#peaceful protest
On November 1st, neuroscientist Lori Marino, who has a PhD in biopsychology, testified before Justice David Harris at the Pigtrial.
Marino discussed the cognitive and emotional abilities, and the behavior, of pigs.
“Pigs usually form social groups of several females and their offspring” — but can’t do that in a factory farm setting, said Marino, who has testified about a half-dozen times in the U.S. as an expert in animal psychology, but never before in Canada.
“Pigs certainly have personalities,” she said, noting they exhibit human traits such as curiosity, shyness and bullying.
“They have a sense of themselves in terms of a social community. Pigs and dogs are very similar in terms of sociability.
“They (pigs) seem to have the ability to tell time, and (exhibit) negative anticipatory behaviours when they have to go into confinement for a long time,” said Marino, executive director of the U.S.-based The Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy.
She said pigs experience fear, joy and happiness and have “very good” long and short-term memories.
“They are at least as emotionally complex as dogs and as psychologically complex as primates.”
Marino said it’s unclear how to equate a pig with humans but that “it sells pigs short to say they are as sophisticated as a human toddler — they are more complex than that…. They are at least as cognitively advanced as monkeys.”
“Yes, they (pigs) are persons,” she said, noting that not just a human is a person.
…………………………………………………………….The next court session will be happening this Thursday from 9-5 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Burlington. While court is in session, a vigil will be held outside of “Fearman’s Pork” slaughterhouse where Toronto Pig Save and other Save Movement activists will give the pigs water and love in their final moments, just as we have been doing for years, and will continue to do. Please join us for the peaceful rally that will take place outside the courthouse (meet at 8:45am) and/or in bearing witness to the beautiful baby pigs. In the meantime, please share the #pigtrial story far and wide along with the message that compassion is never a crime.
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[via Rabia’s Riff newsletter / WakingUpTogether.org.]
“
We are now in the time we have been waiting for. 2016 will be remembered as the year Americans finally woke up to the imminent breakdown of our global ecosystem and the injustices inherent in corporate capitalism. We needed a shock to rouse us from the economic and technological slumber in which we have so comfortably taken refuge since the 1950’s.
In 2016 many events came together to provide that jolt to our collective system:
• Political Corruption — the publication of Dark Money, Jane Mayer’s exposé of the ultra-conservative billionaires who bought out our political and judicial systems;
• Corporate Fraud — the release of findings showing that ExxonMobil knew for more than 30 years that burning carbon was heating up the atmosphere with disastrous results, while continuing to fund climate deniers to deliberately confuse the American electorate;
• Hate Mongering — the fact that sexism, harassment, racism and xenophobia have now become “politically correct”;
• Citizen Activism — the Democracy Spring march on Washington, D.C., challenging Citizens United and big money in politics, and the powerful encampment at Standing Rock to halt the Dakota Access Pipeline; and
• Political Discontent — the deeply polarizing presidential campaign and the surprise election of Donald Trump.
There is no doubt that the dissolution of the old order is now officially in progress, and things are only going to intensify. Because so much of our country still believes the misinformation spread by special interests, the environment and the economy may have to get much worse before the needed changes are put in place.
SO… is there any good news?
There is a silver lining to this dark time: these crises are the very things that are triggering a major revolution, one that can lead us to a renewal of spiritual gratitude, ecological sustainability, social justice, and the understanding that self-interest is not the true goal of human life. Beautiful, hopeful, inspiring messages are already beginning to surface. (Click here to watch “I Trust You” video).
As the breathtaking victory at Standing Rock demonstrated, people are waking up. That victory was made possible by hundreds of thousands of acts of solidarity. For some it meant traveling to North Dakota, facing night after night of cold weather and police brutality. For others it meant organizing solidarity marches and rallies, spreading the word, signing petitions, pulling money out of banks funding the pipeline, and having tough conversations at the office and at the dinner table.
Elias and I witnessed first-hand the resolve of those gathered at Standing Rock, and the new sense of community that took root there: a growing tribe of all ages
and backgrounds, unified in people’s willingness to stand up for justice, sacredness, and the health of the planet.
We all have been through dangerous times before; it is one of the ways we grow. If you have lived a vital life, you almost certainly have navigated many crises. In truth, real breakthroughs usually only come out of crises. And while being in the middle of a crisis can feel chaotic and scary, a crisis is what we want. Let’s welcome it!
As Clarissa Pinkola Estes reminds us, “We were made for these times.” Literally. Our DNA has evolved over a million years by turning dangers into opportunities. If you (and your ancestors) weren’t skilled in this particular wizardry, you wouldn’t be here now.
So this is the first silver lining: we have what it takes.
At this very moment many writers, spokespeople, activists and leaders in various fields are writing inspiring essays and speaking up to remind us of this truth. We need to support these women and men. We need to shift our attention away from the “pundits” and media dogs who are paid to muddy the waters and distract us, who erode our self-esteem, who make us think we are helpless and isolated — and who convince us that we will only feel safe and whole and happy if we buy new and better “stuff.” We need to turn our attention instead to the women and men who focus on the true and the heartfelt, who are telling the new story about empathy, cooperation, justice, and community.
