Ganymeder

SANCTUARY

The undead beat upon the door of the church. The sun glared upon their torn and damaged limbs while flowering vines clung to the brick walls of the edifice like dead men’s fingers. Neither daylight, cross, nor holy water detered them from the thick wooden door.

The nearby fae heard the cries of despair with cold, unyielding hearts. The pleas for mercy went unheeded by the pastor and his flock – safe within their brick sanctuary.

The sun’s heat soon sapped the unfortunate souls of all strength. Sensing their desolation, the fairies left the hive, hovered for a moment above their prey, then swooped down for the feast. Shrieks of pain and torment rent the air.

Inside the church, the congregation prayed.

THE END.

I love the idea of having a six minute timer and a prompt that you don’t see until the timer starts. Obviously this doesn’t produce the best prose, but it makes for some great creativity. I plan on rewriting some of my attempts from the Six Minute Story site on my blog to see how I can improve from the raw material I produce there.

The story behind this is pretty short. About three minutes into writing this the phone rang. I felt cheated of my chance, so I picked this as my first rewrite. Also, Monsterbat suggested that fairies would be a scary-but-funny ending. So – thank you, Monsterbat!

*This story is a rewrite of a story I wrote for the Six Minute Story site. The original can be found here. It is licensed through the site under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0.

**Also, please don’t forget to check out the 52/250 Flash Challenge. My newest story there, Working in the Digital Age, was written for the theme ‘Busy at Work.’ I have a lot of trouble writing about things I care about, and so I’m not sure the story comes across very well or if it seems too cliché. But…  Slavery isn’t history.  I’m not being metaphorical. Modern Slaves outnumber the slaves during the Transatlantic Slave Trade, and the majority of them are used in the sex industry. I drew upon that fact as the basis of my story.

*** For more info on modern abolitionism, please check out

Polaris Project

-activist group focusing on sexual slavery (especially of women and children)

Not for sale

-campaign to fight the global slave trade by training people to recognize it in their own backyards

Free the Slaves

-abolitionist organization with information about the modern slave trade, free newsletters, FAQ, and more

As always, feedback is begged for welcome. Thank you for your time.

The Best of Friday Flash: Volume One is now available at Smashwords for the extremely reasonable price of $2.99.  I’m unbelievably excited about this! Not only is one of my stories, A Hell of a Job, published in the anthology, but J.M. Strother also credited me as an Associate Editor. I’m very honoured and flattered to have been part of such a wonderful project.

In fact, last night at the (online) Book Birthday party, I fear I had a little too much champagne and cigars.  So I apologize for the late posting.  I need to go rest now. All the excitement is making me dizzy.

Seriously though, the book contains 67 ridiculously good stories – all of them short enough to enjoy whenever you have a spare few minutes. The proceeds from the sale will go to further promote Friday Flash as an online writing community. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Now, what are you waiting for?

The weather is getting cooler, the leaves are changing, and Halloween is less than a month away.  That’s right, folks. Nanowrimo is just around the corner!

For anyone unfamiliar with the concept, Nanowrimo is short for National Novel Writing Month. Every November, thousands of would-be writers embark on a month long trip into literary abandon. Each participant challenges himself (or herself) to write a 50,000 word rough draft novel in 30 days.  The rules are few and simple.  You cannot write the same word 50,000 times.  You cannot begin before November 1st (a rule that is enforced by flying Monkeys according to Cris Baty’s No Plot! No Problem!), and you must finish by Midnight on November 30th.  That’s it.  The idea is that many people aspire to write a novel in their lifetime, but the demands of work and home and their own insecurity get in the way.  Nanowrimo seeks to help One-day-novelists (“I’ll write a novel ONE DAY) to write their books.  All that’s required is the magic of a deadline and permission to let yourself write badly.

That’s right.  You don’t have to worry about being perfect.  You don’t agonize over correct usage, research, or where to place that #@!!$*##! comma.  Just sign up at the Nanowrimo site and they’ll help you keep track of your progress, and give you tons of support through forums, a podcast, and a many other resources.  If you want to edit after you’ve finished your novel, you are free to do so. Several Nanowrimo authors have actually published their Nanowrimo creations… Sara Gruen’s Nanowrimo book, Water for Elephants, became a New York Time’s No.1 bestseller.  If you don’t want to edit and just wanted to get the novel down, that’s fine too.  Even if you write less than 50k, you still won because you wrote SOMETHING.

