Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics
Dr. Andrew Knight who has done many cool things and published a book on animal experimentation.
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Monday, February 04, 2013
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Animal consciousness
I'm copying and pasting some fascinating quotes here from UPC founder, Karen Davis' review of "Experiencing Animal Minds: An Anthology of Human-Animal Encounters." Edited by Julie Smith and Robert Mitchel (2012).
"Privileging human verbal language as the signifier for the “superior” human brain over Voice, kinesthetic empathy, and countless other forms of expression has more to do with prejudice than with an open-minded interest in the world’s teeming varieties of life."
"Biological situation of brains within and as constituents of bodies which are themselves environmentally situated and interactive with their surroundings integrates with all of the evidence we have of evolutionary continuity among animal species and a reasoned belief that other animals’ minds are not mere precursors of human ways of knowing but parallel ways of being mentally active and alive in the world."
"A problematic fact is that we can never fully apprehend another’s experience, whether that other is human or nonhuman, with or without verbal language. As much as we may be able to suffer and rejoice vicariously with others, we cannot know for sure whether our sense of their inner experience reproduces their experience."
"A sorrowful echo of the mournful cries of the nearly extinct whooping cranes, evoked by Dillard-Wright in his essay, drifts through Experiencing Animal Minds – the animals’ captivity, our bigotry, their imminent extinction, our indifference, the fact that we require animals to prove their worthiness to be cherished and respected instead of being tortured, degraded, ridiculed, incarcerated, punished and extinguished because they are not us, and because we can get away with it."
"'Their mysterious otherness has not saved them, nor have their beautiful songs and coats and skins and shells, nor have their strengths, their skills, their swiftness, the beauty of their flights. We discover the remarkable intelligence of the whale, the wolf, the elephant – it does not save them, nor does our awareness of the complexity of their lives. It matters not, it seems, whether they nurse their young or brood patiently on eggs. If they eat meat, we decry their viciousness; if they eat grasses and seeds, we dismiss them as weak. We know that they care for their young and teach them, that they play and grieve, that they have memories and a sense of the future for which they sometimes plan. We know about their habits, their migrations, that they have a sense of home, of finding, seeking, returning to home. We know that when they face death, they fear it. We know all these things and it has not saved them from us.'"
Joy Williams wrote poignantly in “The Inhumanity of the Animal People,” in Harper’s Magazine, August 1997
Gary Steiner: “stop trying to recreate animals in our own image and begin to let animal beings be the beings they truly are.”
"Jessica Ullrich argues in “Minding the Animal in Contemporary Art” that we need to recognize 'that animal experiences are not just pale imitations of our own.'"
"David Dillard-Wright implores us to see that “what counts about the crane is its unique mindedness – not the crane’s ability to measure up to an invented and artificial anthropocentric yardstick of intelligence.” A broader theory of mind, he says, 'will value the crane’s intelligence per se and not only by comparison to human capabilities.'"
"Privileging human verbal language as the signifier for the “superior” human brain over Voice, kinesthetic empathy, and countless other forms of expression has more to do with prejudice than with an open-minded interest in the world’s teeming varieties of life."
"Biological situation of brains within and as constituents of bodies which are themselves environmentally situated and interactive with their surroundings integrates with all of the evidence we have of evolutionary continuity among animal species and a reasoned belief that other animals’ minds are not mere precursors of human ways of knowing but parallel ways of being mentally active and alive in the world."
"A problematic fact is that we can never fully apprehend another’s experience, whether that other is human or nonhuman, with or without verbal language. As much as we may be able to suffer and rejoice vicariously with others, we cannot know for sure whether our sense of their inner experience reproduces their experience."
"A sorrowful echo of the mournful cries of the nearly extinct whooping cranes, evoked by Dillard-Wright in his essay, drifts through Experiencing Animal Minds – the animals’ captivity, our bigotry, their imminent extinction, our indifference, the fact that we require animals to prove their worthiness to be cherished and respected instead of being tortured, degraded, ridiculed, incarcerated, punished and extinguished because they are not us, and because we can get away with it."
"'Their mysterious otherness has not saved them, nor have their beautiful songs and coats and skins and shells, nor have their strengths, their skills, their swiftness, the beauty of their flights. We discover the remarkable intelligence of the whale, the wolf, the elephant – it does not save them, nor does our awareness of the complexity of their lives. It matters not, it seems, whether they nurse their young or brood patiently on eggs. If they eat meat, we decry their viciousness; if they eat grasses and seeds, we dismiss them as weak. We know that they care for their young and teach them, that they play and grieve, that they have memories and a sense of the future for which they sometimes plan. We know about their habits, their migrations, that they have a sense of home, of finding, seeking, returning to home. We know that when they face death, they fear it. We know all these things and it has not saved them from us.'"
Joy Williams wrote poignantly in “The Inhumanity of the Animal People,” in Harper’s Magazine, August 1997
Gary Steiner: “stop trying to recreate animals in our own image and begin to let animal beings be the beings they truly are.”
"Jessica Ullrich argues in “Minding the Animal in Contemporary Art” that we need to recognize 'that animal experiences are not just pale imitations of our own.'"
"David Dillard-Wright implores us to see that “what counts about the crane is its unique mindedness – not the crane’s ability to measure up to an invented and artificial anthropocentric yardstick of intelligence.” A broader theory of mind, he says, 'will value the crane’s intelligence per se and not only by comparison to human capabilities.'"
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Whistle blowing
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-friedrich/whistleblower-suppression_b_2559769.html
Just some thoughts
It seems that there is some contradictory evidence out there on what is the best diet and whether a plant-based diet is the panacea it claims to be. To me it seems that there is sufficient evidence to suggest that vegan diets can be very healthy and lead to a long life and healthy weight. Look at the 7th Day Adventists, for example, who live much longer than other Californians. I'm not that convinced that it should be super-low fat though, as nuts and avocados seem to provide many benefits.
In the end I'm not that worried about it though. If I can live a relatively healthy life without killing and maiming animals I'm all for it. I do believe the environmental arguments against raising animals are strong too. Of course growing crops can be and is mostly very harmful to the environment, but meeting high demands of meat consumption requires the redirection of human food to animals. It requires that "unproductive" lands be given up to pastures that could be used for conservation. It uses more fossil fuels, water, etc. I think that plant-based agriculture must be improved so that we don't use so many toxins and perhaps we can reduce monocultures, but animal agriculture only makes the problem worse and increases inefficiencies. I'm also a big fan of using human manure as fertilizer.
Ultimately though, it comes down to the animals. Even if it were even healthier to eat animals than not too, and even if it were possible to have sustainable animal agriculture, which I doubt, it would still be wrong to confine, mutilate, separate families and kill sentient beings who suffer, and who can also enjoy life and long to live. This is by far our strongest argument as vegans. We must never lose sight of the animals themselves, as the other arguments are subject to much debate and perhaps there is still too much conflicting evidence, making it easy for people to be swung either way.
The animals though! They want to live just like us! They fight death and pain just like us! They have only one life and then it's over, just like this. We cannot take their lives and sufferings with so little regard anymore. It is tragic and completely unjust. As I write this I think of our little family dog, Grubby, who had to be put to sleep yesterday due to very poor health. How heartbroken we are. We valued him and his life, as he did too. It's hard to imagine life without him. And to think of all the billions of land animals, and even more sea creatures that killed each year in horrible ways. It makes me want to weep!
