tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13033049971093600032024-02-19T00:25:50.825-05:00DYFLAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-60766630994399415282011-09-29T09:07:00.001-04:002011-09-29T09:07:49.264-04:00PETA and Animal AdvocacyGizmodo ran a story today that was clearly written by someone shaking with rage. I know because many of my own articles are written with rage. It stood out to me because Gizmodo is often witty but generally dry and emotionless. This was a rare opinion piece and I happen to disagree with it.<br />
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The article can be read <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5844848/peta-doesnt-give-a-shit-about-humans">here</a>, but if you don't want to read it, it involves a man fishing for sharks who was then attacked and mauled by the shark. He's in intensive care and PETA is using his story as awareness about fishing. The Gizmodo writer's contention, as well as the title of the post, is that <a href="http://gizmodo.com/5844848/peta-doesnt-give-a-shit-about-humans">PETA doesn't give a shit about humans</a>.<br />
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Here's the thing: PETA is an animal advocacy group. Specifically a <i>non-human </i>animal advocacy group. I'm sure that if the man was attacked by a shark while rescuing a child from a sinking rowboat PETA would not discuss his death at all. But the man was fishing, <i>trying to kill sharks. </i>So when a shark <i>(almost) </i>killed a human, PETA is supposed to care? Do we expect PETA to care when a matador is gored by a bull? Here in America, I think we all cheer for dead matadors. Do we expect the ACLU to care when someone in power is shut down?<br />
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I don't agree with everything that PETA does, but I am very glad that they exist. I am proud to support them. Their job isn't to care about the lives of human animals, their job is to care about the lives of non-human animals. Good job, PETA.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-83492080493443720102011-07-15T20:21:00.000-04:002011-07-15T20:21:46.117-04:00Vegans are Obnoxious Assholes!I know that I've discussed my frustration with the way that skeptics are treated in film and television. It's obnoxious and misleading, but from a storytelling perspective, I get it. Even I would prefer the film in which the skeptic who doubts aliens or magic is wrong - aliens and magic are cool.<br />
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What really bothers me, however, is how vegetarians and environmentalists are portrayed. They are always shown to be self-righteous and smug, they are always hypocritical and annoying. Perhaps these people really do exist in real life, but I've never met anyone who is environmentally conscious or vegetarian <i>(which is a highly environmentally friendly lifestyle) </i>for anything other than good motives.<br />
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I was watching the not-so-great movie <i>Baby Mama</i> the other night. Tina Fey's character worked for a highly exaggerated caricature of Whole Foods. At one point she went on a date to a raw food/vegan restaurant. They made comical faces at the yeast balls and seaweed they were served. Then after some hilariously awkward conversation, it turned out that, despite working for a company that was environmentally friendly, healthy and natural, she still liked to eat meat. Of <i>course</i> she does! Just because the company is full of obnoxious hypocrites, that doesn't mean that Tina Fey's character is a hypocrite. She <i>loves </i>to eat meat! <br />
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It may seem like a harmless stereotype, an easy joke that does no real damage, but I think that it is a real problem. It is important to point out that "environmentalism", and everything that entails, is a good thing. Climate change due to human activity is a scientifically established fact. Recycling and renewable energy are positive actions. Likewise, it is a fact that <a href="http://www.nrdc.org/water/pollution/ffarms.asp">factory farms</a> are a significant polluter and eating a meat-free diet is <a href="http://www.sdvegweek.com/environment.html">better for the environment</a> than changing from a Hummer to a Prius. However you feel about the suffering of animals, most people value human life and comfort, and climate change affects us all. My point here is <i>not</i> that everyone should become vegetarian or reduce their energy and plastic consumption - I obviously do think that they should - but that we should not treat those who do those things as assholes or objects of ridicule.<br />
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I honestly do not know where the trope of the self-righteous vegan originated. As I said above, perhaps these people are real, but I can't understand that attitude and I seriously doubt that it makes up a large portion of the vegan/vegetarian population. At the core of this stereotype <i>(I think) </i>is the idea that vegans and vegetarians are hypocrites. The idea that they really do love to eat meat just like the rest of us, but they abstain in some kind of absurd and impotent protest. Not to speak for all vegetarians, but I don't abstain from meat for my sake. I do it for the animals. However much I might like the way a hamburger tastes, I don't eat it because of the animal that lived a miserable life and died for the sake of a cheap sandwich.<br />
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The point of all of this is not to be preachy. The point is that I am tired of seeing good deeds and noble aspirations mocked so easily and carelessly.<br />
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To give credit to my favorite television comedy, Britta from NBC's <i>Community</i> is a vegetarian and, although the character is sometimes obnoxious, she is well-rounded and a good person. Her vegetarianism <i>(and atheism) </i>is never made into a punchline.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-84699712821068451692011-06-01T22:14:00.000-04:002011-06-01T22:14:21.383-04:00My struggle with milk and eggsThere is a free book involved. Details below!<br />
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I try very hard to live my life as honestly as I can. There are, of course, many mistakes that I make, many cruelties that I inflict, many acts of kindness that I knowingly avoid. In spite of this, I have only a few consistent regrets, only a few <i>constant</i> sources of guilt. One of which is that I am not vegan.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_llsiuaIgUI1qz7lxdo1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_llsiuaIgUI1qz7lxdo1_500.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>My view on vegetarianism is simple and straightforward: eating meat is morally wrong. <i>Obviously </i>factory farmed meats are reprehensible, but that says nothing about the actual act of killing for food. And I consider the act of killing for food to be immoral. Essentially it comes down to the right of one being to end the life of another and the reasons for doing so.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/9/21/1253543529233/Dogs-for-sale-in-South-Ko-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/9/21/1253543529233/Dogs-for-sale-in-South-Ko-001.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>In America we consider the thought of eating dogs reprehensible, yet there is no real distinction between dogs and other animals. Any perceived difference between dogs and pigs is arbitrary and cultural. Pigs are at least as smart as dogs, and have social and family structures. And yet even the most "I LOVE BACON" carnivore would not consider eating even the stupidest dog.<br />
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Is this an emotional argument? I confess that a part of it certainly is, although there is compassion and logic to it as well. And as I follow the logic, I can't find a cause to call the consumption of animal products <i>(milk, eggs, honey)</i> immoral. Now, as with meat, factory-style dairy farms are clearly evil, but if I can be sure that the milk and eggs come from ethically run dairy farms then I will eat cheese without guilt. I even like the idea of raising my own chickens some day.<br />
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So this is my dilemma. It has an easy answer, and that is exactly what makes me feel so terrible about it: I shouldn't eat dairy products unless I know where they came from. But <i>pizza!</i> And cheese on sandwiches! And pastries! And breakfasts pretty much anywhere! This requires sacrifice and a disruption of my life. I am aware of the hypocrisy involved. I feel better - both spiritually and physically - when I eat only vegan foods. Eventually I believe that my guilt will overtake me and I will be a responsible, moral consumer.<br />
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My wife has pointed out on numerous occasions that the more I learn, the worse I feel. This is an undeniable fact. I would be happier not to know where meat comes from. Now that I do, not only am I unable to eat meat, but I am unable to even view a hamburger without feeling an immense sadness. As I mentioned above, my diet will eventually come in line with my morals, but what next? There is seemingly no end to the products produced through exploitation. Electronics, clothes, food, energy - all of these conveniences and necessities come at the expense of someone. Where do we draw the line? Maybe some lines cannot be reasonably drawn today, but that does not mean that we shouldn't try, right?<br />
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Free book details:</span></b><br />