The second light in the sky is that we know what to do.
Or at least where to begin. We do not lack for well-thought-out scenarios for the sustainability revolution that has to happen. Some of these ideas are already being adopted at the local level. Forward-thinking governors, mayors, and NGO leaders are linking cities and regions together to reduce energy consumption in order to adapt to unavoidable climate change. Many other plausible next steps can be found in the margins, in organizations and practices we call alternative, regenerative, and holistic.
Of course the road ahead will be filled with uncertainty; the challenges we face are many and complex. It will take time to work out exactly how we are going to share resources, devise necessary restraints, design neighborhoods, manage transportation, and address infrastructure needs — not to mention restoring health to the natural systems we have destroyed. However…
The third shining light is that we’re not in this alone.
As the victory at Standing Rock demonstrates, the number of Americans who are already galvanizing is sizable, and growing daily. Fortunately, there are already many networks in place ready to work together and take action. We will need to rely more and more on these networks as a source of news and information, because much of the revolution will be hidden from us. The major news outlets only began covering Standing Rock when the number of people camped there passed the 5,000 mark — in other words, when not covering that story became an embarrassment.
I’ve done my share of activism, but the events of this last year — and especially of this last election — have inspired me to get involved at a level I’ve never before engaged in. It is a scary time, but it is also an exciting time. My hope is that you, too, will answer the call in whatever ways feel most meaningful to you. Alone we can do very little; but together, we can change the world.
“
— Elizabeth Rabia Roberts
http://wakinguptogether.org/
On November 1st, neuroscientist Lori Marino, who has a PhD in biopsychology, testified before Justice David Harris at the Pigtrial.
Marino discussed the cognitive and emotional abilities, and the behavior, of pigs.
“Pigs usually form social groups of several females and their offspring” — but can’t do that in a factory farm setting, said Marino, who has testified about a half-dozen times in the U.S. as an expert in animal psychology, but never before in Canada.
“Pigs certainly have personalities,” she said, noting they exhibit human traits such as curiosity, shyness and bullying.
“They have a sense of themselves in terms of a social community. Pigs and dogs are very similar in terms of sociability.
“They (pigs) seem to have the ability to tell time, and (exhibit) negative anticipatory behaviours when they have to go into confinement for a long time,” said Marino, executive director of the U.S.-based The Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy.
She said pigs experience fear, joy and happiness and have “very good” long and short-term memories.
“They are at least as emotionally complex as dogs and as psychologically complex as primates.”
Marino said it’s unclear how to equate a pig with humans but that “it sells pigs short to say they are as sophisticated as a human toddler — they are more complex than that…. They are at least as cognitively advanced as monkeys.”
“Yes, they (pigs) are persons,” she said, noting that not just a human is a person.
…………………………………………………………….
The next court session will be happening this Thursday from 9-5 at the Ontario Court of Justice in Burlington. While court is in session, a vigil will be held outside of “Fearman’s Pork” slaughterhouse where Toronto Pig Save and other Save Movement activists will give the pigs water and love in their final moments, just as we have been doing for years, and will continue to do. Please join us for the peaceful rally that will take place outside the courthouse (meet at 8:45am) and/or in bearing witness to the beautiful baby pigs. In the meantime, please share the #pigtrial story far and wide along with the message that compassion is never a crime.
Post link
Three Save Movement activists in North America have now had run-ins with police over giving water to suffering pigs who had only minutes left to live. What do you call a society that has laws which allow for, and even encourage, the horrific torture and death of billions of the gentle and innocent, while prohibiting simple acts of compassion, other than broken? Only when we treat all beings with kindness and respect will we experience peace amongst ourselves. On which side do you belong; that of callous indifference, or that of compassion towards all? Neutrality never helps the oppressed, so there is no middle-ground here. You either believe that an act of compassion can never be criminal, or you believe in the sanctioning of violence and killing.
Please show solidarity with these activists and the animals they are fighting for by sharing their cases, attending any protests/demonstrations that have been scheduled, and/or attending vigils with a Save group near you. The next #compassionisnotacrime court session will be taking place on November 10th in Burlington, ON and is for Anita Krajnc of Toronto Pig Save.
#govegan #pigtrial #smithfieldpigsave #torontopigsave #thesavemovement #activism #animalactivism #peacefulprotest #humanrights #feminism #ecofeminism #socialjustice #justice #justiceforthepigs #animalrights #animalliberation #loveforall #animals #showcompassion #love #compassion #kindnessmatters #liveandletlive
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Another wonderful video from Bite-Sized Vegan that looks at the pigtrial; how it all started and what it currently means for the millions of pigs still enslaved by the animal agriculture industry. To put it simply; criminally charging co-organizer of Toronto Pig Save, Anita Krajnc has really backfired on the slaughterhouse/pig flesh industry as a whole.
