In today’s episode, we will tell you about the animal rights character we learned about in The Canterbury Tales, and why we learned about him in rap form. Jasmin will tell you about the most hideous trip to a restaurant she’s ever taken (she trusts that you’ll also be equally horrified on her behalf). We’ll ruminate on whether vegans are too nice, we’ll tell you about our expanding flock of chicks, we’ll profess our love for dahl and for oranges, and we’ll update you on the latest theatre happenings in our world.

Joining us today is Matt Rossell, the Campaigns Director for Animal Defenders International, who will give us the skinny on the international efforts of this animal protection organization, including the latest news on their Break the Chain campaign, and how you can help.

For our review, we’ll talk about the Nova episode, “How Smart Are Animals?”, which is available for your viewing, for free, both on PBS.org, and on Netflix’s instant queue.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “Supreme Court: Federal Meat Inspection Act preempts California’s slaughter ban” from The Sacramento Bee
• “Bill Introduced to Improve Animal Welfare Standard for Egg-Laying Hens” from Food Safety News
• “Anti-Battery Cage Bill Introduced to Congress” from Vegan.com
• “What Are Agribusiness Groups Trying to Hide with ‘Ag-Gag’ Bills?” from A Humane Nation
• “The HSUS Praises Florida Legislative Committees for Removing ‘Ag-Gag’ Language from Agricultural Bill” from The HSUS
• “The Veggie Burger’s New Dream: Be More Like Meat” from The Wall Street Journal 

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” -St. Francis of Assisi

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can listen and subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. If you’re a weekly listener, you might consider making a recurring monthly donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Don’t forget — we’re reader and listener supported. Plus, we offer some fantastic thank you gifts for your donations. Thank you for helping us to create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new, hour-long podcast each week!

In today’s episode, we gripe about the recent NYC subway ads that center around reducing your portion size as a way to reduce disease. We also give you our thoughts on everything from the film, Dive: Living Off America’s Waste, to the sushi rolls at Pure Food and Wine, to the Wellness Club brunch we got to try at a nearby Whole Foods, to Paula Deen.

Joining us today is longtime activist and author, Erik Marcus, the mastermind behind Vegan.com. Erik will talk to us about everything from the strengths and limitations of the health and environmental arguments for veganism, to how to make a truly persuasive ethical argument for living cruelty-free, to how to effectively use social networking tools for advocacy, and a heckuva lot more. You won’t want to miss this interview with the voice behind so many articles and books that speak up for animals (including The Ultimate Vegan Guide, which is available for only 99 cents in digital form).

Tatiana Pavela as Dian Fossey in "Leakey's Ladies." Photo by Shell Sheddy.

For our review, we’ll share with you our thoughts on the play, Leakey’s Ladies, which explores the lives and work of Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall, and Birute Galdikas. This play is the most recent merging of theatre and advocacy to come across our radar, and we’re eager to share with you our experiences of watching these stories of animal ambassadors come to life.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “Are Animal Actors Protected? The Future of Animals in Hollywood” from TIME Magazine
• “Mystery Surrounding Abandoned Horses Finally Solved” from HumaneSpot.org 
• “They Bark, They Fetch, and Their Humans Vote” from The New York Times
• “Vegan Bakery Sticky Fingers Beats Out Traditional Sweets on Food Network’s ‘Cupcake Wars All-Stars’” from The Huffington Post
• “The Evidence for a Vegan Diet” from The Atlantic (featuring Our Hen House!)

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant.” –Robert Louis Stevenson

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can listen and subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. If you’re a weekly listener, you might consider making a recurring monthly donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Don’t forget — we’re reader and listener supported. Plus, we offer some fantastic thank you gifts for your donations. Thank you for helping us to create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new, hour-long podcast each week!

In today’s episode, we discuss our foray into Brooklyn to visit the new all-vegan establishment that’s garnering tons of buzz, Dunwell Doughnuts. We’ll also share our thoughts on the hideous piece that we feel is, to say the least, off the mark, “A Dog’s Right to Life?” from the New York Times column, “The Ethicist,” as well as the on-the-mark piece from The Thinking Vegan (written by Kezia Jauron). And we’ll give you the skinny on the new Whole Foods Wellness Club, and the talk that we saw Dr. Fuhrman give this past week.

Today’s episode is full of strong, inspiring, changemaking women! First, Chicago-based jewelry designer, and animal rights activist, Michelle Rubin, will spill the beans about a prank she instigated this week. Let’s just say that Jasmin put her BFA in Acting to the test. Michelle is the talented jeweler behind the sterling silver and hematite necklaces that say “vegan” that we offer on our site in exchange for a donation. Listen closely for your chance to get in on a one-week special that Michelle is offering just to our devoted podcast listeners.

Our feature interview today is with activist and scholar, Lori Gruen, who is – among other things – the author of Ethics and Animals: An Introduction. Lori will discuss with us what’s involved in teaching animal ethics, the crossovers between animal studies and animal activism,  the role that chimpanzees have played with shaping her ethical thought, and her feelings regarding the prevalence of women in the animal protection movement.

For one week, donate $75 to OHH and in addition to getting a silver and hematite necklace stamped "VEGAN," you will also receive this heart pendant, and an additional stone!

For our review, Our Hen House’s protein-prosperous intern, Sally Tamarkin, will give us her thoughts about a subject she feels she was put on this planet to discuss: peanut butter. Sally put several peanut butter brands to the test and has determined the very best one – that is, of the unsalted, crunchy variety.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “DA: State Official Told Butterball Turkey Farm Raid Was Coming” from ABC News
• “COK files lawsuit against California hatchery to stop cruel and unlawful practices” from Compassion Over Killing
• “We’re Eating Less Meat. Why?” from The New York Times
• “A Tighter Leash on Exotic Pets” from The New York Times
• “Natalie Portman Considers Doing Eating Animals: The Movie” from Vegan.com

“When you cease to make a contribution you begin to die.” -Eleanor Roosevelt 

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can listen and subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. If you’re a weekly listener, you might consider making a recurring monthly donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Don’t forget — we’re reader and listener supported. Plus, we offer some fantastic thank you gifts for your donations. Thank you for helping us to create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new, hour-long podcast each week!

In today’s episode, we will discuss what makes some people act in unethical ways. This topic was inspired by a couple we passed “oo-ing” and “ahh-ing” in front of a puppy store, discussing which one to buy. It made us think of this saying by RD Laing:

In order to change something: The range of what we see and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.

We’ll talk about that, and ruminate on how, as animal advocates, we can help people notice that they’re… failing to notice.

We’ll also banter about Portlandia, TOFU Magazine (check out the interview with Jasmin in Issue Six), and the new, raw, NYC restaurant that found its way into our hearts, Gingersnap’s Organic.

Joining us today is longtime activist, Bruce Friedrich, who will tell us about the plans he has with his new role at Farm Sanctuary – including the “Someone, Not Something” campaign, and how he intends to involve local community in ending animal cruelty and adopting a vegan diet.

For our review, Our Hen House’s brilliant intern, Sally Tamarkin, will join us for a fun look at the new board game, Fur & Feathers, which is dedicated to educating children and adults on the importance of remembering how our everyday choices affect the lives of animals. Not to ruin anything, but let’s just say that Jasmin kicked some ass. (And through the end of February, enter code “OURHENHOUSE” when you purchase your very own Fur & Feathers board game, and Our Hen House will get $5 of the purchase!)

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “Long awaited legislation outlaws puppy farming in Ireland” from Irish Central
• “Sculptured by Weights and a Strict Vegan Diet” from The New York Times
• “FDA limites 1 class of antibiotics in livestock as public health groups urge gov’t to do more” from The Washington Post
• “Livestock Groups, Egg Industry at Odds Over HSUS Deal” from Food Safety News
• “Justice And A Safe Haven For Chicago’s Court Case Dogs” from Forbes

“It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it.” -Lena Horne

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can listen and subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. If you’re a weekly listener, you might consider making a recurring monthly donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Don’t forget — we’re reader and listener supported. Plus, we offer some fantastic thank you gifts for your donations. Thank you for helping us to create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new, hour-long podcast each week!

Photo at top of blog: Courtesy of Farm Sanctuary. Photo by Connie Pugh. 

In today’s episode, we are putting aside our stomach virus and sharing with you – not our virus – but our feelings about the recent 42 million dollar donation to Heifer International, our experiences being perceived as the difficult vegans at our Christmas dinner, and our hopes for the New Year, vis a vis changes to our attitudes.

Joining us on this extra special episode – the last of 2011 – is nutritionist and writer, Gena Hamshaw. Gena, who is the mastermind behind the uber-popular blog, Choosing Raw, will let us in on how much raw food vegans should ideally have in their diets. She’ll also talk about how she incorporates animal activism into her mostly food-centric platform. And she’ll discuss disordered eating, and how veganism can act as a healing mechanism for people who have struggled with these issues. Gena will discuss loads more, too. You won’t want to miss this year-end interview with an incredibly articulate and insightful woman who is on the road to taking the medical profession by storm, the vegan way.