I have several copies of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eating-Animals-Jonathan-Safran-Foer/dp/0316069884/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1306980057&sr=1-1">Jonathan Safran Foer's <i>Eating Animals</i></a>. It is a book that I highly recommend. It is not preachy or difficult to read. He presents the arguments for vegetarianism/veganism in a very simple and compelling manner. I am happy to give copies of this book away to anyone who is interested. Just <a href="mailto:nathaniel.wallace@gmail.com">email</a> me and tell me your address and I will send you a copy <i>(for as long as I have copies available)</i>. This is not a publicity stunt for me or the publisher. I simply purchased a number of copies and am giving them away to interested and curious parties.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-46522032735589689952010-08-03T22:50:00.000-04:002010-08-03T22:50:01.818-04:00Vegetarian's DilemmaThere has not been a single decision I have made in my life that I feel better about than becoming vegetarian. And yet I have not been able to enjoy my decision. I have to contend with how I am perceived - I don't want to appear too radical or intense and I certainly don't want to appear smug or superior. I also have not been able to rest with my own apparent hypocrisy. As I have noted before, it is inconsistent for me to abstain from meat for moral reasons while still eating eggs and dairy products and wearing leather.<br />
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The decision to become vegetarian was not an easy one, although it was always the obvious choice. It was just easier to ignore the pressing guilt. I know that I am not alone - in my conversations about vegetarianisms with others I invariably hear <i>"Good for you! I could never do that."</i> Meat is just too delicious and the source is too easy to ignore. That's a real shame, because I have become convinced that meat is an obvious and objective cruelty. This is rapidly becoming a very important cause for me.<br />
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Eating meat in itself is not cruel. Although I will never eat meat again, I acknowledge that the consumption of animal flesh is not inherently wrong. However, in our modern society, 99% of all meat <i>(this includes beef, pork and poultry) </i>is produced on factory farms. These are absolutely cruel places and there is no moral justification I can think of that would mitigate the consumption of these creatures. I have to imagine that people who eat meat do not know how cruel and inhumane <i>(an odd word)</i> factory farms actually are. I have to imagine that if people knew, then they would stop eating meat instantly. If I thought that people knew what the farms were like and continued to eat meat, continued to support this viciously cruel industry without so much as a blink, then I would be forced to dismiss their "morality" with contempt.<br />
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I realize that this makes me an asshole. I realize that this means I think fully educated carnivores are bad people. I am truly sorry for that. Please believe me when I say that although I see a vegetarian diet as morally superior in every aspect, there is no sense of competition for status with carnivores. I would like nothing more than to be a friend to all humans, but I simply cannot. This is too big of a problem for me to ignore, too big for any of us to ignore. The welfare of animals is more important to me than the possible hurt feelings of humans.<br />
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This is a link to a film titled <i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIjanhKqVC4">Meet your Meat</a></i>. It is vicious and hard to watch. It isn't slaughter - it is deliberate, intentional and unnecessary cruelty toward animals that are obviously suffering. If you are unable to watch <i>(as I am),</i> if you are unwilling to see what goes into the making of your food because you know what you will see then you should follow the obvious moral path and change your eating habits.<br />
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As I said at the top, the implications of all of this are not easy, even for me. It was easy to give up meat and leather, but not so easy to give up dairy - I am still working through the logistics of that. It is also difficult for me, as a dog owner. I have no illusions about the source of the food and treats we provide our pets. I honestly don't know where this leaves me. Although the cruelty of the food source is undeniable, there are no health issues associated with a vegetarian diet for humans - in all the research I have read, a vegetarian diet is healthier. But dogs are carnivores. Meat is essential to their diet. I can't deny them what they require, but is the relative health of my pampered pets worth the life and happiness that other animals are forced to give up? I don't have an answer right now.<br />
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I have just finished reading Jonathan Safran Foer's fantastic book <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eating-Animals-Jonathan-Safran-Foer/dp/0316069906/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1280887570&sr=8-1">Eating Animals</a>. </i>I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in the subject. I feel so strongly about it, in fact, that I am willing to purchase a copy and send it to you if you are unable to procure it for yourself. I promise that it is less abrasive than I have been in this post. And I really am sorry for the terse tone. I don't want to come off as a morally superior asshole, but I am motivated by the plight of <i>billions </i>of beings who are suffering for the sake of industry. I am certainly not blameless, I am not proud of myself, but I strongly believe that eating meat is morally indefensible. I would like nothing more than for all of my readers to become vegetarians.<br />
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I welcome all comments, as well as ideas for dog food.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-91445691050203255012010-08-03T10:49:00.000-04:002010-08-03T10:49:38.229-04:00Friends in a time of crisisWinston Churchill has a famous quote about age and political philosophy. It made sense to me and I always just assumed it was essentially true. So I was surprised to find that, as I age, I have drifted further and further to the left. It is an awkward place for me to be because I am far, far left of the current liberal political establishment - so much so that, although Republicans and Democrats are <i>certainly </i>not identical, I think of Democrats as the legitimate <i>conservative </i>party <i>(Republicans are just pure fascist evil)</i>.<br />
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So to keep my head on straight, to keep myself from feeling lost and adrift in a sea of conservatives, I have found a bundle of podcasts that help me cope. I highly recommend these to everyone.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bestoftheleftpodcast.com/">Best of the Left</a><br />
<a href="http://www.theyoungturks.com/">The Young Turks</a> <i>(it may be best to just go to their <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/TheYoungTurks">YouTube</a> page)</i><br />
<a href="http://wearecitizenradio.com/home.htm">Citizen Radio</a> <i>(this page opens with music, which I find pretty obnoxious. Subscribe to them on iTunes)</i><br />
<a href="http://doubtreligion.blogspot.com/">Reasonable Doubts</a><br />
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I'm sure that there are more progressive blogs and podcasts that you all enjoy. Please share them with me and I will post all of these things on a sidebar <i>(coming soon)</i>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-30768603233531247972010-07-28T21:37:00.000-04:002010-07-28T21:37:01.252-04:00Addictions: why it is so hard to be goodI want to be a good and responsible person, but it is so difficult. Some things are easy: recycling the waste I produce is a thing I have control over. Using CFL bulbs and watching my energy and water usage has a real <i>(if negligible) </i>impact on the world's resources. I give blood and have a growing stable of regular charities that I donate to. But I still have to watch every single place that I step, every bite that I eat, every thing I buy. Driving a car uses oil and produces carbon pollution. I don't abuse animals, but if I eat butter, then I am giving money to people who do. Buying clothing or electronics will likely give money to abusive and unfair factory owners.<br />
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It isn't enough to be a good person - I have to think about everyone else too. I have to consider every single thing I do for what far-reaching impact it may be having. The Western World is addicted to oil. We all talk a big game about pulling the needle out and going cold turkey, but it just isn't possible. I am as appalled by oil companies and pollution and global warming as anyone, but I still drive my own car. It is possible for me to go without, and I have considered it, but it would involve a bicycle or bus or taxi and, frankly, it is too much work for me; I know that what would involve great personal sacrifice would have no measurable impact on the planet. Even if I did sell my car and bike to work, I would still shop at Target and patronize our capitalist system that is the real cause of all of our problems. Trucking goods from one side of the globe to another uses tons of oil and produces tons of pollution. One day, and probably sooner than later, we'll <i>have </i>to switch from oil to some other primary power source, but until that becomes absolutely necessary, I will continue to be a participant in this corrupt and evil system of usage and waste and pollution.<br />
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Being a human involved in modern society is startlingly similar to the doctrine of original sin. In fact, this is an idea of guilt that I will even get behind. If I were to go 'off the grid' immediately and for the rest of my life, I would have still been party to irreparable damage to the planet. I have an impact and in my short time I am afraid that it has been mostly negative. As I said at the top, I don't abuse animals. I don't even kill spiders if I can avoid it. I feel a twinge <i>(but just a twinge)</i> of guilt and remorse when I kill a mosquito. I have even taken my love and respect for animals to the point where I no longer eat them. But it has become increasingly obvious that this is not good enough. Sure, not eating chicken is a fine <i>(and essential)</i> moral position, but by simply eating eggs, I am contributing to the suffering of the chickens who lay the eggs in equally <i>(if not worse!)</i> miserable conditions. And then I have to consider not just omelets, but also pasta and bread and cookies. And then - did I just become a vegan?<br />
