the future of peace (pt. 1)

I picked up a book i bought a couple weeks ago called 'the future of peace.' The tagline is 'on the front lines with the world's great peacemakers.' The author goes around the world talking to prominent visionaries fighting for peace in our relatively unpeaceful world.

Today i read about Aung San Suu Kyi, the daughter of a Burmese government official deemed by some as "the father of Burmese independence." I learned a bit about the history of burma and it's pattern of violence necessitating political change from it's foundation up until it's current totalitarian government. In 1988, as inflation, corruption, and failed policies caused the standard of living to plummet, a growing unrest among the Burmese people eventually led to General Ne Win, the dictator, stunning the country by announcing his resignation and calling for an open referendum on the future form of government.

When top officials denied Ne Win's request, the unrest among the population grew even greater as millions of people protested peacefully in nearly every city and town in the country, demanding that the authoritarian regime step aside and hand power over to a civilian government. The military chose to launch a campaign against the pro-democracy movement and in turn shot and killed thousands of peaceful protesters and injured hundreds more.

After studying at Oxford and marrying a professor, Suu Kyi went on to work at the United Nations. When she heard about the massacre above, she went to Rangoon and addressed half a million people. She said, "I could not, as my father's daughter, remain indifferent to all that was going on. This national crisis could in fact be called the second struggle for national independence." With that, she became the leader of the pro-democracy movement.

Suu Kyi has given over a hundred speeches around the country, advocating a peaceful transition to a democratic state. In 1989 Suu Kyi was nearly killed when an officer ordered his troops to gun her down, an event that served as the basis for the scene in "Beyond Rangoon." In May 1990, the National League for Democracy, headed by Suu Kyi won a landslide victory over the military in open elections despite the military placing Suu Kyi under house arrest. The government, however, disqualified, detained, arrested, or drove into exile the successful candidates. Though Suu Kyi was offered the right to leave the country, she refused and chose to stay under house arrest. She was released in 1995, placed under house arrest again in 2000 and "released" in 2002.

Reading about this woman's peaceful and honorable struggle to bring rights to the people of Burma really puts things into perspective. What I appreciated even more, were some of the words she had to say during this author's interview with her.

On the relationship of meditation and peace: "Meditation is a form of cultivating inner strength, and inner strength means inner peace. If you acquire inner strength that means that you are in apostition to be able to face the troubles of the external world. And in that way, you can create your own sense of security, which comes from your inner strength. So, therefore, you are creating your own peace, as it were.

On the power of nonviolence: "The power of nonviolence is not easy to develop, and I think that Mahatma Gandhi would be the first person to have admitted that. He didn't say that nonviolence was easy. I think he made the point that nonviolence is not for cowards. Nonviolence requires strength, requires courage. The power of nonviolence, if it is disciplined and systematic and if it can be organized as a mass movement, of course can be extremely powerful."

On her act of walking towards gunpoint: "Now, as for my walking toward the guns...it's...it's...i sometimes think that the whole thing has been exaggerated a bit. They were sitting there, pointing their guns, and one didn't really have much choice. You either kept wlaking or you retreated. And if you're not prepared to retreat, you just keep walking. That's all."

On the struggle for peace: "There has to be a united determination to persevere in the struggle, to make sacrifices in the name of enduring truths, to resist the corrupting influences of desire, ill will, ignorance, and fear."


...next I get to read about the Dalai Lama

the good fight

i found a book that i began reading before i left to england in the garage the other day. it had fallen out of a box and was blocked from view by the menagerie of randomness that rests in that dusty cave. the cover of bright blue sky fading to a lighter shade as it caught the boundaries of the purple mountain peaks reminded me of how much i enjoying whatever it was that i had read before our relationship ended, after all...it's paulo coelho. so i flipped through a couple pages and found a section underlined. usually i'll tab a page with any underlining for easy reference but this one hadn't been tabbed for some reason...which made the underlined sentences even more meaningful and purposeful.