So there is my obligatory intro to Nanowrimo for the uninitiated.  I dearly love the month of November now.  I know it seems counter-intuitive, but I actually feel MORE productive when I start writing my novel.  I mean, productive in other areas of my life like housework, cooking, excercise, etc.  I seem to manage my time better because, with the deadline, I know I have to get certain things done by a certain time or else they won’t get done at all.  This has been the case, at least, for the past 2 years – both years that I won Nanowrimo.  In 2007, I wrote “The Wonderfully Exciting and Awesome Adventures of Monkey boy” for my little boy based on a character I told him stories about as he was growing up. I’d never written anything before, so of course I broke every single writing rule there was.  Even after I edited, it has tons of flaws, but I still adore it because it was a labor of love for my son.  In 2008, I wrote “The Crime Fighter’s Club,” which I am still editing.  It’s a speculative fiction novel with super heroes and an alien that I hope to eventually publish (either self or not).

With less than a month til November 1st, I have been prepping myself for my novel.  For the past month or so, I’ve been writing Flash Fiction (stories of less than 1,000 words) on my blog for #fridayflash on Twitter.  I hope that the weekly discipline will help ease me into next month.  I’ve also started reading off and on from a free ebook, ‘Nano for the New and the Insane.’ I’m looking into other types of writing programs, though I’ll probably stick with Open Office running on Linux on my Asus EEE 701 (4G).  I no longer have my trusty Palm Pilot that I’ve used for the past 2 Nanos.  It’s been replaced with a shiny new Tmobile Android G1 phone, which I love for keeping up with emails, blogs, and twitter but isn’t great for actually writing imo. I’ve gotten another trusty moleskin notebook (‘moleskin‘ is not leather) to jot down ideas and inspirations in, but I’ll do most of the actual writing on my EEE laptop or our home desktop. I also use fingerless gloves because I like to keep my hands warm, I hate having my fingertips covered, and they look very cool and “writerly.”

I’m looking forward to writing using my laptop.  I got my first laptop (1 1/2 years ago) when my husband and I exchanged (fairly inexpensive) computers for our 20th wedding anniversary.  Yes, we are THAT kind of couple. :p  When hubby upgraded to a newer model, I got his other one and passed along my old one to my (now) 8 year old son… And so the magic continues.

The nice thing about the laptop is that I can carry it with me like I used to do with my Palm Pilot.  The keyboard and screen are bigger, which is nice, and I can sit on the couch or in bed at home to work.  I’m thinking that this (below) will be my primary work area, especially since it’s already my favorite reading spot.

I had planned on starting my outline for Nanowrimo on October 1st, but life got in the way.  The entire day was spent in my car, and the next day was Friday.  Weekends always toll the deathknoll of my writing plans.  So, I’m going to take what I’ve learned about my writing productivity and style from the past 2 Nanos and apply them this year.

The minimum daily word count for Nanowrimo would be 1,667 words, but I usually aim for about 2,500 words because I KNOW that I will not be able to write much on the weekends.  It never fails, so I bank extra words during the week so on the weekends I can get by with less.  Also, Thanksgiving day is a bust as far as writing is concerned.  It just won’t happen, so I automatically discount the holiday from Nanowrimo.

I set aside time during the day that I know I will not be interupted to attempt my daily word goal.  If I don’t reach my goal within that specified time period, I MAKE the time before the day is done. Seriously, I don’t go to sleep until I’ve at least written my minimum word goal for the day.

I am shameless.  I use the down and dirty tips from Nanowrimo forums, including not using contractions and taking up multiple dares.  I absolutely LOVE the Dare Threads.  They provide tons of interesting plots, ideas, twists, and challenges, and never fail to help me.

I compete with my writing buddies.  I add people I know from different forums and twitter as my “buddies” on the Nanowrimo site.  Then I use the green bar (that indicates percentage completed of 50k) to compete with them.  I’ve been known more than once to stay up and write an extra few hundred words just to “beat” a buddy that was close to me in wordage.

Before November, I make sure to complete any heavy reading I’m doing so that I’m not partway through a new book that I might need to put down.  If I finish way before Nanowrimo starts, I might start reading a book I’ve already read so that I can pick it up and put it down easily.  I also try to read some writing blogs and other research.  I’ve found I work better when I have an idea where I’m going, so I usually create a faily loose outline for my novel that I follow once I start officially “writing” in November.

