Vegetarian Friends

October 2017 A Vegetarian Journal for Quakers and Other People of Faith The Peaceable Table is intended for the mutual support, education, and inspiration of people of faith in the practice of love for our fellow animals and observance of a Peace-full diet A Glimpse of the Peaceable Kingdom OxKissesMan.jpg Cape Buffalo Kiss? This looks like a happy love affair between a young cape buffalo and a young human. Does anyone have information about the picture? Editor’s Corner Essay: I See You. I Love You: On Wounding and Healing Among Activists, Part II Emotional-support.jpg Part I of this essay sketched the experiences of two Peace activists, “Sara” and “Faith,” each of whom underwent serious psychological trauma, Sara apparently at first hand during time spent in prison for doing civil disobedience, and Faith at second hand as she witnessed, in her childhood, the frequent verbal battering of her mother by her angry, and anxious, father. Both women serve to illustrate the soul-damage that activists can sustain in the course of their work, which needs healing if they are to live in accordance with their values. Secondary Traumatic Stress Disorder (STSD) Some animal activists are at particular risk of STSD: one thinks of undercover workers in factory farms and slaughterhells, those who rescue animals from hoarding situations, puppy mills, natural disasters, and other sickening scenes, those who suffer police or media abuse in connection with civil disobedience, those who disrupt organized hunts, pigeon shoots, and the like, sometimes being physically attacked; those who do open rescues from factory farms; those who follow death trucks to the slaughterhells, offering food and water during stops to animals they can reach through the openings (but cannot save); those who attend auctions to rescue still-living animals from dead piles, and the like. The terrible pain of witnessing such suffering may diminish afterwards, but it seldom goes away by itself. Support from others and self-care are crucial to the healing necessary to prevent the sufferer from causing even more harm to her/himself and others. There are well-known elements of self-care: meditation or contemplative prayer; spending time in scenes of natural beauty; exercise, such as dancing, gardening, jogging--whatever one enjoys. The person who is hurting needs sympathetic listeners, so that s/he knows she is not alone. For the severely traumatized, such elements are even more crucial, especially the support from companions, and often therapy too. In her book Aftershock, pattrice jones notes that when a severely stressed activist looks for support from a companion or relative and is rebuffed, e.g., told that things aren’t that bad, and to “just get over it”--perhaps because the story upsets the other’s cherished assumptions--the situation can become even more hurtful. Occasionally activists have even been raped or otherwise attacked by a fellow activist, which feels the ultimate betrayal. Or, after being abused by the police, activists may be described in the media as terrorists. “People cannot mourn their losses when others deny that those losses took place.” (p. 104) Aftershock offers much helpful information about finding the necessary means to heal from such anguish. Knowledge about STSD can also help others of us in the community to respond, strongly and gently, to unhealed sufferers who, though committed to nonviolence like Sara, cannot see the harm they may be doing to fellow activists, friends, or family. Infighting in our large community is not a secret; there is much suffering and unhappiness, many complaints. Somebody is taking a totally wrong approach; some group is getting most of the donations; somebody isn’t doing her/his job, and the speaker is left doing most of the work; somebody is selling out the whole cause by his/her verbal violence. There may be much truth to the accusations, and there may also be unhealed trauma in the accusers. We must listen compassionately to both, and show that we care.friends.jpg Others of us may be less exposed to the worst horrors, and our pain may not reach the pitch of intensity that may cause a traumatized person to inflict verbal or physical violence against self or others; but we are nonetheless likely to be hurting seriously enough to make self-care important. There are everyday sources of pain aplenty: the slowness of the change we seek, including reverses of hard-earned gains; still-beloved relatives who won’t listen to the call to compassion, and eat flesh in front of us in restaurants or at home; newspaper advertisements picturing slabs of dead bodies, amid rapturous text; “meat” counters in supermarkets, and fellow shoppers who put the cellophane-wrapped contents on the conveyer belts next to us at checkout. We