In the end I'm not that worried about it though. If I can live a relatively healthy life without killing and maiming animals I'm all for it. I do believe the environmental arguments against raising animals are strong too. Of course growing crops can be and is mostly very harmful to the environment, but meeting high demands of meat consumption requires the redirection of human food to animals. It requires that "unproductive" lands be given up to pastures that could be used for conservation. It uses more fossil fuels, water, etc. I think that plant-based agriculture must be improved so that we don't use so many toxins and perhaps we can reduce monocultures, but animal agriculture only makes the problem worse and increases inefficiencies. I'm also a big fan of using human manure as fertilizer.
Ultimately though, it comes down to the animals. Even if it were even healthier to eat animals than not too, and even if it were possible to have sustainable animal agriculture, which I doubt, it would still be wrong to confine, mutilate, separate families and kill sentient beings who suffer, and who can also enjoy life and long to live. This is by far our strongest argument as vegans. We must never lose sight of the animals themselves, as the other arguments are subject to much debate and perhaps there is still too much conflicting evidence, making it easy for people to be swung either way.
The animals though! They want to live just like us! They fight death and pain just like us! They have only one life and then it's over, just like this. We cannot take their lives and sufferings with so little regard anymore. It is tragic and completely unjust. As I write this I think of our little family dog, Grubby, who had to be put to sleep yesterday due to very poor health. How heartbroken we are. We valued him and his life, as he did too. It's hard to imagine life without him. And to think of all the billions of land animals, and even more sea creatures that killed each year in horrible ways. It makes me want to weep!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Just say it: Killing animals for appetite is wrong
Great argument for why it's necessary to bring the animal rights message to the public eye:
http://fortheabolitionofveganism.blogspot.fr/
http://fortheabolitionofveganism.blogspot.fr/
Serve With Fava Beans and a Nice Chianti: The Hannibal Lecterism of Happy Meat
This is chilling but brilliant.
Monday, November 05, 2012
Saturday, October 06, 2012
Thanks-Giving
The best thing about moving to Canada, and particularly studying in the Engineering Dept. of the University of Calgary, is that it gave me the opportunity to get to know wonderful people from all around the world; people I'd be unlikely to meet otherwise. I grew to know and care for individuals from China, Taiwan, South Korea, Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Iran, Turkey, Germany, and of course, Canada. I quickly realized that some of my perceptions of other nations, based on the media or stories, were largely false, and that we are all basically alike as human beings. This Thanks Giving I wish that everyone would have this opportunity to know others that are "different" from them, as I am sure that this would be the road to peace. I wish for a peaceful, non-violent world, where no one would dream of dropping a bomb on people from another country, because their friends live there! I wish for a time when we will no longer make excuses for killing people, or any sentient beings. We can all contribute to peace today as peace starts within ourselves, at home and the food we consume. I ask you to spare a thought for the "meat" on your table. It's hard to imagine that "it", was once a boy or a girl who was killed, then dismembered, and transformed completely. This animal-being may not seem very important in the scheme of our lives, and human trials and tribulations, but he or she, like us, had only one chance to experience life, to exist. and would have wanted to live and be free. We are not so different.
Thursday, October 04, 2012
Abolition and Welfare debate?
Fantastic essay by Melanie Joy on the so-called Abolition and Welfare debate. Let's put an end to it and start a dialogue! I love the vegan philosophy she espouses. It's completely encompassing of all living beings, including those silly ones called humans.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Animal free braai (aka BBQ)
South Africa is meant to celebrate its heritage on National Heritage Day on the 24th of September. Unfortunately, this day has been hijacked by the meat and braai brigade. It seems that South Africans' most unifying cultural element is burning the flesh of dead animals so that they can eat them. I understand that there are many happy memories around the fire with family and friends, usually on a beautiful South African evening, but we can partake in this tradition by replacing meat with healthy vegetables, while leaving the animals alone. Also, meat, especially the burnt variety found on the fire, is well-established to cause colorectal cancer, so it seems a switch to vegetarian would be good for the health of South Africans too. Truthfully, I'm not holding up much hope for that because it is such a proud tradition associated with rugby and other sports, where men feel like men managing the fire and meat, and drinking beer. But perhaps an odd soul here and there might be prompted to switch to veggies, or at least add them to their meal. I'm trying to put together a list of good braai ideas which I can post to Facebook a few days prior to the event. Something like this:
"Why not replace cancer-causing artery-clogging animal flesh with delicious cancer-fighting vegetables this National Braai Day. Don't forget the old favourites: grilled miellies, portabello mushrooms, toasted samies and potatoes. You could be adventurous and try grilled pineapple, eggplant, tofu and more. Don't forget Fry's products for tasty veggie sausages!"
And then I'll add some good recipe links. This is what I've found so far, but somehow I'd like something better - more conventional veggies and more appealing pictures.
http://www.vegkitchen.com/tips/vegetarian-barbecue/
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/vegetarian/vegetarian-barbecue/ - This one includes cheese unfortunately, but I like the layout.
http://inhabitat.com/8-scrumptious-vegan-bbq-recipes-for-summer/ - I like this one as it's simple and sweet.
Do you have any suggestions?
I must be very careful with my phrasing as I imagine some South Africans will be furious at my statement. I don't want to simply use the words "Add" veggies though. I want it to be "replace". If it sounds like I'm talking to them (the SAFAs) perhaps they'll feel like I'm patronising them or telling them what to do. How do I make a suggestion without getting the wrong tone?
"Why not replace cancer-causing artery-clogging animal flesh with delicious cancer-fighting vegetables this National Braai Day. Don't forget the old favourites: grilled miellies, portabello mushrooms, toasted samies and potatoes. You could be adventurous and try grilled pineapple, eggplant, tofu and more. Don't forget Fry's products for tasty veggie sausages!"
And then I'll add some good recipe links. This is what I've found so far, but somehow I'd like something better - more conventional veggies and more appealing pictures.
http://www.vegkitchen.com/tips/vegetarian-barbecue/
http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/vegetarian/vegetarian-barbecue/ - This one includes cheese unfortunately, but I like the layout.
http://inhabitat.com/8-scrumptious-vegan-bbq-recipes-for-summer/ - I like this one as it's simple and sweet.
Do you have any suggestions?
I must be very careful with my phrasing as I imagine some South Africans will be furious at my statement. I don't want to simply use the words "Add" veggies though. I want it to be "replace". If it sounds like I'm talking to them (the SAFAs) perhaps they'll feel like I'm patronising them or telling them what to do. How do I make a suggestion without getting the wrong tone?
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Monday, August 06, 2012
Unbearable Lightness of Being
I came across an phenomenal quote from "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera (p. 289 - 290):
You can read a larger extract, beautifully written here. I must read this book.
True human goodness, in all its purity and freedom, can come to the fore only when its recipient has no power. Mankind’s true moral test, its fundamental test (which lies deeply buried from view), consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals. And in this respect mankind has suffered a fundamental debacle, a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it.
You can read a larger extract, beautifully written here. I must read this book.
