We're looking forward to trying Ripple Foods' plant-based milk. Check out this great info!
The Bay Area fosters a culture of forward thinkers and new ways to solve problems in our world, including in our food system. Ripple Foods is one such startup in Silicon Valley hoping to disrupt the dairy industry with pea protein.
The company joins a growing list of game-changing food startups that have launched out of the lab and into the consumer market in just the last few years. Memphis Meats uses animal cells to make lab-grown beef, Impossible Foods makes a plant-based burger and Clara Foods uses yeast to produce egg whites without the chicken.
We’re told milk does a body good, but the dairy industry can be a dirty business, polluting our environment and pumping large amounts of methane into the air — the biggest contributor to global warming. And Ripple founders wanted to do something about it, so they turned to the humble pea.
Read more....
May all beings be free, well and happy.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Friday, June 10, 2016
Sad, But True (Almost)
Actually, far more people get off easy for abusing animals than are ever punished for it.
Let's stop abusing all animals, eh?
May all beings - without exception - be well and happy, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Thursday, June 9, 2016
Emotional Lives of Animals
Based on award-winning scientist Marc Bekoff’s years studying social communication in a wide range of species, this important book shows that animals have rich emotional lives. Bekoff skillfully blends extraordinary stories of animal joy, empathy, grief, embarrassment, anger, and love with the latest scientific research confirming the existence of emotions that common sense and experience have long implied.
Explore The Emotional Lives of Animals by Marc Bekoff
May all beings everywhere be happy and free!
Explore The Emotional Lives of Animals by Marc Bekoff
May all beings everywhere be happy and free!
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Metta Day
metta (Pali: "love; loving friendliness, loving kindness")
"Be kind to all creatures; this is the true religion." - the Buddha
May all beings be well and happy!
"Be kind to all creatures; this is the true religion." - the Buddha
May all beings be well and happy!
Monday, June 6, 2016
The Bug Vac
Some time after I stopped killing bugs altogether (except the occasional aedes aegypti mosquito*), I discovered a device that has become one of my very favorite tools: the Bug Vac.
Its purpose is more to do with helping children humanely capture, study, and release insects and arachnids, but it works wonderfully as a household "pest" removal system.
With a wish to do no harm, this well designed insect vacuum-catcher has never harmed a single creature in all the many hundreds I have captured and relocated to the outdoors over the years.
If you too would prefer not to kill spiders, flies and other small critters that you don't want in your house, the Bug Vac will prove well worth every penny of its already low price!
It's extremely effective and also energy efficient. I only recently replaced the slightly worn down AA batteries I had been using for about 10 years' time.
Look at the Bug Vac at Amazon.com. While similar devices are offered, this is the one I recommend.
May ALL beings be free of suffering and the causes of suffering!
---
* I more and more make exception with the unfortunate aedes aegypti mosquito, non-native, invasive species and confirmed vector of diseases including West Nile, Yellow Fever, Dengue and more recently, Zika. Prevention of breeding is far more effective than killing them, though. Learn more...
Saturday, June 4, 2016
Summer - Too Hot for Dogs!
Sadly, I see people walking their dogs in Phoenix when it is over 100 degrees outside. These are people who - giving the benefit of doubt - probably have not lived in the Valley very long.
If you can't hold your palm comfortably against the ground indefinitely, then it is too hot to walk your dog!! You have shoes. At these temps, your dog's feet will become painfully blistered, requiring a trip to the vet and follow-on treatment.
The ground surface temps may be as hot as 120 or more, while the near-ground temperature that the dog experiences is at least 11 degrees warmer than the temperature the person experiences!
Even worse and so tragically, really unconscious people may leave their pets (and even their children!) in cars in the summer in Phoenix, resulting in many deaths and serious injury each year.
If you see a pet in danger in a car, you can respond in various ways. Here is a great report from our local TV news about what you can and should do:
http://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/what-to-do-if-you-see-a-pet-in-a-hot-car
May all beings be well and free of suffering and the causes of suffering! SVAHA
If you can't hold your palm comfortably against the ground indefinitely, then it is too hot to walk your dog!! You have shoes. At these temps, your dog's feet will become painfully blistered, requiring a trip to the vet and follow-on treatment.
