Singapore Film Promotes Animal Rights/Adoption

A Taiwanese documentary “Twelve Nights,” a film produced by bestselling author Giddens Ko, was screened in Singapore last week to raise awareness of animal rights in the city state.

The screening of the film focused on the fate of dogs in shelters was attended by over 1,000 people--many accompanied by their dogs--at the outdoor Marina Barrage Green Roof. Director Raye and Taiwanese actress Sonia Sui, a sponsor of the film, were also present at the event.

Raye hopes that by showing “Twelve Nights” in Singapore, she can promote the adoption of stray animals and discourage the abandonment of pets.

The charity screening in Singapore was sponsored by home appliances brand Beko.

“Twelve Nights” records the lives of stray dogs at an animal shelter in Changhua County's Yuanlin Township. The title refers to the number of days the dogs have to be adopted before euthanasia to make more space.

The documentary grossed over NT$60 million (US$2 million) at the Taiwan box office during its run from November last year through February. The proceeds of NT$20.91 million--after deducting taxes and the share paid to cinemas--have been given to animal protection groups, including Taipei-based Stray Cats TNR (Trap Neuter Return) Association.

(Source: The China Post)

Mind If I Order The Cheeseburger?

Great episode from podcast, ARZone:


Episode 75 features Professor of Law and author Sherry Colb.

Sherry Colb is professor of Law at Cornell University and is the author of the book, Mind If I Order the Cheeseburger? and Other Questions People Ask Vegans (2013). 

Sherry visits ARZone to talk about that book, in which she offers practical and well-reasoned advice to all of us who may encounter some of the most common questions put to vegans by non-vegans. She also talks with us about the importance of empathy and understanding in advocacy and how feminism intersects with animal rights.

http://www.arzonepodcasts.com/2013/12/arzone-podcast-75-sherry-colb-mind-if-i.html

Vegan Is Love: Having Heart and Taking Action

Author-illustrator Ruby Roth, introduces young readers to veganism as a lifestyle of compassion and action in her book, Vegan Is Love.

Roth illustrates how our daily choices ripple out locally and globally, conveying what we can do to protect animals, the environment, and people across the world. Roth explores the many opportunities we have to make ethical decisions: refusing products tested on or made from animals; avoiding sea parks, circuses, animal races, and zoos; choosing to buy organic food; and more. Roth’s message is direct but sensitive, bringing into sharp focus what it means to “put our love into action.”

The book also features back-of-the-book resources on action children can take themselves.

The Tourist Trail

John Yunker’s novel, The Tourist Trail, is an epic thriller about the often unnoticed heroes who devote their lives to protecting animals. It chronicles the lives of various characters from extremely different walks of life whose worlds intertwine to reveal their shared destiny: To protect animals. Some of these characters live and breathe their passion for animals, allowing it to drive their every decision and relationship. They’d give their lives for their cause without asking for anything in return. Other characters find themselves drawn into this world unexpectedly as the situations they’re faced with cause them to question their own sense of morality. The novel has vibrant multidimensional characters and is full of plot twists, romance and non-stop danger. As the book progresses, the lives of the characters begin to intertwine and the emotional twists and turns become just as enveloping for the reader as the dangerous battles at sea.

 

The Tourist Trail was inspired by the author, John Yunker’s, trip to the Patagonia region of Argentina, where he volunteered with The Penguin Project. The book is based on the award winning short-story he wrote after his volunteer work.

A Child's Book of Animal Poems and Blessings

These poems, prayers and blessings about our animal brethren are drawn from around the world and throughout history. The book speaks to a child's sense of connection with the animal kingdom.

 

Amusing and reverential, Eliza Blanchard weaves together a collection that inspires gratitude and joy for a world rich in diversity and wonder. Sources include the Bible, African and Native American cultures, Lewis Carroll, William Wordsworth and Christina Rosetti. Full-color illustrations.

Gary Kowalski - Minister and Animal Rights Activist

Gary A. Kowalski is a minister and an American author noted for his books on eco-spirituality, science, history, and animals. He is the author of eight books including:

The Souls of Animals, Science and the Search for God

Goodbye Friend: Healing Wisdom For Anyone Who Has Ever Lost A Pet

Blessings of the Animals: Celebrating Our Kinship With All Creation

The Bible According To Noah: Theology As If Animals Mattered, Earth Day

Green Mountain Spring and Other Leaps of Faith

Revolutionary Spirits: The Enlightened Faith of America's Founding Fathers

A graduate of Harvard College and the Harvard Divinity School, Kowalski was the senior minister of Burlington's First Unitarian Universalist Society for over 20 years. While there, he performed about 25 marriage ceremonies each year, including same-sex marriages because Kowalski said that the church should support all long-term, mutually committed relationships. He also served on the Vermont State Advisory Panel to the United States Commission on Civil Rights.

In the summer of 2010, Kowalski left Burlington and moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, to begin a 12-month interim ministry for the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Santa Fe. In the following year, he became interim minister at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist, of Sudbury, Massachusetts.