'we look beyond the walls of our day-to-day existence, and we hear the sound of lances breaking, we smell the dust and the sweat, and we see the great defeats and the fire in the eyes of the warriors. but we never see the delight, the immense delight in the hearts of those who are engaged in the battle. for them, neither victory nor defeat is important; what's important is only that they are fighting the good fight.'

i was so happy to read that last sentense because it is exactly how i feel right now. living for today and only today is the best thing i've been trying to do for myself in a long long time. i'm fighting the good fight for myself; i'm fighting the good fight to be a better person; i'm fighting the good fight to be a good person. victory, in this sense, may never be achieved as i will always have room for improvement and room to be more 'good'. defeat, however, isn't really important either because it will never come to fruition as long as i continue in my fight. so, what matters is that i fight. and that's important to me. as long as i fight against my insecurities, my doubts, my weaknesses, then every day will be a good day. with five more hours left in today, i can say, that i was a good person today. i appreciated the small things of the day, ate vegan for the day, and thought about and appreciated those important and not important to me. i learned from today and i understand today. and i'm sure the remaining five hours will be just as good.

no longer learn the negative

thinking of
the negative
leaking
through the best of it
only leads
to emphasize
the bleads
in a better sky
with focus on
the positive
and hopes
beyond
the walls of thin
materials
that fail
to found
the superior
way around
you'll know how to not
let life
get you down
'cause negatives
they waste my time
when there is so much good
i find
in simply knowing
when it's time
to sit back
and be fine
with a little sweat
on my brow
beading up
and rolling down
the surface
of my
facial features
schooling me like
catholic teachers
on the rules of
my life
and how
i live
knowing
i no longer
learn
the negative

to everyone (including the me's of me) - caring about the negative has grown to be defeatest and wasteful. though it may be easier to explain situations or feelings within myself by using the negatives as excuses, i've learned less about myself and others by relying on the illusionary help of negative. the good things in myself, the good things in others, and the good things in the world are what fill me up; negatives, they drain me down. why care about the bad when it feels so good to care about and focus on the good all around. let the negative negate itself and live amongst the simple yet extroadinary positives that are truly all around.

the good fight

i found a book that i began reading before i left to england in the garage the other day. it had fallen out of a box and was blocked from view by the menagerie of randomness that rests in that dusty cave. the cover of bright blue sky fading to a lighter shade as it caught the boundaries of the purple mountain peaks reminded me of how much i enjoying whatever it was that i had read before our relationship ended, after all...it's paulo coelho. so i flipped through a couple pages and found a section underlined. usually i'll tab a page with any underlining for easy reference but this one hadn't been tabbed for some reason...which made the underlined sentences even more meaningful and purposeful.

'we look beyond the walls of our day-to-day existence, and we hear the sound of lances breaking, we smell the dust and the sweat, and we see the great defeats and the fire in the eyes of the warriors. but we never see the delight, the immense delight in the hearts of those who are engaged in the battle. for them, neither victory nor defeat is important; what's important is only that they are fighting the good fight.'

i was so happy to read that last sentense because it is exactly how i feel right now. living for today and only today is the best thing i've been trying to do for myself in a long long time. i'm fighting the good fight for myself; i'm fighting the good fight to be a better person; i'm fighting the good fight to be a good person. victory, in this sense, may never be achieved as i will always have room for improvement and room to be more 'good'. defeat, however, isn't really important either because it will never come to fruition as long as i continue in my fight. so, what matters is that i fight. and that's important to me. as long as i fight against my insecurities, my doubts, my weaknesses, then every day will be a good day. with five more hours left in today, i can say, that i was a good person today. i appreciated the small things of the day, ate vegan for the day, and thought about and appreciated those important and not important to me. i learned from today and i understand today. and i'm sure the remaining five hours will be just as good.