Then, Our Hen House’s Hollywood correspondent, Ari Solomon (of “Shit Vegans Say” fame), will be joining us for a very special musical tribute to some of the vegan and AR highlights of 2011. We flex our vocal chords too. Don’t miss this.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “Leaving Animals Out of the Cosmetics Picture” from the New York Times
• “Butterball Turkey Raided Amid Animal Abuse Allegations” from ABC News
• “How Smart Is This Bird? Let It Count the Ways” from the New York Times
• “An Idyllic Picture of Serenity, but Only If You’re Not Inside” from the New York Times
• “Liberty, the last battery hen in Britian, is set free” from Metro
• “Fur Coats Banned at Animal Lover’s East Side Bars” from DNAinfo.com

“Activism is the rent I pay for living on this planet.” -Alice Walker

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can listen and subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Don’t forget — we’re reader and listener supported. And through the end of the year, if you set up a recurring donation of at least $10 a month, you will receive a free, ethically-sourced Our Hen House tote bag. And also through the end of the year, if you donate a minimum of $250, we’ll send you a signed copy of a “Riot of the Hens” poster by legendary artist Sue Coe!

Thanks for helping to build Our Hen House!

Photo at top of blog from Choosing Raw.

While we at Our Hen House are mostly in the business of helping people create change for animals within their everyday lives, regardless of what they do “for a living,” we certainly hope that some of you will make the move into animal-friendly jobs this year. With that in mind, we will spend this week, leading into the New Year, highlighting some jobs that just happen to be looking for talented individuals (like you?) to come fill them.

We are starting the week with news of a whole range of exciting positions, from physician to web designer, that are available with Dr. Joel Fuhrman, one of our very favorite health gurus. The fact that Dr. Furhman is looking for so many people to join his team is proof positive of the exploding success of his approach to health, which is largely based on the health-giving properties of plants. If you are anywhere near Flemington, New Jersey, a dynamic and exciting future may await you there. The positions currently available are:

Full-time family physician or internist – specializing in nutritional and natural methods to join Dr. Fuhrman’s Medical Associates. Candidate must be a practicing nutritarian.

Full-time Motivational/Food Addiction Counselor – PhD, Masters in Social Work or similar degree required. We are looking for a highly motivated, dynamic individual. Experience in nutrition and motivational speaking would be a plus. Job duties will include assessment, result tracking, maintaining compliance and motivating new clients in both corporate and private as well as motivational speaking on nutrition and food addiction at events.

Full-time Video Production Specialist- seeking professional with experience in all aspects of video production – including camera work, lighting, audio setups, editing, encoding. Candidate must possess the ability to manage video projects from conception to production; strong working knowledge of video formats and playback codecs, editing and best practices; proficiency in After Effects, Avid, Final Cut Pro, or Premier Pro. Plan, develop, and execute pre, studio/field, and post production to create a variety of video products for broadcast, DVD distribution, webcasting, and video streaming. Must include a link to your reel along with resume.

Full-time Web Designer – Experienced creative and technical designer to develop a variety of web sites and content adaptable to a variety of screen sizes, i.e. mobile devices – phones and tablets. Proficient in HTML, CSS, Javascript, Photoshop, and Illustrator. Understanding of content management systems, wireframing, user experience, and testing. Manage multiple projects under tight deadlines. Knowledge of current web-design trends and techniques. Must possess strong visual, verbal, and written communication skills.

Full-time Product Manager – Responsible for lifecycle management of products including product planning, development and marketing. Develop core positioning and messaging. Communicate effectively across all areas of the company. Experience with consumer products, specifically food and supplements preferred.

If you are interested in any of these positions, send a resume and cover letter to jobs[at]drfuhrman.com. But if these don’t tickle your fancy, stay tuned to our posts for the rest of the week. With any luck, we’ll come up with something that’s just right for you.

Also on the subject of what to do with the rest of your life, don’t miss our post from last summer, entitled “In the Market for a (Vegan) Job?” Among other things, it talked about incredibly helpful resources for the compassionate job-seeker, like the jobs section of the popular website, Vegan Mainstream. VegNews.com also has a thorough job listings page. And be sure to “like” the Vegan Jobs page on Facebook.

In today’s episode, as Christmas approaches, we are doing our best to be nice and not naughty… but we’re failing miserably. We will share with you our retort to one website’s question regarding whether feminists should be vegan. And we’ll vent a little regarding the latest piece in The Atlantic that promoted eating animals (the act of it, not the book). On the nicer side, though, we’ll also share with you the incredibly exciting news regarding our latest video on Sue Coe.

Joining us today is powerhouse Jamie Kilstein, half of the brains behind the wildly popular podcast, Citizen Radio. Jamie’s extended interview will include his ramblings about how he began Citizen Radio, his thoughts about reaching the lefty crowd with the vegan message, his ruminations on his experiences performing vegan jokes in his stand-up comedy act, and tons more.

For our review, Our Hen House’s Hollywood correspondent, Ari Solomon, will give us his thoughts on the forthcoming Stephen Spielberg film, War Horse. Ari will discuss with us not only the film itself, but some of the issues regarding the use of animals in film. (Also see: “Animal Stories in Film: Inherently Exploitative? Potentially Eye-Opening?“)

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “U.S. Will Not Finance New Research on Chimps” from the New York Times
• “State senator brings back ‘Ag Gag’ bill” from The Florida Independent
• “Lawsuit challenges animal enterprise terror law as unconstitutional” from the Los Angeles Times
• “FBI Says Activists Who Investigate Factory Farms Can Be Prosecuted as Terrorists” from Green is the New Red
• “Animal-Rights Activists and Commissioners Win One for the Circus Elephants in Margate” from Broward Palm Beach New Times
• “India to cut out animal dissection” from Nature.com
• “Jay-Z Joins Beyonce’s Pregnancy Diet” from US Weekly
• “Vegan Crowned Toughest Woman” from VegNews.com

 “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” -Henry David Thoreau 

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! And through the end of the year, if you set up a recurring donation of at least $10 a month, you will receive a free, ethically-sourced Our Hen House tote bag. Thanks!

In today’s episode, we discuss our recent foray into de-tchotchke-ifying our lives, and our need for nesting. We also talk about health – including some ruminations on the differences between a junk food vegan diet and a whole foods based vegan diet. We’ll tell you about the home study we’ve been doing throughout our current juice fast.

Joining us today is Liuba Grechen, owner and founder of  Sweet Cheeks Vegan Bakery – a new cruelty-free company in NYC. Liuba will talk about for-profit activism, how she feels the tide is turning for vegan businesses, and what you need to know if you want to start your own.

Jasmin eating a cupcake from Sweet Cheeks Vegan Bakery. Photo by Anthony Two Moons.

Then, as a special addition to today’s episode, we will play for you the story of how vegan artist extraordinaire, Sue Coe, met her first dog.

For our review, our Hollywood Correspondent Ari Solomon will be joining us to give us his take on the book, An Eagle Named Freedom.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “‘They would wince, scream, tremble and shake’: U.S. lab investigated for horrific abuse of test monkeys” from Daily Mail
• “University of Michigan ceases use of cats in Survival Flight training” from AnnArbor.com 
• “Chimps bid farewell: Last of Coulston primates leave for Florida” from Alamogordo Daily News
• “South Vietnam rescue begins” from Animals Asia
• “Quorn Launches First Vegan Product” from PR Newswire
• “Last Hope for Horses” from The Humane Society of the United States

“Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”  -Bruce Lee

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! And through the end of the year, if you set up a recurring donation of at least $10 a month, you will receive a free, ethically-sourced Our Hen House tote bag. Thanks!

Photo at top of blog: Sweet Cheeks Vegan Bakery sponsored the Our Hen House Hen Party last month! Those were their delicious concoctions. Photo by Anthony Two Moons. 

Does the prospect of spending time with your meat-guzzling family, shopping for presents when you know that no one will ever appreciate that they were carefully selected for their cruelty-free-ness, returning wool sweaters from your Aunt Ida, and listening to people blather on about “peace on earth” while they’re mindlessly contributing to hideous suffering, make your holidays bluer than Elvis’s?

Well, get over yourself. The holidays are supposed to be fun (dammit!), and you are more deserving of a little joy than anyone. So suck it up. It’s time to have fun, whether you want to or not.

The other thing about the holidays is that they are a time when a lot of people take a moment to reflect, be a bit more mindful, and try to be, just, better. Which makes Chrismahanusolstikwanzaka one huge activist opportunity.

First of all, there’s leafleting. There is no time of year when there are more people on the streets, and no time when they are more open to messages of compassion (at least some of them). They are watching heartwarming movies and singing about peace on earth. They are primed. You need to go get them!

