Episode 160: “Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.”

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Welcome to the 160^th episode of Our Hen House, featuring Josh Balk.

In today’s episode, we discuss how to develop good habits, and we’ll confess why we apparently can’t. We’ll chat about being sent random animal stories from people who aren’t necessarily tuned in to animal rights issues – and we’ll ponder when that can be edifying and when it can be annoying. We’ll also squawk about everything from vegan sushi, to “Battlestar Gallactica,” to super foods, to how Our Hen House is expanding.

Joining us today is Josh Balk from the Humane Society of the United States, and a volunteer for New Harvest – a company aimed at “advancing meat substitutes.” Josh will speak with us about in vitro and plant-based meats, and he’ll give us the skinny about whether or not that is the next direction in which our society is headed. Will the meat industrial complex shift to fulfill this growing and compassionate consumer demand?

For our review, Our Hen House’s Ari Solomon will join us once again. Ari has some thrilling news about his newest animal rights undertaking, and he’ll share that with us. He’ll also give us his take on the children’s book, The One and Only Ivan, by Katherine Applegate, illustrated by Patricia Castelao, which explores the story of a sweet gorilla named Ivan, and his journey into – and possibly out of – confinement.

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

This week’s news items include:

• “Sea Shepherd intercepts whaling fleet before Southern Ocean hunt” from The Japan Times
• “Vegetarian Diet Cuts Heart Risk by 32%, Study Says” from Bloomberg.com
• “Federal Law Makers Reintroduce Bill to Protect Puppy Mill Dogs” from The Examiner
• “HSUS-UEP housing pact heading into new Congress” from Feedstuffs
• “Exclusive: France, Germany face EU legal threat over pig welfare” from Reuters
• “Feral Cats Kill Billions of Small Critters Each Year” from Smithsonian.com
• “Veggie Grill raises $20M to double locations” from FastCasual.com
• BE SURE TO READ OUR NEW ARCHIVED BREAKING NEWS SECTION, AND CHECK OUR BREAKING NEWS TICKER — FOUND AT THE TOP OF OURHENHOUSE.ORG — DAILY.

“Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.” -Albert Einstein

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