Saturday, August 04, 2012
Another powerful speech
You must watch this powerful speech by Philip Wollen (Australia) called: Animals should be off the menu.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Peaceable Kingdom
The Peaceable Kingdom is a wonderful movie which had been tears several times. You can buy the dvd here: http://tribeofheart.org/
and the website:
and the website:
Sunday, June 03, 2012
Great new blog
I'm going to follow this blog, be their voice, you should too. The blogger grew up on a cattle ranch and explains his first encounter with the darker side of ranching. He's a naturally empathetic person who considered things from the animals' perspective. That changes everything.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Great interview with Dr. Marc Bekoff
I loved this Interview with Dr. Bekoff. What an inspiring human being and game changer. I wish there were more compassionate conservationists. Many, are extremely instrumentalist in their view of wild animals. I'm also thrilled at the discovery of Michael Tobias' blog, which is a very interesting read if you're into conservation, environmentalism and animals. That would be me!
Friday, May 18, 2012
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
Make your own FB Ad
Ok, I have to do this. I can pay for adverts on Facebook and for as little as a dollar per day I could spread awareness about animal abuse. http://www.farmsanctuary.org/CompassionateCommunities/?page_id=35
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Competition
Note to self: Enter this competition and speak for animals! http://www.wolfoundation.org/home/About.html
So proud of Anita and Toronto Pig Save
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1175879--porter-toronto-pig-save-activists-protest-slaughter-weekly-at-quality-meat-packers-abattoir?bn=1#photo
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Great websites to understand water usage
Main website: http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/home
Calculate your water footprint: http://www.waterfootprint.org/index.php?page=cal/WaterFootprintCalculator#result
National water consumption/production: http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/WaterStat-NationalWaterFootprints
Publications: http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/Publications
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/graphic/2012/feb/14/water-footprint-world-map
These websites are not vegetarian sites, but provide irrefutable evidence of the enormous water footprint of animal products.
Calculate your water footprint: http://www.waterfootprint.org/index.php?page=cal/WaterFootprintCalculator#result
National water consumption/production: http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/WaterStat-NationalWaterFootprints
Publications: http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/Publications
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/graphic/2012/feb/14/water-footprint-world-map
These websites are not vegetarian sites, but provide irrefutable evidence of the enormous water footprint of animal products.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Green-fur add found misleading
The ASA found an advert stating that fur was "eco-friendly" to be misleading and said that the ad could no longer appear in it's current form. LINK
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Monday, April 09, 2012
Human rights violations in meat-packing plants
Blood, Sweat and Fear is a report by Human Rights Watch documenting the human rights abuses of workers, often poor immigrants, working within slaughterhouses and meat-packing plants in the U.S.. Although, it does not question the fundamental brutality and oppression of the activity in itself, it documents very clearly the exploitation of humans working there. It makes it quite clear that these circumstances arise not by accident, but by deliberate design. If the corporate powers are willing to treat humans with such utter contempt, one can understand why it's even more terrible for animals, who have no protection, and are bred and raised for the sole purpose of exploitation and slaughter.
Wait for Me
A poem for those who cannot sleep at night thinking of the untold suffering of countless unseen animals around the world.
Sunday, April 08, 2012
Melanie Joy again
This a brilliant lecture by Melanie Joy about the disconnect between the animals we eat and the animals we love. She raises the great point that there is NO FREE choice without awareness and knowledge.
Thursday, April 05, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Stunning wolfdog sanctuary in Alberta.
I discovered this sanctuary today. Beautiful photos of wolf dogs and they're anti wolf hunting!
The Human Cost of Animal Suffering.
The human cost of animal suffering. A compelling article about the hidden violence of slaughterhouses written by Mark Bittman for meat-eaters.
Thursday, March 08, 2012
How can we continue to turn a blind eye to this?!
I shouted out in pain watching this video. I have seen similar before, but it always shocks me to the core.
GOOD people CANNOT support industries so cruel and evil. Good people CANNOT turn a blind eye to this SLAUGHTER and TORTURE. Good people CANNOT sit by and do nothing while BILLIONS OF ANIMALS die like this every year.
The fact is, that as a whole, as a society, we do not give animals the slightest moral consideration. Every single one of their interests is secondary to any one of our interests, no matter how trivial ours are. Even fashion, fake eyelashes, and entertainment trump their rights to life, freedom from confinement, and freedom from the most grotesque torture imaginable.
GOOD people CANNOT support industries so cruel and evil. Good people CANNOT turn a blind eye to this SLAUGHTER and TORTURE. Good people CANNOT sit by and do nothing while BILLIONS OF ANIMALS die like this every year.
The fact is, that as a whole, as a society, we do not give animals the slightest moral consideration. Every single one of their interests is secondary to any one of our interests, no matter how trivial ours are. Even fashion, fake eyelashes, and entertainment trump their rights to life, freedom from confinement, and freedom from the most grotesque torture imaginable.
Thursday, March 01, 2012
Portraits of dogs just before death
This is beautiful and sad. Yun-Fei Tou is an artists who captures the soul of these animals moments before they are euthanized.
Websites and blogs I like to read.
Animal Emotions by Marc Bekoff
Animal Rights: The Abolitionist Approach Approach by Gary Francione
Carol J. Adams
On Nonhuman Slavery
On the Road to Liberation by David Sztybel
Our Hen House by Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan
The New Animalist by Andrew Westoll
The Veganomaly
Vegan.com by Erik Marcus
Zoocheck Perspectives by Zoocheck Canada
Nutrition and Science
Jack Norris RD
PaleoVeganology
The Vegan RD: Thoughts on being a vegan by Ginny Messina
Recipes
Chef Chloe
Chocolate-Covered Katie
Happy Herbivore
Mouthwatering Vegan Recipes
Our Veggie Kitchen
Vegangela
We Love Food
Politics
Green Is The New Red
Other recently discovered
Pythagorean Crank
Skeptical Vegan
Speciesist Vegan
The Rational Vegan
The Vegan Skeptic
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Apology to a slaughtered cow
Link
Monday, February 06, 2012
The not-so-heroic truth about Edison
How were we not told that Edison electrocute an elephant and numerous animals to prove the point that AC current is dangerous! Not only this he paid for the creation of the first electric chair to kill human beings.
See wikipedia's extract:
Here's a video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMmslGfaNls
The comments are almost as vile as the act itself.
Here is some more horrific information about the history of the electric chair: http://www.capitalcentury.com/1907.html
Honestly, what is the explanation of such wanton and careless cruelty? Is it male ego? Really, what is it?
See wikipedia's extract:
" Edison carried out a campaign to discourage the use[18] of alternating current, including spreading disinformation on fatal AC accidents, publicly killing animals, and lobbying against the use of AC in state legislatures. Edison directed his technicians, primarily Arthur Kennelly and Harold P. Brown,[19] to preside over several AC-driven killings of animals, primarily stray cats and dogs but also unwanted cattle and horses. [20] Acting on these directives, they were to demonstrate to the press that alternating current was more dangerous than Edison's system of direct current.[21] He also tried to popularize the term for being electrocuted as being "Westinghoused". Years after DC had lost the "war of the currents," in 1903, his film crew made a movie of the electrocution with high voltage AC, supervised by Edison employees, of Topsy, a Coney Island circus elephant which had recently killed three men.[22]
Edison opposed capital punishment, but his desire to disparage the system of alternating current led to the invention of the electric chair. Harold P. Brown, who was being secretly paid by Edison, built the first electric chair for the state of New York to promote the idea that alternating current was deadlier than DC."
Here's a video of it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMmslGfaNls
The comments are almost as vile as the act itself.
Here is some more horrific information about the history of the electric chair: http://www.capitalcentury.com/1907.html
Honestly, what is the explanation of such wanton and careless cruelty? Is it male ego? Really, what is it?