If you are nervous about leafleting, remember, the first leaflet is the hardest. We guarantee that the first person who takes one from you and looks satisfied or interested will be well worth the painful anticipation you had prior to leafleting. Striking at the Roots, by Mark Hawthorne, has some great leafleting advice in it. Before the end of the year, commit to leafleting for 15 minutes. You’ll be glad you did (and you might even find you actually like it, and you’ll stay out there for longer).

Next, let’s think about your Christmas office party (or school party, or whatever party). One of our favorite Christmas office parties is the one in the film Desk Set, with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Everyone got drunk on champagne and acted somewhat, but not too, inappropriately. Maybe your office party is a hoot, like that one.Or maybe your office party is just another holiday burden where you’re forced to spend time talking to people you try to avoid during the rest of the year.

Regardless, it’s a huge opportunity for food activism that can’t be passed up. In fact, even if you don’t have a party to bring food to, bringing treats to share is considered totally normal behavior during the holidays. It’s up to you to make sure it’s also an opportunity for people to learn a bit about vegan food.

Of course, the first rule in turning this into activism, rather than just your way of being nice — and this may seem obvious — is to make sure they know it’s vegan. Your goal isn’t just to get them to enjoy your cooking, it’s to enlighten them about the deliciousness of compassion. One nice touch is to print out the recipe (which you want to keep pretty simple) and leave it right by the goodies. Even better, leave out some brochures, such as “25 Reasons to Try Vegetarian” from Mercy for Animals or “Compassionate Choices” from Vegan Outreach.

Tipping can present another opportunity for some holiday vegan outreach. Whenever you have to, or just want to, give a special holiday tip to someone –  your super, your hairdresser, your babysitter, whoever — make sure you accompany it with some delicious vegan baked goods (and make sure they know it’s vegan!).

Another great form of changemaking around the holidays is to engage kids in some vegan fun. Whether you are just having a few of your kids’ friends over to your house, or maybe you want to organize a formal event at your local community center or church or synagogue, or perhaps your nieces and nephews are visiting, you want to think seriously about how to find opportunities to do some cooking with kids. A cooking class — teaching kids how to make healthy, vegan holiday meals — is not only a good time, but can get kids thinking, and talking, about why we shouldn’t have animals on our holiday tables, or any other tables (other than our dog, Rose, of course, who occasionally likes to climb up on the table).

Next, think about family get-togethers. If you can’t rely on your Aunt Ida, or whoever else is hosting the family meal, to supply you with something to eat, you of course need to bring your own. And I know you’re busy, and it’s a pain, but do yourself a favor and really go out of your way to make sure you bring something delicious, so that you aren’t sitting there with second best. And make sure you bring dessert too. Oh, and bring a lot, because others are going to want to try it too (which is both gratifying and annoying at the same time).

During that get-together, if your family wants to talk about veganism in a respectful way, that’s great. If not, don’t let that ruin your day. One thing to remember is that recruiting your family to veganism is not any more important than recruiting anyone else. The animals don’t care whether it’s your Aunt Ida who decided not to eat them, or some stranger you’ll never see again. It may matter more to you when it’s family, but that’s just your ego getting in the way. So if your family is hopeless, just use that as an impetus to do some leafleting over the next few days.

When you’re ready, you might also choose to be the host of the holiday dinner at your own house — obviously making it a completely vegan meal. If you’re afraid that no one will come, have it during the holiday season, not on the actual day. There’s all sorts of subsidiary holiday get-togethers that you can get people to come to, like tree-trimming parties, and dreidel parties, and Three Kings Day. And hey, Hanukkah lasts for 8 days! Remember, while you might want to have some holiday festivities for your vegan friends — and you certainly should — that’s fun, but it’s not activism. You need some aspiring vegans to be there in order to make change.

Another way to spread the word about food around the holidays is through blogging. If you have a blog, or if you want to start one, you can send it to your friends, family, and online circles, and ask them to subscribe. Then, you can create a holiday challenge where you ask them to try one of your holiday recipes. Or you can ask them to give you the gift of going vegan for a day, or week, or a month. Then provide guidance and advice on your blog, and even create a community via the comments section. Invite all the people in your life who are participating in your challenge to make their voices heard.

Before we close, we just want to emphasize, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, that the holidays are not something that vegans should be just surviving. We need to own them. Just as everyone else — from churches and synagogues, to Walmart, to Bergdorf’s, to the Grinch, to Charlie Brown, to your mom, to Aunt Ida, to everyone else — has their 2 cents to offer about what this season is all about, you need to spread your message. Because no one around knows more about what the holidays are really about than you do.

So here’s to you.
And to getting dead birds off the table
And to liberating reindeer,
And to soy candles in the Menorah,
And vegan cookies and almond milk for a healthy and happy Santa,
And to Peace — and we actually really mean Peace – on Earth.

In today’s monumental episode, we will talk about the Food Activism for the Holidays workshop we gave last week, and we’ll share with you our thoughts on how to get a good holiday vegan meal at a non-vegan restaurant. We’ll also sing a few original songs – including “The 12 Days of Carnivorous Christmas.”

Happy 100th Episode, Us.

Joining us for episode 100 are two of our favorite past guests: Famed ethicist and author of the groundbreaking book Animal Liberation, Peter Singer, and bestselling vegan cookbook author, Isa Chandra Moskowitz. Peter will talk with us about his views on the current state of the animal liberation movement, and Isa will talk about what she dubs “baketivism.”

Then, as part of our special 100^th episode, we’ll be answering your questions! You asked us about everything from how to handle kids who want to go to zoos, to how to find inspiration for juice-fasting, to what our plans are for 2012 with Our Hen House. Today, we’ll answer those – and more. At the end of the episode, we’ll announce the very lucky winner of the $100 gift certificate to MooShoes.

Speaking of which, today’s episode is being sponsored by MooShoes. MooShoes proudly offers the largest variety of vegan shoes and accessories in the world. They have men’s and women’s shoes for all occasions as well as bags, purses, belts, jackets, and other fun stuff – all cruelty-free. Visit MooShoes 7 days a week at their physical location in New York City’s Lower East Side, or shop with them online at www.mooshoes.com.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “In First for Asia, Taiwan to Ban Shark Finning” from Time Magazine 
• “Hansom Cab Horse Collapses Outside Central Park” from CBS New York
• “200 Bears Killed on First Day of NJ Bear Hunt” from Gothamist 
• “How Many Adults Are Vegan in the U.S.?” from The Vegetarian Resource Group

“This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals.” -Walt Whitman 

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  IN HONOR OF OUR 100TH PODCAST EPISODE, PLEASE HELP US GET TO 100 REVIEWS! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! And through the end of the year, if you set up a recurring donation of at least $10 a month, you will receive a free, ethically-sourced Our Hen House tote bag. Thanks!

We hope you look forward to Saturday mornings as much as we do!

But, as we will both happily confess, the roughly one thousand hours we’ve put into this venture has been well worth it, to say the least. In addition to recently garnering us the title “Indie Media Powerhouse” by VegNews Magazine, our podcast has connected us with our heroes (and yours), including luminaries like Jonathan Balcombe and Gene Baur, well-known personalities like Jane Velez-Mitchell and Rory Freedman, movement icons like Colleen Patrick-Goudreau and Neal Barnard, sanctuary leaders like Jenny Brown and Miriam Jones, vegan fashion gurus like John Bartlett, Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart and Joshua Katcher, animal law intellects like David Wolfson, Rebecca Huss and Steven Wise, and – perhaps our favorite episodes – every day folks who are bringing animal rights into the classroom, the workplace, and onto the radar.

Perhaps what we enjoy the most about our podcast is the unbelievable community that we’ve been able to enjoy as a result of it. Our podcast listeners have become like our extended family, many of whom email us several times a month. As Jasmin’s grandma – an 87-year-old proud vegetarian, and a frequent guest on our show – has observed, listening to an “audio program” (as Grandma calls it), is profoundly different than watching a TV show, where “they do the thinking for you.” We like to think that Grandma is right. There is indeed something distinctly awesome that comes from an audio podcast, both from the podcaster and the listener’s point of view.

Our 100th episode is generously being sponsored by MooShoes!

Though we can hardly believe it, our 100th podcast episode airs this Saturday, and — much to our excitement — is being generously sponsored by MooShoes Vegan Shoe Store. MooShoes proudly offers the largest variety of vegan shoes and accessories in the world, and during their 10th birthday party last weekend, we made a nice dent in our holiday shopping! We love MooShoes and are beyond thrilled that they are sponsoring our 100th episode, and offering a $100 gift certificate to one lucky listener.

In honor of our 100^th episode, please help us reach 100 reviews on iTunes! If you listen to our podcast and you like it, please take a minute today to give us a friendly review and 5-star rating on iTunes. As we’re writing this, we have 63 ratings (all 5 stars – thank you!). Can you do us a solid and help us get to 100?

