Hump Day

Hey beutiful people !!! anyone work in an office right click and save target click here Well not much to report on the whole speed date thing and anything coming from that as yet .. Oh well more on that latter ....

I am going out for some drinks on friday night so the quest continues ... talking about Quests .. I am going to close the Stupid big shit ! soon due to lack of entrys dont worry those who have entered the prize remains the same I really was hoping more people would get involved in that one but I guess you actually have a life dont you ...

I got a letter today from my old school (high school) asking if I wanted to go back for a past students thing ... AS IF !!! I fricking hated the place it was the worst years of my life and taught me totally nothing I needed to do anything .. I went to a big privete school in Sydney for the most part when I was not in France for a couple of years .. now school and I totally didnt get along execpt for art and one teacher that use to hit on me .. the rest was Crap ! I didnt get along with many girls at school and I guess was not in the click very well ... think nerdy militant vegan hippy and you would be close ... GRRRRR! funny thing is now I Bet I am doing better than most of them perhaps I should go back kinda Romy and Michele's High School Reunion style ...
Michele: Well at least she's not the one who got *fat*.
Christie: We're pregnant, you half-wit.
Michele: Yeah, well, I hope your babies look like monkeys!

crapo movie all the same


So at the end of this not alot said .... sorry

well keep safe space kids
Sarah
mwa mwa !

Its a catch 22

Stuck in that same place where I get kinda excited by the posibilitys of what might happan prolly a long time before they could happan ...I can not help it I always just get my hopes up about things but if i dont get my hopes up then I dont care enough to put the effort in !!!!! The problem is that getting my hopes up normally means I am setting myself up for a fall when things dont work out .... gee I hate waiting and I hate the part about relationships that depend on other people ... why can I not make all the desions ... ( am I a some kinda control freak ?)

Anyway havnt heard from Mike or the speed dating people (I think they dont work mondays) so I guess I have to wait another day .... when did that become along time ...

OH another thing we stoped by a shop window on the way to coffee on friday night and looked at the bags and purses etc .... Mike said Gee I like that one .. I said what this one pulling the exact same one out of my bag .... omgosh dose that mean anything or am I just reading stuff into it .... Fuck I sound like a school girl ...

I guess you guys have seen me fall head over heals before ... so there is nothing new in this post just that the names change ... ha ha ah I know I am a dickhead you dont have to tell me

Oh another think if things work out I just realised that this will be the first male I have dated in about a year ... yuck ... boy germs ... ha ha I think I forgot what to do with a man ....

anyway a short crappy post trying to get my head around stuff

love and light my friends
sarah hugz

My Speed Dating Adventure !!!

So There I was the second to arrive (don't you hate that) One of the Guys organizing the night was out the front having a smoke
"Hi Sarah,, How the hell are you sweetie!"
"Hey Not bad" "
"looking fwd to a big night"
"Yep I guess "
As we stand there A total hunny of a man walks up the stairs dressed well but with a casual feel a necklace and bracelet reveal to me a {hippy} side or at least a lover of the outdoors
"HI I'm Mike" He says in a confident voice to the guy running the event"
"Hi Mike"
"Hi I'm Sarah"
" Hi there"
He turns to go in and my eyes follow
turning to the guy running the event
"WOW omgosh could be a good night" I say with a huge smile
"LOL see ya in there he says "
So anyway we go inside just your basic pub/club kinda room with a few tables of finger food I avoid and some tables around the room and a bar at one end I head to the bar grab a corona and look around the room as its slowly filling up we all have name tags on (gotta hate that) anyway I chat with a group of girls They are all nervous as hell and trying to figure out which questions they should ask etc etc ... Its a fun group everyone 25 -35 everyone single and nice people I walk to a group of guys and chat a bit they seem nice ... A bell rings and we take our seats they tell us the rules like "don't ask where someone works or lives" and explain that we have numbers if you tick yes and they tick yes then they exchange numbers on Monday and will call us to early in the week etc etc ....
The way the numbers go I wont see Mike till last I think any way I take a seat and off we go ...
its actually really easy and fun as the night goes on most of the guys are great easy to talk to and interesting one guy should not have opened his mouth cause before he did that I thought nice but the way he talked made it along 7 mins ...