Monday, January 23, 2012
Richard Dawkins interviews Peter Singer
I couldn't imagine a more interesting pair of people to have a discussion. My only surprise is how easily Peter Singer has Richard Dawkins on the ropes. I admire Richard for being humble though and acknowledging the logic of Peter's arguments. Many interesting philosophical topics are presented here, which all relate to animal eating.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Nelson Mandela
When I read quotes by Nelson Mandela I am struck by how powerful, inspiring and beautiful his sentiments are. Although he was my president I did not realize what a beautiful mind he has. I feel so fortunate to have been alive and in South Africa when he was freed and became president. I hope that his words and life are an inspiration to all to strive for peace and equality on earth, to work bravely for the oppressed.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Homage to writers
Incredible writing that explains exactly what is so wrong with the slaughterhouse.
"The uproar was appalling, perilous to the ear-drums; one feared there was too much sound for the room to hold--that the walls must give way or the ceiling crack. There were high squeals and low squeals, grunts, and wails of agony; there would come a momentary lull, and then a fresh outburst, louder than ever, surging up to a deafening climax. It was too much for some of the visitors--the men would look at each other, laughing nervously, and the women would stand with hands clenched, and the blood rushing to their faces, and the tears starting in their eyes. Meantime, heedless of all these things, the men upon the floor were going about their work. Neither squeals of hogs nor tears of visitors made any difference to them; one by one they hooked up the hogs, and one by one with a swift stroke they slit their throats. There was a long line of hogs, with squeals and life-blood ebbing away together; until at last each started again, and vanished with a splash into a huge vat of boiling water. It was all so very businesslike that one watched it fascinated. It was pork-making by machinery, pork-making by applied mathematics. And yet somehow the most matter-of-fact person could not help thinking of the hogs; they were so innocent, they came so very trustingly; and they were so very human in their protests--and so perfectly within their rights! They had done nothing to deserve it; and it was adding insult to injury, as the thing was done here, swinging them up in this cold-blooded, impersonal way, without a pretence at apology, without the homage of a tear. Now and then a visitor wept, to be sure; but this slaughtering-machine ran on, visitors or no visitors. It was like some horrible crime committed in a dungeon, all unseen and unheeded, buried out of sight and of memory.”
― Upton Sinclair, The Jungle. (photograph Gail Eisnitz) (jb)
"The uproar was appalling, perilous to the ear-drums; one feared there was too much sound for the room to hold--that the walls must give way or the ceiling crack. There were high squeals and low squeals, grunts, and wails of agony; there would come a momentary lull, and then a fresh outburst, louder than ever, surging up to a deafening climax. It was too much for some of the visitors--the men would look at each other, laughing nervously, and the women would stand with hands clenched, and the blood rushing to their faces, and the tears starting in their eyes. Meantime, heedless of all these things, the men upon the floor were going about their work. Neither squeals of hogs nor tears of visitors made any difference to them; one by one they hooked up the hogs, and one by one with a swift stroke they slit their throats. There was a long line of hogs, with squeals and life-blood ebbing away together; until at last each started again, and vanished with a splash into a huge vat of boiling water. It was all so very businesslike that one watched it fascinated. It was pork-making by machinery, pork-making by applied mathematics. And yet somehow the most matter-of-fact person could not help thinking of the hogs; they were so innocent, they came so very trustingly; and they were so very human in their protests--and so perfectly within their rights! They had done nothing to deserve it; and it was adding insult to injury, as the thing was done here, swinging them up in this cold-blooded, impersonal way, without a pretence at apology, without the homage of a tear. Now and then a visitor wept, to be sure; but this slaughtering-machine ran on, visitors or no visitors. It was like some horrible crime committed in a dungeon, all unseen and unheeded, buried out of sight and of memory.”
― Upton Sinclair, The Jungle. (photograph Gail Eisnitz) (jb)
Sunday, January 15, 2012
animals as commodities
Rhino poaching in South Africa has sky rocketed with 1 or more rhinos killed per day in 2011.
They are killed for their horns which are extremely valuable in Asia for "medicine" and decorations.
They are not always killed first, rather their horns are hacked off and they are left to die in agony. This is terrible and heartbreaking. Not only will these beautiful animals go extinct very soon, but they are suffering tremendously and having their lives terminated. I hate that this is a completely illegal act ignoring the will of the majority of South Africans, but it is also totally part of world system that views animals as commodities of utilitarian benefit to humans. The only difference is that South Africans value these rhinos as a symbol of national wilderness and beauty, while Asians view them as medicinal and decorative commodities. South Africans are not necessarily against the murder of rhinos as legal hunting continues in South Africa. If these animals tasted good then we would eat them as indifferently as all the other millions of animals that are raised for our consumption. My heart is aching.
A news story.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Powerful
link
Dr Steve Best's video definitely has the feel of propaganda, but the videos of animal abuse are real and normal in all forms of animal exploitation. It is a powerful video, but I don't think I would share this to convince others as I don't think the truth needs to be made so slick to be effective. I prefer a more compassionate and educational approach.
Dr Steve Best's video definitely has the feel of propaganda, but the videos of animal abuse are real and normal in all forms of animal exploitation. It is a powerful video, but I don't think I would share this to convince others as I don't think the truth needs to be made so slick to be effective. I prefer a more compassionate and educational approach.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Saturday, January 07, 2012
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Cruel and useless animal experiments
Another example of cruel and useless experiments done on rats, mice and dogs. It makes me so sad. If you're willing to accept that animal testing is morally acceptable, it seems that every ill-conceived and deplorable experiment can be carried out. How about we study humans when we want to know something about them?!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Forks Over Knives
I finally watched Forks Over Knives and it is provides convincing evidence and arguments of the health benefits of eating a whole-food plant based diet. It also briefly discussed the environmental problems of eating animal products, and hinted at animal welfare issues. It wasn't much but it provides the seed for caring about farm animals.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Sue Coe is my hero
Sue Coe is an incredible artists who raises awareness of invisible social injustices. She's done powerful sketches about war, HIV, apartheid in South Africa and animals. Please watch an interview with her here and a great video of her art set to music by Black Angels.
Sue Coe: Art of the Animal from Our Hen House on Vimeo.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The value of zoos
Here's a great little article by Marc Bekoff about zoos and their lack of conservation effectiveness and concern for the animals they house. Here's a quote from the article,
"... we need to accept that we humans are the reason these and numerous other animals are imperiled and keeping them in cages and flying them here and there allowing them to make babies does nothing for them or their (very few in some cases) wild relatives."
"... we need to accept that we humans are the reason these and numerous other animals are imperiled and keeping them in cages and flying them here and there allowing them to make babies does nothing for them or their (very few in some cases) wild relatives."
Friday, November 25, 2011
Fact about fish
Fish, like other animals sentient animals feel pain and there is scientific evidence to prove this.
Do fish feel pain?
Fish do feel pain.
If you're a scientist how can you over look these studies and continue to fish or eat fish?
I know that for most of my life I held a bias against fish. Somehow I believed that they were different and didn't really suffer as much as the rest of us. I don't know what evidence I based this assumption on! None! It allowed me to eat fish occasionally during my "vegetarian" days. I've stopped finally. There are no excuses for that.