get regular online announcements of a recent exposé of some new but all-too-familiar horror, with stories and video clips and requests for signatures and donations. Petitions we can sign, judicious donations we can make, and they help in more than one way. But if your particular kind of work doesn’t require you to read the details and watch the pictures, don’t watch them, says Melanie Joy; do not injure yourself more than necessary. Some of us do not despair about the ultimate fate of the victimized animals, being convinced that prayer can still make a difference even after their deaths. When dealing with instances of the everyday painful scenes mentioned above, one thing I do to support the spirit of the deceased animal is to repeat a line I learned from Judy Carman: “I see you. I love you.” It helps me personally that I have made extensive study of the vast evidence that human consciousness survives death, and I no longer doubt it (nor does Judy). Evidence that animal consciousnesses survive is not as abundant, but what there is has strong resemblance to the evidence for human survival, and thus is very suggestive. But for those of us who don’t know the evidence, lack the time to explore it, and operate out of the extinctionist beliefs of most educated persons in our culture, Judy’s line can still be helpful. We can take an “as-if” stance; we can say the line as-if it would help a little--or even a lot--to heal that suffering spirit. In any case, it will help us, and we too need all the help we can get. Concretely, we must show compassion for ourselves: we must not minimize our own suffering nor let others minimize it, even though we know it is less than the hell the animals endure. Nor should we beat ourselves up when we make a mistake. Rather, we must accept the fact that we are neither perfect nor almighty, and cannot do more than part, usually only a small part, of all we would like to do. If we hurt another, we can apologize and make amends, forgive ourselves, and go on. We must take vacations from our work of mercy, not only major ones but mini-ones. Putting it aside regularly to refresh ourselves with something enjoyable--e.g., working on painting a picture, doing a jigsaw puzzle, reaching for an “escapist” book or DVD, cuddling with a Significant Other--is not a vice, it is a virtue. It shows that we love ourselves as well as our neighbors. It is an affirmation that, despite the enormous anguish and the oceans of blood still being shed, the reason we keep on keeping on is that we affirm, in the words of William James, that ultimately “the universe is friendly.” The final word is not ignorance and cruelty and violence, but Compassion and Joy, even a Heart of Love inspiring our hearts to love. Who knows--such an affirmation, lived out, may even make that cosmic Love a little stronger. --Gracia Fay Ellwood Unset GemsHorace.jpeg “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than [one] seeks.” --John Muir “The just man who is resolute will not be turned from his purpose either by the rage of the crowd or by an imperious tyrant.”--Quintus Horatius Flaccus, 65 BCE - 8 BCE (pictured) NewsNotes Rabbinic Statement Encourages Plant-Based Diet Seventy-four (count ‘em!) rabbis signed a statement which, on the basis of traditional Jewish principles, encouraged their fellow Jews to transition to plant-based eating. See Rabbis --Contributed by JoAnn Farb “Monkey Selfie” Case Settled Positively After two years of litigation involving David Slater, his company Wildlife Personalities Ltd, the firm Blurb, Inc., and PETA, an agreement has been reached that in the future David Slater and his company will donate 25% of the royalties from the selfie pictures taken by free-living crested macaques to charities that protect the macaque’s habitats. This decision definitely moves us closer to rights for animals. See Selfies The Cove Again--and Again From September to March, the Japanese Fisheries Agency will be lethally targeting dolphins, with a quota of 1,940 that will be kidnapped or killed for their flesh. These highly social mammals are driven into Taiji Cove (which earned infamy in the film The Cove), those most suitable for slavery in aquariums are selected, and the rest massacred. See Dolphin Hell --Contributed by Judy Carman Foie Gras Sales Ban Reinstated! The ban on producing and importing foie gras in California, passed by the California Senate in 2004 and put in effect in 2012, was partly lifted--sales again allowed, though production still banned--as a result of a lawsuit by restauranteurs and “farmers.” In 2015, then-state-attorney-general Kamala Harris filed an appeal; this has just been successful, so sales are again banned, we trust permanently. See Freeing the Ducks --Contributed by IDA Special Report from Lima, Peru By Maru Vigo