Last weeks news about the live export investigation didn’t reach me until tonight. There are lots of links to this article on the Internet. But I hadn’t heard about it on my news station. I’ll include three links, because they add more to the article & video.

Exposed: The long, cruel road to the slaughterhouse

See the campaigners’ video as investigation reveals misery of global trade in animals

Article (with link to video): http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/news/exposed-the-long-cruel-road-to-the-slaughterhouse-781364.html>

Same with comments http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/02/13/7030

Care2 gives addresses to some papers that take letters: http://www.care2.com/c2c/groups/disc.html?gpp=16525&pst=1190776&archival=&posts=1Ar

http://yaleglobal.yale.edu/display.article?id=10349 includes introduction:

Ten major animal charities investigated the global trade in livestock, documenting the cruelties that live animals endure on journeys that last thousands of miles, from countries like Australia and Brazil to Europe and the Middle East. ìThousands of animals die en route from disease, heat exhaustion, hunger and stress,î reports Emily Dugan for the Independent. Low transportation costs encourage the global trade, with more than 1 billion live animals being transported each week, but the economics of trade do not take into account the animalsí well being, activists contend. Reasons for the long transports vary: Some ethnic or religious customs require special butchering procedures; in other cases, the companies mislead customers who demand locally raised products. The stress, close quarters and lack of sanitation on such journeys not only terrify the animals, but could also endanger human health. Such investigations shock a modern society that focuses on safety, yet deliberately overlooks the less savory details about the source of its food. ñ YaleGlobal

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Everyone in the US has probably already heard about the largest beef recall in history. But please visit HSUS’ site to learn more, and find out what you can do — including writing to the USDA: http://www.hsus.org/farm/news/ournews/undercover_investigation.html .

This was added 2/24 — a blurb from this week’s CVA e-newsletter:

Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. voluntarily recalled all of its beef produced since Feb. 1, 2006 (143 million lbs.) after The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) released videotapes on Jan. 30 showing workers at the plant using several abusive techniques, including ramming cattle with forklift blades and using a hose to simulate the feeling of drowning, in order to make ‘downer’ cows stand up and pass a pre-slaughter inspection. To read the full article please visit California Packers Makes Largest US Beef Recall

The extent of cruelty inflicted on these cows is unimaginable for most of us, and clearly shows the callousness of the meat industry in order to squeeze as much profit as possible from God’s animals who are treated as mere commodities. This kind of exploitation will not end until compassionate consumers refuse to support the meat industry. Adopting a plant-based diet certainly is an important and effective way to prevent harm and cruelty to God’s animals.

Episcoveg note: And even if adopting a plant based diet doesn’t end this kind of violence, it at least ends one’s personal complicity.

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[Today's post bumped 'Go Vegan for Lent: It's a tradition that we have forgotten, or never heard about' from the home page.]

A lot was going on this past week, and I neglected to even take any time out of my news-watching days to post a blurb to commemorate the victims & families affected by the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre at my daughter’s Alma Mater. One bright spot was coming home yesterday to a fat envelope in my mail box, which included a letter from Ingrid Newkirk, and a copy of her book, Making Kind Choices. Very cool! I look forward to reading it, and will post more after I do. The book is a resource for “everyday ways to enhance your life through earth- and animal-friendly living”.

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Today’s post bumped links to food-related cancer prevention (and vice versa) from the home page.

I feel it is my obligation as a human being to post this link:
Prevention Magazine’s article and list of “The Dirty Dozen”.

Last September, I picked up a different magazine in the local health food store with an article about organic foods, which basically listed the worst fruit & veggies for pesticide retention, and saying that if a person can’t afford to buy organic groceries, they should at least buy the organic versions of “The Dirty Dozen”. Most lists include only fruits and vegetables. But Prevention’s list lists meat, poultry and milk first. And they suggest that if one doesn’t buy the organic versions of “The Dirty Dozen” on their list, a person is better off not eating it at all. As a veg’n, I appreciate that, even though the items at the top of their list are items I would not buy anyway.