rising rays

ain't no chance
love will be overlooked
by my painful eyes
'cause love is all around me
burning through the lies
finding shelter in my soul
where darkness never hides
and there ain't no chance
that fear will override
the hopeful tingles on my skin
akin to the likes of sunshine
'cause those rays
will rise
as will my eyes
while love overlooks
the pain aside

another forgotten sweetness

Old James Dean Monroe
Hands out flowers at the Shop-N-Go
Hopes for money but all he gets is fear
And the wind blows up his coat
And this he scribbles on a perfume note
"If I'm not here, then you're not here"
And he says, "Call me Miscreation,
I'm a walking celebration"

And it's hard to make a stand
Hard to make a stand
Hard to make a stand
Hard to make a stand

My friend, o lawdy,
Went to take care of her own body,
And she got shot down in the road
She looked up before she went,
Said, "This isn't really what I meant"
And the daily news said,"Two with one stone"
And I say, "Hey there, Miscreation,
Bring a flower, time is wasting"

And it's hard to make a stand
Hard to make a stand
Hard to make a stand
Hard to make a stand

We got loud guitars and big suspicions,
Great big guns and small ambitions,
And we still argue over who is God
And I say, "Hey there Miscreation,
Bring a flower time is wasting
we all need a revelation"

And it's hard to make a stand
Hard to make a stand
Hard to make a stand
Hard to make a stand

sheryl crow - hard to make a stand

this whole album rocks my socks

when i 'dug' that flow

i saw
R U Ready
on my playlist
remembered how i
dug that flow

Good Life
played next
and kept me
in my
diggin' state

Imagine
set it off

now i know
the distance
of my juvenile
hip hop appreciation
back in the day
when i
'dug'
that flow

...salt-n-pepa's 'brand new' album should be a classic

imagine

Imagine if we could live
Imagine that, imagine that
In this world without hate and prejudice
Stop the violence, break the silence
Judging each other is so crazy
Crazy, yo, why you hate me
Sometimes I think so hard, oh my God
Was it closin' in on me
I can't breathe, I can't breathe
I can't breathe, I can't breathe, oh

(Now tell me) Do you feel the rain (Uh-huh) too much pain
Bloodstains in the brain, only the strong maintain
Mad faces, different races
Poisoning the minds of the kids with hatred, wasted (Yeah)
From mom and dad, it's sad (Crazy sad)
You mad about what, huh
Got your guard dropped
Love tryin' to get through (Oh yeah)
Ignorance got you (That's right)
Can't nobody stop you (True)
Yeah, I watched you
Calling everybody names, so how you figure (How you figure)
I don't know, you call me nigger (Nigger)
Behind my back, but I'm bigger than that
A state of mind, one time (One time)
When I shine baby, you shine (You shine)

Imagine if we could live
Imagine that, imagine that
In this world without hate and prejudice
Stop the violence, break the silence
Judging each other is so crazy
Crazy, yo, why you hate me
Sometimes I think so hard, oh my God
Was it closin' in on me
I can't breathe, I can't breathe
I can't breathe, I can't breathe, oh

So maybe what's the solution (Tell me)
The race pollution (Word)
Was the constitution written for us (Uh-uh)
I don't trust, did they mean all, did they mean just us
No justice, back of the bus, bend over, homie (True)
If you know it, you better show it (Rock the vote)
Rock the boat, keep hope, uh
Martin Luther King (King)
Had the scheme, had the dream (Dream)
Killing must cease, we need peace
More unity in the community
That means more you and me together
Don't let the, hate block you, lock you in the past
Believe you can fly, keep your head high (To the sky)

Imagine if we could live
Imagine that, imagine that
In this world without hate and prejudice
Stop the violence, break the silence
Judging each other is so crazy
Crazy, yo, why you hate me
Sometimes I think so hard, oh my God
Was it closin' in on me
I can't breathe, I can't breathe
I can't breathe, I can't breathe, oh

Free your mind, let it be
You know we got rid of this hate in me (Love, love)
I've got so much love to give
Leave me alone, live and let live
Let love grow, let it flow
It's good for the heart and it's good for the soul

