These are my notes from LFF 2019. They were written either immediately after my seeing the film or shortly thereafter. I am not a film reviewer, so these are impressions rather than full-blown reviews. Continuing from last year, I once again noticed the continued increase in stories about women and made by women. There was…
Essays
What About: “No-Kill” Eggs?
This piece was originally published in Ecorazzi on 7 January 2019 There is a new “advancement” in agricultural science and it is “no-kill” eggs. As always with these supposedly humane advancements, the purported reduction of harm does not mean that there is no other death sentence or continued needless exploitation awaiting. In this case, male…
"This dispatch is being written from a bamboo covered hillside near the Bay of Bengal along the coast of central Burma"
I have a friend who served in the 82nd (West Africa) Division of the British Infantry during the Burma (now, Myanmar) campaign of 1945 and has a Burma Star to show for it. Earlier in the War, he served in West Africa as well as in London during the Battle of Britain. You will not be…
Notes from the 62nd BFI London Film Festival
These are my notes from this year’s LFF. They were written either immediately after my seeing the film or shortly thereafter. I am not a film reviewer, so these are more impressions than full-blown reviews. One of the themes I noticed this year was the increase in stories about women and made by women. Good…
The L.A. Fur “Ban” – What Does It Actually Accomplish?
First published on Ecorazzi on 21 September 2018 The short answer is precious little for the animals. You can now go back to scrolling on Insta and/or you can get angry with me for being a downer without reading further. However, if you fancy thinking about this along with me, then read on and maybe…
It's About The Conversations
Co-authored with Damon McDonald and first published on Ecorazzi on 10 September 2018. Photo credits to Vegandale. Empowering, positive and unapologetic vegan advocacy while having fun at a vegan food and drink festival are not mutually exclusive activities. From the clever, and often laugh out loud funny, vegan artwork that reinforces the simple idea that to help…
Vegan in Kenya and Rwanda
We recently spent three weeks between Nairobi, parts of eastern Kenya, Rwanda and even one night in Uganda. There is no magic to being vegan in Kenya or Rwanda. It is easy. Many of the traditional foods are vegan and in every town there will be a market where to purchase grains, beans and seasonal…
Two Minutes to Vegan (or “Why Vegan?” In Under 500 Words)
Do you want to explain or read about “why vegan” in under two minutes or in fewer than 500 words? If so, then see below. Sure, longer conversations to follow, but this is a solid start. Sentient– like us, animals are sentient and want to live, even if for just one more moment. It doesn’t…
What About Zero Waste?
The most recent green bandwagon is “zero waste”. Zero waste is generally understood to mean moving towards generating nothing that gets disposed of in the general rubbish. People are meant to reuse what they have, compost, recycle, not use plastic bags and so forth. This is all admirable and necessary and if, like me, you…
Wicked Good Opportunity
Bloomberg reports that the introduction of “vegan ranges”is at least partially responsible for improving Tesco’s finances. Tesco is a very large publicly traded food retailer in Europe and parts of Asia. This is big and good news in many respects. Before we get our party hats on, let’s put it all in context and examine…
