04.30.07
Happy Birthday to Me!
Today is my birthday! Can you guess how old I am? There is a clue in this picture. 
If you are still having problems figuring out my age, there is another clue after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
04.26.07
“I’m Goin’ Back to Cali”
Yeah, these are palm trees in Hawaii, but it’s the closest thing I could find in my photo album that reminds me of California. 
Hey all! I’m off to Cali to give another Sowing Seeds Workshop this weekend. I know you’re all sad, because you will miss my blogs, so here is the “cutest game on the Web” to keep you busy while I’m away. It’s so relaxing and has a bunny. Props go out to my friend Amy (The Aimster) for telling me about this game and for providing the above-mentioned description of it.
Speaking of Amy, I’m so psyched because I get to see her and her hubby Ed while I’m out in Cali. Yay! 
It has probably been four years since I saw her last. Ugh! Time flies way too fast.
Have a great weekend and enjoy the game!
04.23.07
“Scatter Tracts Like Raindrops”
Jon Camp from Vegan Outreach makes a hand-off to a University of Maryland student.
During antebellum America, William Lloyd Garrison (my hero) worked to put fellow abolitionists in the field to “scatter tracts like raindrops over the land;” tracts filled with startling facts and melting appeals on the subject of slavery. These days, Vegan Outreach is using this same model to end the enslavement, torture, and death of animals raised for food.
Today, Vegan Outreach’s Outreach Coordinator Jon Camp, volunteer Neva Davis, and I distributed over 1,600 leaflets in three hours at the University of Maryland. The brochures feature pictures, stories, and facts on the savage treatment of animals on modern day farms and slaughterhouses. Download and look at the brochures yourself:
- Even If You Like Meat…
- Why Vegan?
- Try Vegetarian (no gory pictures)
04.15.07
Nature is Better than Prozac™
“The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature”
- Anne Frank
04.13.07
How to End War and Create Peace
William Lloyd Garrison
At a 1838 conference of the Society for the Establishment of Peace among Men people of faith discussed what would be necessary to create universal peace. One of my biggest heroes is the abolitionist and social justice advocate William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879); I even named my mountain bike (Spencer Garrison Douglass) after him. Garrison (the man, not the bike) was present at the conference and summarized their conclusions in the below declaration which they then all signed.
I think it is important to revisit the work of those giants who came before us, to gain new insights and fresh ideas. So check out this document and share your reactions to it in the comment section. The rest of this post consists of the words of Garrison. Read the rest of this entry »
04.10.07
The Rotten Egg Industry
Chickens are intelligent and social animals who, like us, feel pain and suffering; and also, like us, want to live free and enjoy their lives.
Despite the hens’ innocence, the egg industry treats these gentle animals worse than our penal system treats convicted murderers and rapists. Hens are locked in overcrowded, tiny, filthy cages called “battery cages,” unable to freely spread their wings or turn around. Part of their beaks are painfully cut off. Injuries go untreated, causing them to languish in agony. And when their egg production declines, they are sent to a grisly death. So I ask, how badly do we really need cheap eggs? Read the rest of this entry »
04.09.07
A Compelling Combo: Love, Courage and Wisdom
Ammon Hennacy
“Love without courage and wisdom is sentimentality, as with the ordinary church member. Courage without love and wisdom is foolhardiness, as with the ordinary soldier. Wisdom without love and courage is cowardice, as with the ordinary intellectual. Therefore one with love, courage, and wisdom is one in a million who moves the world, as with Jesus, Buddha, and Gandhi.”
- Ammon Hennacy (1893 - 1970)
04.06.07
Patience as Power
“He who loses patience, loses Truth as well as Non-violence.”
- Mohandas Gandhi
• How does losing one’s patience cause a person to lose Truth and Non-violence? Can you think of any examples of this in your life?
• What activities are you already doing to cultivate patience in your life? What other activities could you do to cultivate it more?
• In what situations are you unwilling to be patient? What are the negative results of that impatience?
I find it very difficult to be patient with violence and injustice. I want the violence to end as soon as possible. Still, I find that being impatient doesn’t allow me to change the world any faster. Quite the opposite, it can stress me out and frustrate me to the point where I am discouraged and require more down time to regenerate my strength to continue the struggle.
I think many of the activists who “burn out” are those who didn’t see the need to cultivate patience in their life. Social change can be glacially slow, but we need to be in it for the long haul and patience allows us to persist.
Patience also allows us to be calm and friendly as we promote our causes. Impatience can lead to frustration, anger, and the judgment of others. If we promote our message in this way, people won’t be inclined to listen to us. If we look miserable, why would anyone want to follow our lead?
In summary: Patience is persistence. Patience is persuasive. Patience is power. Read the rest of this entry »
04.05.07
Who Says Cows Aren’t Funny?
Would this cow interrupt you? First, he’s actually a bull (or more likely a steer) from Poplar Springs Animal Sanctuary. Secondly, why would he do such a thing?
YOU: Knock, knock!
THEM: Who’s there?
YOU: Interrupting cow.
THEM: Interrupting co…
YOU: MOOOOO!!!
I believe Lori (a.k.a. Francesca) Geldner told this to me the last time I heard this, so I will attribute it to her. Read the rest of this entry »
04.04.07
Sowing Seeds Workshop in Atlanta
Name that brand! Here I am doing an ice-breaker activity for the analyzing ads lesson.
This Weekend (March 31-April 1, 2007), I was in Atlanta, facilitating a Sowing Seeds Workshop for the Institute for Humane Education. Most of the thirteen people who attended were classroom teachers, while others were church-affiliated educators, a student, or active volunteers for local nonprofits. They freely shared their knowledge, experience, and insights making this a wonderfully inspiring learning opportunity for all of us—especially me! Read the rest of this entry »