I also recall as a young adult accompanying my dad and uncle when they went fishing on my uncle's farm. I was told to carry the live fish by hooking my fingers through their gills. I don't know why I agreed as my instincts told me right away that this was cruel and wrong. How would you like to suffocate? Or be carried by your lungs? I've come to realize that I am quite a passive person. I've also come to realise that as a young person, even though I loved animals tremendously, I was often quite oblivious to obvious wrongs being done to them in front of me. It must be true that our personhood, moral awareness and compassion develops as we get older.
Do fish feel pain?
Fish do feel pain.
If you're a scientist how can you over look these studies and continue to fish or eat fish?
I know that for most of my life I held a bias against fish. Somehow I believed that they were different and didn't really suffer as much as the rest of us. I don't know what evidence I based this assumption on! None! It allowed me to eat fish occasionally during my "vegetarian" days. I've stopped finally. There are no excuses for that.
I also recall as a young adult accompanying my dad and uncle when they went fishing on my uncle's farm. I was told to carry the live fish by hooking my fingers through their gills. I don't know why I agreed as my instincts told me right away that this was cruel and wrong. How would you like to suffocate? Or be carried by your lungs? I've come to realize that I am quite a passive person. I've also come to realise that as a young person, even though I loved animals tremendously, I was often quite oblivious to obvious wrongs being done to them in front of me. It must be true that our personhood, moral awareness and compassion develops as we get older.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Ingrid Newkirk's great speech
I have had some misgivings about PETA, but Ingrid Newkirk's speech is compelling.
It's called: Non-violence includes animals.
If you believe in non-violence, peace and kindness, it only makes sense to extend these principles to animals as well as humans, since they, like us, experience pain, joy, fear, and a totally subjective sense of self. You cannot inflict violence on a rock, or other inanimate objects, since they have no self-awareness. Violence requires a conscience and sentient being on the receiving end. This is the reason why why violence is bad, since it harms a sentient being. You could argue that the destruction of buildings, an inanimate object, is and act of violence, but I would say this is only the case since these structures support the well-being of humans through providing shelter, psychological meaning, etc. Hence this kind of destruction hurts humans, but not the building itself.
It's called: Non-violence includes animals.
If you believe in non-violence, peace and kindness, it only makes sense to extend these principles to animals as well as humans, since they, like us, experience pain, joy, fear, and a totally subjective sense of self. You cannot inflict violence on a rock, or other inanimate objects, since they have no self-awareness. Violence requires a conscience and sentient being on the receiving end. This is the reason why why violence is bad, since it harms a sentient being. You could argue that the destruction of buildings, an inanimate object, is and act of violence, but I would say this is only the case since these structures support the well-being of humans through providing shelter, psychological meaning, etc. Hence this kind of destruction hurts humans, but not the building itself.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Take a look at this
France: Non-violent protestors protest just before a bull fight and are beaten by the crowds!
Monday, November 07, 2011
Deliberately distorted labelling and supression of democratic principles
This is a great interview
with Will Potter who wrote "Green is the New Red." It briefly explains
how and why animal and environmental activists are increasingly
labelled Eco-terrorists in the U.S. Our Hen House also has an interview
with Will which goes into the various ways the U.S. government tries to
suppress freedom of speech and animal activism in the U.S.
It makes me absolutely furious to read these things. More evidence that government supports corporations, not people, nor the principles of democracy. If I were not in a foreign country I most definitely would join in the Occupy Wall Street protests. Strength to them! I support them wholeheartedly.
It makes me absolutely furious to read these things. More evidence that government supports corporations, not people, nor the principles of democracy. If I were not in a foreign country I most definitely would join in the Occupy Wall Street protests. Strength to them! I support them wholeheartedly.
Thursday, November 03, 2011
Animal welfare versus abolitionist movement
Bruce Friedrich from PETA wrote an interesting article about why animal welfare movements are important and can lead to the eventual abolition of animal slavery. The comments following the article are for once not cringe-worthy and contribute to the debate. I am undecided on the issue. I am certain that we must strive for abolition, not just welfare reform, but decreasing the suffering of animals immediately seems like a worthwhile goal too. It seems to me that most people will never go directly from being indifferent to food animals to veganism unfortunately. I didn't! It took me years of increasing awareness and self-reflection to realize that veganism, rather than vegetarianism, is the right thing to do. Though I give credit to authors/bloggers like Erik Marcus and Gary Francione who helped me see that. However, considering the opportunity cost, or the limited time and money available, what will produce the biggest changes, promoting veganism or animal treatment reform? This is an important and empirical question!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Tolstoy quotes
"This is dreadful! Not the suffering and death of the animals, but that man
suppresses in himself, unnecessarily, the highest spiritual capacity—that of
sympathy and pity toward living creatures like himself—and by violating his own
feelings becomes cruel. And how deeply seated in the human heart is the
injunction not to take life! "
"What I think about vivisection is that if people admit that they have the right to take or endanger the life of living beings for the benefit of many, there will be no limit for their cruelty."
"What I think about vivisection is that if people admit that they have the right to take or endanger the life of living beings for the benefit of many, there will be no limit for their cruelty."
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Riveting essay by Tolstoy
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Meat Market Chapter One Audio
Erik Marcus reads his chapter 1 in Meat Market which provides a background to animals used in food and the expansion of modern industrial farming business. It's very interesting, give it a listen here
This is lovely
It's important to see how animals can be when they're not confined in miserable conditions. It almost tugs at the heartstrings more than watching heinous torture movies of animal suffering.
More videos from Animals Australia
Striking at the roots
Here's an excellent argument on why single-issue campaigns are ineffective at stopping widespread and systematic cruelty and abuse of animals.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Mercy for animals and veganism
I just came back from a both horrifying and inspiring talk by the Mercy for Animals founder Nathan Runkle. Nathan Runkle grew up on a small family farm surrounded by farmers and hunters and saw untold abuses of animals, including animals being skinned alive by trappers. As a teenager he started Mercy for Animals which has been growing strong for over a decade. He truly is remarkable. From the talk I gathered that Mercy for Animals does vegan outreach and education, tries to improve laws, and does intensive under cover work at animal farms and slaughter houses where they reveal the most appalling abuses. In fact he showed us a 12 minute video called "Farm to Fridge" made my Mercy for Animals which rapidly shows what really goes on in the animal food industry.
When he said that he was going to show the film, my heart sank in absolute terror. I knew it would be bad and I had been avoiding it for a while. So I bore witness to 12 minutes of terrible violence and murder, many were scenes out of a horror movie. I felt sickened and desperate to the core. If only everyone could see this, they could no longer berate the vegan lifestyle and surely they would seriously question their own. Yet it truly is so terrible to watch that most will probably turn away in seconds. But I think I must share it on Facebook. People can still make a choice not to watch it, but the animals have no choice. Nobody wants this kind of cruelty to occur! Watch for yourself:
On that note, it reminds me that I am still not a vegan. I want to be a vegan but the societal pressures are making me struggle the most. Living with a meat-eating (although reduced) boyfriend, and all the pressures of his family. We just had thanksgiving and his chef uncle cooked me a delicious vegetarian meal, while everyone had stuffed quail. However, I wanted to bring my own food, but it would have been an insult. As it was I was already teased mercilessly. If it were just me, it would be easier, but I don't want my boyfriend to feel uncomfortable either. But the animals! What horror the must endure. Every day I learn of new unthinkables. Today I learnt that baby pigs are not neutered fully conscious. I in fact knew this was the case with bulls, bulls but I didn't know how. I'll tell you now. While the little piglet is awake and writhing they slit his testicle sack, and then using their fingers rip out the testes! These guys are not vets, they are just poor farm workers doing a terrible job. The pigs bleed and scream, and many never recover. They simply die in agony. You may wonder, isn't this a loss of profit? Well, pigs (and other animals) are worth soooo little in comparison to paying staff, implementing standards, etc. that loosing a few pigs is far cheaper than improving it by any other means. There are so many standard practices that are absolutely appalling but accepted. If that weren't enough, brutal and brutalized workers torture animals in many ways. I won't go into the detail, watch the videos, or read the books yourself. It's hard not to be in constant despair thinking of this accepted atrocity which occurs at a scale like never before in the history of the world.