The ground surface temps may be as hot as 120 or more, while the near-ground temperature that the dog experiences is at least 11 degrees warmer than the temperature the person experiences!
Even worse and so tragically, really unconscious people may leave their pets (and even their children!) in cars in the summer in Phoenix, resulting in many deaths and serious injury each year.
If you see a pet in danger in a car, you can respond in various ways. Here is a great report from our local TV news about what you can and should do:
http://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/what-to-do-if-you-see-a-pet-in-a-hot-car
May all beings be well and free of suffering and the causes of suffering! SVAHA
More Great Orgs
Check out the wonderful work of these fine Orgs:
ChimpHaven.org
AnimalPlace.org
May ALL beings be well and happy, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
ChimpHaven.org
AnimalPlace.org
May ALL beings be well and happy, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Wayne's Blog
Visit the Humane Society of the US's president Wayne Pacelle's blog for lots of info, news and resources to help support animal well-being and happiness worldwide.
http://blog.humanesociety.org/wayne/2016
May all beings be well and happy!
http://blog.humanesociety.org/wayne/2016
May all beings be well and happy!
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Report from the Mosque: Animals in Islam
Last night, we attended an open house at a Mosque here. The purpose was for people to come and learn about al-Islam.
Toward the end of the Q-and-A period, I asked the Imam (pic, above) the following question, which went like this:
"Asalaam aleikum. (He and most attendees responded, 'Waleikum asalaam'.) Hindu people hold the cow as sacred, as Divine Mother, almost like how Christians might view Mary. I grew up here, and most people I know keep pets in their homes - cats or dogs and such - and cherish them, consider them part of their family. My wife and I have a dog who is our 'child' in a very meaningful sense. I am wondering if in the Hadith or Qur'an there is any mention of our proper relationship with animals, and if you would speak to that?"
The Imam gave a pretty sweet answer. Between my poor hearing and his accent, I did not catch every word, but I got most of it. The Imam began his answer by saying it was a very good question and that he appreciated it. He explained that though Muslims are not vegetarian, they do keep Halal and Kosher rules, partly to ensure compassion for animals. He explained that Mohammed stopped the practice of using animals for "target practice" and that he told people who ride camels to get down off of the camels when they stop to meet, in order to let the camels rest; also, that no animal - bird, fish, etc. - should be killed or harmed in any way, aside from for eating them.
Afterwards, in the fellowship period, several people approached me to follow up. One was a US soldier who had served in Iraq since after the Gulf War who said he is going vegetarian now because he has come to see that "it is not right to kill and eat animals when we don't need to." Two separate Muslims came to me (one Egyptian, the other white American) with the following two stories from the Hadith:
There was a very bad criminal who one day found a cat out in the rain and took it into his home to dry and warm it, feed it, care for it, and that ALL of his previous sins were wiped clean by this one act. In the other version, it was a prostitute who saw a thirsty dog trying to get water, so she gave it water and all her sins were wiped clean.
Nice!
May all beings be well and happy, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Toward the end of the Q-and-A period, I asked the Imam (pic, above) the following question, which went like this:
"Asalaam aleikum. (He and most attendees responded, 'Waleikum asalaam'.) Hindu people hold the cow as sacred, as Divine Mother, almost like how Christians might view Mary. I grew up here, and most people I know keep pets in their homes - cats or dogs and such - and cherish them, consider them part of their family. My wife and I have a dog who is our 'child' in a very meaningful sense. I am wondering if in the Hadith or Qur'an there is any mention of our proper relationship with animals, and if you would speak to that?"
The Imam gave a pretty sweet answer. Between my poor hearing and his accent, I did not catch every word, but I got most of it. The Imam began his answer by saying it was a very good question and that he appreciated it. He explained that though Muslims are not vegetarian, they do keep Halal and Kosher rules, partly to ensure compassion for animals. He explained that Mohammed stopped the practice of using animals for "target practice" and that he told people who ride camels to get down off of the camels when they stop to meet, in order to let the camels rest; also, that no animal - bird, fish, etc. - should be killed or harmed in any way, aside from for eating them.