Local guardians who brought their dogs for neuteringC6.jpg Making Spay and Neuter Service Available to Needy Families Even though the spaying and neutering of companion animals should be the responsibility of the health authorities and the various municipalities in Lima, very commonly they turned a blind eye to this task arguing that there is no money available to take care of the growing companion animal population. Some municipalities offered spay and neuter services at different prices, but most of the time, the services are only for people living within that particular area. There is a need for massive spay and neuter campaigns is in the outskirts of Lima where people have very little access to information and education about those life-saving services. Since 2014, the volunteers of PETA Latino in Lima, Peru, led by Maru Vigo, have been conducting spay and neuter campaign in economically deprived areas of Lima. Ready to achieve their 500th surgery, the team provides high quality services that include: a pre-vet check up, individualized registration for the animals, utilization of high quality vet supplies, hygienic and clean settings, post surgery rooms where the animals recover until they are ready to go home, a free post-surgery med kit that the guardians take home and a post-surgery follow up that includes a free vet consultation in case the animal needs to see the vet again. A common spay and neuter procedure in Lima could cost more than $100.00, but thanks to generous donations that we receive from Jane Schwerin, international and local activists, and PETA, we are able to do it for approximately $10.00 per patient. Our customers are animals that live with people who otherwise could not be able to have their animals sterilized. These guardians may not have a lot of money, but they care about their animal friends and want to have them healthy and happy. Some people tell me that they should not deal with the needs of animals in other countries because that is the problem of foreign authorities. They are absolutely right about that, but people need to realize that we have no choice. Either we help people to keep their animals safe and healthy by controlling their reproduction, or we look the other way and contribute to the sufferings and misery in the streets. SMP24.jpg The main goal is to target populous areas in socially and economically deprived districts in Lima, but lately we have been receiving requests to have this campaigns in some other areas of the country as well. We operated on approximately 150 animals per campaign. We certainly would like to do more; but we must be very careful with the funds we manage. The team in Lima organizes every single aspect of the campaigns, from the surgeries to the tasks assigned to each volunteer and we only ask to have access to an area that will have electricity, running water, and areas appropriate for the surgery and recovery rooms. Most of the time we have our campaigns in public schools and community centers. Even though we do not have official records, we estimated that there are more than six million street dogs in Peru. And everyone knows that, since cats reproduce in larger numbers, the number of street cats must be three times larger. By organizing massive spay and neutering campaigns, we help to deactivate a legal and illegal puppy mill industry that commercializes more than 300,000 animals per year. While we put emphasis in sterilization campaigns, other local groups center their efforts in adoption events. That way we form a partnership that aims to help companion animals finding forever homes. Even though we have received donations from established organizations, we operate in our own and only depend on the donations we can gather every year. I am fully aware that every person that is involved in animal welfare or animal rights, probably donates money to their chosen local charities and I also know that all of us would like to help every single suffering animal; but, if at any time you would like to sponsor a needy animal in Lima, Perú, please do not hesitate to contact me at animalialatina@gmail.com to send a donation. After each campaign, we sent a detailed report to every single donor and our books are always open to them. Any amount is welcome and we can guarantee you that it will contribute to reduce the abandonment and the overpopulation of domestic animals in Lima. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you in advance! To see videos of our 2017 campaigns, please visit: 2017 – First campaign Second campaign Pioneer: Benjamin Lay, 1682 - 1759 On September 9, 1738, Quaker Benjamin Lay walked into the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) of Friends, held in the Burlington, N.J. meetinghouse. (This was quite near the home of eighteen-year-old John Woolman, who was probably present.) Benjamin had come almost thirty miles to get there, on foot, as he refused to exploit horses. Under a greatcoat he wore a military uniform and a sword, both of them anathema to Quakers, who have been committed to non-violence since 1660. He also carried a book with a hollowed-out compartment, in which was hidden an animal bladder full of bright-red (and toxic) pokeberry juice. (How he came by the bladder is a mystery; it is unlikely he killed any beast to get it, as he was vegetarian, and quite explicit in rejecting violence against animals as well as humans.) The meeting was presided over by two “weighty” Quakers, John Kinsey, clerk of PYM, and assistant clerk Israel Pemberton Sr., both powerful men alike among Friends and in the colonial government; and both super-wealthy slaveholders who strongly defended human slavery, even censoring the writings of any Friends who criticized it. benjamin_lay_by_kellianquinn-d52bwjg.png At one point Benjamin rose to speak. He was a “Little Person,” a dwarf about four feet tall, but he had a giant confidence and a booming voice. He affirmed the key Quaker testimony of Equality: God respects all peoples equally, whether rich or poor, man or woman, white or black. Keeping slaves, he said, was the greatest of all sins, in total violation of the Golden Rule that Quakers profess. Throwing off the greatcoat, he held the book aloft and stabbed it with the sword. Friends gasped as the “blood” gushed out; he sprinkled it on the heads of slaveholding Friends present, thundering that thus God will shed the blood of those persons who enslave their fellows. Kinsey and Pemberton Sr. probably got their share. “The room exploded into chaos, but Benjamin stood quiet and still, ‘like a statue’.” Several Friends surrounded the small prophet with the big message, and carried him out of the meetinghouse; he did not resist. But, far from being silenced, he continued to fling his lightning bolts against slavery and slaveholders, in either theatrical or straight verbal form, both in Friends’ Meetings for Worship, and later on the street to all comers. Historian Marcus Rediger begins his 2017 book The Fearless Benjamin Lay with this dramatic incident, which encapsulates the character and witness of this extraordinary Quaker who spoke truth to power, almost alone among Friends, during a time of great spiritual wickedness in high places. After this flashforward, the author moves back to Benjamin’s origins. Born in 1682, Benjamin was a third-generation Friend, more radically committed to the faith than either his grandparents or parents. He was born and grew up in Copford, a village sixty miles northwest of London. Benjamin’s father, William II, married into means with his second union, becoming a propertied yeoman. But their children’s education was quite limited; Benjamin could read, but was taught little more. However, he valued knowledge highly, and seized every chance to educate himself throughout his life. Animals became important in his thinking during his late teens, when he went to work tending the sheep of his older half-brother William III. He loved this job, and the sheep, especially the “pretty lambs.” He resonated to the extensive biblical theme of God as shepherd caring for us as sheep, but clearly it was more than an image: the sheep themselves mattered to him. When he came of age, his father apprenticed him to a glove-maker in a nearby town. The work was done in a hunched-over position; the leather used for most of the gloves was smelly and needed curing first. Years later, Benjamin condemned the work also because the leather came from violence against animals. He disliked his apprentice situation so much that he ran away in 1703 and headed for London. Part of his motivation may have been problems with his master; Benjamin and authority figures tended not to get along.shutterstock_15142465.jpg Wanting to see the world and expand his mind, he became a sailor. The work was hard and dangerous, but he was willing and virtually fearless. It was to provide his “Oppression Education 101.” From his fellow sailors he heard horror stories, some of which came from their experiences working slave ships; others of the sailors had themselves been captured by Barbary pirates, and spent years in slavery. From these accounts it was clear to Benjamin that the Christian slavers treated their African captives considerably worse than the Muslim slavers did their European Christian slaves. He accused slavers as a class of having murdered perhaps hundreds of thousands (which by then was literally true in the hellish Middle Passage and the West Indies). He harshly condemned the freewheeling rape of African women captives by crewmembers, identifying with the women victims rather than the