What concerned me when I read about “The Dirty Dozen” wasn’t so much the pesticide levels in our food, which I’ve eaten all my life, but when I read the word “neuro-toxins”. That just sounds like something our government should not allow in our food! Why do they think that’s acceptable?

Here are some random thoughts about buying organic food:

For meat eaters who are (more-or-less*) environmentally friendly, or who take the Prevention article to heart for their own health, eating meat from organically raised animals necessitates the raising of lots of organic feed. Since it takes about 15 times more grain to feed livestock, than it takes to feed a vegan, meat-eaters who opt for organic meat can actually force agriculture to clean up their act. (Nevertheless, humanitarians should take note of that, when they are supporting things like the MDG’s — that huge amounts of grain is wasted on livestock, that could be used to feed the world. And of course, environmentalists* should acknowledge that raising livestock contributes more to Climate Change than our total use of fossil fuels — as does the clearing of the rainforests for grazing land. And they should speak out about that, like they do about changing our lightbulbs, driving less, etc. Methane and deforestation are two things related to raising livestock that do more to contribute to Global Warming than we do when we drive our gas-guzzling cars. Does anyone other than the animal people care about that?)

Although it is no consolation to the animals who are ultimately slaughtered for their flesh, at least, I can assume they might be raised in better conditions, if they don’t need to be fed a constant diet of antibiotics, and aren’t fed growth hormones, etc. And if all meat-eaters decided to eat only organic meat, it would 1) shut down the factory farm operations very quickly, and 2) everyone would have to reduce their consumption, because there isn’t enough organic meat to meet current demand as it is. So if people are not willing to give up eating meat, it’s a (somewhat) better choice for their health, the environment, and minimally for the animals, if they will at least to choose organic. Otherwise, they are eating the highest pesticide-retaining foods, along with growth hormones and antibiotics, and may eventually pay the price in some other way.

My recent interest in organic fruits & veggies was stirred up when I read the article about “The Dirty Dozen”. But it isn’t just the pesticides and chemical fertilizers I’d like to avoid. I also want to avoid genetically-modified food. And organic food is the only safe bet, since genetically-modified ingredients don’t need to be listed on the food packages. In other words, we don’t know how much of the food we buy could be genetically-modified. We don’t even know if the seeds we buy for our veggie gardens are genetically-modified, unless we get organic or heritage or heirloom seeds.

So, why pay more for organic food? Because “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” (whether or not one has decent and affordable healthcare insurance).

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Straying off topic, thinking about preventable diseases and our society’s dependence on the medical industry, I was just reminded of the following quote:

“Isn’t man an amazing animal? He kills wildlife - birds, kangaroos, deer, all kinds of cats, coyotes, beavers, groundhogs, mice, foxes, and dingoes - by the millions in order to protect his domestic animals and their feed. Then he kills domestic animals by the billions and eats them. This in turn kills man by the million, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative - and fatal - health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer. So then man tortures and kills millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases. Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals. Meanwhile, some people are dying of sad laughter at the absurdity of man, who kills so easily and so violently, and once a year sends out a card praying for ‘Peace on Earth’.”

– from the preface to Old MacDonald`s Factory Farm, by C. David Coats

(Why does organic food cost more than conventionally-raised food? That’s another whole topic. But one reason has to do with government subsidies, or lack thereof.)

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I realize that when Christians observed a vegan Lent, back before people started looking for loop-holes and all manner of special dispensations, it was for spiritual reasons, and not out of any spirit of mercy or compassion toward “food” animals. But for people who still think of Lent as a season of self-denial, self-examination, a new beginning, etc., why not have an added benefit of knowing one isn’t contributing to the slaughter demand for just a few weeks?