Afterwards, in the fellowship period, several people approached me to follow up. One was a US soldier who had served in Iraq since after the Gulf War who said he is going vegetarian now because he has come to see that "it is not right to kill and eat animals when we don't need to." Two separate Muslims came to me (one Egyptian, the other white American) with the following two stories from the Hadith:
There was a very bad criminal who one day found a cat out in the rain and took it into his home to dry and warm it, feed it, care for it, and that ALL of his previous sins were wiped clean by this one act. In the other version, it was a prostitute who saw a thirsty dog trying to get water, so she gave it water and all her sins were wiped clean.
Nice!
May all beings be well and happy, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
World Animal Protection
We are World Animal Protection
We end the needless suffering of animals
We influence decision makers to put animals on the global agenda
We inspire people to change animals' lives for the better
We move the world to protect animals
Visit their site.
May all beings be happy and free!
We end the needless suffering of animals
We influence decision makers to put animals on the global agenda
We inspire people to change animals' lives for the better
We move the world to protect animals
Visit their site.
May all beings be happy and free!
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
If A Tree Falls
This 1988 song by Bruce Cockburn so beautifully, powerfully speaks.... And yet, so many years later, the "cortege rhythm" continues unabated....
The forests fall. Please listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErS9HCh8GfE
Rain forest
Mist and mystery
Teeming green
Green brain facing lobotomy
Climate control centre for the world
Ancient cord of coexistence
Hacked by parasitic greedhead scam -
From Sarawak to Amazonas
Costa Rica to mangy B.C. hills -
Cortege rhythm of falling timber.
What kind of currency grows in these new deserts,
These brand new flood plains?
If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
Anybody hear the forest fall?
Cut and move on
Cut and move on
Take out trees
Take out wildlife at a rate of species every single day
Take out people who've lived with this for 100,000 years -
Inject a billion burgers worth of beef -
Grain eaters - methane dispensers.
Through thinning ozone,
Waves fall on wrinkled earth -
Gravity, light, ancient refuse of stars,
Speak of a drowning -
But this, this is something other.
Busy monster eats dark holes in the spirit world
Where wild things have to go
To disappear
Forever
If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
Anybody hear the forest fall?
May all beings be well and happy.
The forests fall. Please listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErS9HCh8GfE
Rain forest
Mist and mystery
Teeming green
Green brain facing lobotomy
Climate control centre for the world
Ancient cord of coexistence
Hacked by parasitic greedhead scam -
From Sarawak to Amazonas
Costa Rica to mangy B.C. hills -
Cortege rhythm of falling timber.
What kind of currency grows in these new deserts,
These brand new flood plains?
If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
Anybody hear the forest fall?
Cut and move on
Cut and move on
Take out trees
Take out wildlife at a rate of species every single day
Take out people who've lived with this for 100,000 years -
Inject a billion burgers worth of beef -
Grain eaters - methane dispensers.
Through thinning ozone,
Waves fall on wrinkled earth -
Gravity, light, ancient refuse of stars,
Speak of a drowning -
But this, this is something other.
Busy monster eats dark holes in the spirit world
Where wild things have to go
To disappear
Forever
If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?
Anybody hear the forest fall?
May all beings be well and happy.
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Goldfish Compassion
I can never forget the sad, but surprising and beautiful story about my goldfish.
I had rescued some "feeder fish," and they lived happily in my pond where they grew quite large. There were five, and one developed a classic case of "fin rot." In order to treat it, I set up a relatively shallow temporary hospital tank near the pond and put this fish in. I turned away to attend to something, and this was a mistake. The fish, unbeknownst to me, leapt out of the tub onto the dry patio. I returned a few minutes later and discovered, to my horror, the fish barely flopping and a bit parched. I quickly dispatched it back into the pond with the other fish, then watched hopefully to see if it would survive.
Very much to my surprise, I observed the other four fish swimming near the injured one. Working together, they proceeded to support their companion from underneath as they pushed him around near the surface of the water! They worked as a team, some supporting the fish from underneath, others flanking him, and taking shifts as they moved the injured fish forward so that water would move through its gills. Weakly, it struggled to survive, barely able to move its fins and gulp water as the diligent companions continued to offer their emergency services. I watched, amazed, for nearly a half an hour as this scene continued.