Now I did tick yes to a couple of guys that seemed nice and I would like to catch up with over coffee .. But really I was waiting to see what mike had to say ... He really had caught my eye from the get go for some reason ...He just had something that I look for even if the others didn't see it ..... After 5 dates we all took a 20 min break to chat and they brought out more hot finger food ... Anyway at this time I found a bar stool and grabbed another beer while everyone else got into the food ... Some one said hey Sarah your missing out..
"narr I am right "
the guy organizing it said
"narr Sarah doesn't eat animals do ya "
"Narr its kewl enjoy it "
"this really is good chicken someone yells "
"you should try it "
"look guys respect the dead I yell burry it "
to which comes the reply
"Its been cremated LOL"
that came from Mike with a cheeky grin
and everyone laughed
back to the dating and it was fun even if I said at just the time when everyone was quite "That was the longest 7 mins of my life"
to which everyone looked around and laughed at me
moving on along came Mike at last and we chatted about everything he was great telling me about his young daughters (2) and how his happy and enjoys life and stuff and anyway the 7 mins was up and the bell rang and we kept talking
Then he said showing me his sheet (the one you tick yes/no on)
"gee I forgot to fill this out"
"I will do it for you I say "
"LOL what"
" yep look you want to put YES for me and NO for everyone else"
" do I just"
" hell yes "
" that's a bit fwd don't you think"
"well up to you but I reckon so "
"ok done and we fill out his sheet together with everyone getting a NO except me ... YEA YEA !!!!"
after that we all kinda move into the rest of the pub with everyone else .. There is a dj (who is quite good) and about 50 - 80 other people around we chat in about three small groups and find that everyone there is really having a good time and have a lot in common even just the guys and girls swap numbers cause we are all single and live in the same general area .. Its nice ...

So anyway here's is where it gets interesting ... There is two guys that I like mike and john .. We are talking in a group of about 6 people john has had too much to drink his a nice guy and I think I would like him too but I can not get my eyes off Mike .. John says lets dance I say to Mike lets dance he says no I don't want to but you two should ! I look at mike and mouth the words PLEASE he laughs and says you two go .. John grabs my hand and pulls me to the floor ... Ok he's a good dancer and we dance but his hands are around me on my butt on my back and in my hair ... Ok I like it I look to see mike and hes busy chatting so I enjoy the dance we have to the floor to ourselves and as an old raver chic I like it that way .. After a few songs we leave and go back to the group I say to Mike thanks for that he laughs ...

Similar thing goes on a few times I end up kissing John a few times on the dance floor and then going back to the group at about midnight Mike says hes going home John and a couple of others want to move on to a club .. I say ok I will go to the club as mike is going home ... As we are walking we see mike waiting at an ATM we all go over and anyway I don't know how it happened but I managed to use the old line ... You guys go and I will catch up latter .. While I talk to mike

they leave and mike says lets get a coffee so we walk up to a coffee shop grab a drink and a both and talk ... And talk ... And talk ... And talk ... And talk ... Ok so we have been talking for four hours its now 4 30 am .... Ouch we both say and leave still talking ... We have a lot in common and its just great ... Dam he's cute too LOL

ok so he is going to get a taxi I offer to drive him home he says yes so I drive him home even if its 40 mins out of my way we kiss goodnight I drive home around 5 am when I get to bed ...
wow what a night ...

So there you go .... Had a great time and who knows where any of it will lead if anywhere .... Mike is great I can not wait to get in touch with him again .. John is nice and there is another guy I ticked yes to ... So who knows ..... All up had some fun .. Hope you all is well
love and light
Sarah
hugz

Life death and speed dating

Greetings ..... a Random thoughts and the weekend at hand .....

First Sarah is going speed dating ... I was ment to go mths ago if you rember but I got called to do a C.P job so I didnt go anyway its on again and I am so going tonight ... should be fun I hope ,,, theres about 10 men I think and about 10 mins with each one I am sure thats gong to be a long 10 mins with some of them but hey maybe Mr right is actually out there .. somewhere ... Narr seriously it I think I will have fun if nothing else It finshes kinda early so maybe I will go clubing after ... wish me luck ....

The Vic school holidays are coming up and I have taken a CP job for the two weeks kinda part CP part child care lol ... I am going to be minding a 9 year old for the 9 to 5 of the two weeks .. why they need CP i dont know but its inportant to find out so I guess I will get that info in the next week or so ... anyway have some great activitys planed we are going to snowboard, and for a couple of days and even going to fly to melbourne for the Royal Melbourne Show .. now I dont like the animals in cages part but the rides and fairy floss are always fun ... The only thing I worry about are the carnys (is that how you say it) that run the rides I mean they look like they droped out of pre school and they are in charge of a ride that can kill you ... I would prefer a well trained monkey was running the show ... but anyway should be fun its a chance for me to have fun too ... YEA spew !

