Last November I heard a conversation between Ezra Klein and the animal rights activist Leah Garces, the president of Mercy for Animals. Their frank, informed and sensitive dialogue was heart breaking to listen to but I appreciated the awareness it brought to one of the most ignored issues of our daily lives - the routinized cruelty to living beings with environmentally disastrous effects and potential for future pandemics. I hope everyone hears this podcast episode played on the Ezra Klein show on November 29th 2022. I painted this painting after listening to it.