Lastly, remember, our podcast is entirely listener-supported! That means we need your support to keep going. If you want to continue to hear quality episodes, please consider making a monthly donation of at least $10 a month! As our thank you for donating, between now and the end of the year, every person to sign up for a monthly donation will receive a free Our Hen House tote bag! It’s all ethically-sourced and vegan-made (thanks to our friends at Lion’s Share Industries). Thank you for listening, and for helping us to build a strong voice for animals.

And now, announcing the guests for our 100th podcast episode, which, as usual, will go up this Saturday, both on iTunes and right here on our blog. We are elated to bring back 2 of our favorite guests from previous shows, Peter Singer, and Isa Chandra Moskowitz! We promise that you will be enlightened, entertained, and engaged.

Thank you, listener family, for being such rock stars. So many of the questions you ask us are about how we keep going, how we produce so much content, and how — in the face of such despair and adversity all around us, on such an unfathomable level — we remain, nonetheless, indefatigably positive. In addition to clinging on to the knowledge that we all do have the power to make this world a little less cruel — even maybe a smidgeon compassionate! — you are so much of what gives us hope and fuel. Your voices, your stories, your determination, inspires us and motivates us to provide an indie media forum that is, indeed, a place to find our way to change the world for animals. As we approach our 100th episode, let us just say: thank you for listening to our show, and for letting us listen to your stories. We so appreciate you.

In today’s episode, we will discuss the label “activist.” We’ll talk about a couple of Montana residents who have two very different takes on the word. We’ll also tell you about our recent trip to New Jersey. And we’ll discuss people’s unfortunate unfamiliarity with their constitutional rights vis a vis leafleting and protesting. We’ll also give you the skinny on our upcoming 100^th episode, and we’ll tell you how you can win a $100 gift certificate to MooShoes!

Photo from VINE Sanctuary (www.vine.bravebirds.org)

Today’s episode is Part 2 (of 2) of our sanctuary spotlight. Last week, we highlighted two smaller farmed animal sanctuaries, and this week we are doing that one more time, focusing on two more sanctuaries.

Joining us today are Miriam Jones from VINE Sanctuary in Vermont, who will give us an update on some of their new residents, and Debra Kowalski from For the Animals Sanctuary in New Jersey, who will tell us about how her work as a nurse intersects with her work rescuing and rehabilitating farmed animals.

For our review, we’ll give you our take on the very best vegan nogs and other non-dairy holiday drinks!

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “Ringling circus agrees to $270K USDA fine involving alleged violations of animal welfare rules” from The Washington Post
• “Animal Rights Group Accuses Sparboe Farms of False Advertising” from ABC News
• “Horse Slaughterhouses May Reopen After Five Year Ban” from ABC News 
• “A Vegan Tour of Toronto” from VegNews TV

“Violence can only be concealed by a lie, and the lie can only be maintained by violence.” -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Thanks!

Photo at top of blog, and photo of duck in blog, both courtesy of VINE Sanctuary. 

Here is how it will work: During this super-duper episode, we will be devoting a section to answering your questions. These can be questions about us, about Our Hen House, about animal rights in general, or about anything else you want to know. Want to enter for your chance to win a $100 gift certificate from MooShoes? Of course you do…

Send us your questions that you want us to answer on the 100^th episode! Regardless of whether or not we read it on the air, your question is your entry in the contest to win the $100 MooShoes gift certificate!

To enter, simply comment below with your question. To double your chance of winning, tweet this: “I just entered to win a gift card for rad #vegan shoes from @mooshoes_nyc to support @ourhenhouse! You can enter here: http://bit.ly/srH5wj”

Be sure to enter by midnight, EST, on Wednesday, December 7. The randomly-selected winner will be announced on the 100^th episode, which will air on Saturday, December 10. Good luck!

Special thanks to MooShoes for being so insanely fantastic and generous! When we talk about “for-profit” activism – which we frequently do in our blog’s “Money Squawks” section – MooShoes is a perfect example. Much as owners Sara and Erica Kubersky explained when we made a short video highlighting their story, 10 whole years ago, these sisters saw a need for a store that would serve as a vegan hub, and, thus, MooShoes was born, as was an entire community of patrons who valued a compassionate, fair-trade experience. In addition to providing gorgeous, compassionate goods, MooShoes has gone above and beyond, frequently hosting charity fundraisers for animal rights organizations. And here’s a little known fact: 5 years ago, Jasmin worked at MooShoes. Clearly, the problem there was that, as she enmeshed herself in the shoe culture, she spent her paychecks before they were even deposited. Oh, how we adore MooShoes…

We bet you’re wondering who our 100^th episode guest will be! Well, that is still a surprise, but trust us, it will be well worth the wait. Next week on our blog, we’ll give you a sneak peak, so stay tuned.

And now, please, pull up some hay. Let’s get squawking.

In today’s episode, we will tell you about everything from our excursion to Queens – including the delicious vegan Indian food we had – to Mariann’s appearance on an LGBT-themed radio show, where she discussed the horrors of the horse-drawn carriage industry. We’ll also talk about 2 upcoming workshops we are giving here in New York City, and we’ll give you the nuts and bolts version of the most recent article we wrote for One Green Planet, entitled, “Cigarettes are Bad for You (and Other Life Lessons for a Healthy and Compassionate Tomorrow).”

Photo from Maple Farm Sanctuary (http://www.maplefarmsanctuary.org/)

Today’s episode is part one of two that will focus on some of the smaller farmed animal sanctuaries that are very much changing the world for animals. The sanctuary community is so deeply important to the overall animal rights movement, and in this week’s episode, as well as next week’s, we are delighted to shed light on some of the smaller sanctuaries that are on the front lines of animal rescue, rehabilitation, and education.

With that in mind, joining us today are two sanctuary founders – Cheri Ezell-Vandersluis from Maple Farm Sanctuary and Bill Crain from Safe Haven Sanctuary. Cheri will tell us the unbelievable, life-altering story of how she founded Maple Farm Sanctuary, and Bill will tell us about the incredibly special event that took place at Safe Haven last week in honor of Thanksgiving. We’ll give you a clue: It involved some lucky, rescued turkey ambassadors, and a whole bunch of Buddhists.

For our review, Our Hen House’s Hollywood correspondent Ari Solomon will give us his take on the movie, Contagion, from an animal rights perspective.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “Investigation: Inside Egg ‘Factory Farm’” from ABC News
• “Police Raid Illegal Slaughterhouse” from WSVN-TV
• “Puerto Rico senate says monkey-breeding facility not wanted” from Caribbean News Now! 
• “Faux Fur May Not Be So Faux” from The Wall Street Journal

This week’s episode is dedicated to our dear friend, Marti Kheel, a tireless ambassador for animals and women. Marti’s passion and compassion paved the way for groundbreaking insight into the world of ecofeminism and animal rights. Thank you for changing the world, Marti Kheel. We miss you already.

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Thanks!

Marti co-founded Feminists for Animal Rights in 1982, long before most of us were thinking about it — long before it was on the radar at all. Marti’s ecofeminist philosophy bridged various movements, including feminism, environmentalism, and, of course, animal rights. Her groundbreaking article, “The Liberation of Nature: A Circular Affair,” originally published in Environmental Ethics, has been widely cited and republished, and numerous other articles have appeared in many different anthologies and journals.

In her book, Nature Ethics: An Ecofeminist Perspective, which should really be a staple on your shelf, Marti explains her reason for focusing on ecofeminism: “This project was inspired by my frustration with the inadequate consideration of animals within the larger field of nature ethics. My interest arose out of the pain and empathy I experienced upon learning of the harrowing treatment of other-than-human animals throughout modern society.” Marti found herself dissatisfied with some of the philosophies within animal rights theories, nature philosophies, and ecophilosophy. “I was beginning to suspect that the neglect of other-than-humans was not an incidental aspect of the Western nature philosophies, but rather central to it,” she wrote. “Instead of continuing to seek an ethic of philosophy that expressed a concern for individual beings, I therefore began to investigate why this concern was lacking.”

The thing about Marti is that she didn’t just dwell on these problems, or complain about them. Instead, she went back to school to get a doctorate in religious studies, eventually writing Nature Ethics. “My insights are offered,” her book explains, “… in the belief that as long as nature ethicists continue to analyze the environmental crisis in gender-neutral terms, we will overlook important information that can help to alleviate suffering and achieve fundamental change. Finally, although I focus on some of the historical and philosophical roots of the conceptual divide between animal advocates and other nature philosophers, my hope is that we can ultimately find the common ground that will bring us together in our efforts.”

