argentina, in June 2009. In this podcast I talk about what I’ve been doing since leaving Argentina in July 2009 – namely, setting up an internet business in Spain.
This podcast, some of which was recorded on Castelldefels beach outside Barcelona in Spain, includes the following:
- Some information about Castelldefels.
- My motivations for starting an online business.
- About the business – www.ivozi.com.
- What it’s like living in Spain.
- My aims for the future.
- A short chat with James, my IVOZI business partner and author of the ‘Tools of Fluency’.
Video: Paharganj Delhi Main Bazaar – Heaven or hell?
February 18, 2010 | Tina Noga | 2 Comments | Events and Activities, General, India, Travel, Video
The Main Bazaar in Paharganj is by some Delhiites considered hell due to it’s reputation for drugs and shady characters. But as my good Indian friend told me “you can find these things everywhere in Delhi – they are just more obvious in the Main Bazaar”.
However, unlike many capital cities, Delhi actually feels pretty safe to me. This might be an illusion of course, but I like Delhi a lot and I also like the Main Bazaar. I have stayed there three times now and feel both comfortable there and quite at home. It is also the cheapest place to stay in Delhi and has lots of cheap restaurants, travel agencies and shops.
This video gives you a small idea about the character of the Main Bazaar – heaven or hell? Judge for yourself.
Easyjet: an incredibly BAD airline
February 17, 2010 | Thomas | 4 Comments | England, Spain, Travel
I don’t usually post negative reports like this on the website, but I am doing it as it is relevant to anyone planning on travelling in Europe using a ‘budget airline’ like Easyjet (aka Sleazyjet). Think again.
Having been living in Spain now for nearly 8 months, I was really looking forwards to the first visit from my sister Hannah. We’d begun planning her four days here months ago, back in late October or Early November, organising work schedules, sightseeing tours etc.
With her due to arrive at 7.45pm last Saturday 13th February, by 6pm I was in the house preparing a tasty meal for her arrival and about to leave for the airport.
That was when things took a turn for the ‘Easyjet worst’.
I began receiving a series of text messages from my sister in Gatwick airport saying things like “I’ve been queuing 3 hours at Easyjet check-in, they say all their systems are down throughout Europe”…so I began checking the Easyjet website (nothing), and the Gatwick and Barcelona airport websites (nothing).
Cutting a long series of anxious texts short, having got them on the plane about 7 hours late, they left them on the plane for hours – no one knowing anything about what was going on, and finally turfed them off at about 10pm.
In Hannah’s own words:
“The pilot updated us first saying the bags were being put on and that he was just waiting for paperwork etc. second to tell us that some people had chosen to get off so we were having to get their bags (although we saw no one get off and no noise of baggage being removed from the hold).
Then he updated us telling us that they were in talks with head office (and via one of the air hostesses who also had no idea what was going on…we were told that she thought the captain was in talks to head office regarding negotiating a day off in lieu for the cabin staff who were now working into their day off (because of the original delay). That came from her but not sure she knew much)
He then came onto to tell us that the flight was cancelled due to some sort of very vague baggage problem…load of rubbish if you ask me. He told us to go to the ‘Menzies aviation group’ desk in the arrivals hall to rebook on another flight. Got there and there were about 300 people and absolutely no one at the desk. When someone did arrive there was basically a rugby scrum to get to them…the guy said absolutely nothing except rebook online and he handed out about 20 pieces of paper with customer rights on it….I didn’t get one!”
There was noone in the airport to help them, noone to tell them where to get their bags, how to re-book, or how to get a refund. In the end, instead of enjoying the first hours of her holiday in Barcelona, my sister was left wondering alone around Gatwick airport in tears on a Saturday night, then was forced to get the train back into London alone late at night, followed by a night bus home (as she got back too late for the tube).
Staff overtime request causes cancellation
The long and short of it is that there never was a Europe wide system failure (200+ other Easyjet flights took off fine from Gatwick that day), but what happened was almost certainly this: due to Easyjet’s sheer incompetence there was a problem with check-in. The delay meant that Easyjet (being a cheap and very crap airline) lost a few of its takeoff slots at Gatwick. This meant a few of the planes were delayed even further, by which point the Easyjet staff began complaining to their superiors about overtime pay. When their wishes were refused, they refused to fly the plane, and they and all the airport staff walked out of the airport, leaving the passengers stranded late at night.
The next day she tried to change her flight for another one, but Easyjet weren’t answering their customer services line (does this surprise you?), and the only flight available was flying to Spain on Wednesday, the day her return flight was bringing her back!
So, in future (and especially because Easyjet did it to ME too in January when I tried to get back to Spain) I will certainly pay a bit more and fly with British Airways or Iberia.
Claiming compensation
One final thing, did you know that in the EU, if an airline company like Easyjet gets you to your destination more than two hours late you are entitled to a minimum of 250 Euros compensation? Rather than try and pursue Sleazyjet through the courts, we’re going to put in a claim through this company EUclaim.
And my sister will be trying again in late April – her next available holiday. She won’t be flying Easyjet 
.