As the day after Thanksgiving, today begins the annual FSMas decorating marathon at the Garbato-Brady house! The primary goal is to assemble and decorate the tree as quickly as possible, so we can get the holiday cards shot, designed and printed ASAP. Then comes all the other festive stuff: stockings, garland, lights, gold doubloons, pirate gear – and sparkly red, green, gold and silver monsters as far as the eye can see. Beyond this, you’re likely to find me making extra pipe cleaner flying spaghetti monsters right up ’til the 24th (which is when the husband and I celebrate FSMas).

Anyhow, since today also marks the first day of the x-mas shopping season, I thought it might be fitting to post my own holiday wish list. You know, just in case an anonymous admirer/fairy dogmother is out there, lurking and looking to unload some gifts on a certain lucky vegan blogger. (Me, me, me, pick me! ETA: I also accept cash and PayPal transfers. For your convenience, of course.)

A (Stainless Steel?) Cookware Set:

Cuisinart MCP-12 MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set.
Image via Cuisineart.
——————————

I’m still cooking with the same set of pots and pans that I bought when I moved out of my parents’ house. Ten years ago. I’d say that the peeling Teflon – or whatever that gunk is, who can tell anymore? – was the first indication that the set needed to be replaced…only I can’t remember a time when the set wasn’t flake-free. I know, healthy right?

Problem is, there are so many options out there, and I’m not really sure which is right for me. I’m leaning toward stainless steel because of its durability, but am worried that some foods will stick to it. Copper sounds ideal, but is way over my budget. Thoughts?

(more…)

No, it’s not spring yet, but I’ve been busy with a ton of “virtual” housekeeping chores on the site:

* I spent a good deal of last weekend updating the Get Active! page, which had previously gone neglected since April. The list of activist resources has easily quadrupled in size. Because the list is so huge, I also subdivided the “human rights” category, adding sections for civil rights, elections & voting reform, women’s rights, LGBTQ rights and click-through sites. This is in addition to the animal advocacy, environmental issues and general activist resources categories. No, women’s rights are not animal rights, but I’m a big believer in the intersecting nature of oppressions – and, while this is primarily an animal rights blog, I do encourage readers to speak out against oppression in all its forms.

Whereas the links previously took you straight to the “action center” section on each organization’s website, I parsed them out a bit in order to make browsing easier. Instead of just linking to PETA’s action center, for example, now I link to their main page (should the webmaster should change the URL of any given page, you can at least find your way home), as well as their action center and e-mail subscription management page.

So please, check out the list of resources, and feel free to suggest any links I may have missed!

* Regular readers will notice that I’ve shifted my focus a bit. Whereas I first started easyVegan.info as a place to crosspost action alerts, I’ve been posting more original material as of late, especially pertaining to the marketing (commercial, advertisements, etc.), as well as the intersecting nature of oppressions. I still include links to actions alerts, newsletters and such as part of my near-daily “easyVegan Link Sanctuary,” but I rarely post individual alerts in their entirety. This is a much faster way of working through my email, and frees up some time for me to blog about other things. Which I very much enjoy, I might add.

I’m curious what y’all’s thoughts on this are? How many of you read the link roundups and use them as a jumping off point for taking action? Is a useful tool, or a waste of time that might be better spent? If I offered the “link sanctuaries” via email (in addition to posting them here), would anyone be interested in subscribing? Which do you prefer, action-oriented posts or cultural analysis? Thoughts, comments, points of discussion?

(more…)