When he said that he was going to show the film, my heart sank in absolute terror. I knew it would be bad and I had been avoiding it for a while. So I bore witness to 12 minutes of terrible violence and murder, many were scenes out of a horror movie. I felt sickened and desperate to the core. If only everyone could see this, they could no longer berate the vegan lifestyle and surely they would seriously question their own. Yet it truly is so terrible to watch that most will probably turn away in seconds. But I think I must share it on Facebook. People can still make a choice not to watch it, but the animals have no choice. Nobody wants this kind of cruelty to occur! Watch for yourself:
On that note, it reminds me that I am still not a vegan. I want to be a vegan but the societal pressures are making me struggle the most. Living with a meat-eating (although reduced) boyfriend, and all the pressures of his family. We just had thanksgiving and his chef uncle cooked me a delicious vegetarian meal, while everyone had stuffed quail. However, I wanted to bring my own food, but it would have been an insult. As it was I was already teased mercilessly. If it were just me, it would be easier, but I don't want my boyfriend to feel uncomfortable either. But the animals! What horror the must endure. Every day I learn of new unthinkables. Today I learnt that baby pigs are not neutered fully conscious. I in fact knew this was the case with bulls, bulls but I didn't know how. I'll tell you now. While the little piglet is awake and writhing they slit his testicle sack, and then using their fingers rip out the testes! These guys are not vets, they are just poor farm workers doing a terrible job. The pigs bleed and scream, and many never recover. They simply die in agony. You may wonder, isn't this a loss of profit? Well, pigs (and other animals) are worth soooo little in comparison to paying staff, implementing standards, etc. that loosing a few pigs is far cheaper than improving it by any other means. There are so many standard practices that are absolutely appalling but accepted. If that weren't enough, brutal and brutalized workers torture animals in many ways. I won't go into the detail, watch the videos, or read the books yourself. It's hard not to be in constant despair thinking of this accepted atrocity which occurs at a scale like never before in the history of the world.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Interesting article on animal activism
This article by Matt Ball provides some interesting insights to inform your approach for animal activism. He's article on why the "health argument" does not promote vegetarianism and veganism is an important read too.
Friday, September 23, 2011
I love this guy too
Before I forget, Myq Kapan is a comedic genius with a great knack of playing with words. When I get around to it I'd like to purchase his "Vegan Mind Meld". Check him out here .
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Great site for men who want to make ethical consumption choices
We definitely need more super cool, intelligent men, like Joshua Katcher, who promote ethical consumption. Why does society condemn men for caring and considering the effects of their choices on the planet and other living beings? Take a look for yourself:
The Discerning Brute. It's a fascinating and inspiring read for women too.
The Discerning Brute. It's a fascinating and inspiring read for women too.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Share this on Facebook
This video shows some of the truth behind the dairy and veal industry. Although it includes some disturbing footage, it has a positive message which will make it more palatable to people are naive and not wanting to know the ugly truth.
Going vegan with Ellen
She's great: http://vegan.ellen.warnerbros.com/blog/
I want to be vegan! I know it's the right thing to do. I am utterly convinced, and yet I fail repeatedly despite trying. It's difficult when there is barely a vegan thing to eat anywhere. Also, I'm terrible with time management. I cannot find the time to do most of the things I want to do, so it's difficult to plans meals ahead, buy all the necessary groceries, and then cook, cook, cook so that I have the food I need during the week. On top of it, I'm a totally untalented cook so I seldom have inspiration for vegan meals using whatever's available in my kitchen. I have cut out all dairy and eggs at home, but I still struggle when I'm out with friends or, at work where there are so few options. I know it will be better when I'm in Toronto, but ideally I should stick to my convictions where-ever I am.
If I'm having a hard time as a non-mother, I can only imagine how hard it would be for a mother with a job or studies to try to convert to vegan cooking. It seems evident that animal activism, should include two goals : 1) to raise awareness about the terrible cruelties involved in any production of animals for profit, and 2)to provide affordable and convenient vegan alternatives.
I'm thinking that when I move to Toronto I will make an effort to increase vegan options in my community by requesting or suggesting vegan alterntives at restaurants, coffee shops, and grocery stores. It's not much, but it's a start. I'm new to activism. As my confidence and experience grows I hope to do more.
I want to be vegan! I know it's the right thing to do. I am utterly convinced, and yet I fail repeatedly despite trying. It's difficult when there is barely a vegan thing to eat anywhere. Also, I'm terrible with time management. I cannot find the time to do most of the things I want to do, so it's difficult to plans meals ahead, buy all the necessary groceries, and then cook, cook, cook so that I have the food I need during the week. On top of it, I'm a totally untalented cook so I seldom have inspiration for vegan meals using whatever's available in my kitchen. I have cut out all dairy and eggs at home, but I still struggle when I'm out with friends or, at work where there are so few options. I know it will be better when I'm in Toronto, but ideally I should stick to my convictions where-ever I am.
If I'm having a hard time as a non-mother, I can only imagine how hard it would be for a mother with a job or studies to try to convert to vegan cooking. It seems evident that animal activism, should include two goals : 1) to raise awareness about the terrible cruelties involved in any production of animals for profit, and 2)to provide affordable and convenient vegan alternatives.
I'm thinking that when I move to Toronto I will make an effort to increase vegan options in my community by requesting or suggesting vegan alterntives at restaurants, coffee shops, and grocery stores. It's not much, but it's a start. I'm new to activism. As my confidence and experience grows I hope to do more.
A video about where your meat comes from
If you eat meat, you have a responsibility to yourselves and the animals to know where it comes from. Warning: Movie has disturbing scenes.
Tuesday, August 09, 2011
Excellent podcast
Our Henhouse interviews Mercy for Animal undercover investigator of animal abuse on factory farms. The interview starts with a long discussion on Chicago food, but be patient, after that it goes into the interview.