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I don't want to hurt people or animals or damage the planet. I want to be a good person, but the problem is that by simply existing and consuming goods and appreciating art <i>(and you can't convince me that television and video games and movies are not art)</i> I am inflicting harm on someone. We are addicted to harm, hooked on pain. The engines of progress are run on damage and lubricated by blood. That sounds melodramatic, but in a way, it is perfectly true and none of us can avoid it. As I said earlier, even if we stop now, we will always have blood on our hands.<br />
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Our generation may be irredeemable. The difference between our guilt and the <i>(false)</i> idea of original sin is that it isn't implicit in our nature to be cruel. Greed and ingenuity have caused us to sidestep our moral obligations. Our participation in society and the machinery of Western society has stained our hands with the blood of the disenfranchised, from genetically modified <i>(but no less sensitive to suffering and torment) </i>chickens, pigs and cows to abused and underpaid workers who make <i>(the regional equivalent of)</i> pennies and dollars a day. If you consider domesticated animals as a part of our society, as I think we must, then the disparity between the richest and the poorest among us has never been greater.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-18258525706361377812010-07-21T23:15:00.000-04:002010-07-21T23:15:15.488-04:00Time and space (for a Greyhound)It has been two weeks since our Julian died. I still think about him and I think that I always will. He was very photogenic, so we have hundreds of pictures of him, and I hope that in the future I will remember him when he was happy and healthy. Sadly, the strongest, most vivid memories I have of him are of when he was sick. I think of his swollen legs and his lethargy. I think of the way he had no desire to eat but desperately drank as much water as we would let him drink, even though he would throw it up if he truly drank his fill. It broke my heart to restrict his water, even though we did it in his best interests. Thinking about this time saddens me deeply. I don't want to forget it, but I also don't want to focus on it. I don't want his death to define his life.<br />
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He will always have a very special place in my heart. He is the first loved one that I have ever lost. The older I get, the more friends and family members <i>(pets are family members, of course) </i>I will lose. I am as ready for that as I can ever be, but Julian will stand out.<br />
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And yet I find that life goes on, even for me. I still laugh at jokes, I still watch and enjoy movies and television <i>(</i>Inception<i> was mind-blowing and I can't wait for the next season of </i>Mad Men <i>to begin this Sunday)</i> and enjoy the same things that I used to enjoy. There is a hole in my heart where Julian used to be, and that hole can never be filled. I say all of this because we are planning to get another dog. Another Greyhound, in fact. I want to be clear about our motivations - this has nothing to do with helping us cope with Julian's death. This has nothing to do with grief or mourning. This has everything to do with our love of animals. Throughout our time with Julian and Lux <i>(our Whippet, for those of you who don't know - she's still alive) </i>our driving philosophy has been that we are here for our dogs; they are not here for us. So the decision to get another Greyhound <i>(a retired racer, of course)</i> was not difficult. We have the facilities and the experience to take care of one.<br />
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We are not selfless, but we have the facilities, time and resources to easily care for two dogs. We could conceivably take care of more, but we would not be able to give the dogs the attention and love that we would like to give. It is perhaps out of insecurity that I write this. Sometime in the near future - possibly this weekend, possibly next weekend - I will post pictures of our new dog and I don't want to be misunderstood <i>(that is possibly my greatest fear in life). </i>I want to be sure that my readers, friends and family know and understand how much I loved Julian and how much I love all animals, how much I love all of life. I will honor the memory of my dear friend, but I also do not want to deny an animal the warmth and comfort of our home <i>(and couch). </i><br />
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If you have the time and resources, there is an animal near you who needs your help!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-27145404926093294012010-07-07T22:08:00.002-04:002010-07-07T22:09:24.481-04:00JulianThere are tears in my eyes as I write this.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BDL5-rlUzBCs-eqAM2el-9VDYKkD7jBx4RneHXjOVso7BZvhol3kW2x0V-o3U7JySqdqQpzZypUrWOvUOptMf9QGeG-u75RHSKcNEqFh-lfQjDN4G5pbC5bLl7GbuKCAj-j5LfoZuqI/s1600/DSCF2543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7BDL5-rlUzBCs-eqAM2el-9VDYKkD7jBx4RneHXjOVso7BZvhol3kW2x0V-o3U7JySqdqQpzZypUrWOvUOptMf9QGeG-u75RHSKcNEqFh-lfQjDN4G5pbC5bLl7GbuKCAj-j5LfoZuqI/s400/DSCF2543.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Julian, our Greyhound, died this morning. I loved him very much. I loved him <i>so </i>much, in fact, and it hurts to think about him now. He had a rare and aggressive form of cancer that overtook him over the course of a few short weeks. He was a good friend and I will miss him very much. I will miss him for the rest of my life.<br />
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I really do believe that, while he was not comfortable, he was at least not in too much pain. His body was destroyed and this morning he was too weak to even stand up by himself. All he wanted to do was drink water. And although we told the vet that it was time to let him go, I don't think we really had much choice in the matter. And before you think we're cruel for keeping him alive for so long, please know that yesterday he was much better and the vet had given us a relatively hopeful prognosis. And I know that it is foolish for me to ask for too much sympathy in any case. After all, dogs die every day and although I feel the grief of his death with fire-hot intensity I know that it is difficult to feel too much pain for the death of someone else's pet.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJ0QhdLsBn3PdFNiUXEuSx4RKBd0EOwJ8nD91FxNAzlNdib-owAPLLRMJ0n6KIcVvMqXcdGOpAn5SGLTkTsNhbVZE4kZuYtW2PvWCEbktYPHtjBmlng0B5HsIzeLNlc1UVA0n1RnOKbY/s1600/IMG_1384.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXJ0QhdLsBn3PdFNiUXEuSx4RKBd0EOwJ8nD91FxNAzlNdib-owAPLLRMJ0n6KIcVvMqXcdGOpAn5SGLTkTsNhbVZE4kZuYtW2PvWCEbktYPHtjBmlng0B5HsIzeLNlc1UVA0n1RnOKbY/s200/IMG_1384.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPuxH0vagKxZdW_GuYAfmt43NcvhEcgAaHLctEo90b_9C9dqbp3hrOFua_gvp7KrZDC_35zbCv0fskc3Acpq4S9tIUg77Zf4KszgA40afbxW9Nfd89tKPLvC5IzsLYOTppySWcVPN1xw/s1600/IMG_1048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqPuxH0vagKxZdW_GuYAfmt43NcvhEcgAaHLctEo90b_9C9dqbp3hrOFua_gvp7KrZDC_35zbCv0fskc3Acpq4S9tIUg77Zf4KszgA40afbxW9Nfd89tKPLvC5IzsLYOTppySWcVPN1xw/s200/IMG_1048.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>But I don't want to focus on his death here. After all, he was a dog and dogs don't live forever. And although I was terribly sad to see him die so young <i>(he was scarcely six years old)</i> his death was absolutely inevitable.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIO9p-9ngp_oazDxOiELQNZXX7dMQcRoHHswgDQ6D1nSQJzqD7pVMEIP8E27PqZD3uiie5UH2TcJwVyKlBzzQg_8IZaWZm761qm8Q_e2bM9LwAolE-RMKxxjaHBmbb29l9V6xGz7CPca4/s1600/IMG_0235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIO9p-9ngp_oazDxOiELQNZXX7dMQcRoHHswgDQ6D1nSQJzqD7pVMEIP8E27PqZD3uiie5UH2TcJwVyKlBzzQg_8IZaWZm761qm8Q_e2bM9LwAolE-RMKxxjaHBmbb29l9V6xGz7CPca4/s200/IMG_0235.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwjLgP8sk99gG2dxnM0iD8w7THqWmx621Tilz2vJoMtInHQXh1dl4fDfkb9OnXd8Rsw5GPg7Vbi0ns4GbLSFo6KxfhQcjxMAGtmfzD-xWH6A643Qq6kQWBWjVnXtRJOx0kTYHsbgoBZA/s1600/IMG_0108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbwjLgP8sk99gG2dxnM0iD8w7THqWmx621Tilz2vJoMtInHQXh1dl4fDfkb9OnXd8Rsw5GPg7Vbi0ns4GbLSFo6KxfhQcjxMAGtmfzD-xWH6A643Qq6kQWBWjVnXtRJOx0kTYHsbgoBZA/s200/IMG_0108.JPG" width="200" /></a>Julian was a great dog. It might be overstating it to say that he was <i>the best </i>dog ever, but he was easily in the top ten. I remember picking him up from the <a href="http://www.greyhoundpets.org/">Greyhound Pets of America</a> kennel - everyone there loved Julian <i>(formerly known as KB's Yukon). </i>Everyone everywhere always loved him. He was gentle and compliant, peaceful and curious. He never complained, never insisted on anything. He loved to run, he loved to be scratched on his shoulder, he loved playing with his toys and he loved just going outside. He loved us and he trusted us completely. Even at the end, when he was going to the vet nearly every day to be cut open and stuck with needles he continued to trust us. He even liked and trusted the vet. <i>(Raleigh area pet owners - I can give my full endorsement to the <a href="http://www.carefirstanimalhospital.com/">Care First Animal Hospital</a> and Dr Wages)</i> I feel comfortable saying that we never abused his trust.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddIFNZ6drQ9iuhEQCNLE6DnbYFF74VkDrNIx88Rc4LeiljDXBpzzHwBv0ZV9YibKH7phtSwhZnRs31T6zfhyYSEXx3SlUZnmDyDVb7W0nRHQJKgs7VnbSZ9iLAPB2LoTfg0hxbwmxCAI/s1600/IMG_0260.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgddIFNZ6drQ9iuhEQCNLE6DnbYFF74VkDrNIx88Rc4LeiljDXBpzzHwBv0ZV9YibKH7phtSwhZnRs31T6zfhyYSEXx3SlUZnmDyDVb7W0nRHQJKgs7VnbSZ9iLAPB2LoTfg0hxbwmxCAI/s200/IMG_0260.