A new relationship with animals, nature and each other.

Posts tagged ‘special comments’

What to Call the Royal Baby: Canute?

If you’re betting on the name of the baby boy just born to royals William and Kate, probably best go with James or George, the top favorites.

But I’d vote for another name: Canute. The famous Danish king ruled England from 1016 to 1035, and is best known for his legendary encounter with the ocean, where he commanded the waves to stop advancing.

The purpose of the operation was to point out the folly of human arrogance – and we could use a little of that wisdom right now. So giving the newborn the name Canute would be a novel way of turning public attention to what his future – and ours – has in store.

On Banning Bestiality

What exactly makes it a crime, punishable by potentially many years in prison, to have sex with a goat, a sheep or a cow, while, for example, it’s perfectly OK to kill that same animal and eat her? Or, indeed, to be entertained by her in any number of other ways?

For Pigs, a Match Made in Hell

Smithfield, the world’s biggest producer of factory-farmed pigs, has agreed to be taken over by Shuanghui, China’s biggest pork producer.

Shuanghui has 13 factory farms that produce more than 2.7 million tons of meat each year. For $4.7 billion, it will take possession of Smithfield and its 460 facilities that raise 15.8 million hogs a year.

What does this mean for the pigs?

Sands of Time

One day, about 185 million years ago, some dinosaurs wandered down to a small oasis in the desert, about 20 miles from where I live. There…

The Other Iraq War

It’s the anniversary of the “shock and awe” invasion of Iraq. And while we’re all being reminded of the colossal cost of our ongoing wars and…