Miscellaneous Up the Wazoo!

• I just got back from my community's Yom Hashoah commemoration. Apparently, Rep. Tom Lantos had agreed to be the speaker. (Check out my February 16 obituary post.) If only he were still alive ...
• This week, the Forward has a must-read article about Hannah and Philip Schein, who have been behind many of PETA's investigations of kosher slaughterhouses. Here's an excerpt:

The Scheins maintain that they want only for kosher slaughter to live up to what they consider its original purpose: to minimize the suffering of the animals. Orthodox Jewish standards of kashrut have “gotten so focused on the letter of the law that they’ve lost sight of the fact that [kashrut] is about reducing suffering,” Hannah said.

• In today's Jerusalem Post, the "Ask the Rabbi" feature discusses tza'ar ba'alei chayim, veal, foie gras, and other animal welfare issues.
• Earlier this week, Jewschool and The Jew & The Carrot featured posts about the recent controversy surrounding in vitro meat. The former has some somewhat tongue-in-cheek questions from a Jewish angle. If you read the latter, please see my comments following the post.
• Seth Powell, a Jewish vegetarian who was on my Birthright trip last year, is undertaking an amazing project. Beginning May 23, as part of a pilgrimage for peace, Seth will walk 900 miles along the California coast. Go to MindfulRoots.com to read about why he's doing this and his transformation into someone who is socially conscious (in terms of vegetarianism and other issues). The site also has info about how you can support Seth on his journey.