On April 20th, nine Australian politicians charged with the responsibility of reviewing cruel pig industry practices voted to allow the use of inhumane sow stalls to continue unabated for another decade.

These politicians ignored community views, pre-eminent science, international precedents and their ethical responsibilities to provide millions of Australian animals with fair and just governance.

This shameful decision will leave Australia behind other Western countries that have acted to ban or phase out the use of cruel sow stalls.

All is not lost. Recently the world's largest pig producer—US-based Smithfield Foods—announced a voluntary phase out of sow stalls over the next decade. The following week Canada's largest pig producer followed suit.

These decisions were not forced by governments; they were forced by community concern. In the US Burger King (Hungry Jacks in Australia) and major supermarkets have listened to consumers and have committed to sourcing free-range products—their purchasing power is underpinning the decisions by pig producers to end cruel practices.

Change for Australian pigs will be brought about when these powerful companies are made aware that civilised societies will no longer tolerate industrialised animal cruelty.

It is time to make uncaring politicians irrelevant.

Please take a moment to send this important message. Tell McDonald's, Hungry Jack's and Subway that whilst Australian politicians don't care about animal cruelty—you do.


Take action and send your message here: http://www.savebabe.com/eupdate/takeAction.html

All info taken from www.savebabe.com

Today, an Indigenous baby born in Australia is statistically likely to have a shorter life than a child born in remote rural Bangladesh or Nigeria. We can take a real step towards ending this disgrace at next Tuesday's federal budget by demanding the Treasurer commit just a small portion of our bumper $16 billion surplus to ending this preventable injustice. The budget decisions are being made right now, so put your name to the petition and together we will end the inequality within a generation.

www.getup.org.au/campaign/CloseTheGap

Near where I stay here in Ho Chi Minh City, there is a man who I regularly see begging. He has lost a leg and so has a board with wheels that he pushes himself around on. He has a block of wood that he holds in his left hand to move along without putting his hands on the ground. He is an older man, probably in his mid 50s. He does not know much English (and my Vietnamese is shocking) so our communications have been mostly non-verbal.

I remember the first time I saw him. I was walking along and I saw him down below, his hands reaching out. I stopped and said hello, and as there was a street vendor nearby I let him choose a drink and paid for it. He immediately expressed so much gratitude. And then, miracle of all miracles, every time I have seen him since he remembers me and greets me with the most brilliant of smiles. He reaches his hand out to shake him, uttering "Xin chao! Xin chao!" (hello) over and over. Every time I see him I feel so uplifted. It is the same feeling I used to have as a child on Christmas morning when I saw all the presents under the tree. The elation and excitement is extraordinary. To think that what appeared to be such a small act of giving by me could be followed by these continuing gifts from him... He has far outshone anything I have done for him.

Last week when I saw him he was very sad. We had had a lot of rain and he immediately started telling me how horrific it had been for him. He gestured to the skies, made motions to show that the rain had fallen, and then shivered and hugged himself, telling me so directly of how he had suffered. He asked for help, telling me his story over and over. I communicated to him a promise that I would do something. Yesterday I bought him a rain jacket. Its not much, nothing like actually having a roof and shelter, but I do hope it will help. My prayers are with this man. What a lonely and rough life he lives today. And yet he, through the strength and beauty of his spirit, has GIVEN to me. For anyone to say that they do not have the time, the resources or whatever to give to a fellow being is absolute rubbish. This is a homeless, crippled and aged man, and he has given to me more than any rich tourist I've met in this city.

It is so interesting seeing how people react to beggars. I look out and see across the way a table of tourists. Women wearing high heels and dresses complemented with their dyed and straightened hair. The men with rich sunglasses on their heads.

A short man, skinny as bones, approaches them. His clothing is ragged, he carries a stick to help his walking. He looks to be 60 years or so. And how do they react? They ignore him. They do not even glance at him, let along give him a second of their time. What injustice in the world. Such power they have. Their money yes, so great to his. But their love, their kindness, their compassion. This they and the man share, or rather they could share, if only these people took the chance. Took a chance on him.

The injustice is not so much in the sharp inequity of their finances, it is instead the high pedestal that they choose to remain on, the barrier they create by choosing to ignore him.

Let us imagine for a moment that you are a person who has just come into existence, as a fully grown adult. You are not tarnished by any cultural prejudices, racism or greed, yet you are filled with a conscience that comes from the essence of your being. You find yourself at a table, a great feast is before you. So much amazing food! Just as you begin, an old man like the one I tell of approaches you. You can immediately tell that he is hungry, in fact he looks as though he has not eaten in some time. He is malnourished and battered.

What would you do? Invite the man to join you that instant, before he even has a chance to degrade himself by begging for food? I believe that this is it. If we were true to our inner voice, our divine consciousness, we would not even hesitate.

The question is, why don't we all do this all the time? It cannot be because we cannot afford it. These people did not finish all the food on their plates (they have gone now). Perhaps it is racism? Or a fear of acknowledging that we can actually do something? Perhaps it is different for each person. Perhaps it is our entire culture, the culture of the world... But I know we can overcome it. We can help each other. And more importantly we can meet each other as equals in this journey called life. As we feast, if a hungry person approaches, we can indeed look that person in the eyes and say "welcome, my brother, I am your sister and here is your seat beside me."

I am so inspired by George Bernard Shaw. His writings have been a huge source of light for me when things have seemed so dark. I would like to share with you a powerful poem of his - entitled 'Living Graves'. He captures the link that I wish everyone could see...

We are the living graves of murdered beasts,
Slaughtered to satisfy our appetites.
We never pause to wonder at our feasts,
If animals, like men, can possibly have rights.
We pray on Sundays that we may have light,
To guide our footsteps on the path we tread.
We're sick of war, we do not want to fight -
The thought of it now fills our hearts with dread,
And yet - we gorge ourselves upon the dead.

Like carrion crows we live and feed on meat,
Regardless of the suffering and the pain
we cause by doing so, if thus we treat
defenceless animals for sport or gain,
how can we hope in this world to attain,
the PEACE we say we are so anxious for.
We pray for it o'er hecatombs of slain,
to God, while outraging the moral law,
thus cruelty begets its offspring - WAR.