I brag. I’m not kidding.  It’s not a “Look at what I’m doing” thing so much as making sure that I will be completely embarrassed if I don’t follow through.  Shame, at least for me, is a powerful motivator!

I have fun.  You wouldn’t think that writing that much in such a short time would be fun, but it’s AMAZING.  Again, I know it seems counter-intuitive, but it’s like a vacation!  You get to spend time on your novel doing all the stuff you usually say you can’t find the time for, writing things your characters do that you’ve always wanted to, and it’s just the best experience.  I hope more people do Nanowrimo this year, and if you want…maybe we can be “Writing Buddies.”  Just remember, as almost always on the Internet, I’m “ganymeder.”  Look me up at the Nanowrimo site, and Happy Novelling!

This year, in honor of the ALA’s Banned Books Week, I will write a review of a challenged book I recently read. For anyone unfamiliar with Banned Books Week, the American Library Association uses the last week of each September to call attention to our right to intellectual freedom and the necessity of vigilence to keep that freedom alive.

Review of America by E.R. Frank
SPOILERS BELOW: YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

The first thing I have to admit is that I can completely and totally understand WHY this book was challenged.  There is a ton of profanity and child sexual abuse throughout the book. But having said that, it’s also probably one of the most well written and thought provoking books I have ever read in my life. I would not personally recommend this book for children, because it’s very disturbing, but I would definitely recommend it to adults.

The story starts in the middle, told from the point of view of a young, disturbed, institutionalized youth.  It’s told in his thought patterns and memories, how he reacts to the people and situations around him, what he thinks is happening.  From the middle of this young boy’s life the story progresses in snapshot memories of his childhood until the end of the book when he’s older and a more adjusted member of society.  The way the story unfolds is captivating, if not heartbreaking, because you see how tragedy destroys his childhood and innocence, how he “got lost in the system,” how he blamed himself and what he thought about what happened to him. You think you know what messed him up even though he gets “rescued” from his neglectful mother, only to find out that the situation he’s brought into is both better (his Mrs. Harper) and much, MUCH worse. It makes the flashbacks to his early childhood that much more powerful, because you know that love and innocence is destined for a terrible end.

Luckily, the book does have a happier ending.  Lucky for me at least because otherwise I probably would have been crying for the next month.  This book gripped me like very few have, and I am not at all sorry I read it- especially because I think facing pain and trouble are an important part of life. It made me want to reach out to abused children. The only thing I could fault the book for is that in the end, I was left wondering “What can I do?”… and that was also it’s biggest strength.

Other Articles about Banned Books Week:

American Library Association: Banned Books Week

Mur Lafferty’s “I Should Be Writing” blogpost about “Banned Book Week.

“Stacked (blog): Thoughts on Censorship

Tablet: A new read on Jewish life (complete with a wonderful anticensorship poem)

The Field Trip

Kate clutched her sketchbook in her arms and stared. The way the sculptor brought life to stone always amazed her. The girl with roses in her hair seemed so real. She reached out with one hand to touch the cold lips but pulled back reflexively when the Professor called her.

“Kay!” he shouted across the room. “Anytime now, hon. The rest of the class has moved on, but if you like we can all wait on you.”

Jerk, Why does he have to embarrass me in front of everyone?, Kate thought. She only answered, “Sorry! I’m coming!” Crossing the room, she ignored the eyes of her peers to glance back at the marble maiden. Did she just move?

No, she answered herself. I must be stressed. I’m seeing things.

The empty eyes of the ivory girl followed her.

*

Kate looked at the postcard, remembering the field trip. She’d always loved the Museum. She went as often as possible, especially since college students didn’t need to pay. Roaming the granite halls, she spent hours lost in paintings, plaster, and marble. But something about this particular statue peaked her interest. Since it’s arrival only the month previous, she’d been somewhat obsessed with it. She fantasized that the stone girl wanted to tell her something, if only Kate could reach her. She imagined the right strokes on pale paper breaking a spell and bringing her to life.

She wasn’t a great artist, which she admitted to anyone that asked. Nevertheless, she signed up for every drawing, painting, or other creative class she could. She wasn’t bad. She just wasn’t very good. The idea of bringing to life an idea or story had always attracted her. Maybe her current fixation was just her mind’s way of telling herself to try her hand at sculpture. Maybe that would reveal her hidden talent, buried inside, waiting to be unleashed by chisel and hammer.

