I have watched three very human films over the last several weeks: Into the Wild (2007), The Road (2009), and Che (2008) Parts 1 and 2 — in that order. I found Into the Wild both inspiring and depressing. I am still processing (or trying not to think about) The Road, which was quite challenging to watch. Part 2 of Che, which I watched most recently, left me feeling quite depressed. My initial thoughts revolved around a personal need to have something more than trying to reduce the suffering and untold destruction our species is imposing on all other species and the planet. I described each fil…

After giving away most of my material possessions, saying good bye to family and friends, and moving to the other side of the this planet1 I am in place (in the broad sense) to consider fostering (possibly adopting) a cat from a shelter. I am still trying to get my head around/resolve some concerns and a moral conundrum. In reflecting on these, I share some concerns that the words of others have helped me to gain perspective on — to a point which I feel I can make an informed decision. I am opposed to the notion of a ‘pet’, of animals being chattel property. That we can walk into a store and b…

Today, I came across a blog for the first time, and wanted to share the first post I read from it. There is an effective use of analogy to comment on some key issues for activists and society to reflect on (I have not included embedded video, links or footnotes)’ vegina | when we fight we let them win “Fox pens” are outdoor enclosures that imprison foxes and coyotes, originally captured with leg hold traps, for the sake of hunters training dogs by setting a pack of dogs on one coyote or fox. Hunters often bet on whether the pack of dogs will catch (and maybe kill) the coyo…

Yesterday was an interesting day for me. I spent most of it outside in the heat of a very hot day, which took a toll. This compounded a far from as fruitful search as wanted that I had embarked on. Repeated misrepresentations, seemingly deliberate purveyance of misinformation, and the frustration that ensued made for a challenging day. I returned to St Kitts that evening—a place I had only known for the last couple weeks—and experienced what I can only describe as a somewhat surprising sense of relief. The moment, in itself, picked up my spirits, though it was what came to follow soon after th…