Oh I am also flying to Cains late in Sept for some training with a group of AFP I got onto it through some CP work and can not wait to be dumped in the tropical bush with nothing and have to make it for a week ... jungle Sarah ... ewww!... as long as I dont have to eat worms ....

I got my Tax all done the other week its a hard one for me ... Cause I dont work for the most part (not needing to) I dont mind paying tax I really dont but the weird thing is I need to employ a Tax agent at 120 an hour so I dont get ripped off by my own goverment ... So anyway at the end Of the day I payed a Shit load of tax I think I pay for 2 single mums 4 old people and a school teacher ... lol ... I wish we had a better way of paying tax ... I wish people were fair with it ... Kerry Packer G-d bless him only payed $35 Tax one year ... the same year I paid 1000 times more than him and trust me I am not as rich as he was ....

Oh another thing I am going to buy a hot tub a big one so you can all come visit ... I have been looking after a neibours house well keeping and eye on it and getting the mail etc for the last week while he is away in china on buisness and he has this huge arse hot tub (opps I was trying not to say arse on every thing) anyway I have been skinny diping in it a couple of times and It so rocks my world .. I mean if i had one of them I would not have to go speed dating I think there is a setting that says is somewhere past ahhhh and getting close to AHHHHHHH! AHHHHHH! giggles ... so anyway when I get one I am going to have a hot tub party and of cause you are all invited ...

Well Take care monkeys
wish me luck speed dating
see ya soon
sarah ...
hugz and kisses

Some more reasons to be vegan/vegetarian...

Some more reasons to be vegan/vegetarian...

The Hunger Argument:
Number of People worldwide who will die of starvation this year:60 million Number of people who could be adequately fed with the grain saved if Americans reduced meat intake by 10%: 60 million Human beings in America: 243 million Number of people who could be fed with grain and soybeans now eaten by US livestock: 1.3 billion Percentage of corn grown in US eaten by people: 20% Percentage of corn grown in US eaten by livestock: 80% Percentage of protein wasted by cycling grain through livestock: 90% Percentage of oats grown in US eaten by livestock: 95% How frequently a child starves to death: every 2 seconds Pounds of potatoes that can be grown on an acre: 20, 000 lbs Pounds of beef produced on an acre: 165 lbs Percentage of US farmland devoted to beef production: 56% Pounds of grain and soybeans needed to produce 1 pound of feedlot beef: 16 lbs.

The Environmental Argument:
Cause of global warming: greenhouse effect Primary cause of greenhouse effect: Carbon Dioxide from fossil fuels Fossil fuels needed to produce a meat-centered diet vs. a meat-free diet: 50 times more Percentage of US topsoil lost to date: 75% Percentage of US topsoil loss directly related to livestock raising: 85% Number of acres of US forest cleared for cropland to produce meat-centered diet: 260 million acres Amount of meat US imports annually from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama: 200, 000, 000 pounds Average per capita meat consumption in Costa Rica, El Salveador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Panama: Less than eaten by average US house cat Area of tropical rainforest consumed in every quarter-pounder hamburger: 55 sq. ft. Current rate of species extinction due to destruction of tropical rainforests for meat grazing and other uses: 1, 000 species extinct per year


The Cancer Argument:
Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat meat four times a
week vs. less than once a week: 4 times
Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat eggs daily vs less than once a week: 3 times Increased risk of breast cancer for women who eat cheese and butter 3 or more times a week vs less than once a week: 3 times Increased risk of ovarian cancer for women who eat eggs 3 or more times a week vs less than once a week: 3 times Increased risk of fatal prostate cancer for men who consume meat, cheese, eggs and milk daily vs sparingly or not at all: 3.6 times

The Natural Resources Argument:
User of more than half of all water used for all purposes in the US: Livestock production Amount of water to produce a pound of wheat: 25 gallons Amount of water
to produce a pound of meat: 2, 500 gallons Cost of common hamburger if water used by meat industry was not subsidized by US taxpayer: $35/pound Current cost of pound of protein from beefsteak, if water was no longer subsidized: $89 Years the world's known oil reserves will last if every human ate a meat-centered diet: 13 years Years the world's known oil reserves will last if human beings no longer ate meat: 260 years Barrels of oil imported into US daily: 6.8 million Percentage of fossil fuel energy returned as food energy by most efficient factory farming of meat: 34.5percent Percentage returned as food energy from least efficient plant food: 328% Percentage of raw materials consumed by US to produce present meat-centered diet: 33%