Follow God's will (Say what)
Can you feel that (Uh-huh)
That's keepin' it real, come on y'all, kill that
Exterior don't make you superior
Skin tones is the fury of religious war zones
In your own neighborhood, it ain't all good
Guns don't make you bad, you've been had
You've been dissed, got it twisted, senses shifted
Brainwashed by an image and you was gifted
Beautiful and black when you comin' back
Sellin' crack in the land, stand up and be a man
Better get an education, divided nation
In the name of God, sex discrimnations
I can't breathe

Imagine if we could live
Imagine that, imagine that
In this world without hate and prejudice
Stop the violence, break the silence
Judging each other is so crazy
Crazy, yo, why you hate me
Sometimes I think so hard, oh my God
Was it closin' in on me
I can't breathe, I can't breathe
I can't breathe, I can't breathe, oh

salt n pepa feat. sheryl crow - imagine

keep ya head up

on the wings of a pencil i fly through private dreams...

i will work for change. i will fall, and surely fall hard, but the distance to the end will no longer measure any part of the yardstick that is my hopeful soul. i will see from the bottom of each fall the open height of the forever sky waiting to be lucky when i choose to fly through its welcoming spheres. i will confirm, affirm, and return to me in every way. i will know my room for improvement but will not fill it falsely. i will accept what i can not do and will find honest happiness being among those who can not. i will relish in my insecurities knowing they are a genuine part of the mixture of me. i will not desire wealth, but security. i will not fulfill all my wants, but focus on my needs. i will not long for, but will enjoy having, both now and then. i will exhaust efforts to rock any rocky roads and pave pure paths of freedom and knowlege. i will love all even when they do not love themselves or others are unable. i will never judge from considered faults but will find, know, and love the good in all. i will be thankful for the gentle reality that the soft sunrise brings and learn from the lessons of the sunset falling with grace. i will not care for titles, but the genuine and expressed details of the paragraphs within. i will not expect, but will appreciate and be thankful. i will hope, i will trust, and i will have faith. i will learn and love that i am me and i will love and appreciate every symbol of me physically, emotionally, and mentally.

adieu ~ on wings

high school love

The sun got stuck, as it's making it's way back down,
We find ourselves, in a familiar part of town

And all that I've seen means nothing to me without you

So when I see you next we'll make the most of it,
Tell the sun to start moving again,
The taste of your kiss I still got on my lips,
And ill take you there with me

Head crashed down, air conditioned myself to sleep,
The great night out, that will continue to the end of the week

And all that I've seen means nothing to me without you

So when I see you next we'll make the most of it,
Tell the sun to start moving again,
The taste of your kiss I still got on my lips,
And ill take you there with me

It's you and me connected to a satellite
It's you and me love through a machine
It's you and me connected to a satellite
It's you and me love through a machine

So when I see you next we'll make the most of it,
Tell the sun to start moving again,
The taste of your kiss I still got on my lips,
And ill take you there with me

athlete - half light

jc discount health foods

today i took a little trip, took a little trip, took a little trip for meee-eeee. i went to jc discount health foods to get some more omega oils. i couldn't find what i was looking for so the man helped me find it and at register we had a super fantastic conversation.

we talked about the oils i was getting and how they are good for people with depression and anxiety and for my general health as a vegan. i almost bought some iron but noticed it had honey in it (it was a liquid supplement) so i passed. he did though tell me how it is especially good for women when they go through their periods as they lose a lot of iron at that time - 'it help them feel not tired' he said (he was a great asian man who evidently felt this was good information for me to know).

then he asked me if i was a student and i said almost and explained how i plan on entering grad school in a couple months. he asked me what degree i have now and i said organizational leadership - 'oh you want to be leader! be a politician!'

i said 'no no. i'm going to get a degree in environmental planning and policy and hopefully be an environmental consultant or work for an environmental non-profit. he then said...

'that very good. you have a good heart.'

---

that completely made my day. the whole day was great really. but visiting this random health food shop where someone i didn't know completely understood my lifestyle and told me that i had a good heart was just amazing.

come along and ride on a fantastic voyage...

looking through my 'becoming vegan' book again i've become re-energised with my commitment to this lifestyle. a paragraph in the first chapter made me so incredibly happy...

