May 1st
Happy May Day! For those of you lost, May Day is a celebration that originates from two different places… Most recently from celebrations similar to U.S. Labor Day, and often referred to as Labour Day or International Workers’ Day in other countries. In the U.S., it originally commemorated the beginning of a standard 8-hour work day (as opposed to much longer) that was secured by a combination of unions and other labor-related groups. It originally was tied to remembrance of the Haymarket Affair, a police riot in Chicago during a strike in which several protesters were shot or later executed. The federal government instituted the holiday to draw attention away from the traditional celebrations tied to labor movements. It’s also a group of traditional festivals from Celtic and Germanic cultures dating to pre-Christian ceremonies surrounding Beltane. The focus of those celebrations is in early May, and varies with the most important day occurring May 5-7. Some groups have heavily secularized the holiday, and others celebrate it as a religious tradition. This is where the May Pole originates.
Saturday ~ May 1, 2010 by b
Animals in Idaho
There are a couple of issues brewing in Idaho over animal rights. Cockfighting and derailing the opposition. First, Idaho has finally joined 40 other states in declaring cockfighting a felony. Yes, seriously, it was a misdemeanor and still is in some states. Idaho is not exactly on the forefront of animal rights legislation. OK, yay and go Idaho for passing important legislation, nonetheless. Second, a state Senator is proposing a bill to maneuver around potential backlash to bring chicken farms into the state. HSUS was specifically declared as the primary “radical animal rights group” for its opposition. An advisory board on animal welfare has been formed. The board was not formed as a compromise or with the support of HSUS, and they do not consider it to represent their interests. I can’t say I blame them. Even though HSUS helped draft another part of the bill, they will not be welcome. In fact, many of the “animal welfare” groups listed are effectively unions and PACs for cattle farmers. No other groups have advocated in favor of animal welfare on a scale as large as HSUS in Idaho. The board is usually presented by Idaho lawmakers as a step to preempt animal welfare groups by “proving” that Idaho is handling any animal cruelty, and appease anyone who might otherwise listen to them. Such boards are now commonly fought in other states as the existing opposition to animal welfare, and are generally considered a backward step among animal advocates. When one accuses a group of a crime, the alleged criminals do not belong on the jury. HSUS is the organization that runs advertisements telling people not to abuse their animals, in the most common definition of abuse. They won acclaim among animal advocates for sending volunteers into NOLA after Katrina to rescue pets caught in the storm’s aftermath. Not exactly a revolutionary group trying to overthrow The Man. Labeling them as such without any clarification or any further description is simply trying to stir up prejudice.
Tuesday ~ March 2, 2010 by b
Posted in cat,dining,poli,veg | No Comments | blog@goodtofu.org
Haitian quake 2010
So, now seems like the appropriate time to pimp the charities I like best…: MSF / Doctors Without Borders is a perreniel favorite of mine. Doctors to anywhere in the world (like Gaza and Afghanistan) for emergency care. The American Red Cross. Not my favorite for a variety of reasons, but they do a very large job well. Text 90999 with the single word “Haiti” to make a $10 donation directly from your cell phone, repeatable up to 3 times. It’s apparently really legit. Several groups have banded together under an umbrella organization named the Animal Relief Coalition of Haiti (ARCH). Those groups include: HSUS and HSI (the international counterpart), ASPCA, WSPA, American Humane, and Best Friends. Prior to the quake there was no infrastructure in the country for animal rescues, no veterinary care, no shelters, and no local relief groups like an SPCA.
Saturday ~ January 16, 2010 by b
euthanasia and reality
There’s a dust-up about an animal shelter in Toronto that was found to have quite a few mistreated, malnourished animals dying in pain. The shelter happened to be a no-kill shelter in name… but from what I’ve heard, they didn’t follow the well-established policies of no-kill shelters. Clean cages and untreated painful terminal illness have nothing to do with whether the shelter is no-kill and doesn’t kill to control its population. In the U.S., the ASPCA is moving to no-kill shelters everywhere, because they work even better at improving animals lives for a given amount of money. More than not killing to solve shelter overcrowding, it’s an entire set of policies that is labeled “no-kill” by convention. Given the horror cases I’ve heard, even peta (yes, that peta) euthanizes more readily in their shelters than the shelter in Toronto, to stop suffering from terminal conditions. I had a cat who I ordered euthanized. He had congestive heart failure, and would probably have spent several days feeling as if he were drowning, ultimately having a rather painful death while possibly alone. I was prepared to spend what would be reasonably required to make him healthy. It’s not an easy decision for anyone, and points out how humans treat the deaths of other humans differently, including euthanasia. Most people apparently consider the least cruel treatment they can afford, for any treatment a vet can provide. The way which provides the best quality of life. It’s not hard to see why we make the decision to spend money on medical procedures on a pet. When we accept them into human society as pets to be loved, we have an obligation to give them the best life possible. Your obligation to another is identical to that being’s rights. Pets really are creatures adapted to live inside human society. They form feral colonies otherwise, but those aren’t stable or safe in the same way as a pack of wolves or a herd of deer. They actually live much shorter lives on their own outside. A rescue cat brought to the vet seems to be considered a set of (unknown) medical problems that’s just short of an emergency. The cat may simply be too old to survive at 2 years. A house cat’s life outdoors is rough, short, and psychologically damaging. Their ideal social life is among humans, in what would otherwise be unhealthy captivity in an undomesticated species. If you doubt that pets have a personality, a psychological makeup backing the idea… consider that psychiatric medications are routinely tested on dogs to gauge their effectiveness. They’ve evolved to be with us. It is the responsibility and obligation of humans to improve their lives, wherever possible.