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKBHUFIsyqozA4B9iZcafnyVB_6G4cyOG3fBBwQxIXGb320dxP5SzhW481MU6OqZKsrF6DnV3yT2EVXwuMOKaX81o1Z1Ne0ge-7MjwPcfoW-JK0_JWl1i29kNrjxMBA87WQyIwN4h3ok/s1600/DSCF2078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIKBHUFIsyqozA4B9iZcafnyVB_6G4cyOG3fBBwQxIXGb320dxP5SzhW481MU6OqZKsrF6DnV3yT2EVXwuMOKaX81o1Z1Ne0ge-7MjwPcfoW-JK0_JWl1i29kNrjxMBA87WQyIwN4h3ok/s200/DSCF2078.JPG" width="200" /></a>I don't believe in spirits. I don't believe in heaven or hell or any kind of transcendent essence. So please don't misunderstand me when I say that Julian was an inspiration to me. There was a kind of peace in his eyes and a knowing calm in his attitude. I mean this as no insult of either beast when I say that there was a gentle bovine quality in his eyes. It was those eyes that inspired me to become a vegetarian. I firmly believe that we are all citizens of the universe, from the wisest human and the most powerful lion to the simplest blade of grass. This is how we can find meaning in the eyes of our non-human animal friends. Although Julian was not able to comprehend many things, including the future, I recognized that he had as much of a right to live as I did. He had as much of a right to avoid suffering and pursue pleasure as any human does.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhcZfD9eSJ62wa-kpv6wAyOP_IPeDdFqz3H5kAjNXanpeRspuYpSD7vItKfW0IrjNKnFLr52pQZAowbHMe3T8BL_ZtPC2t94SbA7KhVf52NmcN6MML6js2fpBtExm8Ljrmoabya2yzBk/s1600/DSCF1857.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhcZfD9eSJ62wa-kpv6wAyOP_IPeDdFqz3H5kAjNXanpeRspuYpSD7vItKfW0IrjNKnFLr52pQZAowbHMe3T8BL_ZtPC2t94SbA7KhVf52NmcN6MML6js2fpBtExm8Ljrmoabya2yzBk/s200/DSCF1857.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysWo03HnWmGUIyOutVpJdIINUyVvfuy7s40mJFcqn4PJ2lmvRYSe9wpNL1hsAHmrF6l9qhTkizNHGThgAd78t_kUl6IWXmQgIIr2oDosf0YMHRUzQ4aO4wYgP3dEXCYHrcYX5BNAhAJo/s1600/DSCF1924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysWo03HnWmGUIyOutVpJdIINUyVvfuy7s40mJFcqn4PJ2lmvRYSe9wpNL1hsAHmrF6l9qhTkizNHGThgAd78t_kUl6IWXmQgIIr2oDosf0YMHRUzQ4aO4wYgP3dEXCYHrcYX5BNAhAJo/s200/DSCF1924.JPG" width="200" /></a>Despite being equally entitled to a pleasant life, non-human animals are not equally empowered to pursue such a life. As humans we clearly have the advantage. We can easily compel other animals to bend to our will and fall to our appetites. We can confuse and obstruct an animal's natural instincts to survive and avoid suffering. It is absolutely incumbent on us to protect those creatures who are less aware than we are. We are all relatives; we all inhabit the same family tree.<br />
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</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7h7F3jg11FqGw6KHa0Uhj7qtW-jxWPREirEy0IxMMnwHX_n8DoCGoYk2K21XiN7Cie0B6DoQE5piHulQTkYJSvcuJT1ngf7SpncUBP4D3Ao-km0AobC7R7KRVCgHl7Hj8JI1syPEuCQ/s1600/1278291252934.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7h7F3jg11FqGw6KHa0Uhj7qtW-jxWPREirEy0IxMMnwHX_n8DoCGoYk2K21XiN7Cie0B6DoQE5piHulQTkYJSvcuJT1ngf7SpncUBP4D3Ao-km0AobC7R7KRVCgHl7Hj8JI1syPEuCQ/s200/1278291252934.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX3N_iUHTl9sklDNNZuYf1twndjg6SGgY5JVarzm8jRjgvbngEc2rBCGNWRum8tSQU8Ii8lSMCjwxZ_x1BugV_yphqRt0MT-OLrW9HykZRE3fMWK5GJCZfWDH58GZ06CBMcjY6RKMsltk/s1600/1278543419292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX3N_iUHTl9sklDNNZuYf1twndjg6SGgY5JVarzm8jRjgvbngEc2rBCGNWRum8tSQU8Ii8lSMCjwxZ_x1BugV_yphqRt0MT-OLrW9HykZRE3fMWK5GJCZfWDH58GZ06CBMcjY6RKMsltk/s200/1278543419292.jpg" width="150" /></a>Throughout all of this, my guiding principle has been that I am here for the dogs. We will let our grief run its course and then we will get another dog. It won't be a replacement. No one <i>replaces</i> a lost friend or relative, and neither can we replace a lost pet<i>. </i>But there is a conspicuously empty place on our couch. There are plenty of dogs who need care, homes and love. We have the time and attention and resources to care for two dogs and it would be unfair and selfish for us to deny an animal that space. </div><div><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcNtAzutj4qth-ra3qO27SpgtWBv50xHGiHywzYkXlx4FpbO1jwuwzByaS79sl5l-2eepgrcrmsS9GWNeQuzzlwqKxq-9Y0S17lB3uyY3NzEFOdsUn4vSF8sMr_6XX93GoBo_-K2MHis/s1600/IMG_1000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUcNtAzutj4qth-ra3qO27SpgtWBv50xHGiHywzYkXlx4FpbO1jwuwzByaS79sl5l-2eepgrcrmsS9GWNeQuzzlwqKxq-9Y0S17lB3uyY3NzEFOdsUn4vSF8sMr_6XX93GoBo_-K2MHis/s200/IMG_1000.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div>Obviously Julian had no way of <i>wanting </i>anything, so to ask you to do anything in his memory is absurd. Nevertheless, I wish to ask you to consider what you can do for your fellow animals. If you have some money, please donate to a <a href="http://www.aspca.org/">worthwhile cause</a>. If you have the resources and time <i>(and it <b>does </b>take time and resources)</i> please adopt a shelter dog or cat. If you have the resolve, please don't eat any animals at all. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-9204927913875329332010-05-24T19:10:00.000-04:002010-05-24T19:10:00.670-04:00Squirrels!It takes a sincere effort to understand someone else. We may think that we understand them, but all we are really doing is interpreting their experiences through the filter of our own. It is even more difficult to understand the life of someone who we have never met, or the life of a different species. I'm not any kind of an expert, so all of my understanding is based only on my own assumptions and observations. Nevertheless, I try to understand other creatures. I try to understand what they want and need and fear. I want to know what motivates them and what makes them happy, or if that is too anthropomorphic of a concept, at least what makes them content.<div><br />
</div><div>I don't think that the world has anything to teach us. I don't believe in any kind of duality; humans don't have souls and no dogs <i>(or whales, cats, chimps, or pigs) </i>go to heaven. As I have said before, humans are not more valuable than mosquitoes or squirrels. We are simply more capable of asserting our will. All of this does not mean that morality is irrelevant. In a cosmic way, I suppose, morality is irrelevant, but on a global scale - and certainly on a social scale - it is very important. As you all know, I have been trying to sort out my moral philosophy on this blog. It is a very difficult thing to do because the more honest I am with myself, the more inconvenient I find morality to be. It is easy to give up eating meat, but then do I give up eggs and milk? Do I also give up leather? For those who are curious, I do not buy leather products if I can avoid it <i>(I usually can) </i>and I do still consume eggs and milk <i>(and the occasional fish)</i> but I try my best to buy from local sources whose animals are treated with respect and given comfort <i>(it does bother me a bit, to be honest)</i>. </div><div><br />
</div><div>As is the case with many ideas, I found the subject of animal intelligence coming up repeatedly in conversation. Animals are dumb. That seems, on the surface, to be an objective fact. Some animals are more clever and adaptable than others <i>(<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYZnsO2ZgWo">crows</a>, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UpyyooUtMI">chimps</a>, and everyone's own dog are good examples)</i> but since none of them have a real language and cannot communicate with humans, we are clearly more intelligent. And yet the fact that humans have a larger capacity for understanding does <i>not </i>mean that we have more rights than others. Take squirrels for an example. They are manic and unpredictable, dashing out into streets right in front of cars. Sometimes they cross the street safely only to double back and get killed. To us this looks like complete foolishness. How could they not know better? I may be speaking only for myself, but I subconsciously think of our history with squirrels and know that they have all grown up with cars as a fact of life and should have figured out not to cross the street in front of them. And this, I think, is where understanding comes in. A squirrel does not know what cars are or what they are capable of doing. Although squirrels and automobiles have coexisted for decades, that is nowhere near enough time for them to develop any kind of evolutionary understanding of them. And I don't know for sure, but I imagine that when a squirrel heads into the street in front of a car, it is terrified. Bugs caught behind windows buzz against the glass because they simply cannot understand why they are unable to pass the barrier. </div><div><br />
</div><div>So what? I don't intend that we should stop driving cars for the sake of the squirrels. I would encourage everyone to slow down and try not to hit them, but that is all. What I do want is for us to try to understand the perspective of animals who do not understand the world around them. Intelligence is not a reasonable category to judge worth. Non-human animals necessarily do the best that they can with the understanding that they have. If they do not perform to the best of their abilities they die.</div><div><br />
