Getting to know Curious Cat

As you wander around this blog you may find yourself questioning who it is that actually spews out the rants, raves and reviews that you read. It is clear enough that they are the musings of a journalism student, but you want to know what makes this person tick; what makes them laugh, cry, scream, shout and wave fists (and there is rather a lot of that).

I am Cat Pennels; one of the three minds behind the F[read]om Writers. I like many things and dislike few. When I want to laugh I read Hunter S Thompson or phone my dad. When I want to cry I listen to Edith Piaf. I am incurably curious and full of life. I have no aspirations to a middle-class suburban life but want to see the world from every corner.

I am passionate about many things and they are the driving force behind my writing. As an animal and environmental nut, I believe it fairly obvious that when polar bears start drowning and ice-caps melting, every person should sit up and make a concerted effort to reduce their own carbon footprint. I am also a people-lover. Living in South Africa makes me very aware about how precious and invaluable human rights are, whether they be of gender, race or class. My inner-activist rises her head when I think about how many people worldwide, but most specifically in my country, live without the dignity and opportunity they deserve. To think that the people who have the power to effect change remain useless, and worse still, that the citizens who know and see the inequality prefer apathy, makes my skin crawl. It begins to feel as though this world really is a smouldering heap of injustice, greed and exploitation.

However, my true hope loving self knows that this is not the case. There are young people like you and I who are desperate to make a difference, to uncover the darkness and create light. That is why we study journalism and that is why this blog exists; to serve as a platform for other journalists and people to discuss issues such as these and others close to their hearts.

You can expect to find many different posts on many different ideas, almost all of which will be based in reading. I do not pretend to be an expert on life and the world and so turn to older and sager minds to help form and bolster my ideas. As Nadine Gordimer says, “The only school for the writer is the library – reading, reading.”

Vegetarian Starter Kits

http://www.peta.org/vsk/?c=pfs

Sir Paul McCartney - "If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat."

Vegetarian! A word that strikes fear in the hearts of most South Africans. Why would anyone, you think, willingly give up tender steak, crispy roast chicken or a lekker braai. Images of dirty, dreaded misfits throwing red paint and wielding placards probably spring to mind.

Without wanting to sound too Sunday morning pulpit, I have to throw in my 50c. While I am a complete fool for animals, I do not object to meat eating on the principle that it's morally wrong. It's more an issue of greed and cruelty. Animals deserve to live pain-free existences devoid of tiny cages and hormones. No animal deserves to be farmed like a crop. Being vegetarian is my way of 'sticking it' to the meat man, and yes I know that my boycott alone is not going to end the shitty treatment of animals, but it's a conscience thing. And hey, the more people who make personal choices based on conscience, the more pressure we put on the inhumane bastards!

If you are at all interested in becoming vegetarian (go on, just have a look!) the above link is really great. It's got veggie recipes and tips and pictures of celebrity vegans and vegetarians.