Wednesday Perk-Up! (05-11 July)

I'm one of those "to the ends of the internet!" types who finds random articles and saves them for discussion. Unfortunately, those articles never actually get discussed, so they instead sit in their lonely Firefox tab, waiting for me to hover my mouse over their URLs and share with you all!

It hit me recently just how many of those tabs I tend to have open... certainly far too many, a sure sign of my procrastination. Today's count is a lowly 10, but believe me, I've once had so many tabs that I had to open up a new browser! (Thereby causing another problem: Having to go not only through different tabs, but through different windows, too. Too much hassle, way too many tabs.)

Inspired by all these blasted tabs and mostly by Kallan's Sunday Stews (which are delicious and nutritious and packed full of vitamins and minerals to get you through your week!), I'd like to start weekly postings with things I find around the internet related to faith, food, and fun that I think might interest y'all. I may or may not include personal commentary... depends how I'm feeling. ;)

So with that, welcome to Wednesday Perk-Ups at The Coexist Cafe, a collection of articles to pique your interest and fuel your mind! Almost as addictive as caffeine, half the calories. (But who's counting, right?)

 

When Witches Go Riding Writing

Tori Zigler: Special price on her books, "Mr. Pumpkin-Head and Other Poems" and "Witchlet"!

Throughout the month of July, an excellent wordsmith and good friend Tori Zigler will be selling her books on SmashWords at half price! I personally own her collection of poems and will be taking advantage of her book, and y'all should, too!

To take advantage of this offer, simply go to my author page at http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/toriz and add one or both of my books to your cart, then enter the coupon code "SSW50" at the checkout phase.  Since both books are half price, it's basically an option for anyone who hasn't got them yet to buy one of my books and get the other one for free! But this offer is only available throughout July, so don't wait too long to take advantage of it, or you may miss your chance!

 

Sam Curtin: "Dark Cell" novella now on Amazon, and she's all around Facebook!

Another up and coming Pagan writer and dear friend of mine! Her novella just went through an overhaul so it can be easily read on your Kindle or other mobile device. And at $0.99, it's a steal. I own it, I've read it, and I love it... and I know you will, too!

After being wrongly imprisoned for the murder of two Gorgan children, a Crizenian by the name of Ness is broken out by two teenage boys. The boys then embark on a fantastical journey full of magic, suspense and corruption to prove Ness' innocence.

You can also find Sam around Facebook (and may I be the first to say, I LOVE the play on her last name for her publishing house!):

• Samantha Curtin - Author


• Behind the Curtin Publications

 

Renee Olson: Dealing With Anger

In a post that seeks to reason whether we truly need to "forgive and forget", Renee shares with us an insightful and raw post about anger and how to manage it. What does it mean to "forgive and forget"? Is this something we're absolutely mandated to do? What about the Wiccan Rede... if bound by it, does forgiving and forgetting harm us?

At times I find myself at odds with protecting myself and with my religion.  As a solitary follower of Hecate, I don't have a great deal of dogma associated with my faith.  I don't have to forgive as instructed by the Christian Bible or even as Buddha suggested in the story about the man who spit in the face of another.

It is said that Hecate does not forgive easily and she holds a grudge.  As Goddess of the Witches, Hecate holds a special place for me, and is why I believe she chose me.  You see, I need someone to watch over me and protect me.  I need that extra dose of confidence.  I believe that's why she's here with me.

Thank you, Renee, for such a thoughtful post. Head on over to share your own thoughts!

 

Featured Podcast: The Wigglian Way

I swear, it's not just because we just visited Canada that I'm obsessed with all things Canadian, including their Pagans. I have been for years, at least this duo, Mojo and Sparrow of the Wigglian Way. I started listening to their podcasts back when I was a wee little witch, and while I took a little hiatus (I was having a hard time syncing up my iTunes, not anything against them!), I was delighted to see they were still on the air.

In fact, they're not just on the air... they've exploded! Having recently celebrated their 100th episode, they had a rowdy good time on that show -- seriously, if you listen to no other podcast of theirs, please at least listen to that one. ;)

Their topics are engaging, their music stylings are amazing (did you know Mojo was a musician?!), and their delivery is flawless. They're an amazing team, something you'll discover the first time you listen to them. Love these guys!

 

Food for Thought

Mark Bittman: A Chicken Without Guilt (Finally, Fake Chicken Worth Eating)

I'm no stranger to the lauding of fake meat products as a way to eat more ethically, but I'll admit that converting people over to the veggie side is difficult when fake meat in fact tastes so... well, fake. Not that it's a bad thing -- I've personally come to prefer chik'n over chicken, veggie burgers over cheeseburgers, and the like.

But if your average carnivore is anything like Matt, you'll know that you tend to prefer the "real" stuff! And finding a suitable replacement is all but impossible, even if your desire to eat ethically only makes you feel guilty as you give a mock smile while "enjoying" your mock meat.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="225"] Even I'm impressed with this stuff![/caption]

Then I came across this article by Mark Bittman, arguably one of my favorite food bloggers around the 'net. And he's omni! In his quest to find delicious, satisfying, cruelty-free or -reduced food, he's tried his fair share of soy and tempeh and seitan, about as much as any non-vegetarian can take. When he came across this fake chicken product, he had his doubts:

[I]n October I visited a place in The Hague called The Vegetarian Butcher, where the “butcher” said to me, “We slaughter soy” — ha-ha. The plant-based products were actually pretty good — the chicken would have fooled me if I hadn’t known what it was — and I began to consider that it might be better to eat fake meat that harms no animals and causes less environmental damage than meat raised industrially.