</div><div>This kind of consciousness raising is difficult and painful. At some point I am going to have to stop trying to empathize because it will reduce me to complete immobility. I can't drive past roadkill without thinking of the confusion and fear that animal must have felt when it found itself on a roadway surrounded by cars. I don't want to buy leather, I don't want to hit squirrels or kill spiders. I even give mosquitoes a kinder eye before I kill them. It's a slippery slope and it is a good deal easier not to care or think about what goes on around you.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-36112362504811928062010-02-19T11:03:00.003-05:002010-02-19T11:30:30.321-05:00Uncomfortably NumbThis isn't an issue that's necessarily big news or sweeping the world with controversy, but I read it and here it is. A <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/opinion/19shriver.html?ref=opinion">New York Times Op-Ed</a> piece discusses the possibility of engineering feed animals with a reduced ability to feel pain. As the author himself admits, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"I</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">f we cannot avoid factory farms altogether, the least we can do is eliminate the unpleasantness of pain in the animals that must live and die on them. It would be far better than doing nothing at all." It's true. It <i>is</i> practically the least that can be done.</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">One of the fundamental philosophies behind (non-human) animal rights is that humans are not special beyond their specific abilities. That is, humans are not blessed by god, they were not created uniquely for a higher purpose and the life of a human animal is not inherently more valuable than that of a non-human animal. If there is greater value in the life of a human, then it would be because the fully-functioning human brain has a higher potential for pleasure and pain than that of a so-called lower animal. Beyond this occasionally enhanced potential for pleasure or pain, there is no reason <i>(in my mind)</i> to give an animal capable of pleasure or pain less consideration. Not to say that all farm animals should be given houses and furniture and fancy meals, because I don't imagine a cow or goat would appreciate those things. But I'm sure that even if the standard broiler chicken wouldn't appreciate Wi-Fi or indoor plumbing as much as I do it would still prefer not to be crammed in a cage with its beak sawn off. Even if it could be bred to not feel the pain of its amputated beak or its overstressed bones and joints the restriction of movement would still cause it mental anguish. It would live its pathetic life in fear instead of fear and pain. In a sick way, I suppose this is progress.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 22px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-17147457416313291392009-06-13T06:48:00.004-04:002009-06-13T07:26:11.991-04:00To hurt is to stealOn my way in to work this morning, I ran over a squirrel. There was really no way to have avoided it, but I still feel terrible. I can only hope that its death was quick and painless and that it is not still on the road, trying to breathe through crushed lungs. I drive a Toyota Yaris and, although I love having such a tiny car, it is like a thin-soled shoe and I feel everything on the road, from small holes to paint lines. So I felt that poor creature through its entire death scene.<br /><br />Things die all the time. Death does not bother me. And although I am upset that a small creature is dead because of me, I know that death is inevitable and not even that big of a deal. I recognize that I have a bias toward 'cute' animals and don't give much thought to killing ants, spiders, wasps, cockroaches, ticks, mosquitoes or any other kind of tiny pest. I think this demonstrates a complete lack of perspective, actually. A life is a life, right? I don't kill people because they annoy me. I don't even kill dogs, cats or rodents with the casual disregard I have for insects. I killed a squirrel today and it has shaken me up considerably, but I also probably kill at least a dozen bugs every day and don't care or even notice.<br /><br />I guess my problem is with suffering. It is too easy for me to put myself in the mind of some suffering creature. I can imagine its pain and desperation and fear. This is simply a high degree of anthropomorphizing, I know. There is no way to actually know what anything or anyone that is not me is feeling. I would rather not kill anything, but that philosophy becomes impractical almost instantly. As I think I have said before, life is only possible through death. If it becomes necessary - or even practical - for me to kill an animal, I want to do my best to make it happen with an absolute minimum of suffering.<br /><br />So to the squirrel: I am sorry. To the bugs I kill every day: I am sorry. To the rest of the lives in the world that I will some day claim: I hope that when I step over your life in order to improve my own I do not fill your last few moments on earth with pain and fear.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Note:<br /></span>I never used to care about things like this. Churchill famously said, <span style="font-style: italic;">"If you're not a liberal at twenty you have no heart, if you're not a conservative at forty you have no brain." </span>I realize that this is in reference to politics, but I believe that politics and personal philosophy are entwined. I am becoming more liberal by the day. What does this say about me?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-17631383895430429852009-05-08T11:17:00.004-04:002009-05-08T13:11:37.381-04:00vegetarian: 90% ethics, 10% healthNever ask a vegetarian why he is a vegetarian, especially at the dinner table. Not because he <span style="font-style: italic;">(or she, obviously)</span> is sensitive about the subject, but because it can lead very rapidly into moral arguments about largely subjective issues. For example, although I classify my reasons for vegetarianism as 10% health and 90% ethical - when I started it was about 40% to 60% - I am not opposed to the eating of animals; I am against the mass market meat industry. I do not have problems with genetically modified animals, so long as the genetic modifications do not adversely affect their comfort or life. This post will not contain pictures or facts about the cruelty of the meat industry. This information is readily available on the internet and it depresses the hell out of me. I don't even like to think about it. Instead, this post will merely deal with my own reasons for abstaining from meat.<br /><br />As I said above, I do not find the actual eating of animals to be morally wrong. I do, however, think that the commercial meat industry is thoughtless and cruel, breeding unhealthy animals to live short and miserable lives that end with terror and pain <span style="font-style: italic;">(I don't know this for sure, but I imagine that any killing floor would be a pretty frightening place for any animal, even if it is not aware of what is happening)</span>. There is very little that I can do to slow the juggernaut crawl of this industry, so I speak out about it when I have the opportunity, but for the most part I simply choose to refrain from consuming the products of this process. I recognize that this is far from activism. I do not imagine that any change will be felt by the industry, and the meat that I might have eaten might be simply going to waste. This is a personal choice, akin to refusing to buy inexpensive merchandise that I know to be stolen.<br /><br />There are some hypocrisies with my position that surface very quickly. For example, I still buy products with leather. I try not to buy too much, but things like belts, shoes, watch bands, etc. are ubiquitous. Also, I am vegetarian but not vegan. I buy soy milk and cage-free eggs, but I am sure that the cheese in my pizza, the eggs in my Break & Bake, the half and half at Starbucks are not necessarily taken from humane situations. Are the chickens who live crammed in pens so full that they live their entire lives without taking a single step or spreading their wings not as worth troubling over as the ones killed to make hot wings? I must shamefully admit that I am often too lazy to make the distinction. I try when I feel that the effort is reasonable, but there are some situations that are just more trouble than they are worth.<br /><br />I wish that the meat industry was not so enormous, so central to the American economy. I wish that cattle were grown in small, inefficient herds and that the price of beef was two or three or four times higher, good for special occasions but not for every day consumption out of greasy wrappers. I wish that the water and land spent making food for the cows instead produced beans or grain for people, feeding the country with inexpensive yet nutritious and non-fattening food. In the grand scheme of things, producing animals to eat is not a terrible thing to do. In fact, if you subscribe to Richard Dawkins' gene theory of evolution, the fact that chickens and cows and pigs are bred in as large a quantity as they are is an indication that they possess a highly successful set of genes.<br /><br />In the end, it simply comes down to choices. I was watching the fantastic<span style="font-style: italic;"> The Iron Giant</span> the other day and the titular giant reminded me of a vegetarian. He was a gigantic, powerful machine, capable of <span style="font-style: italic;">(and perhaps even intended for)</span> unleashing terrible destruction on Earth. Yet he had an epiphany and made the decision - against his instincts even - to show restraint and act peacefully. Sure, it has been glibly said that 'animals don't respect animal rights,' and although I am opposed to hunting wolves from airplanes <span style="font-style: italic;">(or anywhere, to be honest, but I don't need to cast too wide a net here)</span>, I grant wolves the right to kill me if I wander carelessly into their territory <span style="font-style: italic;">(At the same time, if I am attacked by a wolf and have the opportunity to defend myself, I will most certainly take it, even if it involves killing the wolf)</span>. The point here is that humans have a special responsibility to respect and care for life. Our power on this earth gives us the ability to take life in large amounts, but our knowledge and technology and ingenuity give us the ability to find alternatives.<br /><br />I have now been a vegetarian for over a year. It was one of the biggest decisions I have ever made and one of my best. I have no intention of eating meat again. It may be delicious, but since my first day as a vegetarian I have not once felt tempted to eat meat. There have been occasions when I wanted to eat the food in front of me and wished that it did not contain meat, but I have never had a craving for a steak, hamburger or even a chicken sandwich. When I see meat I see dead animal, and when I see a dead animal I see a live one. It's a personal decision, and one that I feel very strongly about. I respect your decision to eat animals. Just don't ask me to explain why I won't share your Thanksgiving turkey with you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-57729872664920842812009-05-06T18:11:00.005-04:002009-05-06T18:37:41.354-04:00If you love someone, keep them close!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW23YL_UdfCDeMJRwIPxzXJOTb3-xdaS0yZ-aEfpVFDs0Vc3qP06QaZQm-9GNvg0ZDofT5flwOmOxOfU4nNz2xgdIdzRQl_xfKxODDpagQuUIN4cHORNjabs-7ewcQG48g389uKE8V8CM/s1600-h/IMG_0127.