After a long time spent a'mullin'...

I'm glad to put (the hot potato that was) 2007 behind me. And I think that I should get back on track with what I'd intended to do with this little nook of the web, which was to follow through with urges and interests by fleshing them out a little in print.

For instance, something I intend to examine further in the New Year are the realities that initially led me to vegetarianism, and (subsequently) to the formal study of ethics and to veganism. It's been a strange journey, meandering through the web of emotional support (or lack thereof) in some online vegetarian communities, as well as through the realm of academia where I've learned to throw together rational arguments that seem to fall flat in the muck of the "real" world where the status quo prevails over logic. I'll likely re-read this later and want to clarify or contextualize.

For now, I'd like to share some of what's caught my attention over the past year. Gary L. Francione is "Distinguished Professor of Law and Nicholas deB. Katzenbach Scholar of Law and Philosophy'' at Rutgers University School of Law-Newark. He's been an effective critic of animal welfare laws and a champion of what he calls the abolitionist approach to animal rights. I intend to explore his work in greater detail over the next while, and to use it as a springboard of sorts to suss out my own thoughts on the issue completely.

So? No sense in jumping into the animal welfare vs. animal rights debate without first providing a link to the slide-show presentation that is an intro to Francione's take on the abolitionist approach to animal rights. Please note that the slide-show in question contains images (and words!) that may disturb you into thinking out side of the box. Or just disturb you.