This came to mind in a sort of negative way today, when I checked my site stats, and saw that someone found my site while Googling for “Do Episcopalians give up anything for Lent?” And I have to wonder, because I never hear anything from Episcopalians about giving anything up, and never hear anything like that suggested by church leaders. I hear about them taking something on, instead — often with suggestions about donating to charities that exploit animals, oblivious that they are contributing to the slaughter demand for those same weeks. Why can’t Episcopalians get away from that rut, and suggest humane humanitarian charities? Why can’t our own charity get out of the animal exploitation business? Maybe if Episcopalians were accustomed to observing a vegan Lent, they would realize that it is a healthy diet, and would stop encouraging us to give cows, goats, chickens, etc, whenever the opportunity presents itself.

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UPDATES: Here are two non-veg-related sources I found (and commented on) that mention a vegan Lent:

http://www.episcopalcafe.com/daily/fasting_101.php

http://revjph.blogspot.com/2008/02/madpriests-ash-wednesday-stay-at-home.html

The Archbishop of York is observing a vegan Lent!
(But, that should be the norm, and the expectation, and not the exception that makes the news.)

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“St. Gregory writing to St. Augustine of England laid down the rule,
‘We abstain from flesh meat, and from all things that come from flesh,
as milk, cheese, and eggs.’
This decision was afterwards enshrined in the ‘Corpus Juris’,
and must be regarded as the common law of the Church.”

(Found amid much-relaxed practices at http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09152a.htm
while wondering what the vestigial significance of Shrove Tuesday pancake dinners was all about,
after 35+ years of being an Episcopalian.)

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Click here for pictures I took when I got home, after today’s blizzard.

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Food Journal

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Record day: Today, there were 500 first time visitors to this site (plus maybe 4 returning visitors), with 600 page loads (hits). Not only does that seem like a record, but the numbers are so easy to remember. The two most common searches are for “Lift Every Voice and Sing” and anything pertaining to Episcopal Lent.

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[Today's blurb bumped the Press Release about Bishop Andrus endorsing the California humane farming initiative from the home page.]

Updated 2/10: I’m going to leave the following “mullings” as they are for now. because they give a background to my recent thought processes. But I’ve kind of decided what I want to do for Lent this year. It’s basically an overhaul in my way of life and consumer choices, which may or may not last beyond Lent.

1) On the spiritual side, I joined a listserv, which has many resources that are worth reading. One that particularly interests me, that I’d like to do something with this Lent, is about how to write a Rule of Life. I’m going to try to get back to a more intentional prayer life, among other things.

2) On the dietary side, besides adhering to a vegan diet (other than sugar and whatever beer & wine might be filtered with), I’m trying to trend toward “bulk” food, as opposed to packaged or prepared; organic, especially if I want to buy something from “The Dirty Dozen” list; and using what I have, instead of buying prepared food (including pet food and dog biscuits).

3) On the traditional fasting side, I’ve never really fasted before. I’ve abstained automatically since becoming a veg’n about 8 years ago. But this time, I’m also looking at quantity. There are other things besides food that I should fast from. One thing is spending less time on the computer. I may work on that.

4) On the fast from credit card side, I decided to allocate $100.00 per week for gas, food, and other weekly expenses, and try to live on that, using cash.

5) On the environmental side, I am trying to be conscious of all the plastic we acquire whenever we shop, and bringing my own tote bags or asking for paper bags, buying loose items when available or feasable, buying food in glass or cans instead of food in plastic, when possible. I have put eco-friendly light bulbs in the two lamps by my computer, which I use most often, and also on in my front hallway (so far). And I’m limiting myself to eco-friendly personal care products, detergent, dish soap and other cleaners. I’m still using plastic containers that I have. But I am not buying any more plastic wrap, and I am not buying food in my cafeteria at work, because all they have is plastic & styrofoam for our food. (I already recycle, but I want to get away from adding to the demand for plastic products as much as possible.)

6) On the fasting from consumerism side, besides deciding that I might like to pay cash for things instead of using my credit card (hoping to get out of credit card debt a little faster, and getting used to getting by on less), I’ve decided that I will not buy anything besides the weekly necessities.