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW23YL_UdfCDeMJRwIPxzXJOTb3-xdaS0yZ-aEfpVFDs0Vc3qP06QaZQm-9GNvg0ZDofT5flwOmOxOfU4nNz2xgdIdzRQl_xfKxODDpagQuUIN4cHORNjabs-7ewcQG48g389uKE8V8CM/s320/IMG_0127.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332837693297893586" border="0" /></a>I love my dogs. Really I do. I love them like people. They are my family, my children, my friends. They make me happy when I'm depressed, and when I've had a bad day, they are always ready to cheer me up. I consider it my duty - maybe even my biggest duty - to make them happy. They have little choice but to be with me. They can't eat unless I feed them, they can't drink unless I provide water - I give them toys and take them for walks and play with them. They don't know it, of course, so they can't possibly appreciate it, and that's okay. A large part of their charm is the simple, single-minded and myopic view of the world that they necessarily have. They aren't self-conscious, they don't get embarrassed, they don't willingly do anything that they don't want to do. Their natural honesty is very refreshing.<br /><br />I was on my way to the post office today and I saw a pair of dogs running down the street. Since it had just rained, it was difficult to tell if they had been 'free' for long. They had collars on, so I tried to catch them and call the owner. The thought of Lux and Julian getting loose terrifies and saddens me, so I was extremely interested in reuniting these dogs with their owner. Not to drag out a boring story, I was unable to catch them. They ran away from me every time I approached <span style="font-style: italic;">(I was very friendly, not running after them, stooping low to make myself less intimidating)</span>. I don't think they were frightened, but were disinterested. They were having too much fun. I pursued them for about ten minutes by foot and by car with no luck. I truly hope that they find their way home.<br /><br />Obviously the runaways made me think of my dogs. One of the disadvantages of whippets (Lux) and greyhounds (Julian) is that they are the sorts of breeds that should never, <span style="font-style: italic;">never </span>be off leash when outdoors. They wouldn't run away because they wanted to leave us, but they most certainly would love to explore. The two dogs I chased today did not look frightened or even very focused. They were just having a good time roaming the world <span style="font-style: italic;">(I anthropomorphize to a fault). </span>So I guess it is not a terrible thing to have an extra incentive to keep my dogs close. All the same, it is tempting to let them run and play with the off leash dogs in our apartment complex lawn. But whenever I get that urge, I just remember the runaway dogs I've seen and my imagination runs purple with tragedy.<br /><br />Keep your four-legged friends on leash!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-4870159553356528012009-05-04T17:11:00.003-04:002009-05-04T17:42:54.116-04:00indecisionMy kitchen knives are dull. They are embarrassingly, frustratingly dull. Not to mention that they are a jumbled combination of at least three different sets, each of lesser quality than the first. The obvious solution is to buy a new set. That sounds easy and straightforward enough and I have tried to go out and buy a new set on several occasions but was stalled each time by my own inability to make choices. I'll try to trace my line of thinking: <span style="font-style: italic;">I want to get a high-quality cutlery set. There's really no excuse to have cheap and dull knives. But since I'm a vegetarian and don't eat meat, I don't really need a crazy-sharp set of knives. I also don't really need a set with steak knives. In fact, I only really need an 8" chef knife, a serrated bread knife, a paring knife, a few utility knives and a sharpening steel. But I really like those new hollow-edged Santoku knives that are showing up in newer sets. And all I really need is stamped steel - I can still sharpen it forever - but why not get a high-carbon set? Since I'm in my early thirties, there's a chance (a good chance, in fact) that the cutlery set I buy might be the last set I ever need. I'm old enough and responsible enough to take good care of them and they could last my lifetime. In that case, why is my price limit only $150? But in the end it doesn't really matter if I get a Wusthof, Calphalon or J.A. Henckels set - Chicago Cutlery and Kitchen-Aid are perfectly legitimate and cost half the price. </span>It is at this point that I give up, put back all the boxes of knives that I've been agonizing over for thirty minutes and resolve to get a set online.<br /><br />This has happened multiple times and, until I come to my senses, will continue to happen. I blame the internet! If there weren't so many choices, if there wasn't the illusion of The Perfect Cutlery Set For Me I might have picked up a perfectly adequate set of knives that would have sliced my tomatoes, cheese, bread, limes and carrots with ease and might even last for the next twenty years. Choices, variety and versatility are fantastic features of our new information age, but they can be paralyzing to someone who does not know what he wants.<br /><br />The very same thing is happening to me over GPS receivers. I over think the problem and make it a far bigger ordeal than it should be. I used to be able to relax and make decisions. Part of that was because I was buying cheap, mostly disposable things. But now the thought of permanence looms over every decision I make. Sure I might like that cutlery set now, but what if I regret it later?<br /><br />Clearly the problem is mine alone. I need to stop being such an indecisive little wimp and make a choice now and then. Until then, does anyone have any recommendations for cutlery?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-11671243139291407742008-10-05T09:42:00.003-04:002008-10-05T10:07:38.701-04:00Their skin keeps me warmAs the weather has been cooling and I started to dig through my closets and boxes <span style="font-style: italic;">(not everything is unpacked yet or put where it should go)</span>, I found a beautiful leather jacket. I got this jacket last year, about two weeks before it was too warm to wear it any more and just a few months before I became a vegetarian. So now I have this dilemma - I am a vegetarian largely for moral reasons, but I have clothes made of meat.<br /><br />I am not going to throw away my jacket, belts, watch bands, wallets and shoes just because they were obtained cruelly. In addition to being impractical and absurd, it would also make their death, however horrible, even more worthless. I'm not a big 'honor their memory' kind of guy, but it seems that it would be awful for nothing good to come out of a terrifying death. In the future, though, I <span style="font-style: italic;">am </span>planning to be more careful about what I buy. I was not aware how deeply this had seeped into my mind until I was out shopping last weekend<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>and I was looking at gloves. Nearly all of them were proudly made of doeskin or lambskin or some other less-than-happy animal.<br /><br />So now begins the process of finding clothes that does not involve skin. It isn't too hard for the most part - cotton is the fabric of our lives, after all - but belts, wallets, shoes... these things are mostly made up of leather. And at the end of the day, I am pretty lazy. I know that so-called cruelty-free products are available, but they are often hard to find and inferior. I may have to concede a few points here. Because if I am worried about leather, then I should also be worried about child labor and sweatshops. And once I start to wonder how Old Navy can sell a T-shirt that was made in Vietnam <span style="font-style: italic;">(then freighted over here - don't forget the shipping!)</span> for $7 and still <span style="font-style: italic;">(presumably) </span>make a profit, then it's all downhill. I will paralyze myself and again open myself up to the suffering of the world that nearly crushed me last weekend at the museum, except in this case the problem is human greed and not the simple demands that Life makes on itself. Some things, like eating meat and buying leather jackets and fur coats, are easy enough to avoid. For everything else, there's Master Card.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-29447764611739057832008-09-29T10:31:00.004-04:002008-09-29T11:37:16.943-04:00A trip to the musemOn our way to the <a href="http://naturalsciences.org/">North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences</a> yesterday we drove past a dog running around in the median. He <span style="font-style: italic;">(I am as guilty as anyone with my dog gender bias - dogs are male until proven otherwise. I apologize - it's really nothing but a shorthand)</span> did not appear to be hurt, but looked frightened, looking for a way to get out of the center of the road without getting hit. There was not an immediate place for us to turn around, but by the time we had made it back, the dog had either been picked up or escaped the road on his own. So although it was a happy ending, it left me shaken - I could not help but imagine the poor dog's terror. I anthropomorphize, I know. But imagined or real, the dog's fear stayed with me. And I started to think about animals in slaughterhouses and the fear that they must feel at the noises, smells and machinery around them, even if they have no idea what their eventual end is going to be. And although I know it does not actually solve the problem, I am glad to be vegetarian. In fact, there are few life changes that I have been so confident and happy about. I only regret that I did not make that decision earlier.<br /><br />And then we arrived at the museum. I have to say, the museum is quite spectacular. It is beautiful and full of very interesting and arresting specimens. There are whale skeletons and stuffed local fauna, as well as live snakes, lizards and bugs. There is a fantastic butterfly room where it is all but impossible to avoid touching the butterflies that swirl and flutter through the air. There is a sloth <span style="font-style: italic;">(predictably immobile and hidden) </span>and hummingbirds which we also did not see. And there is a large collection of dinosaur fossils, all of which are locally found, including the only fossil ever found with a <span style="font-style: italic;">(possibly) </span>fossilized heart. I was entertained, I was educated, but mostly I was shaken.