Marti’s writings, and contributions to the thought processes that underly our movement, are invaluable. But her work went well beyond theory. Marti was also a tireless activist. On a personal note, here is our fondest memory of her:

In the summer of 2010, after having some business in San Francisco, we took a short vacation to Big Sur, the mountainous region on California’s central coast. We had rented a Zip Car from San Francisco, and on the final day of our trip, just before we were to return the car, we decided to take an excursion to Gracias Madre — the vegan mainstay in the Mission District. On the way there, while we were stopped at a light on a busy road, Jasmin noticed that on the sidewalk near the car, there was a protest winding down. A few protestors were still standing around chatting, holding signs that were now at their sides facing downward. The protest was to ban Smart Meters — a replacement for gas meters that operated with high-frequency microwave radiation, drastically increasing the level of radiation around us. Protests are among our favorite sights. Anything that ignites the flame within people and causes them to act is enough to send shivers down our spine. This was no exception. Just before our light turned green, we noticed among the crowd a familiar face. Wait — was that… Marti?? 

In fact it was! After returning from our trip to Big Sur, and only in San Francisco for one last day, we did not expect to run into Marti, who lived in Berkeley — certainly not while at a stop light. Jasmin opened the window and screamed, “MARTI!” Equally surprised to run into her NYC friends, Marti ran toward the car, zig-zagged through traffic as cars beeped wildly, and jumped into the back seat of our Zip Car. “What are you two doing here?!” she exclaimed, as she put two of her protest signs in the back of the car.

Marti joined us for the rest of the afternoon, getting a green juice at Gracias Madre (she was a passionate and long-time raw foodist), then coming with us for an afternoon of thrift-shopping. She told us about the campaign to ban Smart Meters, and she talked about the international social justice conferences where she planned to speak. We ruminated on the movement, on mutual friends, on the power of vegetables. After a surprising afternoon spent together, we bid adieu, and stayed in touch throughout the year whenever there was an article that might interest the other, or just to say hello.

We saw each other again in the summer of 2011, here in New York City. With our mutual friends Martin and Mia, we had dinner at Caravan of Dreams. Marti was feeling uncharacteristically fatigued, yet was full of as much passion as ever. She talked about her recent experiences speaking on “Gender, Flesh, and Dietary Identity” at the 13th International Vegan Festival in Málaga, Spain, a few weeks prior.

Of course, that was the last time we saw Marti. She emailed us last month to tell us the tragic news that we still don’t understand — and surely never will. She was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Marti died peacefully and in her sleep on Saturday, November 19 — just two days after appearing as a guest at Yale Medical School where she spoke at a class on alternative and complementary medicine that was being taught by her doctor. Marti didn’t stop. Not ever.

In her final journal entry that she kept on Caring Bridge — the website that allows those undergoing serious illnesses to stay in touch with their friends and family via personal updates — Marti concluded with: “I have also reconnected via e-mail with a number friends with whom I had lost touch for many years, and I have been enjoying sharing memories about our past and catching up about the intervening years since we were in touch. I also love hearing about the various Occupy Wall Street movements around the country, and especially the one in Oakland, which sounds amazing. I can’t be there in person, but I am there in spirit!”

Not there in person, but there in spirit. That is something we will hang on to as we keep Marti Kheel in our hearts and minds. She was a tireless fighter, a committed feminist, a groundbreaking thinker, a caring friend. Marti left so much more than just a fleeting impression on this planet. She left a legacy, a new way of thinking, the groundwork for a more just, compassionate world.

Thank you for changing the world, Marti Kheel. You will be sorely, painfully missed, and beautifully, deeply remembered.

Marti Kheel. 1948-2011

In today’s episode, we will tell you all about our trips to New Orleans and Boston – both of which took place this past week. In New Orleans, Mariann talked animal law, and in Boston, both of us talked veganism! We’ll give you the skinny on our experiences at the biggest VegFest in the country. We’ll also tell you about the workshop we attended back here in New York where New York Times columnist Mark Bittman was the super special guest, and we’ll ruminate about a whole lot more. Our big birthday bash fundraiser was this past week, too, so we’ll tell you all about that deliciousness.

Joining us today is Will Potter – mastermind behind the book and website Green is the New Red. Will, an award-winning independent journalist, will talk to us about how animal rights and environmental activists are being labeled as “eco-terrorists,” and what that means for our safety and freedom. Don’t miss this fascinating, horrifying, and ultimately hopeful discussion.

For our review, we’ll give you our take on Nathalie Van Balen’s new project for kids of all ages, a zine entitled “Happy Thanksliving!” This zine is an accessible and affordable tool that gently challenges some of the ridiculous and antiquated traditions of Thanksgiving, while also celebrating compassion, deliciousness, open-mindedness, and new traditions.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “Ellen DeGeneres, Portia de Rossi to Open a Vegan Restaurant” from Us
• “Council bans sale, consumption of shark fin” from The [Toronto] Star
• “ASPCA: Central Park Carriage Horse Was Unhealthy Before It Died” from CBS New York
• “Animal rights group’s suit to allege Sea World is keeping orcas in slavery” from from the Los Angeles Times
• “A Vegetarian Feast, No Turkeys Allowed” from the New York Times

“The greatest mistake of the movement has been trying to organize a sleeping people around specific goals. You have to wake the people up first, then you’ll get action.” -Malcolm X

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Thanks!

Commit to a Pit

So, naturally, we were thrilled to hear about an exhibit by artist Robert McClintock opening tonight at his Baltimore Gallery. Not only has McClintock painted wonderful portraits showing the heart, soul, and pure joie de vivre of these fabulous dogs, but what’s more, he is auctioning off a commissioned pet portrait, donating a portion of the proceeds of the sale of his series to the local adoption group BARCS Pit Crew, and inviting pit bulls who need homes to the opening of the exhibit to meet prospective new families. What a guy!

Here we are presenting at the Boston VegFest (Mariann on right, Jasmin on left).

Our talk, which was entitled, “Shifting to a Plant-Based Diet: Techniques and Tips for Your Walk on the Green Side,” consisted of our top 10 tips for making this life-saving and life-expanding shift. We thought we would take the opportunity to share a brief recap of those tips on today’s blog entry. Since Tip #1 has to do with finding great resources, reposting our tips is also an opportunity to share the links to those resources.

We’re sure that most of you have additional tips to share (any list, including ours, inevitably is only a starting point). We would love it if you added your tips to the comments section on the blog. As a thank you for commenting, we will randomly select one of you to receive a free copy of Dr. Michael Greger’s newest DVD, “Latest in Clinical Nutrition: Volume 6“ (we reviewed Volume 5 on a recent podcast). Leave a comment with your tips between now and Nov. 7 at midnight EST, include your email address when submitting the comment, and we’ll let you know before Nov. 15 if you’ve won. (And be sure to catch Dr. Greger on our current podcast episode — your mind will be blown!)

But we digress.

Here we go with our Top 10 Tips for Shifting to a Plant-Based Diet:

10.Understand All the Reasons.

Whether you are primarily motivated by your health, by environmental and food sustainability issues, or by your compassion for animals, learn everything you can about all these issues, and how they intertwine in a way that is so powerful that it demonstrates that, without a doubt, shifting to a plant-based diet is our evolutionary destiny.

9. Understand Why Individual Action is so Important

It’s so easy to think that this problem is so big — and I am just one small person — so it doesn’t matter what I do. NO! That is false thinking. When you change your behavior, you influence so many more people than you realize. You need to choose: Do you want to be part of the problem, or part of the solution?

8. Find and Use “Transition” Foods

You don’t have to give up anything you don’t want to give up! There is a cruelty-free alternative to every animal product you can possibly think of. Find foods that are reminiscent of the ones you love, and relish a delicious marriage of your most precious food memories and your healthy, compassionate future.

Jasmin and her jazz hands.

7. Learn How to Get a Decent Meal at a Non-Vegan Restaurant

Never never never settle for a green salad and french fries. Check the menu, call ahead, and hang in there until you get something yummy!

6. Learn How to Add Vegetables to Your Diet*

Vegetables are actually delicious (!) and so good for you that it’s impossible to quantify, and impossible to replicate in a supplement. If fresh are too much trouble, use frozen, but no matter what, eat your veggies, and then eat some more. Once again, your Mom was right. Vegetables are where it’s at. (*This is Mariann’s favorite tip.)

5. Find and Foster Community*

Meet-Ups, vegan drinks, on-line circles, pen pals. However you do it, make new vegan friends. You may think you are the only vegan in town, but we promise you, you are not. We’re everywhere, our community is growing every day, and you want to get on board. (*This is Jasmin’s favorite tip.)

4. Learn How to Handle “Humane” Meat Questions

Sure, one reason you’re vegan is because you don’t want to take someone’s life just to satisfy your appetite, no matter how so-called “humanely” they were treated. But when this issue comes up, don’t forget to explore some of the other issues. Be compassionate, but don’t let someone who brings this up walk away without gently asking them about what their standards really are and how they know they are being followed?, whether they boycott factory farming?, what about land use issues?, do they know that milk and eggs, regardless of how small the farm is, are rooted in the exploitation of reproduction?, etc., etc., etc.

Mariann singing the National Anthem. (Kidding -- she's just presenting...)

3. Plan Ahead for Holidays and Family Get-Togethers.

‘Tis the Season. Bring good food and bring enough, ’cause everyone is going to want some. As Mariann likes to say, the single most effective thing you can do for animals is provide delicious vegan food.

