Welcome to the 208th episode of Our Hen House, featuring Dr. Aysha Akhtar [transcript], with a special review by Danielle Legg, and a brand new theme song by Michael Harren.
In today’s episode, we discuss our new theme song, Fun Home the Musical, vegan dim sum on Christmas, and whether there’s a difference between animal rights and veganism. We’ll also squawk about the ridiculous craze of grain brain and wheat belly, whether it’s effective advocacy to comment on industry blogs, and the power of feeding the hungry vegan food. Plus, in our Rising Anxieties segment, we’ll chat about fox hunting; the recent brouhaha about the wolf and coyote derby in Idaho; butchers stealing vegans’ jokes; and one guy who is thinking all of this through out loud.
Joining us today is Dr. Aysha Akhtar, a brilliant neurologist with an expertise in public health, who will talk to us about the public health implications of our mistreatment of animals.
For our review, Our Hen House’s Outreach Manager, Danielle Legg, will let us in on some absolute must-have vegan products from Lush, which will leave you feeling fresh-faced and ethical, all at the same time.

Danielle Legg
Danielle’s List of Must-Have Vegan Lush Items
9-5: Comes in two sizes, one perfect for travel.
Cupcake: It’s a clay mask that tastes like dessert, and makes your face fabulous! Available only in stores, because they make it fresh each week!
Strawberry Feels Forever: A solid moisturizer that you can keep in your bag, and it can’t spill. It’s a massage bar too, if you’re into sharing, which I’m not.
Vanilla Puff Powder: This not only has layer scents, but it also makes your moisturized skin super smooth and smelling luscious.
Tea Tree Water: Also in two sizes, and perfect for quick cleansing, extending the life of your moisturizer, and great to remove 9-5 before bed!
Grease Lightning: Got a little blemish? No worries, it’ll be gone in the morning with this!
Ro’s Argon: Shower moisturizer that keeps your skin soft all day — and you can totally use it in your hair too, but not too much. It’s like a styling product that makes your skin and your hair look great!
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All that, vegan banter, and of course, current events from the world of animal rights. You can listen to our podcast directly on our website (beneath this paragraph!) or you can listen and subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher! 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, or becoming a member of our flock (especially if you’re a regular listener). Any amount is hugely appreciated, and Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible! You can also dedicate a podcast episode! Don’t forget – we’re reader and listener supported. Plus, we offer some fantastic thank you gifts for your donations. Lastly, we are excited to be able to offer you written transcriptions of our podcast interviews (beginning with Episode 188). Thank you for helping us create quality content, and for helping us bring you a new podcast episode each week! For a list of the news items we discuss in today’s episode, and then some, take a look at the breaking news ticker at the top of the page, and also check out our list of archived news items.
“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.” -George Orwell