She took another quick look before pinning the photo to the wall. She compared her sketch with the photo. Her graphite roses seemed off, and the girl’s chin wasn’t quite right. There was something missing in her expression, something sad and nameless in the eyes. Well, maybe she’d get it right later or go back tomorrow. Yes, that was the answer. How accurate could she be from just a photo? It was silly, but she felt the girl deserved better.

*

The next day, Kate stepped off the bus, adjusted her pack, and walked through the museum. She’d meant to come earlier in the day, when the lighting would be better, but she’d missed the bus. A friend offered her a ride, then backed out, and after heated words she found herself at the bus stop again. The museum would close soon. There was hardly any point in coming at all.

She walked straight to the statue, looked in its eyes, then pulled a stool from out of the corner. She pulled out her sketchbook and pencil and began to draw.

Free me…

Kate looked up from the pad in her hand. The girl in the statue said nothing. She looked around at the nearly empty room. Patrons were slowly filing out. It must be someone else, Kate thought, bending to her task once more.

Free me…

She looked up quickly. Did she just see those eyes blink? I must be going mad, she scolded herself. She pulled her shawl around her more closely and swore off soda for a week. Too much caffeine played tricks with your mind. She stared at the girl for a full minute before turning her gaze downward.

*

When the light began to dim, she looked up suddenly, shocked out of her reverie. Moving the number 2 in her hand, dusting off the rubber trail of her eraser, smudging the lines on creamy paper had taken her out of time. She had felt nothing and seen no one except the ivory faced girl and the results of her own labor.

She sat alone in the darkened room, empty of all save herself, the stone girl, and a dozen other statues.

A figure came around the corner, stopping to look at Kate.

“What are you still doing here, little girl?” he asked. She winced at the voice behind her. She hated jabs about her age.

“Sorry, sir. I lost track of time. I didn’t mean to stay past closing,” Kate called back, hurriedly packing away her things and slinging her bag over her shoulder. She turned to face the man stepping out of the shadows.

“Professor Alpha? I didn’t know…” her voice trailed off. What was he doing here? Moonlighting?

“You know, I knew the moment I saw you that you were just what I needed,” he said, advancing slowly. Kate retreated involuntarily, her back pressed against the flowing frozen folds of the maiden’s gown. The stone lent her strength. No stalker was going to push her around!

“Wow,” she said, reaching down into her half-closed bag, “I knew you were a rotten teacher. I didn’t know you were a pervert.” She gripped the pencil tightly in her hand, hidden from his view.

“Is that what you think?” he smirked.

Suddenly, Kate felt cold hands on her shoulders. Her spine turned to ice water as she heard the thoughts whispered in her ear.

Free me…

“Hate to tell you this, girly, but I’m not the one you should be afraid of.”

Kate shook, paralyzed with fear.

“You thought you chose her? You wanted to bring her to life!” His smile sliced her in two. “Well, then today’s your lucky day.”

Dread welled up in her as she felt, more than heard, his next words.

“Because SHE chose YOU.”

*

The man and the young girl held hands as they left the statue behind in the darkened room. The empty eyes seemed to follow them, along with a silent sob.

Free me.

***

THE END

*Written for #fridayflash at Twitter. Please let me know what you think. Any suggestions you have would be welcome. Thanks!

http://www.planetclaire.org/doctorwho/ninth_doctor.php

Dr. Who -BOOM TOWN (season 1)

Margaret: I spared her life.
The Doctor: You let one of them go but that’s nothing new. Every now and then a little victim’s spared because she smiled, ’cause he’s got freckles. ‘Cause they begged. And that’s how you live with yourself. That’s how you slaughter millions. Because once in awhile—on a whim, if the wind’s in the right direction—you happen to be kind.
Margaret: Only a killer would know that.

It’s amazing the way your mind wanders, how little things…quotes from t.v. shows and bits of blogs, make you think of the strangest things.

I’ve been studying Esperanto lately with my little boy, and we’ve been having a lot of fun.  And it didn’t occur to me until after we’d begun studying that the first time we’d heard of it was actually years before through Scifi. Red Dwarf features it as a second language throughout the show and Harry Harrison talks about it as the Galactic secondary language in his Stainless Steel Rat book series.  After we’d begun studying the language, I began to understand why.

Esperanto was created as a supplementary language to facilitate peaceful relations between people of different language backgrounds and cultures.  It’s not meant to replace anyone’s native language, but rather to ease communication while preserving the linguistic and cultural identity of its speakers.  In fact, Esperanto has a culture of it’s own.