2. Don’t Feel the Need to be a Spokesperson

Thanks to Carol J. Adams for this one. Being an advocate for compassionate eating is wonderful, but you can do it on your own terms and when you think people are really open to hearing your answers. If they are just using you as a way to dissipate their own anxiety about their destructive eating habits and aren’t actually interested in hearing you, you don’t have to engage. Just let them know that you are happy with the way you are eating. Period.

1. Find the Best Resources

Here are a few we fancy:

Top Book on Transitioning – The 30-Day Vegan Challenge by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Top Health Film – Forks Over Knives (now streaming on Netflix!)

Top Issues Film – Vegucated

Top Helpful Website – Vegan at Heart

Top Nutrition Website – Nutrition Facts

Top Project – Vegan Buddies

Top Vegan News Source — Vegan.com

Top Health Book – Vegan for Life by Jack Norris and Virginia Messina

***

All in all, the Boston VegFest was a huge success, and we were honored to be a part of it. Be sure to also read the thorough recap of the Fest in the Tie Dye Files (and a super special thanks to Kaitlyn for the flattering words). And also check out the rad article about the Fest on the popular blog for the Boston Globe, Boston.com (we were interviewed!).

And there you have our Top 10 Tips for Shifting to a Plant-Based Diet. What are some of your tips?

In today’s episode, we share our thoughts on everything from the woman who won a contest with the reward of allowing her to visit a dairy farm, to Jasmin’s hopes and wishes for her birthday, to the magic of the Diva Cup (don’t worry — it’s just a quick mention).

Visit www.nutritionfacts.org

Joining us today is Dr. Michael Greger, a physician, author, and internationally recognized speaker on a number of important public health issues. Dr. Greger will share with us the story of how his grandmother acted as the catalyst for him to pursue a life in medicine, and he will tell us why a healthy, plant-based diet is the only way forward. He will also tell us all about his incredibly exciting new comprehensive resource that you wont want to miss, Nutritionfacts.org.

Also joining us today in Our Hen House is Sally Tamarkin, our new intern extraordinaire. Sally, who recently fell from the planet Wherehaveyoubeenallourlives, will help us out with a segment we like to call our “New Vegan Series,” where she will let us in on her recent transition to veganism and how she plans to merge that with her longtime activism. Sally will stick around for our review, giving us her take on the movie, Babe – including the good, the bad, and the exploitative.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “Slaughter of Horses Goes On, Just Not in U.S.” from the New York Times 
• “Carriage horse collapses, dies in midtown; Animal rights activists up in arms” from the NY Daily News
• “Greyhound Trainer Receives Five Year Prison Sentence in Ebro Cruelty Case” from Saving Greys
• “U.S. Sportsman fined $14,500 for animal cruelty, illegal practices in Alberta” from Edmonton Journal 

“Compassion is the basis of all morality.” -Arthur Schopenhauer 

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Thanks!

In today’s episode, we tell you about the eye-opening and brilliant “Animals in the Arts” presentation created and presented by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau that we attended at Alexander Gray Associates here in New York City. We’ll also share with you some big news for Our Hen House – to the tune of being named the Indie Media Powerhouse of 2011 by VegNews Magazine. Oh, and in other big news, Jasmin will talk about her newly platinum hair.

Lay down the law.

This week we come to you from Portland, Oregon, where we were speakers at the annual Lewis and Clark Animal Law Conference. In honor of this one-of-a-kind conference, today’s episode is an extended one, and features several concise interviews with some of the movers and shakers from the world of animal law. Talking to us today are such luminaries as Maneesha Deckha, Bruce Wagman, Jaclyn Leeds, Peter Sankoff, Sarah Baeckler, Kristin Stilt, and Joyce Tischler. Today’s episode will undoubtedly prove revelatory for non-lawyers, budding lawyers, and seasoned lawyers.

For our review, we will give you our top 5 animal law related films that everyone should see.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “BREAKING NEWS: 800 Caged Dogs Rescued From Dog Meat Trade In Chengdu, China” from The GirlieGirl Army
• “100-Year-Old Fauja Singh sets world record: Oldest runner to complete a marathon” from NY Daily News
• “Police Kill Dozens of Animals Freed on Ohio Reserve” from the New York Times
• “The French Government Outlaws Vegetarianism in Schools” from European Vegetarian and Animal News Alliance

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” -Dr. Seuss in The Lorax

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Thanks!

Initially reported by Mercy for Animals, we know by now that the Declaration of the Occupation of New York City included, among other injustices, that corporate interests have “profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless nonhuman animals, and actively hide these practices.” We discussed our feelings about this important statement on Episodes 91 and 92 of our podcast (which you can also find on iTunes). Plus, we ruminated on our own experiences attending a recent Special Assembly, as well as the happenings we observed down at Liberty Plaza. In a nutshell, we are continually inspired and fueled by this ever-growing movement.

Given the fact that the protesters are seeking justice for all (a ridiculously oversimplified way of putting it — but if you’re still seeking clarity, read Chris Hedges’ “Why the Elites Are in Trouble“), it seems only natural that the message would extend to animals. And, clearly, vegan food is present at many of the Occupy sites. The donation website for the NYC Occupation includes requests for vegan food — and vegan pizza even got a mention in Nicholas Kristof’s New York Times op-ed, “The Bankers and the Revolutionaries.” That’s not only gratifying, but it seems like an obvious extension of compassion, at least for those who follow consistent ethics. We even heard through the grapevine that Occupy Melbourne is 100% vegan!

And if you need yet another reason why animal rights activists and environmentalists should Occupy Wall Street, Will Potter — from Green is the New Red — has five. Though you have got to read Will’s reasons in full, the Cliff Notes version is: 1) Corporations are destroying the planet; 2) Corporations are attacking you; 3) You have experiences to share about tactics; 4) You have experiences to share about dealing with corporate and government repression; and 5) This is bigger than all of us.

Of course, just because vegan food has been sought, and just because animals are in the Declaration, doesn’t mean that our work here is done. There are obviously some people involved in Occupy who get it about animals, but clearly that’s not going to include everyone. So, if this is a movement that interests you, your work is cut out for you. Just as in any other situation, becoming part of an effort to provide scrumptious and healthy vegan food to the protestors in your area is a powerful opportunity to inform the uninformed of the deliciousness of cruelty-free food — not to mention the compassion of it. Those passionate about speaking up for the underdog — even if the underdog constitutes 99% of the population — are the perfect audience for the message, “you are what you eat.” In other words, as we stand against injustice, as we embrace the notion of breaking down the walls that marginalize and subjugate many of us, let’s not forget the non-human victims of oppression.

This is, famously, a leaderless movement. So start connecting. Go down to your local Occupy protest, talk to people, find out who is providing food, learn and follow the Twitter hashtags (like combining #OWS and #vegan), and get involved with reshaping our world. Among the activities we have heard about people participating in are asking for a time to present to their local General Assembly on the issues of animal rights (check out the Facebook group, “The Animal Rights/Environmentalism Discussion Group of Occupy Wall Street“), getting local vegan food providers to donate food, and setting up arrangements with local vegan restaurants to take orders from kind-hearted donors for food to be delivered to the Occupy sites (check out Vegan Protest Fuel – an organization specifically devoted to this kind of effort). Another idea is to reach out to your local media, including by writing letters to the editor drawing the connections between the Occupy movement and the animal rights movement.

This is a gigantic opportunity. It’s seldom that animal oppression is on the radar of those who have come together to protest other issues. The Occupy movement is the perfect opportunity for animal advocates to make sure their voices are heard. Don’t let it go by.

There are loads of different ways to get involved in OWS and help change the world for animals — and we want to hear about them all. What have you done or heard others doing to connect the dots between the Occupy movement and animal rights? Comment below!

In today’s episode, we discuss everything from black bean brownies, to our thoughts on the importance of finding synergy between vegan food and Occupy Wall Street, to how we can each find super immunity. We’ll tell you about an important Mercy for Animals event we attended – and why the gift bags were the best in gift bag history. Plus, we’ll discuss whether we come across as too angry or not, and if so, if there’s anything wrong with that.

Our first guest today is singer/songwriter Kirsti Gholson, whose new CD – “The Summer I Stopped Whining” – carries strong animal rights messages throughout it. We’ll talk to Kirsti about the importance of combining the arts with advocacy, and you’ll have the opportunity to win a copy of her new CD.

Also joining us is Leigh-Chantelle, an Australian activist whose many animal rights projects are creating waves not only in her community of Brisbane, but also internationally. Leigh-Chantelle will let us in on some of her inspiring projects, and she’ll give us her thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses within the movements — both in Australia and the U.S.