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Great music play list for animals
Here is the play list:
1. Prince - Animal Kingdom
2. The Colourfield - Cruel Circus
3. Luminous Frenzy - McEmotion
4. Robert Wyatt - Pigs (in there)
5. The Style Council - Blood Sports
6. The Playthings - Life in a Bowl
7. Howard Jones - Assault & Battery
8. Cerrone - Supernature
9. Poison Girls - The Offending Article
10. Cecil McCartney - Sacrifice
11. Paul McCartney & Wings - Wild Life
12. X-Ray Spex - Peace Meal
13. The Smiths - Meat is Murder
14. Consolidated - Stoned (Live Bass Mix)
15. Dead Prez - Be Healthy
16. The Playthings - Nursery Rhymes
17. Crass - Merry Crassmas
There are some great songs here. Love Pigs (in there), Sacrifice, Wildlife, and Meat is Murder
1. Prince - Animal Kingdom
2. The Colourfield - Cruel Circus
3. Luminous Frenzy - McEmotion
4. Robert Wyatt - Pigs (in there)
5. The Style Council - Blood Sports
6. The Playthings - Life in a Bowl
7. Howard Jones - Assault & Battery
8. Cerrone - Supernature
9. Poison Girls - The Offending Article
10. Cecil McCartney - Sacrifice
11. Paul McCartney & Wings - Wild Life
12. X-Ray Spex - Peace Meal
13. The Smiths - Meat is Murder
14. Consolidated - Stoned (Live Bass Mix)
15. Dead Prez - Be Healthy
16. The Playthings - Nursery Rhymes
17. Crass - Merry Crassmas
There are some great songs here. Love Pigs (in there), Sacrifice, Wildlife, and Meat is Murder
Friday, July 22, 2011
Give your opinion on animal tests
The University of British Columbia is doing a survey on public opinion of lab tests on animals. I'm going to fill it in and will definitely bare in mind the findings of this article which rigorously discusses the effectiveness of animals to predict human responses.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
A list of companies that test on animals (or don't)
While I don't like many of PETA's publicity stunts and tactics, they have provided a list of companies that sell personal and household product that do or do not test on animals. It is quite shocking to see which companies test on animals for such benign products like tooth paste! Please consult and try to modify your purchases as much as possible. We vote with our money! Our purchases should reflect our values and ethics.
Is animal testing a useful predictor of human reaction?
Read this paper for a fascinating, compelling and thorough discussion on the predictive power of animal vivisection.
This excellent academic paper uses evidence from many decades of animal testing to argue convincingly that animal studies which test the effects of medicine and the toxicity of chemicals do NOT predict the performance of medicine or toxic effects in humans. The success of prediction is sometimes worse than tossing a coin, i.e., worse than random, and this is the case for even our closest relatives. Yet animal experimentation is on the increase in many places (The U.K. for example), and primates, dogs and cats are still used to this day in the US and Canada. Unfortunately, animal testing will probably increase with increased public pressure to test whether chemicals are carcinogens, as well as the toxicity of GMOs. While many top scientists have pointed out how ineffective animal studies are in predicting effects in humans, many scientists argue that they are "useful", especially when they can cherry-pick particular results to benefit their companies. This is a clear example of how so-called objective scientists who do "real" science, are completely blind to their own lack of objectivity and scientific credibility.
So if many scientists recognise how useless animal studies are for predicting human response, and considering that animal experimentation necessarily inflicts terrible pain and suffering to animals, why do they continue? I wonder if it is simply to whitewash the public, make us feel that the products and medicines we consume are safe.
It's hard to believe that I wanted to be a scientist. Of course, not all scientists have to be completely closed-minded, accepting of the status quo and unethical. Just a large proportion of them, like most human beings.
It's also completely bizarre to me how people can train to be vets, presumably out of some love of animals, and in the end be warped to support the status quo of terrible factor farming, slaughter houses, and medical testing. These vets supposedly do check-ups on these places, and turn a blind eye to the attrocities that they see there. The one thing that has become clear to me now is that people will generally just go with the norm, no matter how terrible and injust it is.
This excellent academic paper uses evidence from many decades of animal testing to argue convincingly that animal studies which test the effects of medicine and the toxicity of chemicals do NOT predict the performance of medicine or toxic effects in humans. The success of prediction is sometimes worse than tossing a coin, i.e., worse than random, and this is the case for even our closest relatives. Yet animal experimentation is on the increase in many places (The U.K. for example), and primates, dogs and cats are still used to this day in the US and Canada. Unfortunately, animal testing will probably increase with increased public pressure to test whether chemicals are carcinogens, as well as the toxicity of GMOs. While many top scientists have pointed out how ineffective animal studies are in predicting effects in humans, many scientists argue that they are "useful", especially when they can cherry-pick particular results to benefit their companies. This is a clear example of how so-called objective scientists who do "real" science, are completely blind to their own lack of objectivity and scientific credibility.
So if many scientists recognise how useless animal studies are for predicting human response, and considering that animal experimentation necessarily inflicts terrible pain and suffering to animals, why do they continue? I wonder if it is simply to whitewash the public, make us feel that the products and medicines we consume are safe.
It's hard to believe that I wanted to be a scientist. Of course, not all scientists have to be completely closed-minded, accepting of the status quo and unethical. Just a large proportion of them, like most human beings.
It's also completely bizarre to me how people can train to be vets, presumably out of some love of animals, and in the end be warped to support the status quo of terrible factor farming, slaughter houses, and medical testing. These vets supposedly do check-ups on these places, and turn a blind eye to the attrocities that they see there. The one thing that has become clear to me now is that people will generally just go with the norm, no matter how terrible and injust it is.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Tracking animal abuse
This is a web application that tracks where the latest animal abuses in agriculture have occurred in the U.S. It's an example of one animal activist activity that can be achieved geospatial web technologies. Any other ideas? Is there anyway I can use my boring GIS and mapping skills to help animals?
Friday, November 14, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Eating meat
Thanks to Stuart for finding this article about the environmental costs of eating meat. The findings don't really say anything new except update the figures and it's still worthwhile to read to remind ourselves of the true costs of eating meat.
Add the cost of animal suffering with over 10 billion animals slaughtered in the U.S. alone and it's enourmous.
Add the cost of animal suffering with over 10 billion animals slaughtered in the U.S. alone and it's enourmous.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Being passive and obedient to authorative figures is a terrible affliction
Last night I suffered from passive authority-fearing behaviour which caused my cat to suffer tremendously unneccessarily.
I wonder why I am like this? Is it the way I was brought up? The culture of my country?
My wonderful young cat, Josie, who is only about 8 months old, was bitten by a stray cat that continouly makes a fearsome presence in the garden of my flat complex.
Last night for the second time in 2 months the tom bit Josie, this time with 2 puncture wounds. She was terrified and bleeding slightly, but she gathered herself quite quickly. However, fearful of infections and possibly HIV, I took to the emergency vet.
A young uncertain man greeted me and insisted on taking her away to be shaved. He said something about clearing the wounds. I really wanted to be present, but he was highly discouraging so I relented. But I thought he would come back after shaving her. Sitting in the waiting room, I heard one and then several screams from my cat in the distance. At first I thought it was simply being shaved over the wound. Then I hoped that there was a parrot or other animals in the clinic. I couldn't take it any longer and started pacing about trying to find where I could get access to where she was. The hygenic operating area said "staff only" so I obeyed. I knew that he'd taken another route to the theatre but I was again too fearful to go through without permission. So I asked the receptionist if that was my cat screaming. And he said yes it was, but it was normal and it was because of the injections. I was unhappy but let that quieten me.
Josie came back terrified, shell-shocked with wounds cut open. Flesh about 1cm long and 5 mm wide was cut from the wound and was leaking blood. No wonder she was crying so much! I had no idea. I said nothing and meekly took my injured animal home. She was so much worse off. She hid in the cupboard, was painful and sullen.
What I find particularly disturbing is that when I took her to the day clinic the last time she was bitten, there was no fuss at all. No shaving, no cutting, no screaming. It was over in 5 minutes and Josie didn't even cry.
I feel like I allowed her to be tortured for at least 30 minutes and did nothing because I was too afraid to ask questions and see for myself what was going on. It's pathetic. It's my beloved pet and it's my right to know what is happening. Why didn't I insist on being present and informed of the proceedings?
