Furry People

BBC News has published an article that discusses the Question “Are chimps people?”. At Chez Lara and Mark (AKA “Club Denistone”), I’ve been referring to the non-human members of the household as “furry people” for quite some time, and it is natural for me to think of them as differently abled, and differently motivated people. They are definitely part of our little family, their comfort is as important to me as my own – more so, because they rely on me utterly for everything they have. In a way, their reliance on me makes the obligation more important than other concerns, and I try to make sure they have everyhting they need for happy, furry little lives.

But are they PEOPLE? Hmmmm…..

They are individuals. They learn. They communicate. They have emotions. None of this I doubt – but what is it that defines personhood? I think it is a mistake to consider personhood in terms of worth, or value (as in “it’s not worth the money for life saving surgery, it’s only a rabbit”), but this is often thrown at me when strangers find out how much I care for my creatures. I have been told more than once that I am a bad person because I have spent money on vet care instead of … (whatever it is they think is more worthy).

So lacking a concrete definition of what a person is, I am inclined to err on the side of caution, and treat them with respect. Ultimately, I don’t need a definition. Your mileage may vary. 😉

Thanks to Kris for this link. Imitation is sincere flattery;)

An Explanation

I am a vegetarian. I am lactose intolerant, and I don’t really like eggs, but I don’t call myself a vegan. Aiming in that direction, but still a long way from pious self righteousness. But of course that doesn’t stop me from comming across as a sanctimonious prat at times.

If you’ve met me, you know that I can be a wee bit forcefull. I am large and I am bolshi. And I don’t have a lot of filters between what I think, and what comes out of my flapping jaws.

So it’s not great surprise that I offended a dear friend by asking her not to bring meat into my house. More specifically, to eat outside. And two years later, she’s still not talking to me. She hasn’t even told me what she is upset about – I had to find out third hand.

I love her, and her kids to distraction, and I would never knowingly do anything to hurt her. Obviously I did, and I regret that deeply, but I am left with no recourse. She won’t engage with me, so I can’t apologise.

I don’t want meat in my house. The only times I have ever had dead animals in this house is when we have had a creature die suddenly and they have needed refrigeration before being taken to the vet for a necropsy the next day. And once when my very frail grandfather ate his chinese take-away on my couch. I didn’t have the heart to throw him out, but I thought I was close enough to my friend that she would understand.

So now I am the bad guy. I hate it. I like to think of myself as an ethical person, but this is a situation where I have clearly done a mean thing. It’s a mean thing that I feel strongly about – and it’s also a cultural thing. Twenty years ago it was ok to smoke in private homes, even if they were non-smokers, but now we wouldn’t dream of lighting up inside, even if we were invited to.

Apart from the fact that I am uncomfortable with having meat in the house, we share our space with vegetarian creatures – rabbits that freak out at the merest scent of death, and cooked meat really upsets them. I know this because I haven’t always been a vegetarian, and when I moved to this house I had been veggo for a year or so – and I wanted this house to be a comfortable place for them as well as Mark and I.

So here I am, stuck in the middle of a big grey area, with no horizon in sight. And I’m miserable.

Here is a picture of a duck

Mark and I heard a series of Mash ups on Triple J, and went looking for where we could purchase the music. We found him at Home for the Def. Mark enclosed what he hoped was enough postage, but apparently we sent too much. The artist sent us an extra CD, and a lovely note. At the end of the note, there was a drawing of a Duck.

That’s excellent service. 😉

If you’d like to hear Eminem mixed with Benny Hill, want to support local artists, and like ducks, send him money.

If not, please enjoy this picture of a duck. He lives with my friends J’aimee and Ossie, and their three adorable children.

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More holiday pictures later.

Feeling better

PS. Last night I went to my parents place. Decided that a major depressive episode was not the right time to give up drinking, so Mark, Mum, Dad and I drank a couple of bottles of wine, they assured me that I am not a bad person, and we watched the latest episode of Dr. Who.

And I was overjoyed to see the end of Rose Tyler.

Two appalling things

1. Young people today have no idea about disco. Asking the latest bunch of Australian Idol hopefuls to explore the disco genre was a complete and unmitigated disaster. The ones that did OK didn’t really do disco, the ones that got it wrong got it very, very wrong.

2. Ch 10 is showing Morgan Spurlock‘s Super Size Me. And McDonalds is advertising during the presentation. FUCK!

Sorry for the language. I am rediscovering my sense of humour, but it’s taking a while.

Spaceblog

Check out the Spaceblog. Anousheh Ansari is the worlds first female space tourist, the first female muslim in space, the first Iranian in space, and the first space blogger.

Initially I was sceptical about the sort of person that would spend twenty million dollars on a holiday, but I have to admit that a part of me is still not quite jaded enough to forget the excitement and joy of exploring space. There is enough nerd in me to still love the original Star Trek (though Voyager is still my favourite – gotta love Janeway).

Despite the highbrow aims of the International Space Station, Anousheh is enough of a tourist to explain some of the nuts and bolts questions that I am sure most of us have wondered about – how DO you wash your hair in zero gravity ?

Silliness

I normally steer clear of baiting the religious, but when it comes to abominating homosexuality, I get cross, and am more likely to be rude. This landed in my inbox, and I wanted to share the joy, but I am not one for forward silly emails. I will, however, post it here, as the blog is a purely opt-in service.

Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a radio personality who dispenses advice to people who call in to her radio show. Recently, she said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22 and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following is an open letter to Dr. Laura penned by a east coast resident, which was posted on the Internet. It’s funny, as well as informative:

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate. I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them:

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord – Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness – Lev.15:19- 24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I own Canadians?

I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an
abomination – Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don’t agree. Can you settle this?

Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die?

I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? – Lev.24:10-16. Couldn’t we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God’s word is eternal and unchanging.