'embark on your vegan journey with a spirit of adventure and a sense of humor. allow the transformation to occur with the joy of knowing that every step you take makes a difference. when you make choices out of love of human life, animal life, or the life of this planet (or all three), you make this world a better place, and there is no greater cause for celebration.'

today i was vegan and i celebrated every second of it. i had great 'back to nature' cereal for breakfast with silk soymilk and blueberries. for lunch i had an "egg-salad" (made with tofu and a seasoning pack; doesn't really taste like egg-salad to me but still so so good!) sandwich on sprouted grain sesame bread with avocado. for dinner i just mixed up a bunch of the veggies in my fridge and sauteed them and it was the most beautiful thing i've seen on my plate in a long time. i had some prunes, nuts, a banana, and i shared my kiwi with mah dawgs (they secretly want to be vegan and will be as soon as their current supply of food runs out).

re-reading parts of this book and thinking about the holistic reality of veganism that is often underrepresented or not understood helps me realize that while i have come a long way in my beliefs, there is still miles i have yet to enjoy with my actions.

i often think fundamentally with a little devil on my shoulder eventually enticing me into a more moderate and comfortable decision. all that does though is make me 'comfortable' conforming to the majority of society despite my own perspective that some of society's actions are simply unacceptable to me. i agree that to be 100% vegan is truly less influential and proactiv than simply doing your very best. in order to be 100% i would either need to live in an enclosed vegan community or live on my own somewhere away from society (this is where my fundalistic little friend shows up). despite this, i am still a vegan.

seeing as how i can't supporty myself right now on my own, i choose to live amongst the southern californians - particularly the rancho cucamonga-ians. i then chose to simply do my very best when it comes to living my own vegan lifestyle. ergo, i am living within my own gray zone of veganism, choosing what i believe is an 'okay' decision and what is not. seems easy enough yeah? i get to pick and choose what aspects of modern society i will associate with and those that i will not. but my little fundamentalist friend doesn't like that at all and tonight, my friends, he is conquering that little conformist devil in at least one round of this long fight.

tonight i make the commitment of action to focus my consumerist tendencies towards those products that are either new and produced ethically or recycled. while i understand that refraining from contributing to companies with factories abroad could potentially affect the livelihoods of those workers, the majority of society is not refraining so there appears to be plenty of people "supporting" foreign families. so rather than being "comfortable" knowing that what i buy still helps some people in one way or another, i will wait for and challenge those companies to achieve a status of 'fair trade' - then i'll give them my dough. until then i'll support 'fair trade' or ethical companies and take some adventures to the thrift shops.

obviously i can't be this way with everything i buy as 'fair trade' is still a relatively young achievement and some things i won't find already used. but when i can, i will. and that's what this vegan thing is all about isn't it? do what you can when you can and know that you can! once my current supply of *blankedy blank* has run out, i will do my best to ensure the future of my posessions is as 'fair trade' as it can be.

i guess it's all about the choices we make. nothing else in the world can cause as much positive change as some of the truly simplest choices we make...

'the thinking man must oppose all cruel customs, no matter how deeply rooted in tradition and surrounded by a halo. when we have a choice, we must avoid bringing torment and injury into the life of another, even the lowliest creature; but to do so is to renounce our manhood and shoulder a guilt which nothing justifies.'

