Rev. Lerner blesses Wagner, the companion of Laura Ellis
I went to my first blessing of the animals this past Sunday. It took place at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Silver Spring and was conducted by Rev. Elizabeth Lerner. There were so many creatures in the sanctuary; I had to keep looking outside to make sure it wasn’t starting to rain for 30 days and 30 nights.
Rev. Lerner blessed every animal, saying, “May you be as blessed in the coming year as you have been a blessing in the past year.” The only exception to her saying this was when she blessed a three-month-old puppy, causing her to change the blessing accordingly. Read the rest of this entry »
All beings suffer during wars. A dog at the March 17, 2007 peace rally in DC.
Thousands of people, myself included, marched to the Pentagon yesterday to voice our opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Why oppose the war?
According to a factsheet accompanying an open letter to Congress by the Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) President, William Sinkford:
The toll of the war on Iraqi civilians has been devastating. Estimates of the number of Iraqi dead range up to half a million.
More than 34,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in Iraq in 2006 alone. That is equivalent to 93 civilians killed every day….
More than 3,100 American service members have been killed since the invasion, and more than 23,500 soldiers have been wounded. As many as 300,000 veterans have returned from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, two-thirds of whom are not being treated….
As many as 3.8 million Iraqis have already fled their homes, and an additional 10,500 civilians become refugees on average every week….
We must always remember that these people are who are being killed, injured, and harmed are people like you and me. Read the rest of this entry »
This speech won my Toastmasters club’s inspirational speech contest. Yay! The purpose of my talk is to show you how to use the wisdom of the sages to cultivate your spiritual values and improve your life.
After giving an earlier version of this speech to the Dupont Circle of Speakers, I overhauled it based on their helpful suggestions. Thanks Dupont Circle of Speakers!
This version was given on February 27 at Capital 1 Toastmasters–my home group. Because I won the club competition, I will now compete at the area level on Wednesday, March 21. Wish me luck!
Hillside Animal Sanctuary conducted an undercover investigation of “humanely” raised ducks at a farm in England. This farm has met the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ humane standards, and is allowed to label their meats with the RSPCA’s “Freedom Food” seal of approval. This label is supposed to ensure that the animals had a good life and were treated humanely.
Were the ducks given a good life? According to the investigators’ report:
We filmed shed after shed where literally THOUSANDS of ducks existed in
unimaginable conditions.
The stench of ammonia enveloped hundreds of crippled, blind, injured and dying birds as they were left to linger on for days in the hope that they would draw breath long enough to make it to the slaughter line for that extra bit of profit.
Veterinary surgeon, Amir Kashiv, watched the videos and noted:
Many of the ducks are deformed – especially leg deformities leading to lameness, and many can’t seem able to walk at all – using their wings as crutches which will evidently lead to wing damage too. Other leg lesions and swellings in the limbs are also visible.
One duck is seen dragging a paralysed leg, which seems dislocated and possibly fractured. Other plumage and eye lesions are also visible. Many of the ducks also exhibit signs of nervous system problems: poor balance, can’t right themselves from dorsal recumbancy, apparent blindness.
Watch the video and see for yourself the conditions that “humanely” raised animals endure. Read the rest of this entry »
A new undercover investigation reveals the dark underbelly of the Easter Bunny! What is the truth behind his innocent image? Watch the video and find out! Then see what you can do to help. Read the rest of this entry »
LSU’s vegetarian running back Keiland Williams (number 5)
I’ve never understood why football players count small shacks before hiking the ball, but if Keiland Williams were to hike the ball, he might say, “Hut One, Hut Two, Go Veg!” Why? Because, Keiland is the vegetarian running back (whatever that is) for Lousiana State University’s football team. Read the rest of this entry »
Leafletting at Compassion Over Killing’s Vegetarian Feed-In in DC
Matt Ball, the Executive Director of Vegan Outreach wrote an excellent article titled One Possible Future: A Roadmap to Animal Liberation. It helps us readers envision how a vegan world will come about, despite the dispiriting reality that “uncle Dick hunts” and “cousin Jeb is always mocking me for being vegan.” Read the rest of this entry »
Watch this short documentary “Meet Your Meat,” and learn how animals raised for food are treated on modern-day farms.
“Meet Your Meat” is a collection of undercover investigations detailing the routine procedures found in modern-day farms and slaughterhouses. Most of what you see is legal. Those practices which are illegal (such as slaughtering conscious cows and pigs) are sadly routine because the laws are rarely enforced.
Questions to Consider
• What values do you hold dear? Compassion? Strength? Courage? Peace? Freedom? Justice? Fairness? Love? Integrity? Respect? Are your core values reflected in the way that animals are treated on modern farms? If you followed your values on this issue, what would your conscience have you do? Read the rest of this entry »
The purpose of my talk is to show you how to use the wisdom of the sages to cultivate your spiritual values and improve your life.