7) On the charitable side, I’m not sure. I don’t plan on making any additional donations at this time, but will continue to tilt at windmills, when it comes to people promoting charities that contribute to animal suffering, since there are alternatives that we could support just as easily — whether they are promoting “find a cure” charities, or “give a cow to a poor family” charities. But I’ll have to be charitable about how I try to do that….

I’m going to spend more time with my pets. My dog is noticeably bored, and deserves so much more.

9) I am not planning to give up chocolate! I have some great-tasting Wax Orchard (vegan, natural, and diabetic-friendly) chocolate sauce that recommends eating with a spoon. If I want chocolate, I’ll follow that recommendation, since most good-tasting chocolate is not vegan.

10) Last but not least (as I just noticing my Christmas tree in the front room), like every year, it is my goal to pack away all my Christmas stuff before Easter!

Why am I telling this to the world, instead of keeping it private, like we’re supposed to do? Partly because I’m “thinking out loud” in what feels like the privacy of my living room. And partly because I want to give visitors different ideas of what they might like to do, just as (some of) the Church of England bishops are promoting a Carbon Fast, the NCC is promoting A Lenten Fast from Violence, groups like Restoring Eden and others are advocating a Green Lent, and EGR & ERD are promoting support of the MDG’s. These are things I want or need to do. If anyone else wants to, too, great!

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Original post:

I’ve been thinking about what I want to do for Lent this year.

First, even though I claim to be a vegan, I cheat on desserts and foufou coffees once in a while. So during Lent, I choose to go the whole time without cheating.

Second, I want to get “back to basics”. So I’ll be using Margie’s shampoo, conditioner, liquid soap, detergent, moisturizer & lip balm, (she gives a discount, if people return their plastic bottles) before I use anything that is “organic” but probably contains some chemicals. I have some eco-friendly dish soap and household cleaners, which I’ll use instead of whatever is under the sink and in the cleaning closet.

Third, I hate plastic, but can’t get away from it. (Yeah, sure, I can recycle. But that just goes into more plastic products. And our mounds of plastic will be an eternal testament to human progress — all that is left to remember our species by, hundreds of thousands of years after humans go extinct. I’d rather focus on glass, metal, ceramic, or wood.) I’ll use what I have, but won’t add to it beyond what is necessary. I’ll take my own tote bags when I shop, or will ask for paper instead of plastic. If something like peanut butter or juice or cooking oil, etc., comes in glass jars or bottles, I’ll choose the brands that come in glass. I’ll try to buy bulk fruits and veggies, unless they are from the “Dirty Dozen” list, or unless there is no option but to buy wrapped or packed things like berries or salad greens. I’ll bend for buying the 10 pound bag of carrots for $4.99, for my dog, because I can use the bag for garbage when it’s empty, and can save it until after Easter, if I really don’t want to use even used food bags for garbage. But I plan to make my own granola, and may even try my luck at baking bread. I may stock up on things before Lent, like beans for soups, etc., because they are always in plastic bags. I’ll buy things like pasta or pet food that comes in boxes or cans, so I won’t end up with more plastic containers — or I’ll make dog biscuits, and maybe even kibble. I’ll just see how much I can do in that area. But I won’t buy lunches at work, because all they have is styrofoam and plastic to put the food in. So I’ll have to bring my food to work.

I plan to “compost”. I already throw out my peelings, etc. But because it’s winter, I don’t bury it. It’s there for the squirrels and bunnies.

As for “buying local”, I’ve been boycotting products made in China since the pet food recall. (I’m also boycotting, because of the Pigs of God, and dog bludgeonings I’ve read about.) Besides, most of what I’d be tempted to buy is made out of plastic. So I want food and other things that have been made at least on this hemisphere, if not in this country. And that means I won’t be living on Indian food like I did last year during Lent. But I’ll eat what I have, I just won’t buy more for a while. Other what I need for my mom, or for my pets, I plan not to spend any money at all, except on bills and weekly expenses. I may even stop using my credit card as part of that plastic thing. (But I’m not promising.)

