Tilda Swinton eats haggis. So ... not vegan.

Thanks for posting this. Some sites right after the passage were saying the rider was introduced by Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-MD, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. She responded on her website saying she didn't support it (http://www.mikulski.senate.gov/media/pressrelease/3-28-2013.cfm), and I don't think this will get by her again.

"Senator Mikulski understands the anger over this provision. She didn't put the language in the bill and doesn't support it either.

"It was originally part of the Agriculture Appropriations bill that the House Appropriations Committee reported in June 2012, and it became part of the joint House-Senate agreement completed in the Fall of 2012 before Senator Mikulski became Appropriations Chairwoman.

"That agreement was not reopened when the Agriculture bill and several others were included in the Continuing Appropriations Act to prevent a government shutdown.

"Senator Mikulski has a strong food safety record. She has supported a bill requiring labeling of genetically engineered fish, an amendment to the Farm Bill that allows states to require labeling of edible foods and beverages for sale that contain genetically engineered ingredients, and called for labeling of cloned animals or their progeny.

"As Chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, Senator Mikulski's first responsibility was to prevent a government shutdown. That meant she had to compromise on many of her own priorities to get a bill through the Senate that the House would pass. She will continue to fight for a regular and timely Appropriations process and other valuable priorities, including food safety."

Hopefully it won't get by Obama again either.

And it now looks like Sen. Roy Blunt, R-MO (where Monsanto is headquartered) is holding the smoking gun.

Thanks for posting, Ben. Had not heard of Tony before, but what a beautiful video. Will check out his website. Best wishes to you and your family.

Yoga Journal and Lululemon are the way in to practicing asana for many in our image-oriented, materialistic society. And doing asana has a sneaky way of changing people, not just making them more fit, but more aware. And some yogis drawn to acquire the yoga butt and expensive mats will go on to explore more. Some will read the Yoga Sutras, practice bhakti, and look at the yamas and niyamas and how they operate in their own lives. (Needless to say, this also may accompany growing mature. It happens!) And the awareness developed from asana practice may show up elsewhere, and before you know it, these yogis drawn in by YJ and Lululemon are moving into pranayama, and are on a path to samadhi. It's a brilliant scheme that benefits all sentient beings. Eventually.

I bought the DVD and recommend it for all yoga teachers and larger sized aspiring yogis. Abby's students range from curvy to unquestionably obese, and some are quite flexible. She adapts poses and shows several variations. Her students adore her, and I can see why. I recommend this DVD to my large-bodied students, and I also show them the photo of Geeta Iyengar on the front cover of Yoga: A Gem for Women. Geeta is not a slim woman. It is encouraging to them. If you're really large, your self-esteem gets bashed in ways slimmer people are completely oblivious to. "Start with the body you have" is excellent advice.

She lives in Austin, Texas!

I enjoy no music with my yoga.

In the practice of meditation, concentrating too heavily on the technique brings all kinds of mental activities, frustrations, and sexual and aggressive fantasies. So you keep just on the verge of your technique, with 25 percent of your attention. Another 25 percent is relaxing, a further 25 percent relates to making friends with oneself, and the last 25 percent connects with expectation — your mind is open to the possibility of something happening during this practice session.These four aspects of mindfulness have been referred to as the four wheels of a chariot.The ideal number of wheels we should have on our chariot is four, the four techniques of meditation: concentration, openness, awareness, and expectation. That leaves a lot of room for play. That is the approach in the buddhadharma, the Buddhist teachings. A lot of people in the lineage have practiced that way and have actually achieved a perfect state of enlightenment in one lifetime.

I agree that enlightenment includes no blockages; not sure, could be more to it than that. Would appreciate much more detail on your actual process. Agree that self-healing is learned; we get better at it with practice. I was more scared of childbirth than of parenting. Thanks for posting this, Ben!

Having discovered my food sensitivities about 4 years ago through testing my chiropractor offered, I too now understand it's one of the best discoveries I've made. (Yes, yoga is up there too!) I cleared excess Candida from my system and avoided foods I was sensitive to, including wheat, sugar, potatoes, and more. The question guiding my life, after the feeling the difference from clearing excess Candida was "How good can I feel?" After delving deeply into the blood type and genotype diets, I retreated from eating "by the book" (or "by the test") and notice more how what I eat makes me feel. My grocery cart is 80-90 percent fresh produce, organic when available. I feel better than ever and am undertaking yoga teacher training at the age of 57.