For our review, we’ll give you our take on the film, Planeat, by Shelley Lee Davies and Or Schlomi, which is based on the research of T. Colin Campbell.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “Veggie Grill Raises $11 Million from Investors” from Los Angeles Business Journal
• “Governor signs shark fin ban” from the San Francisco Chronicle 
• “Farming minister hints at UK ban on sale of imported battery cage eggs” from Business.scotsman.com 
• “Compassion Condemns EU Decision on Illegal Eggs” from Compassion in World Farming 
• “Have Trunk Will Travel defrauded the public over elephant star of Water for Elephants, says ADI” from Animal Defenders International 

“There is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” -Winnie the Pooh 

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Thanks!

In today’s episode, we’ll give our thoughts on Occupy Wall Street – a quickly growing movement aimed to seek justice for the underdog. We’re happy to say that that sentiment includes animals. We’ll also talk Russian Bathhouses, soon-to-expire Groupons, and we’ll tell you all about the HSUS Gala that we were lucky enough to attend.

Joining us today is Liz Marshall, filmmaker behind The Ghosts in Our Machine — the cross-platform project that goes into the world of the ghosts who are used for clothing, medical and consumer product testing, food, and other forms of exploitation (as featured on our blog). Liz is not only a long-time passionate and compassionate activist, but she’s recently become vegan – and will tell us all about her journey. No doubt you will leave this interview feeling inspired and moved by her thoughtful and profound experiences.

For our review, we’ll give you our thoughts on the film, Eating – the one that made Las Vegas billionaire, Steve Wynn, go vegan.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “Animal abuse becomes a felony in Nevada” from ABC Action News Las Vegas
• “‘Occupy Wall Street’ Protests Corporate Cruelty to Animals” from The MFA Blog
• “FOK Companion Book Reaches #1 on the New York Times Best Seller List for Paperback Advice” from Forks Over Knives

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” -Desmond Tutu 

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Thanks!

First and foremost, the 19th annual Animal Law Conference (wow — 19th?!) will be held next weekend, on October 14-16, at Lewis and Clark Law School in the very vegan-friendly city of Portland, OR. We are on cloud 9 about speaking there. Our workshop will take place on Sunday, Oct. 16, and will cover one of our favorite topics — the one you can’t get us to shut up about — incorporating animal activism into your everyday life (and exploring ways to amp up what you already do to change the world). It is entitled “Enough Already. DO Something for Animals!” While at this one-of-a-kind conference, we are also thrilled that we’ll have the opportunity to hear so many exciting speakers, including Sarah Baeckler of the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, David Cassuto of Pace Law School (who you can check out on our podcast), Carter Dillard of the Animal Legal Defense Fund (also featured on our podcast), Kristen Stilt of the Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals, and so many other movers and shakers from the world of animal law. Our bags are packed (well, not really…), and we can’t wait (yes, really)!

In fact, we are so eager about this trip that we will be going out to Lewis and Clark Law School a day early for a separate Animal Law Review Symposium. This symposium is being organized by the students who publish the student-run law review, Animal Law – the first journal dedicated to animal law issues in the country, and one that remains the best known of what is now a wide array of such journals. The symposium will feature some of the leading voices in international animal law, including Maneesha Deckha, Professor of Law at the University of Victoria, who will be speaking on the intersections between critical animal studies and animal law, and the aforementioned David Cassuto, who will be discussing climate change and animal agriculture, with a particularly sharp focus on what’s happening in Brazil.

Animal Law Conference

Beyond that, and back here on the east coast, two very cool programs that are coming up at New York University Law School should also be on your radar. One is a panel on the environmental effects of factory farming, featuring such luminaries as New York Times columnist Mark Bittman, animal law professor extraordinaire David Wolfson (who has also been featured on the podcast), and Jon Lovvorn, the director of the Animal Protection Litigation team at the Humane Society of the United States. The other NYU Law School event to note is a faculty “moot court” of the upcoming arguments in National Meat Association v Harris, wherein the Supreme Court will decide the validity, under federal law, of California’s no-downer law.

Toward the end of this month, Mariann will be speaking in one of our favorite cities, New Orleans (which, by the way, is finally beginning to expand it’s vegan options), at the 3d Annual Continuing Legal Education program of the Louisiana Bar Association’s Animal Law Committee. The program, entitled “Animal Law 3.0”  will feature speakers on companion animal law as well as farmed animal law, and promises to be dynamic and eye-opening.

Though not directly related to animal law, since your calendars are clearly in front of you now, please also note that on October 29, we will be presenting a workshop at the Boston Vegetarian Food Festival (the biggest VegFest in the country) entitled “Shifting to a Plant-Based Diet: Techniques and Tips for Your Walk on the Green Side”; on November 2 we’ll be celebrating Jasmin’s birthday with a Hen Party that will surely result in lots of fun (and hopefully lots of funds, too!); and on November 4 we’ll be presenting “Food as Activism” for the Montclair, NJ Vegan Meet-Up. Also, if you’re in or around NYC, please save the dates of December 1 and December 2, where one or both of us will be presenting two new exciting workshops. You can stay up to speed on those events (and other ones) in the “Upcoming Squawking Engagements” sidebar of our website (look to the right of this).

Now if you’ll excuse us, we need to go take a Valium.

Another NYU project that we are excited about came as a result of an amazing seminar at NYU’s Environmental Studies Program taught by Mia McDonald, of Brighter Green. This was not a purely academic enterprise. Instead, the class of nine students was given a very real world task — creating a set of policy recommendations for the (fictional) Mayor’s Initiative on Food and Climate Change. The students created the Eating for the Green Apple initiative, including an elaborate policy proposal, as well as a toolkit designed to empower individuals and communities to increase “cool foods” in their diet. (Unfortunately, the recommended foods included eggs, but were in other respects completely vegan.)

Eating for the Green Apple

The role of animal-based foods in climate change is well-known to vegans, but, even in spite of the fact that Al Gore has come around on the issue, it still has yet to reach mainstream consciousness. This innovative school project not only brought that message to the students who participated in the class, but, hopefully, will be part of their mindset as they go out into the world. It’s just too bad that these students aren’t part of a real Mayor’s Initiative on Food and Climate Change — and that the project wasn’t 100% vegan. (Let’s hope that by the time these students are working in environmental policy, they ditch the eggs, which, while perhaps less problematic vis a vis climate change than other animal-based foods, are hideous in every other way).

Despite that, this program is a clear reminder of the extraordinary opportunities that exist to bring animal-related issues into the academic world. Teachers at all levels are in a position to bring the truth to their students in innovative ways.

In today’s episode, we’ll give you our thoughts on an event we attended that featured Frances Moore Lappe. (Let’s just say that we’re probably in the minority with our feelings about it.) We’ll also ruminate on everything from juicing to traveling, and we’ll tell you about Jasmin’s brother’s inadvertent food activism (hint: try Brody’s Bakery immediately). We’ll also get you up to speed on our upcoming squawking engagements.

Photo from www.veganbodybuilding.com

Joining us today is vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke, who will talk to us about what it takes to be a fit, vegan athlete. You won’t want to miss this one-of-a-kind interview, where Robert talks about everything from protein to exercise, with more than a touch of activism throughout.

For our review, we’ll tell you about The Whale, the new documentary by Michael Parfit and Suzanne Chisholm that tells the true story of Luna, a young wild orca who lost his family and tried to make friends with people.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “O Celebrates Feel-Good, Animal-Friendly Fashion” from O, The Oprah Magazine
• “The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act Sets an Unusual Standard for Crime” from The Wall Street Journal
• “Going After Dairy, Big Time” from Our Hen House

“Do what you feel in your heart to be right, for you’ll be criticized anyway.” -Eleanor Roosevelt

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Thanks!

In today’s episode, we give you our thoughts about a vegan art show we attended, and a workshop that Jasmin co-led for Mercy for Animals entitled “Commonality of Oppression.”

Joining us today is Carolyn Merino Mullin, founder and executive director of the National Museum of Animals & Society, which employs traditional museum stratagems in achieving its mission: to enrich the lives of animals and people through exploration of our shared experience. Carolyn will tell us about the role that animal issues play in the museum movement, and will explain the process of bringing her brainchild – this one of a kind museum – to life.

For our review, we’ll give you our take on the latest book by powerhouse Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, The 30-Day Vegan Challenge (buy it here).

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “West Hollywood to Ban Sale of Fur Garments” from The New York Times
• “No Justice for Animals” from The Huffington Post
• “SeaWorld trainers told to use caution with whale” from Associated Press 

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.” -John Muir

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Thanks!

In today’s episode, we tell you all about our vegan adventures in Bethlehem, PA, where we were speaking at the Bethlehem VegFest. We’ll also talk about one of our favorite songs, which just so happens to focus on animal rights. The song, entitled “I Broke the Law,” is written and performed by the incredible singer/songwriter, Joy Askew, and gives us serious goosebumps every time we hear it. You won’t want to miss this. (Also check out the Art of the Animal video we made of Joy last year.)