- albert schweitzer

p.s. when talking to people about being vegan, they always seem to be concerned with what they are cutting out of their lives. with a little change of perspective it seems to me to appear as easy as being vegan really is - rather than think of what you're giving up, thing of all the amazingly incredible things that you are gaining...doing that can really just make you smile. (cut to me smiling)

go vegan and let's celebrate man! 'cause i done found a new vegan restaurant in hollywood waitin' fo' my money.

edge of civilisation

to the left, multi-unit housing

to the right, free fields

"sometimes this place makes me feel like i'm on the edge of civilization"

"if only"

i love my dinner

this is my dinner...

dark greens
and burgundies
little red slivers
and disks of orange
yelow dots here and there
and chunks of red everywhere
with a little green boat on the side

i love my dinner!!

on the wings of truth

on the wings of a pencil i fly through private dreams...

i will work for change. i will fall, and surely fall hard, but the distance to the end will no longer measure any part of the yardstick that is my hopeful soul. i will see from the bottom of each fall the open height of the forever sky waiting to be lucky when i choose to fly through its welcoming spheres. i will confirm, affirm, and return to me in every way. i will know my room for improvement but will not fill it falsely. i will accept what i can not do and will find honest happiness being among those who can not. i will relish in my insecurities knowing they are a genuine part of the mixture of me. i will not desire wealth, but security. i will not fulfill all my wants, but focus on my needs. i will not long for, but will enjoy having, both now and then. i will exhaust efforts to rock any rocky roads and pave pure paths of freedom and knowlege. i will love all even when they do not love themselves or others are unable. i will never judge from considered faults but will find, know, and love the good in all. i will be thankful for the gentle reality that the soft sunrise brings and learn from the lessons of the sunset falling with grace. i will not care for titles, but the genuine and expressed details of the paragraphs within. i will not expect, but will appreciate and be thankful. i will hope, i will trust, and i will have faith. i will learn and love that i am me and i will love and appreciate every symbol of me physically, emotionally, and mentally.

adieu ~ on wings

good people

you win it's your show now
so what's it going to be?
because people will tune in
how many train wrecks do we need to see?
before we lose touch
and we thought this was low
well it's bad, getting worse...

where'd all the good people go?
i've been changing channels i don't see them on the tv shows
where'd all the good people go?
we've got heaps and heaps of what we sow

they got this and that with a rattle a tat
testing, one, two, man whatcha gonna do
bad news misused, got too much to lose
give me some truth now, who's side are we on
whatever you say turn on the boob tube, i'm in the mood to obey
so lead me astray
and by the way now...

where'd all the good people go?
i've been changing channels i don't see them on the tv shows
where'd all the good people go?
we've got heaps and heaps of what we sow

sitting around feeling far away
so far away but i can feel the debris, can you feel it?
you interrupt me from a friendly conversation
to tell me how great it's all going to be
you might notice some hesitation
because it's important to you, it's not important to me
but way down by the edge of your reason
it's beginning to show and all i really want to know is...

where'd all the good people go?
i've been changing channels i don't see them on the tv shows
where'd all the good people go?
we've got heaps and heaps fo what we sow

they got this and that with a rattle a tat
testing one, two, man whatcha gonna do
bad news misused give me some truth
you got too much to lose
whose side are we on today, anyway
okay, whatever you say
wrong and resolute but in the mood to obey
station to station desensitizing the nation
going, going, gone

jack johnson - good people

a shout out to the farm animals

Though it is just another example of animals being used as test subjects, at least it has positive, and hopefully influential, results...




Studies show that farmyard animals have a range of emotions and a sharp intelligence

Mark Townsend, environment correspondent S
unday March 6, 2005
The Observer

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1431443,00.html

Cursed with a maddening cluck and a comic strut that would put John Cleese to shame, the chicken, headless or not, is thought by many to be one of the world's daftest animals. Yet new research reveals they are in fact rather clever.

Evidence that the humble hen can master complex tricks that would make most dog owners proud is among a wealth of research to be unveiled at the largest conference ever staged to investigate animal sentience.

The findings, seen by The Observer, offer compelling evidence that creatures caricatured as mindlessly dumb can feel emotions usually associated with humans, such as jealousy, love and loss. Some are crafty enough to hatch machiavellian plots worthy of those who stalk the corridors of Whitehall.

Sheep, ridiculed for a non-questioning herd mentality, possess a sharp sense of individuality and can recognise the faces of at least 10 people and 50 other sheep for at least two years. Scientists at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge also discovered that sheep react to facial expressions and, like humans, prefer a smile to a grimace.

