I grew up hating the use of pathos in argument. I always thought that we should accept an argument on its merits, not because we liked it, certainly not because we liked the speaker.

An acquaintance of mine feels a strong spiritual connection to bees. They are a sacred animal for her. She supports work to help curb their diminishing population, and I assume she calls upon them as spirit allies. It's very common in Pagan, shamanic, and other communities to call upon the guidance and protection of animal spirits. When we were discussing veganism, she told me that she could never become fully vegan because honey is very important to her due to her spiritual connection with bees.

Just sharing two images I made. I know very little about graphic design, but it's definitely a skill I want to learn. If you like them, feel free to click to open them in a lightbox and download. It's propaganda, so spread it! You may recognize the cow from our header on the homepage. I met her while visiting family in Oklahoma. It was sad to see her and her companions trapped behind fences right next to a gas station, with tags on their ears, but it was a beautiful experience to get so close. They all gathered around the calves to protect them from the strangers.

Those Vegan Hedonists is the forum I created to discuss all aspects of veganism, animal rights, spirituality, skepticism, and philosophy.

Hedonism is the philosophical stance that pleasure or happiness is the only intrinsic good. I'd suggest that this idea is the reason many of us became vegan, and the basis of much of the animal rights movement. I contend that ethical hedonism requires veganism. But this blog isn't intended just for vegans. It's a place for everyone to respectfully discuss all manner of ideas and issues.

My review of one of my now favorite films, Ninotchka, was published in my college's academic journal. The assignment was to study and review a social protest film. I almost picked Gorillas of the Mist because of its animal rights message, but decided to try something less familiar. I'm glad I did because it's a brilliant film and introduced me to Greta Garbo.