Witionst

Most of us don't want to think about it, but at some point we are all going to die. Even before that time comes, we may become ill or incapacitated, and our chance for making important decisions will be too late. Who will care for our nonhuman companion(s)? Which c…

The New Jersey office where I work will likely be under water in less than twenty years. When I mentioned this to a coworker, she just smiled and walked away. "Long-term disaster is now the best case scenario" wrote Nathaniel Rich in "Losing Earth: The D…

A cat used in deadly experiments inside USDA laboratory. Follow the money! It's a commonly heard phrase that originated with the Watergate scandal. We hear it a lot today in reference to the investigation into President Trump's ties to Russia. But the popular p…

Surrealist painting of industrialized human, artist unknown Here are some frightening statistics from Population Matters : There are now more than 7.5 billion humans on Earth.  It took until the early 1800s for the human population to reach one billion. Now we add a bi…

I endeavor to live a simple life. I reside in a cozy, one bedroom apartment of 673 square feet. I earn a modest salary and rarely dine out, and I prefer to rent movies for free from the library. I don't subscribe to the latest fashions or fads, and last year I spen…

Leaving for work one morning, I noticed a solitary Crane fly in the corner of a hall window in my apartment building. He was so still that I feared he might be dead. Upon closer inspection, he moved his long legs and crawled up the glass, frantically trying to get out.…

Dear Pope Francis, As a Catholic, I can’t tell you how happy I was when I learned of your appointment as Pope, especially your chosen namesake in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi who had a special kinship with nonhuman animals. In the spirit of St. Francis, I am writin…

The story of capitalism universally has been one of the oppressor versus the oppressed. While an analysis of the history of capitalism has taken a decidedly anthropocentric focus over the centuries, the recognition of nonhuman animals as one of those subjugated groups—…

The Adoration of the Golden Calf If you think cows are the only victims of the beef industry and that chowing down on a hamburger or steak only affects them, think again. For decades now, regulatory-captured federal and state government agencies, primarily in the West…