Danielle Konya (photo from VeganTreats.com)

You also won’t want to miss our inspiring interview, because joining us today is Danielle Konya, the mastermind baker and entrepreneur behind the wildly successful, and out-of-this-world delicious company, Vegan Treats, which is based in Bethlehem, PA. Danielle will tell us how she put vegan desserts on the map, and she’ll give us some insight into running a vegan business.

For our review, we’ll share our thoughts on the new documentary, Got the Facts on Milk? by Shira Lane. But beware: What you hear might shock you, and it might even change your life.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “Farm Sanctuary Adds Animal Acres’ Southern California Shelter to Its National Program” from Farm Sanctuary
• “Meatless Meals at Your Local 7-11” from The HSUS Farm Animal Protection Campaign
• “California to Enforce Foie Gras Ban in July 2012” from All Headline News

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Thanks!

In today’s episode, we will ruminate on everything from the use of anger in our activism, to our fascination with growing and picking kale, to the animal law class that Mariann is teaching.

Joining us today is Ben Grossblatt, the creator of Suicide Food, a truly unique blog that collects depictions of animals who act as though they wish to be consumed. Ben will tell us all about Suicide Food, and will discuss with us the use of satire as a means of working toward social change.

We’ll also discuss the results of our unscientific, unofficial Facebook survey – which was inspired by a podcast listener’s suggestion – where we asked you to explain, in your own words, the importance of veganism as opposed to vegetarianism. The conversation that ensued was unexpected.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “USDA: Closing Our Borders to Puppy Mills” from Animals & Politics
• “Calif. lawmakers pass bill banning shark-fin trade” from Associated Press
• “The slow but steady animal rights revolution, from ‘Planet of the Apes’ to slaughter-free meat” from The Daily News 

In today’s episode, Jasmin will give us the vegan skinny on her trip to Portland to speak at the Vida Vegan Bloggers Conference. She’ll tell us all about the food she devoured, the activists she crushed on, and the town that took wonderful care of her as Mariann stayed behind to batten down the hatches, thanks to Hurricane Irene.

"Blissful Bites" by Christy Morgan

Joining us today are three very special Portland guests: First, Vida Vegan Con co-organizer Jess Scone will give us an inside glimpse into what it was like organizing this powerhouse event. She’ll also tell us all about her projects: Vida Vegan Con,  Get Sconed, and Stumptown Vegans. Then, blogger Chelsea Lincoln, from Flavor Vegan, will chat with us about everything from how to handle animal lovers who aren’t (yet) vegan, to her thoughts on fat acceptance. Our third guest is a very special and incredibly smart little girl. Six-and-a-half year-old Ruby Bird Hooten (of Herbivore Clothing, by association anyway) has been vegan since birth, and will share with us her thoughts on everything from not eating animals, to why she loves her dog, Sassy, to the secrets of making a delicious salad.

For our review, we’ll give you our thoughts on Christy Morgan’s new cookbook, Blissful Bites, which just hit bookstore shelves. This book is aptly titled, and has quickly become one of our go-to cookbooks. Learn why.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include: 

• “Animal Liberation by Peter Singer — ALL-TIME 100 Best Nonfiction Books” from Time Magazine
• “Meat Without Slaughter: ’6 Months’ to bio-sausages” from New Scientist (by way of Vegan.com)
• “All sides have new livestock-care rules” from The Columbus Dispatch
• “Register investigation: Egg farms rack up violations” from Des Moines Register
• “Dr. Esselstyn on Sanjay Gupta’s CNN Special” from Vegsource
• “Vegans: The Greatest Threat to a Nutritionist’s Paycheck” from Eating Plants
• “Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease Hits #1 on Amazon.com” from Vegan.com

“We cannot believe that if we refuse to look at what we do not wish to see, it will not exist. This is especially the case when what we do not wish to see is what we wish to eat.” Leo Tolstoy

In today’s episode, we explore vegan mentions in non-vegan-specific books, examine our I-just-don’t-get-it attitude towards avant garde art and how we’d much rather look at a bird, ruminate on hope and whether it’s justified, and get you up to speed on some personal happenings in our lives. Today we come to you from Sag Harbor, where we’re visiting family and searching for a good vegan meal.

Joining us today is Carol J. Adams, author of the critically-acclaimed book, The Sexual Politics of Meat, which was just republished for its 20^th anniversary. Carol will chat with us about everything from how the feminist-vegetarian scene has changed since she wrote the book, to her thoughts on the fictionalized version of her that appeared on the “Beef episode” of Law and Order SVU.

For our review, we’ll share our thoughts on Dr. Michael Greger’s newest nutritional DVD, which examines everything vegans and not-yet-vegans need to know about the latest health research. You won’t want to miss this review on an eye-opening – not to mention artery-opening – DVD.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “From omnivore to vegan: The dietary education of Bill Clinton” from CNN
• “University opens nation’s first Vegan cafeteria” from USA Today
• “USDA Finally Defines ‘Egregious Cruelty’” from USDA by way of Vegan.com 
• “U.S. places $40 million chicken order” from CNN

“Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.” -Edward Abbey

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Thanks!

In today’s episode, we come to you from Toronto, where we are eating our way through this glorious, and oh-so-vegan-friendly, Canadian city. We will tell you all about our experiences filming a video that will be all about vegan Toronto, and we’ll give you an update on the happenings of the Animal Law Committee of the American Bar Association’s TIPS section.

Photo by Jo-Anne McArthur of We Animals (www.weanimals.org). According to We Animals, "This cub had been rescued by the Animals Asia Foundation two days before the photo was taken. He seems to be enjoying his new room and "hammock". Vietnam, 2008."

Joining us today are Toronto activists, Jo-Anne McArthur and Karol Orzechowski. Jo-Anne will give us the skinny on her project, We Animals, which documents, through photography, animals in the human environment. Karol will tell us all about his new feature length film that is currently in production, entitled Maximum Tolerated Dose, which explores animal experimentation by speaking with people who have previously been experimenters or lab technicians, and by telling the stories of animals who have seen both sides of the cage.

For our review, our Hollywood correspondent, Ari Solomon, will give us the animal rights take on The Rise of the Planet of the Apes. You won’t want to miss this review (or this film).

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights. As a bonus, special guest Jessica Almy (of VegBooks, among other things) will join us for our news section.

This week’s news items include:

• “Whoa There: BLM Cancels Wyoming Wild Horse Roundup Plan” from The Atlantic 
• “Peru has banned wild animals in circuses” from Animal Defenders International
• “Vegan chain takes root in Chicago” from The Chicago Tribune
• “Going Vegan With Ellen” from The Ellen Degeneres Show
• “Jail Time Yields a Clash on Vegetarian Meals” from The New York Times
• “Stop Using Chimps as Guinea Pigs” from The New York Times
• “How a Billionaire’s Wife Is Becoming the Mustang’s Messiah” from Time Magazine 

“Lots of people talk to animals… Not very many listen, though… That’s the problem.” -Benjamin Hoff from The Tao of Pooh

You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Thanks!

Photo at top of blog: By Jo-Anne McArthur of We Animals. “Street dog, Chile, 2005″

In today’s episode, we tell you about our vegan happenings back here in New York City, including a frolic uptown to check out Ayurveda Café (where we met the Shannons), then on to see an old Molly Ringwald movie. We’ll also discuss the importance of recognizing the difference between vegan potlucks and vegan outreach. And we’ll give you our take on how to approach people who say the incredibly annoying – yet all too common – sentence, “Oh, but I buy my meat locally…”

Joining us today is Susie Coston, Farm Sanctuary’s National Shelter Director. Susie, who is one of our heroes and soon to be one of yours (if she’s not already), will talk about everything from the importance of the sanctuary movement, to stories of animals in her life who have touched her beyond words. Trust us: You won’t want to miss her heartfelt insights.

"Pack of Two" by Caroline Knapp

For our review, our Hollywood correspondent Ari Solomon will give us the skinny on the book, Pack of Two: The Intricate Bond Between People and Dogs, by Caroline Knapp.

All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights.

This week’s news items include:

• “UK Government Refuses to Prosecute Extreme Cruelties Uncovered in New Pig Investigation” from Vegan.com
• “Big Chicken: Pollution and Industrial Poultry Production in America” from Pew Environmental Group
• “Animal Victory: Governor Brown Passes Law Banning Roadside Animal Sales” from LAist
• “L.A. County animal control officers will have power to declare dogs vicious” from LA Daily News
• “Growing menace: animal-rights terrorism” from Homeland Security News Wire

“If the times aren’t ripe, you have to ripen the times.” -Dorothy Height, social activist and educator
You can listen to our podcast directly on our blog (below!) or you can subscribe on iTunes. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on iTunes, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment!  Of course, we would be thrilled if you would also consider making a donation. Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so it’s tax-deductible! Thanks!

Photo at top of blog: Farm Sanctuary Shelter Director Susie Coston holds long-time resident Bron as he is being euthanized, 2006. Photo by Jo-Anne McArthur of We Animals.