If I order anything from Vegan Essentials, I should do it before Lent, because they tend to wrap things like my favorite Wax Orchards chocolate sauce jars in plastic bubble wrap. You can see that even if I’m vegan, I don’t plan to give up chocolate for Lent!

I should just go shopping between now and Shrove Tuesday, for 6 weeks’ worth of food, and then not shop during Lent. That way, I won’t have to worry if my dried beans or whatever come in plastic bags.

Still thinking about that, and haven’t even gotten to what I might do around the house, or to keep healthy. I should probably limit the time I sit at the computer, so I can take care of those things that I let go.

I almost titled this page “The Pros and Cons of Everything”. It seems that it wouldn’t matter if I use plastic, as long as I recycle it. But trees are renewable. It seems better to buy organic than conventionally raised produce. But ironically, organic tends more likely to be wrapped in plastic, and the organic juices I’ve seen seem to come in plastic bottles. I have to pay “top dollar” to get organic peanut butter in a glass jar. I tend to want to “clean house” during Lent, like tossing stuff from the attic or basement. But if what I want to toss isn’t environmentally friendly (like polyester), I should forget about it untill after Easter. If I need clothes, and want them made in America, or want natural fabric (besides wool), I may have to go to a second hand store, where my purchases of man-made products won’t add to the junk pile or to the people who decide how much of anything they should make.

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Added Shrove Tuesday: As I type on my plastic keyboard….
Well. I’m taking the morning off today, to run a couple of errands before I vote and head toward the next winter storm. I spent a little time going through the plastic in my house, and am wondering what to do with it all. Should I reuse the plastic bags I have? Should I recycle them? Should I save them for the next time I have a yard sale? Should I just store them away until after Lent? I can’t get away from it, except to limit future plastic as much as I can.

As a vegan who wants to avoid wool, what do I do about rugs? My old carpet is from the mid ’60’s. Should I replace it with some sort of polyester material? Should I get the hardwood floor sanded down and coated with polyurethane (plastic), to protect it from my pets? What would I want for any future carpets, rugs, furniture, etc? Will I just keep what I have until I die, and leave it for my kids to “Freecycle” or trash? I’ve decided that I’m pretty much limited to cotton, linen, hemp, or whatever, if I don’t want synthetic or anything made from animals. So, I’ve decided that, although it would be nice to have new stuff someday, the alternative would be to shop at second hand stores, to avoid contributing to demand for more man-made products, and to avoid contributing to the non-biodegradable garbage dumps. (The sad thing about second hand stuff is that I don’t feel like I have anything of “my own” — nothing worth passing along as having any value.) By the way, I found the “no impact man’” blogsite last weekend, which was timely. I’d like to do most of what he did, at least during Lent:
http://noimpactman.typepad.com. I might also like to do what a friend did for a year(?), and not buy anything other than weekly expenses like groceries, etc. (including no non-consumable items.) Here’s her article: http://www.livefreelearnfree.com/13Draper.html . Still wondering what to do, and how to do it…. I just think that humankind, who likes to consider our species to be created in the image of God, should have more to show for ourselves than heaps of plastic shipped back and forth across the ocean, and other toxic and non-biodegradable garbage. And I don’t consider myself an environmentalist.

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(Today’s post bumped information about the Bali conference, articles about meat and Global Warming, and a link to a HSUS Press Release that mentions the Episcopal church from the home page.)

While looking for the site where I ordered my
custom-made ‘Go Vegan for Lent’ car magnet, I found some interesting sites about cancer awareness.

If you have an interest in cancer prevention or cures, check these out. They seem to substantiate things I’ve read elsewhere, and thought at a gut level, only more than I expected.

“Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Think Before You Pink”

Cancer Prevention Coalition

Avoidable Exposures: Consumers

Avoidable Exposures: Patients

Avoidable Exposures: Work and Environment

Avoidable Cancers

“Milk: America’s Health Problem”

The Politics of Cancer, Revisited

Cancer, Inc

They make the chemicals, they run the treatment centers, and they’re still looking for “the cure” ó no wonder they won’t tell you about breast cancer prevention.

Think Before You Pink

Information on Select Cause Marketing Campaigns

Take Action

Ark. Teens Horrified by Rabbit Butchered on Fieldtrip
Students Chose Meat for Dinner at Heifer International
Last Edited: Thursday, 26 Apr 2007, 2:40 PM CDT
Created: Thursday, 26 Apr 2007, 10:58 AM CDT
PERRYVILLE, Ark. (WHBQ FOX13 myfoxmemphis.com) —
Seventh-graders participating in a Heifer International program that recreates living conditions in third-world countries voted to have rabbit for dinner, and some were horrified when the animal was butchered before their eyes.

After students from Kirksey Middle School in Rogers elected to have meat for dinner, a worker in Heifer’s Global Village program broke the animal’s neck, cut off its head and prepared the meat for dinner….

Read it all.

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I also found this: “Heifer Controversy”, which includes a video of the Fox 16 news segment.

Here it is, in case it disappears from Fox’s site:

Heifer Controversy
Last Update: Apr 27, 2007 8:27 PM
Posted By: Jennifer Akers

Meat or no meat? That’s the question thousands of students have to answer when they participate in a program at Heifer International’s Global Village in Perryville. If the students vote for meat, a rabbit gets slaughtered and cooked before their eyes.

Teaching students about what it’s like to live in a third world country, they live in huts, and they want to eat meat they have to kill what they eat. During field trips to Heifer’s Global Village, middle school students are asked if they want meat for dinner, when they vote yes the teacher breaks a rabbits neck, chops its head off, skins it, and cooks it.
Now, we need to tell you, these rabbits on your screen are pet rabbits, not the rabbits Heifer uses which are rabbits grown specifically for meat.

“This is a really good way, connect kids, realities, life in a developing world,” said Ray White. Heifer’s mission is to fight world hunger and poverty. But the educational experience doesn’t come without controversy, a mother e-mails Fox16 stating that when her son was in 5th grade he went to the ranch, and still talks about hearing the rabbit scream when the neck was broken.

She goes on to say that years later, her son is still traumatize from hearing the rabbit. Heifer has been offering the rabbit experience for more than a decade, but tonight, they’ve decided not to offer the experience until they reexamine it fully. “We’re looking at the process, are we informing, well enough, what’s going on, slowing down, do we need to do better notifications,” said Ray White.

But Tamidra Marable who has taken dozens of kids to the Global Village, says Heifer does notify parents and schools, and says the experience is life-changing. Jennifer says:”Would you allow your son to go?” “Certainly, it makes for a well rounded educational experience, other parts of the world in a safe, controlled environment,” said Tamidra Marable.

This is the first time the rabbit killings have been halted due to complaints. In order to go through the rabbit program, Heifer requires that students be at least twelve years old. We should also point out that Heifer is not eliminating the program. It’s just taking a closer look at the parental notification process before it begins offering it again.

My reaction:

What does it really matter if those are “pet” rabbits or “food” rabbits? Do “food” rabbits feel less pain when their necks are broken? Or is it just our perception that some animals should have preferential treatment because they’re perceived as “pets”? Or is it because “pets” have some legal protection from abuse, where “food” animals don’t?

I actually commend Heifer Project for giving the kids a dose of the ugly reality of death, because people should know where their meat comes from, and because their catalog is all warm and fuzzy — like a bunny (and where animal flesh is euphemistically called “protein”).

However, if this form of killing is what they practice, and teach to the recipients of their animals around the world, there needs to be a more humane method of killing that does not cause rabbits to scream when their necks are broken, and the smiling children like those featured in their catalog to become traumatized — or culturally desensitized toward everyday violence against defenseless animals!