The Cholesterol Argument:
Number of US Medical Schools: 125 Number requiring a course in nutrition: 30 Nutrition training received by average US physician during four years in medical school: 2.5 hours Most common cause of death in the US: Heart attack How frequently a heart attack kills in the US: Every 45 seconds Average US man's risk of death from heart attack: 50% Risk for average US man who avoids the meat-centered diet: 15% Risk for average US vegan man: 4% Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of animal products by 10 percent: 9% Amount you reduce risk of heart attack if you reduce consumption of animal products by 50 percent: 45% Amount you reduce risk by changing to a vegan diet: 90 percent Meat, dairy, and egg industries claim you should not be concerned about your blood cholesterol if it is: "normal" Your risk of dying of a disease caused by clogged arteries if your blood cholesterol is "normal": greater than 50%

The Antibiotic Argument:
Percentage of US antibiotics fed to livestock: 55% Percentage of staph infections resistant to penicillin in 1960: 13% Percentage of staph infections resistant to penicillin in 1988: 91% Response of European Economic Community to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Ban Response of US meat and pharmaceutical industries to routine feeding of antibiotics to livestock: Full and complete support

The Pesticide Argument:
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by grains: 1%
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by fruits: 4%
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by vegetables: 6% Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by dairy products: 23%
Percentage of pesticide residues in the US diet supplied by meat: 55%
Pesticide contamination of breast milk from meat eating mothers vs non-meat eating: 35 times higher
What USDA tells us: Meat is inspected Percentage of slaughtered animals inspected for residues of toxic chemicals such as dioxin and DDT: less than 0.00004%

The Ethical Argument:
Number of animals killed for meat per hour in US: 500, 000 Occupation with highest turnover rate in US: Slaughterhouse Worker Occupation with the highest rate of on-the-job injury in US: Slaughterhouse Worker Cost to render animal unconscious with "captive bolt pistol": 1 cent Reason given by meat industry for not using "captive bolt pistol": Too expensive

Its only a number

Got talkin to a friend last night about numbers .. The kind of numbers you have regarding how many people you have made love to (or just fucked lol ) Now gotta say right from the start I have what some people would call a large number... I guess Its all revelent .. I dont think its too large concerdering I am A single adult and have been for years .. also I started at 14 so that gives me what 15 years of play time Ok so there was a point when I was married so that takes a few years off that but all told I dont think its alot .... That said My friend has a 0 number (virgin) at the age of 25 .. good on him I say but its not for me anyway I dont know how we got talking numbers but I do know from past experance not to say my number very often especial to people who have low numbers cause they often dont understand and will jump to all kinds of conculisons ..... Personaly I dont care what number anyone has as long as they are happy with it ... Its so not important!!!!!

Anyway as expected my friend totaly freaked out when I told him what my number is Which totaly pissed my off cause I didnt think I would have to explain anything .. I so should learn to lie or something .. but thats bad too ... I try to say its not important what is inportant is I am here with you now ... GRRRRRR!!!!!! some people dont get it ... they think I should have waited all my life for them to walk into it .. even if they are going to walk out of it sometime anyway ...

What do you guys think ... Anyway at least I know everyone who incressed my number and can honestly say that I grew from knowing them ... OH and my number is more than my age ... like it even matters .....

hugz and kisses
Sarah

On Sunday I flew a kite

On Sunday I bought a kite and flew it .. then I gave it away ..

How much to kill a friend?

How much would you give to protect the life of an animal? Dose it depend on the animal ?? would you stop Japan killing a whale but eat a dead cow? would you stop the canadans clubing a baby seal to death then skining it alive for its fur but eat a chicken? would you stop the korans clubing your puppy dog for a lassie burger but eat a dead pig sandwich while doing it???

I have been asked to once again pull a stunt for animal protection and I must say I am ready to have some fun and games with the minds of meat eatters yet again ... This time Melbourne dates yet to be anounced .... I think we are doing something for the chickens like craming naked people into a wire mesh cage to show how cramped the conditions are .... something like that .... As usual I will be there dont know if I will be in the cage this time ... I am getting to old for that shit ... perhaps I will be handing out info .. I think that might be better ... I really dont need the police crap at the moment ...