Because of it’s original peaceful intent, its sometimes referred to as a Peace Movement itself.  Because it doesn’t belong to any one country, nor is it a requirement, the people who study it tend to be self motivated activists and idealists.  There are a lot of vegetarians and vegans in the Esperanto movement.

Which led me to thinking of the similarities between Esperanto and veg*nism. Both movements are considered somewhat on the fringe.  Both are taken up by a small fraction of the overall population of the Earth.  Both are considered by many as a good idea though unattainable “in real life.” Both have lofty, noble, peaceful goals.

Which led me to remember the Doctor Who quote above.  You may wonder why I’ve cited it in a post about Esperanto and Veganism; Then again, you may not.

What struck me about that conversation, the very first time I heard it, was how it illustrates perfectly the compromises and double-think we’re all guilty of in our everyday lives.  How many times have we cried out enraged against cruelty to animals while simultaneously filling our bellies with their flesh?  How many times have we fed the ground remains of some animals to the animal companions within our own homes?  The pressure for this kind of double-think is so rampant throughout our society, that most of us are completely unaware that we do it.  We’re immersed in it; it’s become part of the way we think, or rather the way we double-think ourselves, in order to rationalize our actions and be “normal” members of society.

But what is so “normal” about our society?  When our society is fractured and split by the great language divide, when our compassion is split between the animals that need to be cared about and the ones that can be abused, is being “normal” a worthy goal?

What is “normal” anyway?  I’m going to be cliche here and quote from Merriam-Webster Dictionary…

• Main Entry: ¹nor·mal

1 : perpendicular; especially : perpendicular to a tangent at a point of tangency
2 a : according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, or principle b : conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern
3 : occurring naturally <normal immunity>
4 a : of, relating to, or characterized by average intelligence or development b : free from mental disorder : sane**

Here, I believe, lies the fundamental difference between the idealist and the “normal” people.  “Normal” to most people equals conformity and sanity, while the idealist sees conformity as insanity. How is it sane to settle for the way things are when the world could be so much better- if everyone just lived the values they already profess to cherish?  Normal people see seemingly unattainable goals (that go against the mainstream of society) as impractical.  Idealists see the seeds of change in thoughtful choices and small everyday acts of kindness.  Even Cyrano himself (in the play Cyrano de Bergerac) claims:

What say you? It is useless? Ay, I know
But who fights ever hoping for success?
I fought for lost cause, and for fruitless quest!

What does it matter if the numbers are few? If society frowns upon the person who devotes time to causes that seem fringe, hopeless and impractical?  Some things are worth fighting for.  Some things are worth speaking out for.  I may have begun studying Esperanto purely as a hobby, but I still respect it’s ideals and culture and would never disparage it.  I became vegan for other reasons: for the animals; for my conscience; and for a better, more peaceful world.  And unlike Cyrano, I don’t NEED to fight.  All I need to do is be true to myself and my ideals.  Whether or not something is attainable in my lifetime (or even at all) is irrelevant. Some things are worth doing simply because they are the right thing TO do.

And maybe, just maybe, our small numbers will make the difference.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.” –Margaret Mead

I think The Doctor would approve.

**In the above Merriam-Webster definition, I made the text that I wanted to draw attention to both bold and italicized.

LINKS:

To learn more about Esperanto:
http://www.lernu.net

To learn more about Veganism:
http://www.veganoutreach.org
http://www.compassionatecooks.com

Downloadable Podcasts:
Food for thought

Well, If you want to be precise, just slightly over 2 months to the Cleveland Walk and around 1 or 2 months to the various other walks around the country (USA).  What is the Walk for Farm Animals?  Well, once a year, during the months of September and October, Walk(s) for Farm Animals are held in various large cities around the country.  The idea is to have the walks around October 2nd in honor of World Farm Animals Day.  Participants generally walk somewhere between three to six miles in order to raise money for Farm Sanctuary.

I had the very deep honor and pleasure of visiting Farm Sanctuary last July (2008) for their Fourth of July Pig-nic! It was wonderful to see how beautiful and peaceful everything was.  The animals living there are cared for unconditionally, given whatever medical treatment and/or diet required to help them lead decent lives, and (hopefully) adopted into loving homes.  The ones that are not (or cannot be) adopted still have a loving home for life at the Sanctuary.