And the problem (which our churches contribute to) is much more widespread than what goes on in their Global Village, since we can assume that a couple of rabbits bought by a well-intentioned donor can multiply rapidly into incalcuable rabbit deaths.

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This is the first article I found yesterday. But it was gone today. This article appeared in the “Pine Bluff Commercial”, but is now available as a cached copy on Google. I’m copying it below, because it said that if one student voted against killing the animal, the entire small group would not eat meat. If the kids knew that, it’s too bad for whatever reason, that one didn’t speak up to say “no”. Is that made clear to the small groups when they’re asked if they want meat? Is that something that could be made clear by the school, or in the notifications that are sent to the parents? They should be told that a rabbit will (not might) be killed if none of the group participants will speak up and say “no” they don’t want meat, when the question is asked.

cache

7th-graders face decision: Kill a rabbit or go without meat

Thursday, April 26, 2007 10:48 AM CDT
PERRYVILLE, Ark. - Seventh-graders participating in a Heifer International program that recreates living conditions in third-world countries voted to have rabbit for dinner, and some were horrified when the animal was butchered before their eyes.

After students from Kirksey Middle School in Rogers elected to have meat for dinner, a worker in Heifer’s Global Village program broke the animal’s neck, cut off its head and prepared the meat for dinner.

“If I had known my daughter was going to watch them slaughter a rabbit, she wouldn’t have went,” said Mike Story, whose daughter began crying when asked how the trip had gone. “To her, a rabbit is a pet, so it was like watching a pet die.”

Heifer officials said the challenge _ slaughter a rabbit or go meatless _ has been presented many times before to Rogers students without objections. Two parents complained after their daughters returned home from the two-day trip Tuesday.

Story’s daughter, 13, voted for the killing, as did Shannon Pointer’s daughter.
“Yes, I would have liked to have known ahead of time, so I could have stuffed a few granola bars in her bag,” Pointer said. “But I love Kirksey, and I don’t think they did anything intentional to damage my daughter.”

Heifer International, headquartered in Little Rock, is an anti-poverty and anti-hunger organization. Its Global Village at Perryville offers visitors a chance to stay overnight and have access only to resources common to third-world countries.

Heifer spokesman Ray White said students, divided into small groups, were asked to choose whether or not they would witness the killing of a rabbit in order to have meat for dinner. If one student voted against killing the animal, the entire small group would not eat meat.

The choice is meant to connect students to the reality of where meat comes from, White said.

White said Heifer officials would discuss whether it needs to do more to make sure parents are informed ahead of time.

Beth Carnes, director of the Rogers gifted and talented program, said Wednesday that parents were notifed at a meeting and by mail that a rabbit might be killed at Heifer. It was the eighth year the Rogers school had sent a group to Heifer.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)

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These were brought to my attention in today’s CVA e-newsletter.

COK’s You Tube video “Easter Bunny Eggsposed”

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Dr. Halteman’s Lectures:

The links to the lectures by Dr. Matt Halteman (Wheaton College)

Plenary Lecture (mp3) “Living Toward the Peaceable Kingdom”

Class Lecture (mp3) “Animal Rights & Christian Responsibility”

Lecture notes (pdf) “Compassionate Eating as Care of Creation”

“Animal Rights and Christian Responsibility”

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[Today's post bumped my Lenten Food Journal from the home page.]

Make your custom magnet at SupportOurRibbons.com

Nugget from: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09152a.htm

“St. Gregory writing to St. Augustine of England laid down the rule,
‘We abstain from flesh meat, and from all things
that come from flesh, as milk, cheese, and eggs.’
This decision was afterwards enshrined in the ‘Corpus Juris’,
and must be regarded as the common law of the Church.”

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Today’s post bumped links to on-line vegan cookbooks and my alternative ideas for a more-humane-than-usual Lent (for those who can’t or won’t give up meat for 6 weeks) from the home page.