The difference in mind between man and the higher animals, great as it is, certainly is one of degree and not of kind. There is no fundamental difference between man and the higher animals in their mental faculties.… The lower animals, like man, manifestly feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery. My condolences if you need to euthanize your own pet. It’s not easy. But if you can muster it up, it’s possibly better to be there. I’ve heard several times that when their caretakers leave, pets continue to look for them.
—Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man
—Charles Darwin
Monday ~ December 7, 2009 by b
progress
I’ve been a vegetarian for more than a decade, and vegan several years. In that time, I’ve seen significant changes to how vegetarianism is perceived. They’ve mostly been good changes. Vegans and vegetarians have much to be thankful for. The reality of modern animal agriculture is sobering, if not disturbing. That reality is not going away, and very few veggies expect it end to anytime soon. But progress is important, regardless of scale. I now have a decent chance of getting an acceptable entree, possibly even highlighted on the menu, at any restaurant without looks as if I’m from Mars. I buy processed food that is semi-reliably labeled “vegan” or “lacto-ovo veg”. I rarely need to explain the basics of veganism, yet new acquaintances are likely to be thoughtfully accommodating. I actually know vegetarians in the flesh, and not by only the cold facts and trolling and hysteria of the interwebs. Years ago, random people occasionally said been wanting to meet a vegan in the flesh, including myself. All of those things have made it far easier to be a vegetarian or vegan, as well as help get rid of the notion that we’re fighting battles in solitude. We’re no longer merely tolerated and tossed in the pile of do-gooders who obviously (yeah, right) have more fortitude or some other mystical force. We have respect, and people listen to us as intelligent peers with a real point that merits consideration. That makes it much easier to be a vegan human, and easy to be thankful that there’s an entire social movement backing us up. A common goal, and mine as well, is just “reduce suffering”. No one’s planning a revolution; we’re just planning lunch. Preventing even one animal from suffering is worthwhile, because they exist and think and feel as individuals, like humans. It’s the same concept that might keep some doctors in hospitals, despite knowing they’ll never finish the job. So we’re aiming for steady change and building solid momentum. If our numbers are growing and continue to grow, we’re doing the job right. We’ve been growing. That success is based on the success carved out by the veggies who preceded us. It is a privilege to contribute, and an honor to have contributed, to a movement that’s making a real, positive change in the world. To everyone who’s been a vegetarian or vegan… thank you.
Friday ~ November 27, 2009 by b
monitors
I have quite a few CRT computer monitors that I’d like to get rid of. Mostly svga, but one might be cga (in case you’re into retro computing). If you’re interested in any – like for that new linux box you’re cobbling together pieces for – one would help stretch the budget. They’re in my dining room, and that just hits my near-OCD bits that compulsively organize and clean, in all kinds of wrong ways. Also, if you have any need for any other computer parts of any sort that are 5+ years old, please let me know and I’ll check. Almost all of it should be compatible with any recent linux distro, especially Fedora. I will be glad to help out while you’re making anything work, but I do not usually do Windows at all. All of the stuff is free.
Wednesday ~ November 25, 2009 by b
Living in Emergency
A documentary about Doctors Without Borders (a.k.a. MSF) in Congo and Liberia.
Tuesday ~ November 17, 2009 by b
Veterans Day 2009
Have a good Veterans Day. Thanks.
Wednesday ~ November 11, 2009 by b
blogging
I recently looked over the list of blogs that I semi-regularly read. Approximately one has been updated in the past month. So, some things I’ve been doing:
Wednesday ~ September 23, 2009 by b
Cherry
My cat Cherry went to her vet earlier this week, so her vet could take a few biopsies of her digestive tract. We already knew she has a disease that would require some sort of treatment, it was simply a matter of which. Her biopsy results have come back, and they are basically good. She has a very treatable condition, basically irritable bowel disease (IBD) possibly resolved with the change in diet I made several weeks ago. Also, the biopsy results rule cancer out, which was a very real concern. Cherry is doing quite well. She’s currently enjoying the fading bits of her last pain meds, which apparently worked wonderfully. For perspective, she’s 1/2 to 2/3 the size of an average adult housecat, and her incision looks to be about 3 inches long. She is healing wonderfully so far, and is basically acting like a somewhat sleepy cat. Currently I’m crossing my fingers that she doesn’t have problems as the painkiller wears off, but even that’s rather unlikely. She’s had no symptoms since she went under, thus the therapeutic biopsy possibly cured her. At least, that’s the joke.
Friday ~ September 4, 2009 by b
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