As with most fish, and certainly these, feeding time is a time of frenzied focus as they rush to eat their fill. I wondered if these, both the injured one and its helpers, needed to eat, and whether, if I fed them at this point, the helpers would abandon their friend for the food. As they had not been fed that day, I needed to feed them, anyway. I put the usual amount of flakes onto the surface of the water. But, surprisingly and very much out of character, not a single fish endeavored to eat a single morsel of the sinking food flakes. They, instead, continued to buoy the injured fish about near the water’s surface for many ensuing hours without so much as taking a bite!
Sadly, their efforts would fail. I later found the injured fish at the bottom of the pond. As I buried him pond-side, I reveled in the amazing lesson I had learned about the capacity for fish to exhibit compassion and self-sacrifice. What else could explain this behavior?
May all beings be well and happy, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
I had rescued some "feeder fish," and they lived happily in my pond where they grew quite large. There were five, and one developed a classic case of "fin rot." In order to treat it, I set up a relatively shallow temporary hospital tank near the pond and put this fish in. I turned away to attend to something, and this was a mistake. The fish, unbeknownst to me, leapt out of the tub onto the dry patio. I returned a few minutes later and discovered, to my horror, the fish barely flopping and a bit parched. I quickly dispatched it back into the pond with the other fish, then watched hopefully to see if it would survive.
Very much to my surprise, I observed the other four fish swimming near the injured one. Working together, they proceeded to support their companion from underneath as they pushed him around near the surface of the water! They worked as a team, some supporting the fish from underneath, others flanking him, and taking shifts as they moved the injured fish forward so that water would move through its gills. Weakly, it struggled to survive, barely able to move its fins and gulp water as the diligent companions continued to offer their emergency services. I watched, amazed, for nearly a half an hour as this scene continued.
As with most fish, and certainly these, feeding time is a time of frenzied focus as they rush to eat their fill. I wondered if these, both the injured one and its helpers, needed to eat, and whether, if I fed them at this point, the helpers would abandon their friend for the food. As they had not been fed that day, I needed to feed them, anyway. I put the usual amount of flakes onto the surface of the water. But, surprisingly and very much out of character, not a single fish endeavored to eat a single morsel of the sinking food flakes. They, instead, continued to buoy the injured fish about near the water’s surface for many ensuing hours without so much as taking a bite!
Sadly, their efforts would fail. I later found the injured fish at the bottom of the pond. As I buried him pond-side, I reveled in the amazing lesson I had learned about the capacity for fish to exhibit compassion and self-sacrifice. What else could explain this behavior?
May all beings be well and happy, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Our Ideas About Animal Intelligence
Frans de Waal has a new book, Are We Smart Enough To Know How Smart Animals Are? Right on point, as that is the better question than "are animals intelligent?" or "how intelligent are animals?" and such.
The following excerpts (with my editorial comments) are from an interview with the author, which I recommend reading, if not his books as well.
“What if instead, this whole business is more like a bush, with cognition taking different forms that are often incomparable to ours?”
I have been aware of this problem for years, and our anthropocentric ideas that animal “intelligence” is to be measured against or compared with ours. That is way off track. (I wrote about this years ago and will post more of that to this blog in the coming months.)
“We need to become more focused on those animals than ourselves, and not necessarily make every comparison with ourselves the most informative.”
Exactly.
The following excerpts (with my editorial comments) are from an interview with the author, which I recommend reading, if not his books as well.
“What if instead, this whole business is more like a bush, with cognition taking different forms that are often incomparable to ours?”
I have been aware of this problem for years, and our anthropocentric ideas that animal “intelligence” is to be measured against or compared with ours. That is way off track. (I wrote about this years ago and will post more of that to this blog in the coming months.)
“We need to become more focused on those animals than ourselves, and not necessarily make every comparison with ourselves the most informative.”
Exactly.
“...each species is different and each species depends on what they do and what they need to know. It's very hard to say which one is smarter, and that sort of comparison is not even relevant.”
Precisely, yes.
“This movement I feel puts humans in a different perspective and uses animals as a sort of mirror in some sense. I think it has a profound effect on how we look at ourselves and our place in nature.”
YES!
May all beings be well and happy, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Precisely, yes.
