Animal Rights Vs. Human Rights?

Typical. It's sunny up here in North Wales, and I'm still ill. Damn Freshers flu.
Anyways, I digress.

I wanted to talk today about this bizarre assumption that keeps coming my way - that to be interested in animal rights and/or welfare means that a person doesn't believe or support human rights campaigns and causes. I have no idea why some people seem to think this is a fallible suggestion. The way I see it is that both beliefs can be attained at the same time. It isn't an either/or situation. I know plenty of vegans/vegetarians/animal activists who campaign for human rights organizations, some more so than they do for animal rights issues. Generally, they tend to be pretty politically active people anyway, and human rights is just one of their many political campaigns/beliefs. I just don't really understand why some people criticize people who are concerned about animal welfare in this manner. To me it just doesn't make sense.
I myself am a member of Amnesty International, as well as my local Amnesty university group, I'm part of my university Fairtrade society where we promote Fairtrade products and show the significant difference it can make to people's lives. Also, I recently cut off a load of my hair to be donated to a charity which makes wigs for children with cancer. These are just a few of the more active things I've done in the last couple of months for human rights. Previously I have also donated money to causes such as the Trevor Project, and the Salvation Army for their work with the homeless, and every time I have a birthday, or am asked what I want for Christmas etc, I usually ask people to get me a WorldVision alternative gift. I'm not saying I'm a saint, just that myself, like many other supporters of animal rights, are also active in the realm of human rights issues. The welfare of animals aren't considered more important than that of human welfare. But it is considered important. Something so important that we need to campaign for better welfare and treatment, and raise awareness and understanding of how animals are treated behind closed doors, where we often can't see this abuse and neglect. After all, much of this neglect is either directly or indirectly caused by humans, and many of us realize this is wrong. I've always felt it is the right thing to stand up for your beliefs, especially when another life may be in jeopardy if you don't. I feel that way about human and animal rights. On equal ground. I don't think I should shout louder for one over the other, rather that I should put all my efforts into shouting equally as loud as I can to try to ensure that all rights are given fairly to all people and all animals. After all, we're animals. And we have rights.

SophieMadeOfStars

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Feeling like a ROBOT

I discovered something yesterday, and it kind of worries me. I realized that I'm really not good with emotions. Especially other peoples. If someone is upset, I just can't bring myself to be sensitive and do the whole hugging and crying and feeling better afterwords kind of thing. No, that would be just too human. Instead, I just don't know how to react, try not to say too much, and try to make them laugh. Anyway, I've known this for a while. It's not news.
However, yesterday I did realize that maybe this was because I find it hard to react to my own emotions a lot of the time. If I can't deal with my own feelings, how can I respond (appropriately, or at least like a human being) to another person and their bunch of problems. Does this make sense? Is this normal?


Am I normal?

<3

I love it when randomly looking over things, literature, websites, music, cinema, photos, one can find a gem, written by someone other who you have never met, and could quite possibly be long dead, who pulls you into them. Who expresses themselves so eloquently it softens your heart, and speaks so honestly and forcefully of something you can utterly relate to on all counts. It's the recognition of compassion in humanity which sometimes is hard to see, as well as a connection so strong that geographical locations, social status, religion, gender, sexuality, and even era in time, does not hold bearing on this universal and eternal message which so many of us believe deep in our core.

Today I found one which summed up a belief of mine in a way that conveys the passion and compassion which resides with it.

Isaac Bashevis Singer:

"When a human kills an animal for food, he is neglecting his own hunger for justice. Man prays for mercy, but is unwilling to extend it to others. Why should man then expect mercy from God? It's unfair to expect something that you are not willing to give. It is inconsistent. I can never accept inconsistency or injustice. Even if it comes from God. If there would come a voice from God saying, "I'm against vegetarianism!" I would say, "Well, I am for it!" This is how strongly I feel in this regard."

Books... again

32.The China Study – T.C. Campbell
33.Vile Bodies – Evelyn Waugh
34.In Search of Zarathustra: The First Prophet and the Ideas That Changed the World - Paul Kriwaczek
35.The Bermudez Triangle – Maureen Johnson
36.Summer Blonde – Adrian Tomine

Totalling to 13 prose books thus far.