Why because I was trusting and fearful of the vet. But who is the vet, just a young kid straight out of varsity. I have my own judgement, experience and mind and I have a right to use it.
Motto of the day: Don't be passive when you know something is wrong! Don't be afraid to ask questions.
I wonder why I am like this? Is it the way I was brought up? The culture of my country?
My wonderful young cat, Josie, who is only about 8 months old, was bitten by a stray cat that continouly makes a fearsome presence in the garden of my flat complex.
Last night for the second time in 2 months the tom bit Josie, this time with 2 puncture wounds. She was terrified and bleeding slightly, but she gathered herself quite quickly. However, fearful of infections and possibly HIV, I took to the emergency vet.
A young uncertain man greeted me and insisted on taking her away to be shaved. He said something about clearing the wounds. I really wanted to be present, but he was highly discouraging so I relented. But I thought he would come back after shaving her. Sitting in the waiting room, I heard one and then several screams from my cat in the distance. At first I thought it was simply being shaved over the wound. Then I hoped that there was a parrot or other animals in the clinic. I couldn't take it any longer and started pacing about trying to find where I could get access to where she was. The hygenic operating area said "staff only" so I obeyed. I knew that he'd taken another route to the theatre but I was again too fearful to go through without permission. So I asked the receptionist if that was my cat screaming. And he said yes it was, but it was normal and it was because of the injections. I was unhappy but let that quieten me.
Josie came back terrified, shell-shocked with wounds cut open. Flesh about 1cm long and 5 mm wide was cut from the wound and was leaking blood. No wonder she was crying so much! I had no idea. I said nothing and meekly took my injured animal home. She was so much worse off. She hid in the cupboard, was painful and sullen.
What I find particularly disturbing is that when I took her to the day clinic the last time she was bitten, there was no fuss at all. No shaving, no cutting, no screaming. It was over in 5 minutes and Josie didn't even cry.
I feel like I allowed her to be tortured for at least 30 minutes and did nothing because I was too afraid to ask questions and see for myself what was going on. It's pathetic. It's my beloved pet and it's my right to know what is happening. Why didn't I insist on being present and informed of the proceedings?
Why because I was trusting and fearful of the vet. But who is the vet, just a young kid straight out of varsity. I have my own judgement, experience and mind and I have a right to use it.
Motto of the day: Don't be passive when you know something is wrong! Don't be afraid to ask questions.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
I'm back with questions
After a long break from blogger - nearly a year - a comment on this blog reminded me that my blog still exists and inspired to post a few thoughts.
Here are a few things I've been thinking about:
1. Are conservationists hanging onto something (i.e. keeping nature pristine) that can never remain as is, and by trying so hard to protect this "sacred" state are we causing stagnation? Are we like those people who cannot accept and embrace change? There are good arguments for keeping nature as is. One commonly used argument is that nature in its pristine state is essential for maintaining micro- and macro-scale ecosystem services that sustain our existence (e.g. wetlands, mountain water catchments, soil production, genetic diversity, etc.) There are also spiritual and ethical arguments - for me the preservation of all the diverse animal species is one. But I'm not sure how pristine it needs to be. I have a feeling that pollution is bad and filling up the entire landscape with monoculture farms, urban structures and garbage is also detrimental to our environment and our psychology. But I don't have quantitative figures.
2. I have this feeling that it is unethical to create a world where species can no longer survive, where the Earth is no longer their home. I believe it is unethical to kill animals (via hunting or habitat destruction) when its not necessary for our survival. But sometimes when I watch nature documentaries, filled with the desperate struggle of eating and being eaten in pretty gruesome and painful ways, I wonder why we would want to preserve something so cruel, something that causes so much suffering. An Anaconda slowly strangles its victims to death. As the victim breathes out, it tightens its coils. Others snakes swallow their prey live. Lions do not have effective killing mechanisms and sometimes just hang on until the victim expires or they start eating it alive. Nature is inhumane and filled with suffering! I don't think the individuals are cruel - they have no choice like us humans. But they were not equipped with kind and humane ways of killing and eating their prey. Why do we want to preserve this kind of existence? But as a friend of mine pointed out, humans do inflict this kind of cruelty on each other all the time and we still want to continue existence. This is true, yet I always hope that somehow humanity will elevate itself to more kind ways of living. This doesn't seem possible now, but Stuart believes that through artificial intelligence and neurological enhancement we could make ourselves better people – I hope so.
Here are a few things I've been thinking about:
1. Are conservationists hanging onto something (i.e. keeping nature pristine) that can never remain as is, and by trying so hard to protect this "sacred" state are we causing stagnation? Are we like those people who cannot accept and embrace change? There are good arguments for keeping nature as is. One commonly used argument is that nature in its pristine state is essential for maintaining micro- and macro-scale ecosystem services that sustain our existence (e.g. wetlands, mountain water catchments, soil production, genetic diversity, etc.) There are also spiritual and ethical arguments - for me the preservation of all the diverse animal species is one. But I'm not sure how pristine it needs to be. I have a feeling that pollution is bad and filling up the entire landscape with monoculture farms, urban structures and garbage is also detrimental to our environment and our psychology. But I don't have quantitative figures.
2. I have this feeling that it is unethical to create a world where species can no longer survive, where the Earth is no longer their home. I believe it is unethical to kill animals (via hunting or habitat destruction) when its not necessary for our survival. But sometimes when I watch nature documentaries, filled with the desperate struggle of eating and being eaten in pretty gruesome and painful ways, I wonder why we would want to preserve something so cruel, something that causes so much suffering. An Anaconda slowly strangles its victims to death. As the victim breathes out, it tightens its coils. Others snakes swallow their prey live. Lions do not have effective killing mechanisms and sometimes just hang on until the victim expires or they start eating it alive. Nature is inhumane and filled with suffering! I don't think the individuals are cruel - they have no choice like us humans. But they were not equipped with kind and humane ways of killing and eating their prey. Why do we want to preserve this kind of existence? But as a friend of mine pointed out, humans do inflict this kind of cruelty on each other all the time and we still want to continue existence. This is true, yet I always hope that somehow humanity will elevate itself to more kind ways of living. This doesn't seem possible now, but Stuart believes that through artificial intelligence and neurological enhancement we could make ourselves better people – I hope so.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
A dangerous idea
I have written for ages, but I must share this with you. There's a fantastic site where prominent intellectuals in Science are asked what they think the most dangerous idea is, assuming it were true.
Irene Pepperberg, Research Associate, Psychology, Harvard University, studies parrots and has found them to be supremely intelligent, comparible to chimps.
Her dangerous idea is 'The differences between humans and nonhumans are quantitative, not qualitative'.
Why is it dangerous? Because we'll have to start taking animals seriously which will mean rethinking the way we use them for animal experimentation, food production and other forms of exploitation. Even how we destroy and pollute the habitats in which they live.
She's great and has some really fascinating research.
Irene Pepperberg, Research Associate, Psychology, Harvard University, studies parrots and has found them to be supremely intelligent, comparible to chimps.
Her dangerous idea is 'The differences between humans and nonhumans are quantitative, not qualitative'.
Why is it dangerous? Because we'll have to start taking animals seriously which will mean rethinking the way we use them for animal experimentation, food production and other forms of exploitation. Even how we destroy and pollute the habitats in which they live.
She's great and has some really fascinating research.
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