Anyway My question is Do diffrent animals hold a difrent value ? things to note are that a pig is proven smarter than most dogs!!!!

while we are putting a price on animals you may like to note The Chinese government is inviting bids from foreign tourists for the right to hunt endangered speciesFuckers I mean how low can you get ....

Oh also I am doing alittle clean up so I may have more "free to a good home" bits and peices ... keep an eye out lol

Oh and been alittle low on entrys for the big crap comp.... I disqulifyed one entry of a nude friend on Uluru-Kata Tjuta (Ayers Rock) cause its not man made and the corries dont like you climbing on it ... I can not talk cause I climbed it as a kid but I didnt know then ... Come on people there is so much of this big crap out there!!!

I Like You Guys !!!

Hey People been thinking just how much I like you guys so the best way to do that is to get you to Click here .... Oh and then Push the red button !!!!

Take care
love and light
Sarah mwa mwa

Bush Vs Jesus at the next election ???

This is a look at what a GOP/Bush campaign ad would be like, if the Prince of Peace were alive and here on earth. After-all, we know how liberal, non-violent hippies who want to help the down-trodden, advocate for peace, tolerance, and base their ethics on helping those around them and acting towards others like you would want others to act towards you...are treated by the GOP.






Push here

NZ Photos

Just a Few photos such a nice place ... you can see why I am going back .... who wouldnt

Just some photos from the trip

One for you meat eatters .....

Found this Artical from the NZ Press thought It post worthy



National News
Dead chickens save drivers on car registration

1.00pm Friday July 28, 2006


A dead supermarket chicken could save you up to $200 on your car registration, according to a Christchurch woman who has revealed an apparent loophole in vehicle rules.

It would normally cost her more than $260 to register her diesel vehicle.

But if a driver goes to the Post Shop and asks them to change the vehicle's registration to a code 06, which is for a non-commercial hearse, then the cost drops dramatically - to just $58.

Her friends told her the scam had been going on for years, so she went to a Post Shop to try it.

She told the man behind the counter her car was a non-commercial hearse because she carried dead chickens home from the supermarket.

He said that was fine, stamped her $58 registration - and she says he told her there are many of non-commercial hearses driving around the affluent Christchurch suburb of Merivale.

Land Transport New Zealand is not amused. It says people who are classing their cars as non-commercial hearses to save on their registration are breaking the law.

Spokesman Andy Knackstead said people doing that were effectively ripping off ACC, accident victims, and the rest of the population who are paying the correct levies.

Mr Knackstead said if LTNZ discovered it was a widespread practice it may consider bringing in the police.

- NEWSTALK ZB

Free To Good Home !

HI people Just a couple of things that I have no need for if anyone wants them I will send them out free to a good home ... (first in best dressed as they say )

1) Big Arse Book "zondervan niv Exhaustive Concordance "(second edition) and yes it is Exhaustive.

2 ) some pairs of "Thai Fishing pants" One size fits all great for yoga or just chillin ... I bought like 100 pairs a couple of years back and still have heaps! still in the packets

3) A set of 3 original hand paintings about 30cm by 30 cm titled "love" kinda nice with lots of gold red and white on black .. (i guess i should take a photo) but anyway

So as I said mail me soph555@gmail.com or be first to comment and they its yours ...

Take care friends ... Its another Full moon ....
Sarah
love light and blessings

Finding the Truth in the lies

Its strange how some people have views and they dont really know why they have them . (dont you think) sometimes they just take the word of someone they meet or the word of a political leader or dare I say it church leader and never question it they take it as fact and then they re spew (is that a word) re say what they heard and alike beleiving it to be fact.. A funny things happans when this takes place I find .. for example a Pastor at the church I use to go to emails me every mth or so normally just forwarding me an email that they got from someone preacher or leader in the church he normal sends it to me with a sentence or two saying "What do you think of this ?" So I always write back the problem is that when He sends me stuff I always do a search on the infomation and read up on it .. In the very least I check everything at snopes sometimes I look a bit harder why I do this is basic I dont trust alot of the info that comes from the right wing media as has been shown in things like OutFoxed Anyway most of the time my responce is along the lines of " I understand that view but did you realise that the facts are wrong" or "Nice email but did you know its FALSE here is a web site that talks about the urban myth " Now why anyone would like to send me emails without checking the facts is beyond me especialy when a vast number or people attending the church will take it as fact and never question it because it comes from "Gods apointed" is totaly beyond my thinking .... Oh by the way my replys are normally met with disintrest untill the next email ....

