Thursday, March 20, 2008

Armchair activism

I haven't been cooking much or eating lovely meals lately, so no food photos today. I haven't had a spare minute to think up an interesting argument about an issue that grinds my gears, so no rant today. Quite frankly, I have a headache and the sniffles, and I don't even want to be here. But I have to go to a meeting and a seminar, so here I am, misery and all. I won't bore you with my whinging, but expect some better posts in the (relatively) near future.

For now, I will leave you with three links. All are ways you can take a little bit of action without leaving the comfort of your computer chair.

First, you've all heard about what's going on in Tibet? (No? Click here or here.) Well, Kevin Rudd, the Prime Minister of Australia, is off to visit our largest trading partner in Beijing. K-rudd speaks fluent mandarin, so Get Up! is urging people to sign a petition asking Kevin to ask China to lay off a bit. Not Australian? That's okay. I think it makes a bold statement when international signatures are on petitions like that. "The whole world is watching, Kev, what're you gonna do?"

Second, another Get Up! campaign which is near and dear to my heart--Close the Gap. You may have heard that Indigenous Australians have a life expectancy which is nearly 20 years lower than white Australians. There is another petition, and again, international signatures are very powerful. But let's not forget about Oxfam's petition, which has been going for ages. Why not sign both?

Finally, animal export is a big problem in this country. Tens of thousands of animals die every year en route to the Middle East, and the ones who survive are slaughtered in incredibly inhumane ways. Several groups have been fighting to change the laws for ages, and finally the leading export company has been brought to trial. The case was thrown out on a technicality, but it was in appeal this year because a lawyer found that technicality was wrong. Well. Enter a WA politician who has decided to cancel the case. Read more about it at the Animals Australia site, and then sign their petition.

I hope everyone has a lovely long weekend, and if you've got the energy, leave the computer desks and do something fun! I'm predicting a day at the beach in my future....

6 comments:

Vegan_Noodle said...

A day at the beach sounds lovely!!

Thanks for those links also... I have been watching the news about China and Tibet and it is very disheartening. Hopefully the rest of the world will step up...

Amy said...

Signed! Your comment about not thinking of a rant amused me. Some of my long stretches without posting are because nothing has worked my nerves lately.

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

ah, i hope yr feeling better. a day or two at the beach will do you good!

Vicki's Vegan Vice said...

That photo of Nacho is so darn cute! armchair activism - on target. I hope something positive comes from the olympics for Tibet. Un dia de la playa!!! :)

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Thank you so much for posting this. We need to remember that when we sit silently by and watch atrocities being committed, we are also to blame.

Unknown said...

In Amsterdam a lot of people want to boycott the Olympics. Hope you have a nice Easter, and that you get better soon.