crew. This and other elements of his experience in this rough, all-male environment surprisingly strengthened his conviction of the all-too-common victimization of women, and the equality of the sexes in the sight of God, just as his endurance of the heavy-handed tyranny of captains strengthened his solidarity with poor working people. Equality, a core Quaker principle neglected in his time, became increasingly precious to him. In 1714 he retired from seagoing and settled down in London, supporting himself by glove-making. He had come safe out of the perils of the deep, but not into peace. He joined Devonshire House Meeting, also visiting other Meetings and churches in London. When he disliked what he heard, he was not shy about speaking up, sometimes denouncing weighty Quakers as presenting their own ideas stemming from their love of wealth, not the messages of the Spirit. He kept getting into trouble and arousing anger in one Meeting after another. Having gotten married in July 2018 to fellow-Friend Sarah Smith, five years his senior and a Little Person like himself, he and his bride decided to betake themselves to what they probably hoped would be greener pastures elsewhere. They sailed to Barbados, which had a (declining) Quaker community; Benjamin set up a general store on the waterfront in Bridgetown. But the greener pastures turned out to be hell on earth. Nine thousand Whites of European descent exploited and tortured seventy thousand enslaved Black persons, working them eighteen hours a day, feeding them little, in some cases whipping them weekly just to keep them in terror. The Lays saw exhausted, emaciated Africans collapse on the streets; a horrified Sarah saw a naked and shivering man suspended (probably in chains) above a pool of blood in front of a house. She got sufficient control over herself to enter the house and inquire about this monstrous situation. She found that the man’s “owner” was a Quaker, who felt quite justified in punishing him thus for running away for a day or two. Let’s not be too rigid about this Equality notion!BlackWhipped.jpg In the early days of Benjamin’s shopkeeping, occasionally one or another of the Africans would beg or shoplift in his store. At first he had responded to thievery severely, but he soon realized who the bigger thieves running the whole system were. He was ashamed of his behavior, and instead opened conversations with the enslaved and heard their stories--an exponentially deeper education than he had acquired in his twelve years on shipboard. He learned that the victimized people “are Murthered [murdered] by Working hard, and Starving, Whipping, Racking, Hanging, Burning, Scalding, Roasting, and other Hellish Torments”--all real, and routine, events. The master class grew rich, primarily from the sugar industry; when the enslaved died in a year or two or three, there were always more to be purchased from the foul holds of the ships. “The Lays began to hold meetings in which they denounced slavery and served meals at their home, which drew ever larger crowds of enslaved people, many in defiance of their masters.” The Whites were outraged; the ruling group heard about these subversive activities, verbally attacked the Lays, and took steps to banish them from the island. But the Lays had already decided to leave; it was obvious they could not by themselves feed the hundreds of starving guests; they could not play favorites; and they feared that they would eventually be made callous and cruel by the horrible cruelty around them, like the resident Quakers they had encountered. In the language of twenty-first century psychology, they probably realized they were nearing their capacity to endure Secondary Traumatic Stress without succumbing to psychospiritual catastrophe. So in the fall of 1720 they sailed back to England. The hellish memories of their eighteen-month-stay in Barbados, burned deeply into their minds and hearts, were to be the turning point in their lives. Denouncing human slavery and the greed that fueled it became the focal purpose of Benjamin’s life. quaker-meeting-2.jpg Back in London Benjamin’s earlier pattern of stirring up strife in Quaker meetings soon resumed. Although he was probably right in his conviction that desire for gain--”Covetousness”-- was corrupting many Friends, he was almost surely not without some guilt in these interactions. Rediger comments that he was stubborn and self-righteous; it is also clear that he was uncharitable and judgemental toward those whose words and actions he opposed, though very tender toward those who lived by Quaker values. We can understand; hating the sin yet loving the sinner is hard. When representatives from any offended Meeting tried to work with him, he seldom made any attempt to acknowledge that he had been even partially