I need to start reading more again. Now that I've finished work for the summer I should hopefully have some time before going back to uni.

In this time, since my last blog, I have been working at a local playscheme for kids with special needs, and I made a bag... I may post this later.
I also have been to the Henry 8th exhibitions at the British Library and Windsor Castle, as well as the Banksy exhibition (Bristol) and the British Museum.


SophieMadeOfStars
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...Books Books Books...

An update on how my reading is going, well I've finished Scoop by Evelyn Waugh now, and in the mean time I have also read To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

I'm so happy that I've read TKAM. I've wanted to read it for ages, ever since I saw and fell in love with Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in the famed motion picture several years ago. About a year ago, I found the book going cheap in an Oxfam shop and decided to purchase it, but for some reason or another it took me a while to get round to reading it, and I loved it. I'm so glad I've read it, it's a beautiful book, and I find it hard to fully grasp the concept of people being so unbelievably prejudice towards people of a differing race. It really is disturbing to think we were ever like that. I suppose really I'm a youngen', born in the blooming time of 1989, and so by that time many major social revolutions had passed into the norm, for the most part, when i was a wee nipper. But I still find it fascinating, and I'm really glad I finally read this beautiful book.

I enjoyed Scoop too, though not as much as I thought I would. Decline And Fall will always be my favourite Waugh novel I feel, but that being said, Scoop was good. And the ending was hysterical. I would definitely recommend reading it, especially if you're a fan of satirical novels.

At the moment I'm reading Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson. I know it's a novel for teens, but I like to think of myself as twenteen :P. Really, it's just a nice little break for the mind, in between classics and future reading that will probably consist of serious, and possibly educational, material. I also aim to read it very quickly. I started reading it last night and am currently on page 102. It reminds me of the days when I was about 13 and I used to read all the time. And I mean ALL the time. During this period of obsessive compulsive reading I got through most of the young adults section in my local bookshop. And they had a lot of books. I used to read about 8-10 books on a 2 week holiday, and they were all books of a considerable size. I mean, I read Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone when I was in primary school, and I was about 8 or 9, way before the books became a worldwide phenomenon (which was really about the time the second book came out). Basically I used to be a major nerd. Now I think I'm just a nerd, or a geek (without the grades).

Anyways, basically the reading has slowed down for a while, but is picking back up again.

29. Scoop - Evelyn Waugh
30. To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee
31. Suite Scarlett - Maureen Johnson

Totaling to 9 novels thus far.


SophieMadeOfStars x x x

I Shall Start Soon!

Today I whipped up a little pillow/cushion because I was bored. It's not the most professional piece, so I would say it has a... rustic quality? :P

Picture:





The letters spell Matpewka - comes from the Russian name for "mother"...the dolls are a symbol of fertility and motherhood.



Even Peter Rabbit decided to have a little sleepie:



So yeah... will be using this book to help me... because I'm not very clever at crafting.. I need as much guidance as possible! So hopefully I can start this quilting project soon :)



Anyone used this book before? Is it helpful? I hope so!


SophieMadeOfStars
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Arrrrgh Bleugh

Getting ready for Ireland... going into town to get Euros [Dailybooth]



WOOOOAH. Back from uni - no more exams! Back from Ireland - no more money! Yay :)

Seriously though, Ireland was awesome. It was great seeing Kym, Hayley and Bambi :)



Myself and Hannah on a beach in Ireland


I got very sun burnt that day, all on my legs and feet.... because I was a ditz and forgot to put suncream there... Who would have thought you could have got sunburn in Southern Ireland?!




Some of my sun burn... I don't know if you can see it well here...


And me looking scary at the BBQ we had:



Oh well... I'm back now... I gave blood the other day, and at the moment I look like crap:



.. and am setting up my Nan's old sewing machine:



It's a beautiful machine, and I'm kinda scared on modern sewing machines at the moment. You see I have very little control over the pressure I put on my foot which is on the acceleratory thing... it scares me... when I did Textiles at school I always used to bring my stuff home and do it on this fine piece of hand-motioned equipment...

Tykhe was helping me set up:




SophieMadeOfStars
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