<br /><br />It was a very emotional experience. Nature frightens me and shocks me with its brutality. The phenomenal Discovery Channel/ BBC film <a href="http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/planet-earth/planet-earth.html">Planet Earth</a> was one of the most emotionally draining films because of the violence and grimness of life. Of course there is beauty, but beauty is never the point of nature - survival is the point, and survival is ugly. I remember the segment about a starving polar bear who failed to catch seals and would most likely starve to death. Our social conventions tend to sympathize with the prey, but when an antelope escapes with its life, it often escapes with the life of the predator as well. Life is hard, and no creature is more or less deserving of life than the next. The more I think about this, the more I see the circle of life displayed in dioramas, the more I see the food chain illustrated with stuffed specimens, the more crushing the whole experience becomes.<br /><br />I want to be clear: I am not passing any kind of judgment on the viciousness of nature. It is just life, plain and simple. In fact, the more I wandered the museum, I felt more and more aware of life, and life became a single all-encompassing item. The death of a penguin and the life of an Orca were essentially equal. And suddenly - I think it was on the third floor of the museum - I was overwhelmed with the strength and fragility of life. I was both honored and ashamed to be a part of it. There is a line that the insufferable Christian apologist Dinesh D'Souza has often cited - clearly he is proud of his witticism - <span style="font-style: italic;">(I paraphrase)</span> "why should we honor animal rights when animals themselves do not honor animal rights?" In a way this is true. Animals have no sense of justice or fairness in regards to other species - they are only concerned with survival. A lion or hyena feels - rightly - justified in eating a gazelle. This gazelle is also justified in denying the predator their meal. No matter the outcome of the chase, something is going to die.<br /><br />I have recently finished reading Bart Ehrman's excellent book <span style="font-style: italic;">God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question - Why We Suffer</span>. I highly recommend the book, and I do not think I am giving anything away when I say that Ehrman considers the problem of human suffering to be a major obstacle for the existence of god. War, famine, genocide and disease all contribute to the suffering of humans - in the time it took you to read this essay, dozens of children have died of starvation, hundreds more of other causes. Human suffering is real and ever present, but it is only the tip of the iceberg.<br /><br />So what is the solution? There isn't one. I can close my eyes. I can shutter my mind against suffering. We watched a movie a few years ago called <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0756729/"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Year of the Dog</span></a> which explores a reaction to exposure to suffering. The movie was unsatisfying because there was no real answer; even the lead character ended up just joining a PETA-type group and traveling around the country in a bus to participate in protests. There were numerous heartbreaking scenes in the movie, including a sequence where she goes to the pound and adopts all of the dogs on 'death row' - about a dozen dogs. While that provided a bit of comedy, it was very, very real and I felt a little bit of helplessness. I sympathized with her - I imagine most of us do - because we all want to end suffering and death but there is just too much for any of us to handle. There is too much for all of us to handle. And to fret about suffering is dangerous - it's a slippery slope and can easily lead to crushing depression.<br /><br />The trick, I suppose, is to learn just how much awareness you can handle. Some people can handle a lot. Some people can handle very little. It's easy to take on more than you can handle, but if you do, you are on a dangerous road. How did I handle it? I was extremely anxious to get home to our dogs. If I do my job right, then at least these two animals will experience minimal fear, hunger and suffering.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-47505200461575491612008-07-09T14:07:00.004-04:002008-07-09T14:14:19.176-04:00Animals are my friendsI have been so busy with the move that I didn't even notice, but I have been a vegetarian for over two months now! I have cheated a bit, and I am still on the fence... fish is the sticking point for me. I have yet to figure out why fish seem to be okay to eat by many vegetarians. Perhaps it only applies to the healthy vegetarians <em>(that is, those who take their vegetarianism from a health perspective) </em>and not to moral vegetarians.<br /><br />Nevertheless, as a moral vegetarian <em>(65% moral / 35% health) </em>I am still not sure about what to do with fish. A part of me says that it is probably okay, but another rejects that because of the fairly obvious hypocracy of that position. And then another part says that, while it may be wrong <em>(in my view) </em>to eat fish, it is okay to do it every now and then. This isn't a religion, after all. Maybe the occasional slip up is necessary to keep me from being too self-righteous. And if I have to slip, what healthier way than with the occasional sushi roll?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-31022977800483997102008-07-09T13:14:00.001-04:002008-07-09T13:17:23.361-04:00What's wrong with what we eat<!--cut and paste--><object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0" width="432" height="285" id="VE_Player" align="middle"><param name="movie" value="http://static.videoegg.com/ted2/flash/loader.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="bgColor=FFFFFF&file=http://static.videoegg.com/ted/movies/MarkBittman_2007P_high.flv&autoPlay=false&fullscreenURL=http://static.videoegg.com/ted/flash/fullscreen.html&forcePlay=false&logo=&allowFullscreen=true"><param name="quality" value="high"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"><param name="scale" value="noscale"><param name="wmode" value="window"><embed src="http://static.videoegg.com/ted2/flash/loader.swf" flashvars="bgColor=FFFFFF&file=http://static.videoegg.com/ted/movies/MarkBittman_2007P_high.flv&autoPlay=false&fullscreenURL=http://static.videoegg.com/ted/flash/fullscreen.html&forcePlay=false&logo=&allowFullscreen=true" quality="high" allowscriptaccess="always" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" scale="noscale" wmode="window" width="432" height="285" name="VE_Player" align="middle" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></object><br /><br />I love <a href="http://www.ted.com/">Ted</a>!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-561991998056097232008-07-02T21:25:00.002-04:002008-07-02T21:31:19.707-04:00Right to monkey lifeSpain has <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSL256586320080625?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0">drafted a surprising new law:</a> apes have rights to life and freedom. It may well be true that this will lead to silliness and hypocrisy <span style="font-style: italic;">(why not extend this right to pigs and cattle?)</span>, but it is a fantastic and fascinating step.<br /><br />This may be a landmark event, something that children will study 100 years from now in their history textbooks: the first ever legislation granting rights to animals other than humans.<br /><br />Bravo Spain!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-87619671865924809312008-06-19T16:01:00.003-04:002008-06-19T16:50:26.116-04:00What I leave behindWe have been extremely involved in our upcoming move north. It is all very exciting - not only do we get the usual fun benefits of moving <span style="font-style: italic;">(new route to work, new sights, new grocery stores, etc) </span>but we also get an entirely new set of perks. We have an entirely new city, new state, new region to explore. There is new flora, new fauna, new weather. We have new landscapes and new restaurants to eat at and new museums to see.<br /><br />But all of this comes with a price; we are going to miss Orlando. We have always thought that we would eventually leave Orlando, maybe even leave Florida, but now that we're faced with actually moving, and moving so soon, I am already starting to feel sad.<br /><br />For one thing, I will miss the extreme convenience of theme parks. I <span style="font-style: italic;">won't </span>necessarily miss the heavy loads of tourists, but I never really minded them all that much. Now that I have less than four weeks left in the state I grew up in, I want to make a mad rush and see all the things that I won't see again, or see soon anyway. Disney, for example; we've wanted to go for a while, but just haven't gotten around to it. Now, if we have time to see anything, it'll be only one park. We may not even get a chance to see it at all. Universal too, although I'll miss that place far less. I'd love to see Kennedy Space Center too, but that looks unlikely.<br /><br />I'm making a list of the places that I'll miss when we move to Raleigh <span style="font-style: italic;">(in no particular order)</span>.<br /><ul><li>Austin's Coffee</li><li>Infusion Tea</li><li>Einstein Brothers Bagels</li><li>Park Ave CDs</li><li>Downtown Disney, including the Virgin Megastore</li><li>The Woodlands restaurant</li><li>The Social</li><li>The Red Fox Lounge</li><li>Fuji Sushi</li><li>Publix</li><li>The House of Blues</li><li>The Orange County Public Library</li><li>The Winter Park Library</li><li>The Enzian<br /></li><li>Orangetree Antiques</li><li>Ron Jon<br /></li><li>IKEA</li><li>The beach<br /></li><li>Winter Park Art Festival</li><li>Leu Gardens</li><li>WPRK<br /></li></ul>Some of these things we rarely used. I felt good just knowing that they were there. And I know that Raleigh is hardly Mayberry. There will be plenty <span style="font-style: italic;">(if not more) </span>exciting and interesting restaurants and shopping and museums. But I am still going to miss Orlando. I grew up just an hour away and have lived my entire adult life here. It will be sad to leave it all behind.