And about fake chicken in general:

I love good chicken, but most of the chicken we eat doesn’t qualify, and the question becomes more compelling as meat imitators gain sophistication. The vegetarian meat I ate in The Hague isn’t widely distributed, but Quorn, a mushroom-based product, can be pretty appealing in some instances, Gardein has made some advances in soy-based products and at least one new product is a better-than-adequate substitute for chicken in things like wraps, salads and sauces. I know this because Ethan Brown, an owner of Savage River Farms, came to my house and fooled me badly in a blind tasting.

[Editor's Note: He was fooled not once, but twice, and this is a guy who does this stuff for a living!]

 

Decaffeinated: Blissful News

This Month in Holidays

Be sure to check out our NASA Goddard-provided list!

(Thank you to HolidayInsights.com for this list!)

Month:

• National Blueberry Month


• National Anti-Boredom Month


• Unlucky Month for weddings


• National Cell Phone Courtesy Month


• National Hot Dog Month


• National Ice Cream Month

Week Event:

• Week 2 Nude Recreation Week

Individual Days:

1 Build A Scarecrow Day (first Sunday in month)
1 Canada Day
1 Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day
1 International Joke Day

2 I Forgot Day
2 World UFO Day

3 Compliment Your Mirror Day
3 Disobedience Day
3 Stay out of the Sun Day

4 Independence Day (U.S.)
4 National Country Music Day
4 Sidewalk Egg Frying Day (YOU DON'T SAY)

5 Work-a-holics Day (even though everyone is on holiday)

6 National Fried Chicken Day

7 Chocolate Day
7 National Strawberry Sundae Day

8 Video Games Day

9 National Sugar Cookie Day

10 Teddy Bear Picnic Day

11 Cheer up the Lonely Day
11 World Population Day

12 Different Colored Eyes Day
12 Pecan Pie Day

13 Barbershop Music Appreciation Day
13 Embrace Your Geekness Day
13 Fool's Paradise Day

14 Bastille Day
14 Pandemonium Day
14 National Nude Day

15 National Ice Cream Day (third Sunday of the month)
15 Tapioca Pudding Day
15 Cow Appreciation Day (go out and give a cow a hug)

16

17 Peach Ice Cream Day
17 Yellow Pig Day

18 National Caviar Day (something's fishy here)

19 National Raspberry Cake Day

20 Moon Day
20 Ugly Truck Day- it's a "guy" thing

21 National Junk Food Day

22 Hammock Day
22 Parent's Day  (fourth Sunday in July)
22 Ratcatcher's Day

23 National Hot Dog Day
23 Vanilla Ice Cream Day

24 Amelia Earhart Day
24 Cousins Day

25 Culinarians Day
25 Threading the Needle Day

26 All or Nothing Day
26 Aunt and Uncle Day

27 Summer Olympics (every 4 years)
27 Take Your Pants for a Walk Day

28 National Milk Chocolate Day

29 National Lasagna Day

30 National Cheesecake Day
30 Father-in-Law Day
31 Mutt's Day

 

Yoga Today: Find Your Cosmic Dancer



 


Espresso Shots: News with a Kick!

Smiling Silversmith: Coffee Ring for Coffee Lovers

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Uh. Ma. Zing.[/caption]

OMG, are you serious?! This thing is INCREDIBLE!! I want to make it mine!

My birthday is in November, in case anyone's wondering... 6.75, please... ;)




ONTD: Is it wrong to call this 20-year-old who punched a street harasser a hero?

A very emphatic FUCK NO!! If anything, that's awesome!

WARNING
This particular shot might be triggering due to talk of rape threats.

Look. Rape culture is one of my sticking points, a topic that (aside from food and faith, of course) speaks to me on a very intimate level. So when I hear that someone got exactly what was coming to them, a swift punch in the face in response to a terrifying threat? I can't help but cheer to myself while fighting back the urge to shout this good news from the rooftops.

The fact that this kind of talk is still accepted and even perpetuated by the mistaken notion that women (and other gendered victims) are the cause of rape, as they "had it coming" or were "leading on" the perpetrator" or other such vile excuses, is exactly why this problem is so prevalent.

In response to some asshole who, after a noticeably drunk girl quickened her pace from a couple leering men, said that "Fucking cunt, [he'd] take her into the back alley and show her what [he's] made of", Kelsey of the now-defunct Tumblr Ignite My Thoughts swung around and decked him right in the face, succeeding in injuring her hand and, much more importantly, bruising the asshole's ego:

"I hope your mother/girlfriend/sister/friends/everyone asks what happened to your nose. I hope you have to explain that you thought it'd be funny to joke with your friend about raping the drunk girl across the street. I bet you didn't think that the girl who was walking in front of you would turn around and punch you in the face. You're a filthy piece of shit and I don't regret this at all."

Now she's not only facing possible charges for her act -- she willingly went to the police station and turned herself in after learning that her Tumblr went viral -- but the responses she received were absolutely abhorrent. Of note:

"Hey you crazy bitch, he was joking about rape, not raping the drunk bimbo, not even plotting on raping her, he was JOKING," one person wrote. "Wow. And you seem proud of what you did. Seriously, you're the one who deserves to get raped."

The message that comes across here is that women take rape threats too seriously, don't lighten up in the face of direct threats of physical violence, and need to shut their mouths and just realize that he was joking zOMG why are you so sensitive. Arguments that, as an astute LJer already pointed out, are linked to a well-known reaction called gaslighting.

And don't even get me started on the degrading language this, ah... gentleman had for a woman who happened to drink. I imagine a man who did the same would also be called a "bimbo", yes?

Anyway, I could go on and on about this topic, but I'll let it rest for now. Don't want that espresso to taste too bitter. For additional recommended reading, check out:

• Schrödinger’s Rapist: or a guy’s guide to approaching strange women without being maced


• Men: Help stop public harassment


• Rape Culture 101


• MenCanStopRape.org