“This movement I feel puts humans in a different perspective and uses animals as a sort of mirror in some sense. I think it has a profound effect on how we look at ourselves and our place in nature.”
YES!
May all beings be well and happy, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
Ghosts of Animals
In a new photo book, Inherit the Dust, Nick Brandt places life-size portraits of animals in the now-industrialized landscapes where they once lived and thrived.
Watch this very powerful 2 minute video:
http://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/features/magazine-36234393/36234393
May all being be well.
Watch this very powerful 2 minute video:
http://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/features/magazine-36234393/36234393
May all being be well.
Monday, May 9, 2016
Good Food
Learn about how our food choices affect our world and the beings who live in it, and explore alternative solutions: http://www.gfi.org/why
May all beings be happy and well!
May all beings be happy and well!
Sunday, May 1, 2016
The Pope Video
Please view - and if moved to, share - this brief, simple, and profound video message from Pope Francis.
http://thepopevideo.org/en/video/care-creation.html
May all beings be well.
http://thepopevideo.org/en/video/care-creation.html
May all beings be well.
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Half-Earth: Our Planet's Fight for Life
Renowned scientist Edward O. Wilson (whom you may know from his study of ants) has a new book, in which he suggests that we need to set aside fully one half of our planet as natural sanctuary in order to avoid catastrophic destruction of species (including maybe our own) this century.
Watch this brief NewsHour interview:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/how-to-save-life-on-earth-according-to-e-o-wilson/
and buy the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Half-Earth-Our-Planets-Fight-Life/dp/1631490826
May all beings be well!
Watch this brief NewsHour interview:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/how-to-save-life-on-earth-according-to-e-o-wilson/
and buy the book:
http://www.amazon.com/Half-Earth-Our-Planets-Fight-Life/dp/1631490826
May all beings be well!
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Whirling Gorillish!
This young gorilla, "dancing," resembles a whirling dervish, turning left, right palm up...
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-36033608
Sweet!
May all beings be happy!
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-leicestershire-36033608
Sweet!
May all beings be happy!
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Keepin' It Kind
We aspire to live kind lives, to act kindly and lovingly toward others. What we eat can be an expression of that desire, a way to enact it simply and effectively.
Kristy, the founder of this blog, http://keepinitkind.com, shares this view in a delightful way, with tips on how to easefully accomplish your highest aspirations. Check it out!
May all beings be happy and well.
Kristy, the founder of this blog, http://keepinitkind.com, shares this view in a delightful way, with tips on how to easefully accomplish your highest aspirations. Check it out!
May all beings be happy and well.
Happy Cow
Of course, we hope that all beings may be happy and well. That includes animals.
Our choices have effects on the happiness of others.
HappyCow was founded in 1999 as a public service to assist travelers and people everywhere find vegan, vegetarian, and healthy food and helps you make better choices that help animals.
Explore! http://www.happycow.net/about_us.html
May all beings be happy.
Our choices have effects on the happiness of others.
HappyCow was founded in 1999 as a public service to assist travelers and people everywhere find vegan, vegetarian, and healthy food and helps you make better choices that help animals.
Explore! http://www.happycow.net/about_us.html
May all beings be happy.
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Big Day for Hens!
Walmart frees hens from cages!
Walmart, the largest seller of food in the United States, is going 100 percent cage-free with its egg supply. This all but guarantees a cage-free future for hens in the United States. You can read the details of this historic announcement on HSUS' President Wayne Pacelle's blog»
Walmart, the largest seller of food in the United States, is going 100 percent cage-free with its egg supply. This all but guarantees a cage-free future for hens in the United States. You can read the details of this historic announcement on HSUS' President Wayne Pacelle's blog»
May ALL beings be free!
Friday, April 1, 2016
Hip Hop Vegan
Hip Hop artist Russell Simmons has written a book promoting the vegan diet for "karmic reasons" and he does other philanthropic works for animals. His new book, The Happy Vegan, is available at Barnes & Noble, here.
Learn more: http://www.mercyforanimals.org/rsbillboard
Thanks, Russell!
May all beings be well and happy.
Learn more: http://www.mercyforanimals.org/rsbillboard
Thanks, Russell!
May all beings be well and happy.
