Kicking off the month of may with a list of articles, photos and talks well worth reading, seeing and listening to. Some are absolutely aweinspiring, thoughtprovoking, tear-inducing and brilliant. Some are simply good tips or full of awwness.
And yes today was the day I spotted the 2014 king's meadow lilies (fritillaria) in the garden - I think the magic field is some weeks behind in bloom yet.
:: Sun kissed cat photos - because there can never be too many cat photos, right? Right.
:: This is a great TED-talk about how to create a more compassionate, humane, responsible and environmentally sustainable world, about leather and meat without causing pain to sentient beings. Clearly one doesn't need to eat meat nor using leather at all, though that is a discussion on its own.
Andras Forgacs - Leather and meat without killing animals
:: Meet the hidden players, the international facilitators, the banking system, shell companies and our politicians behind global corruption in one of anti-corruption activist Charmaine Gooch great TED-talks - here
:: A cat's guide to loving a human - us cat-owners can really relate to this...
:: A fine and thoughtprovoking review of the movie Specieism. In which the quote from Jewish writer Isaac Bashevis Singer's book The Letter Writer sadly rings truer than ever "In relation to [animals], all people are Nazis; for the animals, it is an eternal Treblinka."
And just like for him I have to say that vegetarianism is my religion. If I was ever to say I had any.
:: First sunshine for 752 rescued battery hens - all hens and chicken deserve this. "To be loved for who you are, not for what you can produce."
:: You're not an environmentalist if you eat meat. Simple as that.
I'm an ethical vegetarian, I chose compassion and kindness, but I know the dairy industry is a big part of abusing, misusing and in the end slaughtering animals and also having a devastating impact on our environment, thus I keep my dairy intake to very small amounts. And only when there's no better option (not containing palm oil).
:: Absolutely fascinating movie clip about the lion whisperer Kevin Richardson and his interactions with wild lions and hyenas. Inspiring, heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once.
:: If you, like me, somewhere along the way have lost your reading mojo, perhaps some of these 55 great books under 200 pages can get you back on track with literature? What's your favourite short read?
:: Stop being busy - change your life to the better in two steps. It could be that simple. If we just let it be.
I love those Chessboard flowers - they're so unusual. I've been eyeing bulbs for a related flower called Kaiser's crown (Fritillaria imperialis) which is a striking orange version of this one.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about being an ethical vegetarian. It's so hard to know what to do, as trying to choose vegan options often leads down the slippery slope to palm oil and the environmental catastrophe that brings. But I try.
I don't think I've ever lost my reading mojo and can't imagine going a day without reading. Most of the books I've recently read are longer ones, but one shorter one that I did enjoy was "The Butterfly Lady" by Danny M. Hoey Jr. which deals with someone trying to survive in the world ready to judge because he's black, gay, and male. It's both heartbreaking and thought provoking.