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I have not been involved with Republican politics for very long, so take this report for what it’s worth.

When I first started meeting Republicans in this area, Ron Paul was regarded as something of an absurd anomaly. If they didn’t come right out and laugh at him or insult him, it was only because they knew there were Ron Paul supporters in the room and they were trying to be polite.

In the last couple of weeks, that attitude has changed somewhat. It still seems to be a widely held opinion that Ron Paul’s foreign policy is either “crazy” or “scary”. But now, when people say Ron Paul’s name (which they do surprisingly often) they follow it up with, “there are a lot of things I like about Ron Paul.” Or “He really seems to understand our economic problems.” Or, even more interestingly (and I’ve heard this sentiment multiple times), “I may even have to vote for Ron Paul.”

I’m not trying to suggest that the whole GOP is singing Ron Paul’s praises. It isn’t. But his message is starting to get through. Progress is being made. And in a race where most Republicans dislike all of their options and can’t settle on a candidate, there may just be hope for Ron Paul after all.

When I was more involved with animal activism and outreach, the issue of lobster tanks in restaurants and grocery stores would periodically come up. Some activists took particular offense to the idea of consumers picking out a lobster while it is alive, and then eating it. I could never understand why this was a greater crime than choosing from a whole slew of dead animal parts that had been slaughtered out of site.

This New York Times article asks this same question, albeit in a much more gruesome way. In this case, a chef slaughtered a chicken on British television. Another chef performed cruel factory farm practices on animals in order to educate viewers about the true cost of cheap meat and eggs.

Some people are outraged about these chefs’ participation in the killing or torturing of animals. But is this really worse than the chefs who participate indirectly by purchasing meat and dressing it up as culinary artwork and shielding their customers from the cold reality of what they are eating?

I believe that the more people who know about and are reminded of where meat comes from, the fewer of them will participate. At the very least, more of them will insist on supporting only those farms that at least give animals a quality natural life before their much-too-early deaths. This alone would decrease meat consumption, because it would be more expensive and less convenient.

Perhaps those who oppose this more open approach to animal slaughter are afraid that people will see this cruelty first-hand and will still not care. For those of us who have shown friends the horror of factory farming only to see them continue to support it, we know this is a real possibility. I have faith that enough people are genuinely compassionate toward all animals that society would shift in the animals’ favor if people could no longer escape the reality of what they are eating.

Repetitive strain injury, and other computer-related physical stress, is a growing problem in today’s high-tech world. Many of us spend long, uninterrupted hours sitting and staring at computers. For some, the strain continues after work as well, as more and more people become addicted to surfing the web and checking email. This can result in back and shoulder pain, wrist pain, headaches, eye strain, and a general waste of time and energy.

AntiRSI is a great little program that forces computer users to take regular breaks. It’s been around for well over 2 years, but for internet addicts like me, it’s ground-breaking news. Since I started using it a week ago, it has transformed the way I use my computer.

Every 50 minutes, the program begins an 8 minute break. A 13 second “micro pause” comes a few times per hour. This reminds me to get up, stretch, rest my eyes (which can dry out from extended computer use), and take a mental break. An unexpected consequence has been that I am now more aware of the passage of time while I am online. Knowing that a break is coming motivates me to efficiently finish up my current tasks, rather than check email or aimlessly surf the web.

Just like anything else, the program will only work if you are willing to work with it. You can continuously “postpone” your 8 minute break indefinitely, and nothing will stop you from shutting down AntiRSI entirely. For those of you who genuinely want to guard against computer-related stress, or who just want to be more aware of the time you spend online, AntiRSI is a great tool.

AntiRSI is designed to work with Macs only. For windows users, try WorkRave.

Planting a vegetable garden has been high on my list of things to do since I moved into my new Asheville home this past July. Many convenient excuses have prevented me from getting started on this health-giving, money-saving, highly satisfying project. Today is the day when I put it off no longer.

I spent this weekend reading about gardening, trying to find out the “right” way to go about it. There is a ton of information out there and it can be prohibitively overwhelming. The best advice I found was to just get started. Don’t worry about doing everything perfect on your first garden. If you worry about all the nuances, you’ll never plant anything.

The first step is to pick a good spot. A garden needs to get 6-10 hours of sunlight each day, so avoid areas that are shaded by trees or buildings. A garden should be in a relatively flat area that won’t collect sitting water. Also, avoid areas next to trees that will compete for soil nutrients. My garden location isn’t ideal, but it’s definitely the best area my yard has to offer. I chose a 20’X 15′ area in the middle of the backyard, a little too close to a small tree, but it should get pretty solid sunlight when spring hits.

The second step is to kill the existing grass and weeds. The most common way to do this is to cover the area with opaque plastic for at least a month. The weeds may appear to be dead after a short time, but it is important to keep the area covered in order to kill the roots. The longer the plastic is left on, the fewer weeds that will survive. I do plan to replace the hodge-podge of junk with some 2X4s or bricks to hold down the plastic, but I don’t have any on hand and I didn’t want to use that as another excuse to procrastinate.

Now that I have the garden started, I can continue reading and learning about the next steps. How do I prepare the soil? When do I plant? Which vegetables should be planted when? Any advice for this novice gardener is very much appreciated.

Cafe Indigo isn’t easy to find, tucked away in the back of a business park, but it is definitely worth going out of the way for. The menu offers fairly standard items, such as eggless egg salad, lentil soup, veggie burger, and faux meat wraps, as well as a nice selection of baked goods and desserts, but the flavor and texture make this some of the best vegan comfort food I’ve ever had.

Cafe Indigo eggless egg salad

The restaurant is owned by two carnivores who became inspired by their vegan children to create delicious vegan food. The fact that they still remember what non-vegan food tastes like, is probably what has allowed them to recreate these old favorites so successfully.

Much like the people in New Hampshire, the restaurant owner, who was also our server, was incredibly welcoming and helpful. She catered to my gluten allergy needs by bringing me a menu with the gluten-free options labeled. She assisted my less adventurous omnivore friend by making suggestions about what she might be comfortable eating.

Cafe Indigo blueberry cheesecake

After talking me into ordering the best vegan cheesecake in the entire known universe, she brought my lunch companions a complementary mini-slice to try as well, which they happily devoured. The owners apparently spent 3 weeks experimenting with taste and texture to get this blueberry cheesecake just right – and they did.

Anyone planning a trip to New Hampshire should definitely make an effort to stop into Cafe Indigo.

See also my vegan restaurant tour.