Hundreds of people are rallying outside JFK airport to protest against Trump’s muslim ban. Here’s a statement of support from the New York Tax Workers Alliance:
“Our 19,000-member-strong union stands firmly opposed to Donald Trump’s Muslim ban. As an organization whose membership is largely Muslim, a workforce that’s almost universally immigrant, and a working-class movement that is rooted in the defense of the oppressed, we say no to this inhumane and unconstitutional ban.”
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Black Lives Matter by Farrah Fawcett
Via Flickr:
“We need LEADERS NOT in love with MONEY BUT in love with JUSTICE. NOT in love with PUBLICITY but IN LOVE with HUMANITY.” -Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Artwork of MLK by Rick Frausto (rickfrausto.com/products/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-drawing). What Black Lives Matter Means (and Why It’s Problematic to Say “All Lives Matter”) Saying that black lives matter doesn’t mean that other lives do not. BY LIZZ SCHUMER Jun 4, 2020 What Does Black Lives Matter Mean? Black Lives Matter is an anthem, a slogan, a hashtag, and a straightforward statement of fact. While it is not a new movement, the message is central to the nationwide protests happening right now. BLM speaks out against the police brutality and systemic racism that caused the recent deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and Breonna Taylor, as well as the thousands of violent incidents that happen to Black people that aren’t recorded, aren’t reported or aren’t afforded the outrage they deserve. At its most basic level, it calls for a shift in the statistics that Black people are twice as likely to be killed by a police officer while unarmed, compared to a white individual. According to a 2015 study, African Americans died at the hands of police at a rate of 7.2 per million, while whites were killed at a rate of 2.9 per million. Read the full ARTICLE: www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a32745051/what-black-lives-… Nichelle Nichols was counseled by Martin Luther King Jr., not to quit Star Trek when she disclosed to him that she was contemplating leaving. www.npr.org/2011/01/17/132942461/Star-Treks-Uhura-Reflect… Nichelle Nichols as Uhura ushered in Star Trek from Desilu Studios that began the enormous Star Trek Chain of creator Gene Rodenberry. Nichelle is repainted and restyled by Noel Cruz of ncruz.comformyfarrah.com. Manicured french tip hands by Pure Icon Paris www.ebay.com/usr/pure-icon-paris. For more about Nichelle Nichols visit her web site www.uhura.com/ and on IMDB: www.imdb.com/name/nm0629667/. Photo/Graphic Layout & web sites 1sixth.co,1sixthworld.com,ncruz.com&myfarrah.combywww.stevemckinnis.com.
I’m not normally one for commenting on politics in my feeds, but I found this beauty on YouTube just now from EyeWitness News ABC7NY, and I think it needs to be shared. This woman has the right of things, and I love how she tells off the rest of the violent protesters for setting a bad example and making life harder for her and others who are trying to make a difference in their lives and others across the nation. And especially for those who are struggling in these hard times.
We need more people like this woman. Can’t say I enjoy the cursing that was edited out, but she has solid and very important points. And I salute her for her bravery.
I’m still of the opinion that all lives matter, including public servants like firefighters, nurses, doctors, EMTs, and yes, even police officers (One of my greatest family friends and examples for me growing up was a cop who served in the SVU, and he served with honor), but I will agree that it’s a clear statistical fact that many good black people are wrongfully profiled and targeted, and it’s time for some reform among those precincts that have such bad cops.
I hope everyone stays safe, and I pray that change will come without people having to endure more abuse and violence.
All this looting, burning, and destruction of property is having a bad impact on people who are already struggling enough as it is.
Stay safe, everyone. May our prayers and voices be heard and answered.
Read my story below.
Team Fortress 2.
One of the best games I have ever played, and undoubtedly a community that I am proud to be a part of.
I was first introduced to TF2 by my brother, who, at the time, played it nonstop. This was over 5 years ago by now.
I remember he was the spy. I asked him why his character’s hand looked weird. He told me about the classes and their abilities, and even if I didn’t know it then, I was hooked.
TF2’s community back when I began to play brought me a great mix a joy and pain. I felt joyous that I made friends, but I somehow always managed to meet the wrong people. I joined toxic groups, I got bullied, etc..
So you have no idea how much it warms my heart that the community is coming together to partake in this protest.
There is more love in the community than ever before. The kindness I’ve been shown in-game never fails to melt my heart ❤️ My favourite part of the game would have to be the Friendlies. The fact that we can all get together, have fun, joke around with bugs and exploits in the game.. It’s amazing! I love that I get to make new friends, and that I’m able to introduce others to this amazing game. I never get bored of it — It feels like every match is a whole new experience, yet familiar all the same.
The bots, however, are beginning to taint that. It’s high time they address this issue again. The official Tf2 account has responded on Twitter to this protest, and I’m very excited to get an update on where they go from here!
Please, if you can, share your story with Tf2. Help save the community. Help save the game.
#savetf2