Please, if you’ve ever wanted to help animals in need, either participate in the Walk for Farm Animals or donate to Farm Sanctuary either through my donation page or through the primary site.

For the animals, Thank you.

For anyone who isn’t familiar with the term, a vegan avoids the use of animal products (or items tested on animals) to the best of their ability. That includes meat, fish, eggs, dairy, silk, fur, and leather.

In the time of chocolate eggs, colored eggs, chicks and bunnies… what is a beleagered vegan to do?

Don’t worry. It’s not as big a deal as it seems. While it’s disturbing to see eggs and slave chocolate in virtually every store – never fear. There are vegan alternatives to the animal product deluge of the holiday. Your Easter basket and Easter egg hunt can still go on – but cruelty free!

What I do for my little guy is buy hollow plastic eggs and fill them with small toys (like Hotwheels) or candies like (vegan) jellybeans. For his Easter basket, I usually load it up with a book (or two) and toys. Stuffed animals and games work nicely. Themes are a good idea too if your child loves cars, Tech decks, or Shrek. This year, my son’s basket will be filled with puzzles and projects. I’m making his candy eggs myself.

For the holidays, I’ve recently discovered that you can get a mold for pretty much anything. For Easter, the stores carry molds for eggs and Easter bunnies! Just check your local kitchenwares store or craft store.

As stated earlier, you can still have your Easter egg hunt, but use the plastic eggs that you fill yourself! A scavenger hunt for the Easter basket is another fun idea. Just write clues and hide them around the house. Your child has to follow the clues from point A, B, and C to figure out where the basket is hidden. It makes everything much more exciting!

And, a gentle reminder, animals do not make good gifts for the holidays. That cute bunny or chick is a long term commitment that a child (and many adults) may not be ready for. Also, buying animals (instead of adopting) is not vegan because it supports the industry that exploits them. If you are planning to adopt an animal from a shelter, please consider the responsibility carefully. It is a lifetime commitement.

So go have an Easter EGG-stravaganza… but use vegan “eggs”! You’ll have a blast!

Update:

Hubby was kind enough to help me set up a separate blog for my ramblings in broken Esperanto. While my son and I try to learn the International Language, I will be chronicling our daily progress and exploits. If cows have indeed sprouted wings and anyone is interested in this, you can find my new Esperanto blog, Ganymeder-a blogo, by clicking here.

As soon as I am able, I will resume posting here on my regular Monday-ish schedule.

Veganism deals with the concept of ahisma or dynamic harmlessness. This includes avoiding all animal products to the best of your ability. When this is explained, most people understand why vegans do not consume cow’s milk, cheese, meat, and eggs… but silk?

When people think about the rights and welfare of animals, they rarely picture insects. Let’s face it. It’s easier to empathize with a cow than a bee or a caterpillar. In fact, people frequently pay to get rid of insects in their home. They can be a nuisance, getting into food, eating up your garden, and just generally biting and making you miserable. There is a certain “Ick” factor. Why should we care about insects?

Because how we live our lives and treat others reflects the type of people we are. Everyone should try to live their values. And while most people will swat a mosquito that’s biting or spreading a disease, that’s quite a big difference from supporting an entire industry based on killing animals for completely frivolous reasons.

First of all, silk is not simply something the “worms” produce for human use. Humans don’t harvest this particular product without harming the “worms”. The “worm” is actually the caterpillar of the domesticated silkmoth, and silk is taken from the cocoon.

The “worms” are BOILED ALIVE in order for their silk to be “harvested.”

From http://www.galenfrysinger.com/shanghai_china_silk.htmAfter the complete cocoons have been gathered, the initial step in silk manufacture is to kill the insects inside them. Thus, the cocoons are first boiled or treated in ovens, killing the insects by heat. The silk fiber is obtained from the cocoons by a delicate process known as reeling, or filature. The cocoons are first heated in boiling water to dissolve the gummy substance that holds the cocoon filament in place.

Again, why should anyone care?

Apart from the “ew” factor of a product created by boiling insects, it’s completely unnecessary. To use silk because it gives pleasure regardless of the hundreds or thousands of insects killed specifically in its production is the moral equivalent of killing insects with a magnifying glass because it’s fun. There is simply no other reason to do it other than pleasure. And to cause another pain because it gives you pleasure is immoral. At least it is in my book.

Don’t buy silk. Avoiding it causes you no harm and avoids causing harm to others. What better reason could there be?