Episode 217: “An activist is someone who cannot help but fight for something. So much so that he or she is compelled by some internal moral engine to act to make it better.”

Welcome to the 217^th episode of Our Hen House, featuring Paul Shapiro [transcript], with a special review by Ethan Ciment and Michael Suchman. 
In today’s episode, Mariann and I chat about a food writer’s internal battle to go vegan; we’ll give you the skinny on our experiences speaking at last week’s NYC VegFest; and we’ll tell you about a listener’s concern regarding a product we recently squawked about on the show. (In that context, see why Nestlé is the target of a boycott because it “contributes to the unnecessary death and suffering of infants around the world”; how Nestlé allows chocolate slavery; and how it continues animal testing.)
There’s lots of “Rising Anxieties” to report today, too, including everything from why Nicolette Hahn Niman wants us to “Support Our Local Slaughterhouse,” to why our recent trip to Chipotle had us snapping photos of their signage.

Paul Shapiro

Joining us today is Paul Shapiro, the Vice President of Farm Animal Protection for the Humane Society of the United States. Paul will let us in on the latest numbers of farmed animals killed annually (there’s reason to hope, y’all!), and he will discuss some hopeful trends with people deciding to ditch the meat.
For our review, the guys from Vegan Mos – Ethan Ciment and Michael Suchman – will be back once again, this time to give us their take on the new e-cookbook, Comfortably Yum, by ARS.
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 Stitcher, 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 Our Hen House theme song is written and sung by the incredible Michael Harren.
“An activist is someone who cannot help but fight for something. That person is not usually motivated by a need for power, or money, or fame but in fact driven slightly mad by some injustice, some cruelty, some unfairness. So much so that he or she is compelled by some internal moral engine to act to make it better.” -Eve Ensler