So anyway was watching the vid 911 The Road To Tyranny Its worth a watch if you get time its about 2 hours 20 mins long but well worth it .. not that I am agreeing with the whole conspericy theory thing but Alex Jones makes some good points and has done some great investgation work ... You can have fun like I have double checking all the facts if your really dont have a life like me ... ha ha

So my point today is why dont people take the time to see if something is true ... They trust everything that is said from the pulpt on the TV in the news papper ... Why ???? do you do it ??? I Try not to!

Spam Spam Spam Spam .....(in a monty python voice)

OK first sorry for now making everyone type silly words in the coments bit ... I have been gettin spam comments .. (and i thought that was bullshit but i guess not ... )

second ... Its been a good couple of days seince I got back ... lots of nothing to catch up on and the usual pile of bills and mail .. well not much mail only bills to be honest .. I can not rember I got any thing like an old snail mail letter with actual hand writting .. I guess one of the olden day things of yester year that will never happpan again ..

I want to write some stuff i really do but i am scared to write it I mean do i make this thing personal or do i just crap on about stuff ... what do you guys want from me anyway ????? What do I want from me ???? sometimes I want to write a dear diary kinda post but usualy start it only to wake up to myself just into it and think why do I want to expose my dirty little secrets anyway ??? what good would it or could it do .... so I just hit the delete buton and post something else ... I guess I do want to get some things off my chest though come to think of it .. well not today but soon ..

I am going raw food for awhile .. I guess the book I am reading The Ethics of What We Eat Has made me rethink my vegan roots and how what I do has a flow on to everything else .. I totaly recomend the book to anyone who eats !!! And any of my friends out there just ask and I will send you a copy. Its inportant to me that we all try to leave small footprints on this earth .. I know some of you Dont understand that concept of dont agree with it .. and thats ok .. but at least know the full story is all I ask ..

I am also spending the next couple of weeks doing some down to earth relaxin and yoga because I feel I have some more big desions to make soon in a few areas and I need as much peace and balance in my life to help me tackle and stormy water I may find myself in ....

So my question ... What do you guys do to relax ?? What place or song or thing do you find most relaxin ... for me I like to vist a waterfall that is not far from here its and isolated place that is so peaceful and calm .. I can sit there and meditate or do yoga or just dip my feet in the ice cold water and feel the whole one with the world thing .. keeping me safe ... I also skinny dip there in summer but the water is still ice cold only in summer you can deal with it better I guess ...

Anyway I am just going on and on arnt I ...
sorry again for the word thing .. I frickin hate it but I dont need the spam !

Bless you all
May your thoughts be guided by love
yours sarah
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Home Time .....

Well time to fly home and just about to pack my shit up and head to the airport for the quick flight home .... I am really going to miss it here its been a great break for me and a real nice place with lots of great memorys ..... and I will be back here real soon ... Have a few photos to post too that can wait till I get back ....

The Top Ten reasions not to eat pig (thought you might like the read)

Top 10 Reasons Not to Eat Pigs
Attention, shoppers: Stop picking up dead “Babes” and “Wilburs” at the grocery store! Here are our top 10 reasons to keep pork off your fork and put delicious Babe-free alternatives on your shopping list instead.

1 Porking You Up
It’s a fact—ham, sausage, and bacon strips will go right to your hips. Eating pork products, which are loaded with artery-clogging cholesterol and saturated fat, is a good way to increase your waistline and increase your chances of developing deadly diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s, asthma, and impotence. Research has shown that vegetarians are 50 percent less likely to develop heart disease, and they have 40 percent of the cancer rate of meat-eaters. Plus, meat-eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than pure vegetarians are. Every time you eat animal products, you’re also ingesting bacteria, antibiotics, dioxins, hormones, and a host of other toxins that can accumulate in your body and remain there for years. Learn more about animal products and your health.

2 Pigs Have Feelings Too
Ninety-seven percent of pigs in the United States today are raised in factory farms, where they will never run across sprawling pastures, bask in the sun, breathe fresh air, or do anything else that comes naturally to them. Crowded into warehouses with nothing to do and nowhere to go, they are kept on a steady diet of drugs to keep them alive and make them grow faster, but the drugs cause many of the animals to become crippled under their own bulk. Learn more about cruelty to pigs. Check out these videos from pig farms in Oklahoma, North Carolina, Nebraska, and South Dakota.