at fault. (They may not have tried very hard to be fair, either.) He ended up being disowned by more than one of them. However, he did manage to apologize sufficiently to regain membership in good standing with one Meeting, and thus permission to join another Meeting elsewhere. After twelve tempestuous years in England, in 1732 Benjamin and Sarah sailed to North America, their destination Philadelphia, the City of Friendship. It was still the largest community of Quakers in the Colonies. The Lays had high hopes: surely the Divine Light of Peace and Equality ruled here, in William Penn’s Holy Experiment? Readers already know the answer from the book-of-blood incident. The proportion of Africans to Whites was very different from that in Barbados, and probably in Pennsylvania the anxiety level of slaveholders was lower; in any case, the overwhelming, raw savagery of enslavement they had seen on the island was not very visible here. But the evil, fueled by greed, was still monstrous and the resulting suffering was great, especially in the light of Friends’ principles. Benjamin’s uncompromising demands for Truth and Equality in the Light, fired by his first-hand witness to the bottomless pit in his Barbados period, meant that his relationships with the powerful and wealthy Quaker leaders, most of whom kept slaves, was as stormy as those in England, where resident slaves were few and thus slavery was scarcely visible, the plantations Friends owned being across the ocean. Benjamin did much traveling, always on foot, to visit various Meetings where he often spoke and/or dramatized his prophetic witness, and was often thrown out of the buildings. He did find some kindred souls among Friends, including Ralph Sandiford, a former sailor like himself, turned merchant, who had written an anti-slavery book entitled The Mystery of Iniquity. It was censored of course by the likes of Kinsey and Pemberton Sr., but the author published it himself and distributed copies gratis. But Benjamin soon lost this cherished friend. Sandiford was very ill, and though only forty, died in about a year, almost unhinged by the cumulative abuse of fellow-Quakers. An even greater tragedy struck Benjamin with the sudden death of his beloved Sarah at age fifty-eight in 1735, from causes unknown. She had been his soul-mate, one with him in all he felt and did, and he always knew he was speaking for them both. Though he still had quiet supporters, gradually increasing in numbers over time, thereafter his voice was virtually the only one heard loudly denouncing slavery and slave-keepers. He endured most of the abuse of the Quaker powerful, including disownments by two Meetings, a great grief to him. In the aftermath of his bereavement he wrote a book entitled All Slave-Keepers That Keep the Innocent in Bondage, Apostates. It was a powerful but chaotic work, with many insertions of material from other writers, ranging from Epictetus and Pythagoras to John Milton and Thomas Tryon---Benjamin was a voracious reader. It was, of course, censored by the (Un-)Friendly Establishment, so he handed it to his friend Benjamin Franklin to print, inviting him to do whatever editing he chose. Like Sandiford, Friend Lay paid for the publication himself, and distributed the copies free. It was to have a considerable impact. (It is now in print again.) From the mid-1730s on, he moved more and more toward the Quaker ideal of simplicity, growing and eating his own food, living in a semi-cave-like dwelling which he roofed with branches and modified to produce a very adequate living space. Part of simplifying his lifestyle was deepening his commitment to animals. He learned a great deal from the writings of Thomas Tryon (whom The Peaceable Table featured as a Pioneer in PT 13 and PT 137 ). His favorite book was Tryon’s The Way to Health, Long Life, and Happiness, a promotion of compassionate vegetarianism; and he repeated Tryon’s line “the merciful Man is merciful to his Beast” as well as Tryon’s expression “fellow creature.” Like Tryon, he affirmed the presence of the Spirit in all animals as well as humans, and (as mentioned above) rejected the use (mostly abuse) of horses for transportation--not to mention the killing and eating of any animal. Benjamin rejected leather and wool for clothing; he went barefoot much of the time; he spun flax to make his own clothing, which was undyed because indigo was produced by human slaves, and red dye was made from cochineal beetles. BenjaminLayUndyed.jpeg It has been said that science advances one funeral at a time, as younger, more open minds take over the field. This aphorism describes the cause of abolition (of human slavery) among Quakers. Benjamin outlived most of his powerful opponents who had for so long condemned his witness and suppressed it in official