Sunday 22 May 2016

What I Value About Chinese Culture.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjymJGAPFQ4

NOTE: this blog will not be updated for many months, as I will be living in China.  You can find me via Patreon in 2016–2017:  http://patreon.com/a_bas_le_ciel

H.M.U.

On Community.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8vYVTg5EQfY

Veganism: Don't Debate the Details.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05V_v2Qd8G0

Vivisection, an insider's perspective


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcsmFd5Ur3Y

Imposing on Girlfriends and Boyfriends.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MwvNwQGaqA

Two Vegan Activists from Two Generations. [1hr+]


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0YwTARMCXk

Vivisection: the next 10 years.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXocDLHSZsE

Arbitrary "Lines" in Ecology, Ethics, and Animal Rights.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0p_C55fIAso

Gary Yourofsky & the question of pluralism

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7JcY8Sr3Tc

Democracy: the Opportunity for Non-Violent Change.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwyJmL-02aQ

1954-1979: The Wars in China, Cambodia & Vietnam.


Activism vs. "Digital Nomadism" (a Political Autobiography of sorts)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C_QOI5zNh8

My Daughter & My Divorce, 2016.





On youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3la7XP8viw
Audio-only, on archive: https://archive.org/details/my-daughter-and-divorce-2016-reflections

Tana Mongeau is Right, Freelee is Wrong.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooPOZs9xU4o

Ecology: Pragmatism & Local Activism


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUR0MYwAL3Q

Patreon Channel Opened / Announcement


On youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyVfuA9t7vE

And, of course, on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/a_bas_le_ciel

Thursday 12 May 2016

Vivisection, a Letter to E.M.

Below is an anonymous letter received from a biologist, quoted and discussed on my youtube channel.

Hi Eisel 

I’ve thought about mailing you for a while and have never got around to it, but your recent video ‘Vivisection: the next 10 years…’ made me think of a couple of points I’d like to share with you.

I’m a recent graduate, working in a comparative immunology lab, and about to start a PhD in global health at a major UK university. I’ve been vegan for just over a year and was vegetarian before that. A few years ago, I went on a 4 day training programme on murine/mouse experimentation, and it was about this time I went vegetarian. The guy doing the training was vastly experienced in animal research, having worked on everything from rats to pigs to dogs, and spent the 4 days delivering material on anaesthesia, minor surgery, euthanasia, animal behaviour etc. Although he had not trained formally as a biologist (i.e. started out as a young animal technician and worked his way up), I was amazed at how much he knew about animals. On the first day, he gave an introductory talk that touched on perspectives regarding animal research, and to my surprise, he actually touched on the hypocrisy of meat eaters who are against animal research (I’ve attached the graphic he used in his presentation, which shows the magnitude of animals killed for food vs. animals killed by cats vs. animals killed for research). This really made me think deeply about my carnivorous diet, and shortly after I came home, I went vegetarian. Although it was a while before I went vegan, I’m still grateful to this guy for making me realise, whether he meant to or not, that I could no longer justify by decision to eat meat.