3 Pigs and Playstations
Think that you can outplay a pig on your Playstation? You may be surprised. According to research, pigs are much smarter than dogs, and they even do better at video games than some primates. In fact, pigs are extremely clever animals who form complex social networks and have excellent memories. Eating a pig is like eating your dog! As actor Cameron Diaz put it after hearing that pigs have the mental capacities of a 3-year-old human: "[Eating bacon is] like eating my niece!" Learn more about pigs.

4 Pigs Prefer Mud, Not Crud
Pigs are actually very clean animals. If they are given sufficient space, pigs are careful not to soil the areas where they sleep or eat. And forget the silly saying “sweating like a pig”—pigs can’t even sweat! That’s why they bathe in water or mud to cool off. But in factory farms, they’re forced to live in their own feces and vomit and even amid the corpses of other pigs. Conditions are so filthy that at any given time, more than one-quarter of pigs suffer from mange—think of your worst case of poison ivy, and imagine having to suffer from it for the rest of your life. Learn more about what happens to pigs in factory farms. Check out the mange-ridden pigs on these South Dakota and Nebraska pig farms.

5 Farming Family Values
Factory farms are pure hell for pigs and their babies. Mother pigs spend most of their lives in tiny “gestation” crates, which are so small that the animals are unable to turn around or even lie down comfortably. They are repeatedly impregnated until they are slaughtered. Piglets, who are taken away from their distraught mothers after just a few weeks, have their tails chopped off, their teeth are clipped off with pliers, and the males are castrated—all without painkillers. Learn more about cruelty to pigs.

6 The Manure Is Blowing in the Wind …
A pig farm with 5,000 animals produces as much fecal waste as a city of 50,000 people. In 1995, 25 million gallons of putrid hog urine and feces spilled into a North Carolina river, immediately killing between 10 and 14 million fish. To get around water pollution limits, factory farms will frequently take the tons of urine and feces that are stored in cesspools and turn them into liquid waste that they spray into the air. This manure-filled mist is carried away by the wind and inhaled by the people who live nearby. Learn more about how factory farming damages the environment.

7 Bacteria-Laden Bacon and Harmful Ham
Extremely crowded conditions, poor ventilation, and filth in factory farms cause such rampant disease in pigs that 70 percent of them have pneumonia by the time they’re sent to the slaughterhouse. In order to keep pigs alive in conditions that would otherwise kill them and to promote unnaturally fast growth, the industry keeps pigs on a steady diet of the antibiotics that we depend on to treat human illnesses. This overuse of antibiotics has led to the development of “superbacteria,” or antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains. The ham, bacon, and sausage that you’re eating may make the drugs that your doctor prescribes the next time you get sick completely ineffective. Learn more about the effect of eating meat from sick, diseased, and drugged animals.

8 Hell on Wheels
More than 170,000 pigs die in transport each year, and more than 420,000 are crippled by the time they arrive at the slaughterhouse. Transport trucks, which carry pigs hundreds of miles through all weather extremes with no food or water, regularly flip over, throwing injured and dying animals onto the road. These terrified and injured animals are rarely offered veterinary care, and most languish in pain for hours; some even bleed to death on the side of the road. After an accident in April 2005, Smithfield spokesperson Jerry Hostetter told one reporter, “I hate to admit it, but it happens all the time.” Learn more about cruelty to pigs during transport.

9 Killing Them Without Kindness
A typical slaughterhouse kills up to 1,100 pigs every hour, which makes it impossible for them to be given humane, painless deaths. The U.S. Department of Agriculture documented 14 humane slaughter violations at one processing plant, where inspectors found hogs who “were walking and squealing after being stunned [with a stun gun] as many as four times.” Because of improper stunning methods and extremely fast line speeds, many pigs are still alive when they are dumped into scalding-hot hair-removal tanks—they literally drown in scalding-hot water. Learn more about what happens to pigs at slaughter.

10 Ditch the Bacon and Get Fakin’
Save pigs from hell and yourself from bad health by feasting on faux pork products instead. Stuff a sandwich full of Yves brand veggie ham slices, or throw some Lightlife Smart Bacon into a sizzling skillet—the freezer and “health food” sections of your local grocery or health food stores are packed full of these and other tasty substitutes. Check out VegCooking.com for hundreds of recipes, product recommendations, vegan meal plans, and a shopping guide.