Wednesday, March 30, 2016
Animal Reunions
This PBS NATURE program, Animal Reunions, shows that all mammals share common emotions (including biochemically, via the amygdala, oxytocin, etc.), and quite clearly love, even between species. Also, mammals share similar behaviors within similar familial structures.
http://www.pbs.org/video/2365690567/
May all beings be happy and well.
http://www.pbs.org/video/2365690567/
May all beings be happy and well.
Monday, March 7, 2016
Protecting "Protected" Cows
Recognizing that animals are sacred beings, the Ahimsa Foundation for Cattle Protection (AFFCAP) is an independent, third party, non-profit organization which certifies goshalas (Sanskrit: shelters for cows) to a basic standard of care and protection. It does so by registering and inspecting goshalas, while keeping records of every animal for life. This undertaking ensures that: “No animal is being made available, knowingly or unknowingly, for slaughter."
Visit the website and learn about these good efforts to protect cows from slaughter.
And, please do what you can to protect our dear animal friends. It can be as simple as refraining from eating them.
May ALL beings be happy!
Visit the website and learn about these good efforts to protect cows from slaughter.
And, please do what you can to protect our dear animal friends. It can be as simple as refraining from eating them.
May ALL beings be happy!
Rancher's Wife Goes Vegan
A vegan rancher's wife fell in love with their cows. She sings to them with her
guitar and she started a blog, raising enough money to buy the whole herd from her
husband, saving them from slaughter ...and then he went vegetarian, too!
See the video and story on CBS news
...and the Rowdy Girl Sanctuary website:
http://rowdygirlsanctuary.com/project/vegan-heart-blog-story/
So heartening!
May all beings be well, free, and happy!
guitar and she started a blog, raising enough money to buy the whole herd from her
husband, saving them from slaughter ...and then he went vegetarian, too!
See the video and story on CBS news
...and the Rowdy Girl Sanctuary website:
http://rowdygirlsanctuary.com/project/vegan-heart-blog-story/
So heartening!
May all beings be well, free, and happy!
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Karma's Reunion With Her Mother
This incredibly touching story/video speaks to the love and care between one mother and her child.
Crying Mother Cow Greets Lost Baby In Breathtaking Reunion
"Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty." - Albert Einstein
Please stop supporting the killing of our sister and brother, mother and father animals, and do all you can to help protect them.
May all beings be happy and well, free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
Crying Mother Cow Greets Lost Baby In Breathtaking Reunion
"Our task must be to free ourselves... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty." - Albert Einstein
Please stop supporting the killing of our sister and brother, mother and father animals, and do all you can to help protect them.
May all beings be happy and well, free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Biophilia!
I am delighted to have now learned about the biophilia hypothesis, a proposal that humans have a natural bias toward loving other beings - including not only animals, but also plants - an innate "love for life." The hypothesis suggests that this mechanism has the effect of helping to increase the survival rate across species. The tendency for humans to feel affection toward babies of many non-human species is an example of this.
Biovinity - the word and idea that appeared to me one morning in a dream (October, 2015) - certainly includes this idea and goes further in making the declaration that this innate affinity for other living beings derives from all beings having a shared, essential nature which is divine. In other words, Life itself is Divinity.
What these ideas share most importantly is the recognition of affinity, and each suggests not only a natural inclination, but therefore also a moral responsibility to respect, protect, revere and indeed love all living beings. It is not a new idea; we find this idea in mythologies and mysticism across cultures and far back in time (sanaatana dharma being one obvious example).
Learn more about biophilia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biophilia_hypothesis
May all beings be well and happy!
Biovinity - the word and idea that appeared to me one morning in a dream (October, 2015) - certainly includes this idea and goes further in making the declaration that this innate affinity for other living beings derives from all beings having a shared, essential nature which is divine. In other words, Life itself is Divinity.
What these ideas share most importantly is the recognition of affinity, and each suggests not only a natural inclination, but therefore also a moral responsibility to respect, protect, revere and indeed love all living beings. It is not a new idea; we find this idea in mythologies and mysticism across cultures and far back in time (sanaatana dharma being one obvious example).
Learn more about biophilia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biophilia_hypothesis
May all beings be well and happy!