Further studies which reinforce the notion that sheep are more like us than previously believed involved tests showing they mourn absent individuals. Scientists claim such findings are increasingly challenging the belief that farmyard animals have no 'sense of self', a notion that could have profound implications for the way Britain's creatures are farmed.

Pigs were similarly found to have a cerebral capacity beyond the popular preconception of a farm animal. Researchers at Bristol University found that pigs are masters of deceit, deliberately misleading other pigs if it would result in more food for themselves.

Chickens command an extraordinary degree of self-control over food. They are willing to delay gratification if they think a larger portion will be offered in due course.

Other research that threatens the longevity of the phrase 'headless chicken' found that the creatures boast a greater sense of spatial awareness than young children. In tests, chickens could learn tricks such as opening doors and navigating mazes with a speed usually the preserve of dogs and horses. These findings suggest that the character of Ginger, the sharp-witted chicken who leads her colleagues to escape from a farm in the 2000 film Chicken Run, may not be as ironic as its makers intended.

The results that may most perturb animal welfare groups are those that suggest chickens can feel pain. Tests found that those known to be experiencing some form of discomfort or lameness chose food laced with morphine when given the choice. By contrast, chickens who were fully fit chose feed that was not spiked with an analgesic.

Another creature similarly viewed by modern society as little more than a benign food source - the cow - is also shown to be an astute animal capable of solving riddles with an intellect more traditionally associated with an ape. Studies at Oxford University found that Betty, a Caledonian heifer, instinctively bent a piece of wire, using a gap in her food tray to create a hook that allowed her to scrape food from the bottom of a jar.

Scores of scientists and government delegates from 43 countries will attend the London conference in 10 days' time to discuss whether society's attitude to animals needs re-examining. They will also hear how wood mice build their own signposts, using sticks and stones to mark sites where food is abundant or marking short-cuts back to their burrow.

The reputation of parrots as purveyors of a broad vocabulary is also reinforced with one study documenting how a grey parrot mastered 1,000 words and learned to communicate in a manner that would shame some British adults. Parrots have an intellect comparable to a five-year-old human, and the conference will hear how potential parrot owners must weigh up buying one as if they were adopting a 'small child'.

The conference comes at a time when the food industry is being forced to address mounting consumer concern over the structure of Britain's food industry and factory farming.

Among those speaking are officials from McDonald's and the World Bank's private sector arm, whose responsibilities include livestock investment. Leading theologians will also argue that Christian and Islamic faiths need to update their attitudes towards animals by bestowing an intrinsic value similar to that given to people.

Joyce D'Silva, chief executive of animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming Trust, which is organising the two-day summit, said: 'Government and business will have to address animal sentience because consumer concern about the treatment of animals will increasingly influence spending patterns in the coming decades.'

Tomorrow a cross-party parliamentary group on animal welfare will unveil its report into the use of animals in the development of vaccines for humans. The report, which will reopen the debate on the worth of vivisection, calls for the urgent development of new ways of testing vaccines without using animals. Currently 1.5 million animals are used in the European Union each year in the development of vaccines.

Not just parrot fashion ...

Fish are renowned for having a three-second memory; however, evidence suggests they can be highly manipulative and cultured.

Parrots, when shown two different objects, can use language to describe differences in their colour, shape and texture.

Sheep can carry the mental image of another sheep or person for two years.

Chickens feel intention and expectation and can tell people apart.

Pigs may use a sophisticated form of consciousness to deceive other animals for greater personal reward.

Elephants make graves by breaking branches to cover their dead colleagues. They have a large hippocampus, the part of the brain that stores mental maps.

courage

"courage does not always roar. sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, 'i will try again tomorrow...' "

...m. a. radmacher

whips and chains

273 per second

165,158,000 chickens were intentionally killed in the U.S. last week.

so by the time i finish typing this three-line entry, 16,380 chickens are killed.

http://www.ams.usda.gov/poultry/mncs/WeeklySlaughter/henslaughter.htm