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-11945071530236651642008-06-15T20:06:00.001-04:002008-12-11T09:56:38.542-05:00Dogs at a partyThese are our dogs. Aren't they just great?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqqI7l6phDEFqpN1AAFQ3URgkbYenzBvxAwLkB2EoRtuiuyOFfagsinNSbp1ZtALoYjM1W09e67A12EwItgkqe989sFaNbH_7twb4CRnsVtLWDTOdxv4ffthxSalZTt0d4EOGrdigVKM/s1600-h/DSCF2079.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; clear: both; float: left;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivqqI7l6phDEFqpN1AAFQ3URgkbYenzBvxAwLkB2EoRtuiuyOFfagsinNSbp1ZtALoYjM1W09e67A12EwItgkqe989sFaNbH_7twb4CRnsVtLWDTOdxv4ffthxSalZTt0d4EOGrdigVKM/s400/DSCF2079.JPG" border="0" /></a><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-86206461149174740012008-05-07T08:20:00.003-04:002008-05-07T08:41:20.766-04:00I love summer<span style="font-family: verdana;">I <span style="font-style: italic;">love </span>summertime. I know I am not alone, because summer is a very popular season. It is the time of plenty, the time when food is abundant. I would invoke our primal past and say that summer reminds us of times when we did not have to fear starvation or death from freezing. But that's unnecessary, because summer is <span style="font-style: italic;">still </span>fantastic. Summer is still the time when we play.<br /><br />True, life does not stop, work must still be done and danger is far from absent. Here in Florida we have hurricanes, for one thing, and a seemingly endless drought condition that makes wildfires a constant worry. Also, since this is Florida, the summer is when the heat becomes almost unbearable. During the "Autumn," "Winter" and "Spring" months, the temperature relaxes and we can play comfortably outside. Now, for example, it is May, which is really spring. It won't be summer for another month and a half. Temperatures are supposed to be in the mid-nineties today. I'd blame global warming, but I doubt if that is really the issue. The issue is that this is Florida.<br /><br />And I love it! I love the heat! I can't wait until June, July and August, when the air really heats up. I love everything about the summer. I love the smell of tar from freshly paved parking lots, chlorine from pools, sunscreen, pina coladas, margaritas and cold plums that drip all over your chin and fingers when you eat them. I love the beach, although I rarely ever go. I love warm mornings and warm evenings. Although it is uncomfortable, there is something wonderful about it.<br /><br />For a long time, I felt like a fool for living in Florida all of my life. Some people get up and see the world, they move all around, living the Bohemian life. I admire that. And I still see the value of moving and travel and seeing the world. I do regret that I have not had <span style="font-style: italic;">(or taken)</span> those opportunities. And yet, for the past few years, I find that I don't even want to move. Sure, I would love to live in a place with more culture than Orlando has to offer. I would love to live in San Francisco or Seattle or New York. But at the same time, I would <span style="font-style: italic;">miss </span>Florida.<br /><br />So I am happy to be here. I think I'd like to move eventually, perhaps find a place in Florida that does actually appreciate art and culture, but for now, I am perfectly content to live in the Sunshine State.<br /><br />I just need to get the AC in my car fixed.<br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-77840407730892569292008-04-30T20:24:00.005-04:002008-05-12T19:01:14.967-04:00Hold the Turkey<span style="font-family:Verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Two days on, I have come to the conclusion that there is no need to make exceptions for poultry. An animal is an animal. If you see me around town with a chicken sandwich in my hand, feel free to throw a stone at my head. Not to kill me - I'm not the god of the Bible, advocating stoning - but to remind me.<br /><br />Sure it's a restrictive diet. Sure I'll have to make sacrifices <span style="font-style: italic;">(pardon the expression)</span> to stick to it, but there is no reason that an animal should have to give up its life - the only thing it actually has - just so I can have a slightly tastier sandwich.<br /><br />I know that simply abstaining from the food will not bring those animals back to life, or even slow down the slaughter - that's a technical term, by the way, and not hyperbole. Nevertheless, it's important to me that I keep away from meat now. I'll have to deal with the problem of eggs and milk products separately. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them, but even if I buy free-range eggs and use soy milk, there's still butter and cream and cake and bread and pasta and a whole list of commonly used items that I would have to watch.<br /><br />It seems absurd from a practical point of view, but logically and morally... it almost seems to be the only option.<br /></span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1303304997109360003.post-79884518075442667712008-04-29T10:28:00.006-04:002008-04-30T20:23:56.015-04:00Cold Turkey<span style="font-family:Verdana;">For the past year or so, my wife and I have been part-time vegetarians. We liked the <em>idea </em>of being vegetarian, but the practice seemed daunting. We are both fans of food in general, and I love to cook. We did not like the thought of cutting meat out of our diet altogether. Our solution was to be vegetarian for one week out of every month. That's essentially a quarter of the year to be strictly vegetarian, and numerous other times when we just do not eat meat for other reasons. We aren't rapacious carnivores, and usually just like the occasional chicken sandwich and pepperoni pizza. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">This bit of discipline worked well enough, but I could not give any reason for why we did it. If there were a specific reason <em>(either moral or health-related)</em> then that reason should have been good enough to keep us on it all year long. What it <em>did </em>do was to ease me into the idea of going full time with it. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">I've been mulling this over for several weeks now, and I am embarrassed to say that I have not yet come to a conclusion. Although there is compelling evidence that shows vegetarians are healthier, there is also compelling evidence to the contrary. As with most things, moderation seems to be the key. Therefore, the best, healthiest diet would be one which contained <em>some </em>meat, but not very much, and more vegetables and grains. 'Balanced' does not mean 'half meat.'</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">And yet that fails to satisfy me. As I mentioned earlier, we are not gluttons or overeaters, so there seems to be little health benefit to me. The issue, therefore, falls squarely in the moral arena. I am not a believer in moral absolutes, so I would not say anything like 'death is bad,' or even 'meat is murder.' Obviously many animals are carnivores and survive on the flesh of others. It would be cruel, in fact, to take that from them - I have met some dog owners who, as vegetarians, also fed their dog a vegetarian diet. Dogs are not built to survive on apples and carrots. Meat is a necessity for them.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Humans can comfortably eat meat and vegetables. We clearly got to where we are by eating meat, hunting and killing like any other predator. So to say that we are not <em>supposed </em>to eat meat is a false argument. But just because we <em>can </em>eat meat that does not mean that we <em>should.</em> Technology has advanced to such a degree that we can live perfectly normal, healthy lives and never eat a scrap of meat again.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">But I am not willing to do that yet. I am not willing to give up meat. I want to, I really do, but it is a very slippery slope once you start getting into the field of animal cruelty. Sure, it's easy to see how eating beef or pork contributes to generally miserable living conditions and brutal, cruel deaths for these animals. But then, to avoid hypocracy, you have to abstain from milk and egg products too. Milking cows may not be slaughtered, but their fate may be worse, living simply to eat and produce milk. And then avoiding these items becomes a full-time job. You have to avoid products that were tested on animals at any point in their creation, you have to avoid leather and pasta and pancakes!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Maybe that <em>is </em>the truly moral thing to do. I don't know. I do have a lot of respect for those people who make the effort, but I do not have the determination to do it myself.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">We watched Richard Linklater's <em>Fast Food Nation </em>last night. No matter where you stand on the issue, this film will make you less inclined to eat meat. It may not turn you into a vegetarian, and it may not turn you into an activist, but it confronts you with an issue that you have to deal with in some way.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">I dealt with it by cutting beef and pork from my diet, effective immediately. I will continue to eat chicken, turkey and fish in small quantities with the eventual goal of drifting off of flesh entirely. I have no designs to become a vegan. I am aware of the inherant hypocracy of this position. I have a leather wallet, I have a leather jacket, leather shoes and belts. I will continue to buy those things. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;">Why would I continue to eat birds and fish? I have no moral justification for this distinction. I simply do not want to fail. If I cut all meats out of my diet suddenly, if I go cold turkey, then I might have a relapse, I might give up in frustration. This way I can work my way toward this goal. I hope to be poultry-free by next year. We shall see.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></span></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08866772657939595834noreply@blogger.com1