Friday, February 19, 2016
The Happy Egg Company
Here's a company moving in a good direction toward caring for the animals who earn their money!
Most "organic" egg hens don't go outside :-(. Learn about the labels "Free Range," "Cage Free," "Organic" and more, and take a look at these happier hens and find their eggs for purchase via the Store Locator at their website:
http://thehappyeggco.com/
May ALL beings be happy and free.
Most "organic" egg hens don't go outside :-(. Learn about the labels "Free Range," "Cage Free," "Organic" and more, and take a look at these happier hens and find their eggs for purchase via the Store Locator at their website:
http://thehappyeggco.com/
May ALL beings be happy and free.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Humane Economy
Humane Economy. A new book by HSUS President Wayne Pacelle.
"The Humane Economy is essential reading for anyone interested in animal welfare. This fabulous book reveals the inside story of how the fight against human cruelty to animals is gradually being won and some of the surprising individuals who have helped to make this happen. HSUS's Wayne Pacelle is to be congratulated on writing a fascinating, highly readable, and remarkably comprehensive book, covering animal issues ranging from factory farms to puppy mills, from trophy hunting to genetic modification, from medical and pharmaceutical testing to entertainment. Please help to increase awareness of ongoing animal suffering by sharing this book and encouraging everyone to take some part in creating a truly humane society."
— Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE; Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace.
May all beings be well and happy.
"The Humane Economy is essential reading for anyone interested in animal welfare. This fabulous book reveals the inside story of how the fight against human cruelty to animals is gradually being won and some of the surprising individuals who have helped to make this happen. HSUS's Wayne Pacelle is to be congratulated on writing a fascinating, highly readable, and remarkably comprehensive book, covering animal issues ranging from factory farms to puppy mills, from trophy hunting to genetic modification, from medical and pharmaceutical testing to entertainment. Please help to increase awareness of ongoing animal suffering by sharing this book and encouraging everyone to take some part in creating a truly humane society."
— Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE; Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace.
May all beings be well and happy.
Monday, February 15, 2016
Ivory Anniversary
The 14th Wedding Anniversary has "ivory" as the theme. Heavens, no!! So, for our anniversary today, we have opted to donate to two Orgs helping to save elephants from ivory poachers. Among all animals, elephants reside in a special place in our hearts owing to their wise and community-oriented nature, their love and care of their children, their sorrow in loss....
Won't you help to protect elephants, too? Consider giving generously.
http://www.elephants.com/
http://worldwildlife.org/
Thank you for anything and everything you do to protect and help our animal friends.
Won't you help to protect elephants, too? Consider giving generously.
http://www.elephants.com/
http://worldwildlife.org/
Thank you for anything and everything you do to protect and help our animal friends.
May all beings be happy and free!
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Langar
Many of us were deeply moved at the 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions by the immense generosity and inclusiveness of the Sikh community’s daily seva (“service offering”) of langar meals at lunchtime. Langars have been served by Sikhs in all their Gurdwaras for many centuries. They are invariably vegetarian. Of special note here: Sikh people tend not to be vegetarians themselves. But, they are keenly aware that in order to serve others in a beautiful and harmonious way (we know that Sikhs have long played a mediatory role, helping to ease tensions between Hindus and Muslims), they serve only vegetarian meals in order that all may sit together and dine together in peace and above the distinctions that otherwise arise where one group eats the flesh of the animals the other groups consider holy.
My great hope is that we who gather in community will follow in the wise footsteps of our Sikh sisters and brothers (whose living “Guru” is the Granth Sahib, a collection of writings that include substantial Sufi sections, such as by Kabir) and dedicate ourselves to offering only vegetarian food at community tables. With the more recent concern over the well-being of animals in factory farming, an all-vegan fare would go even farther toward the realization of our dedicated prayer:
“May all beings be well, may all beings be happy...”
My great hope is that we who gather in community will follow in the wise footsteps of our Sikh sisters and brothers (whose living “Guru” is the Granth Sahib, a collection of writings that include substantial Sufi sections, such as by Kabir) and dedicate ourselves to offering only vegetarian food at community tables. With the more recent concern over the well-being of animals in factory farming, an all-vegan fare would go even farther toward the realization of our dedicated prayer:
“May all beings be well, may all beings be happy...”
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