records. After the death of his high-living, multi-millionaire enemy Kinsey in 1750, it was discovered that Kinsey had embezzled a huge sum of money; the stink of the scandal could not be hidden. Benjamin Lay, denouncing greed and exploitation and living on fruits and veggies in his cave, began to look better and better. Pemberton Sr. died unrepentant in 1754, leaving his almost five-million-dollar (in today’s money) estate to his sons--two of whom became abolitionists! It was evident that younger minds, such as John Woolman and Anthony Benezet, had been listening to Benjamin, and widespread rumbles of discontent were getting more audible. In 1758, Philadelphia Yearly Meeting passed a resolution condemning slave-trading--perhaps the best news Benjamin had ever heard. He died some months thereafter. Eighteen years later, Quakers officially condemned all (human) slave-holding in their midst, and began to work toward its abolition in society at large. But it was to be more than 200 years--with Benjamin’s witness long forgotten--before Quaker and other voices opposing animal slavery became loud enough to even begin to wake up the Society of Friends from their haunted slumbers. --Gracia Fay Ellwood The painting reproduced at the head of this essay is by Kellian Quinn; see website at Quinn . Permission to reproduce sought. Children’s Television Review: Dinosaur Train DinosaurTrain.pngDinosaur Train. The Jim Henson Company. Animated TV program, on PBS Kids. Many years ago I saw depicted an epic fight between two Jurassic creatures, the Allosaurus and the Stegosaurus. The carnivore-versus-herbivore battle was set to Igor Stravinsky's Rite of Spring. It was sad and shocking, intended for all ages, but in my opinion not kiddie fare. But in Dinosaur Train there is good news for the tender-hearted: The two Jurassic beasties fight again, but this time it is not a fight to the kill, but only a bit of pro wrestling. They are just putting on a show for the dino-masses, and for mini-Homo Sapiens at home. Kind-hearted preschoolers will not weep for the slain Stegosaurus, nor will the bloodthirsty delight in a death. The premise of the story: In a Pteradonon nest, four babies are hatched. Three are winged creatures, but the fourth is an infant Tyrannosaurus Rex. How did that happen? It is never explained, but one may speculate that some ovirapturous flier dropped the egg in the nest. Mrs. Pteradonon, a sweet Mesozoic Momma, immediately adopts the T-Rex and decides to give him the sort of education that will help him grow up with species diversity. The whole family is soon traveling on the Dinosaur Train, an amazing device that travels in time as well as place-- Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous. The program is very educational; I learned something I didn’t know before, that flowers first appeared in the Cretaceous. More importantly, the characters on the show, and the viewers, get lessons on diversity and tolerance. Buddy, the T-rex, is seen happily playing with his good friend Tank, a young Triceratops, whom he never tries to bite. The show also contains many lessons against racism and hunting. Who cares if dinosaurs did not ride trains, especially time-traveling ones? I recommend this funny, educational and uplifting TV show for young children, and for everybody else. --Benjamin Urrutia Recipe: Gracia Fay’s Cheatin’ Chili 1 8-oz. can of Amy’s Chili, medium or spicy ½ 8-oz can plain black beans ⅓ of a medium-sized purple onion, sliced finely Shredded Daiya cheddar-style vegan cheeze (optional) Pre-heat oven to 375 ゜. Empty the Amy’s chili into a bowl (you may need to drain off a bit of liquid first). Place the black beans in a colander; rinse thoroughly; add to bowl Add sliced onion; stir. Place in oven dish and top with cheeze shreds if desired. Cover and bake in oven for 25-30 minutes. Enjoy with brown rice and vegetables. Serves two or three. I developed this recipe because it’s tasty, quick, and easy as well as nutritious--I’m among those unfortunates who can’t enjoy cooking. I’ve gotten compliments on it at potlucks, and inquiries about the recipe--of course I’m suitably reticent in such situations. What cook would want to admit that Amy’s firm should get most of the credit? --Gracia Fay Ellwood Poetry: Anonymous and Faith L. Bowman God’s LampsBurningLantern.jpg God’s lamps are we who burn with love To shine wherever God shall say: We may be placed in pleasant rooms To cheer a heavy, cloudy day, Or in a rank and murky zone Where shadows grope for goods unknown, Or labyrinthine-caverned earth Where greed and fear and crime have birth . . . . Suppose, benighted in a storm, One sees a gleam afar-- No hand or lantern visible, Only an earth-born star-- So may we shine God’s flaming love. Issue copyright © 2017 Vegetarian Friends