Another of His Excellency Donald Trump’s successes as President of the United States was the incredible way that he revitalized the American economy. His Excellency Donald Trump put “America First,” making the US energy independent for the first time in over 60 years, and implemented policies to bring back manufacturing from overseas, with an emphasis on protecting American jobs. Also during President Trump’s people-oriented tenure, nearly seven million citizens were lifted off of food stamps, and the income of metro areas in the United States increased for the first time in nearly three decades. His focus on supporting the less advantaged helped reduce income inequality by the largest amount in over 10 years. President Trump also signed bills to provide better care for veterans, improve criminal justice reform, and lower prescription drug prices for all Americans. Remarkably, President Trump generously donated his entire US$1.6 million salary from his time in office to federal agencies, an act that further solidified his love for the American people. At the start of 2020, His Excellency Donald Trump was faced with the daunting task of having to protect his citizens from the zoonotic pandemic, COVID-19. President Trump acted swiftly and decisively by imposing strict travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the disease. He also initiated “Operation Warp Speed” to fast-track the development of an effective vaccine for the virus. Despite the tremendous setbacks of the pandemic, President Trump’s timely response and stimulus programs helped the US achieve a record-setting economic comeback.Joe Biden’s economic policies have not only failed to address the current supply chain crisis (tangibly felt by the empty store shelves), but they have also led to the country’s highest inflation in 13 years, along with a rise in gas and food prices. Yet, rather than relieving Americans’ hardships, Biden pushed for a massive US$3.5 trillion spending plan which includes a huge assortment of unsound, hidden agendas ‒ for instance, funding abortions, paying for journalists’ salaries, allowing unlimited numbers of foreign workers permanent residence, etc. ‒ such that even Democrat Congress members have not supported it. Ironically, while migrants are released without COVID-19 testing, Joe Biden implemented strict vaccine mandates upon the American people. This has prompted thousands to quit or be fired as they refused to comply. Finally, we must not forget that the Biden administration came into power through a very suspicious election process steeped with fraud. Mr. Biden’s integrity has been questionable for years, with his family engaged in unethical businesses, tax evasion, and more. Moreover, the many lies and callous comments he has made further affirm his glaring lack of trustworthiness.In conclusion, whereas President Trump is for peace, life, and putting Americans first, Joe Biden is putting his co-citizens last, driving the economy into crisis, and actively promoting death and moral depravity.

In a previous show, we covered the many achievements of His Excellency Donald Trump during his tenure as the 45th President of the United States, most notably the peace deals mediated in multiple countries that earned him seven nominations for a Nobel Peace prize between 2018 and 2021. President Trump is also the first US President in over 40 years not to have started any wars. President Trump was a key facilitator in talks leading to the signing of the Korean peace and denuclearization agreements by Dear Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un, Supreme Leader of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and a Shining World Leadership Award for Peace recipient; and His Excellency Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea and a Shining World Leadership Award for Peace laureate. Furthermore, President Trump brought thousands of US troops home from foreign bases. And in 2020, he secured the Taliban-US peace deal with conditions to protect Americans and allies while putting an interim government in place. “All children, born and unborn, are made in the holy image of God.” This pro-life statesman is the first American President in history to attend the March for Life, an annual rally protesting abortion, and implemented numerous measures to end the cruel practice. For example, he defunded organizations that perform abortions and blocked US federal funding for foreign non-governmental organizations that promote these life-ending operations. Moreover, his administration also stopped federal funding of fetal tissue research. Now, as we turn to look at the administration of Mr. Joe Biden, we find that his policies and actions are in complete contrast to that of His Excellency, President Donald Trump. Let’s begin with international diplomacy. In just a few weeks after coming into office, Mr. Biden ordered an airstrike in Syria, and only three months into his presidency, he requested an enormous US$750 billion defense budget. Joe Biden has further damaged the US’s diplomatic ties with other countries, such as China, Russia, Iran, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, while also losing the respect of the international community. Then, ignoring his intelligence advisers, Mr. Biden pulled US troops out from Afghanistan in a manner that allowed the Taliban to easily take over the country. He also changed the evacuation deadline, despite the Taliban’s warning not to do so, giving the Taliban further excuse for a military coup. On August 26, an ISIS-K terrorist bombing attack at the Kabul airport killed more than 160 innocent Afghans, 13 young US soldiers, 2 Britons, and members of the Taliban – deaths that would not have occurred if Biden had handled the withdrawal with proper strategic planning. Regarding abortion, it has been said that there has never been a US President who supports this deplorable act more than Joe Biden. He and his administration tried to sue the Texas government to stop its abortion ban, and has been pushing for massive increases in the funding of abortions both in the United States and overseas.

Governor Newsom is known for his quick actions and decisions in alleviating the many distressing conditions faced by the people of California. In August 2020, California was struggling to contain huge wildfires burning large swathes of the state’s forests and homes. Governor Newsom immediately declared a state of emergency in five counties and placed a plea for assistance from Australia and Canada.In October 2020 the Governor signed an executive order stating that all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the state must be emission-free by 2035. Regarding the order, Governor Newsom says, “This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change. For too many decades, we have allowed cars to pollute the air that our children and families breathe." The economic downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many people to lose their jobs, leading to unfortunate cases of people not being able to pay their rent or housing loans. As an immediate solution to this situation, Governor Newsom authorized a total of US$150 million in funds to be used for protecting homeless Californians from the effects of COVID-19. To quickly save more people from getting infected, Governor Newsom stepped up the state’s coronavirus vaccination efforts. The large vaccination site in the City of Los Angeles started vaccinating eligible community members in mid-February 2021.During a conference on March 10, 2021, Supreme Master Ching Hai expressed Her thoughts on The Honorable Gavin Newsom and praised him for his noble work as a Governor of California. "He genuinely wants to help the citizens. That’s why he bears all this. He’s not there for power or fame or gain. That’s what I feel about him, according to what he did. So Governor Newsom is really a good man. He did his best that any human can do in his situation, in his capacity." Supreme Master Ching Hai: “Respectfully present California’s Governor The Honorable Gavin Newsom with the Shining World Leadership Award for Good Governor, with high salute and gratitude for your dedicated efforts. May God bless and protect you and your co-citizens.”

On today’s program, we’ll continue to visit cities using innovative ways to become more sustainable. Copenhagen, Denmark, widely considered one of the world’s greenest cities, plans to be the planet’s first carbon-neutral capital city by 2025. One of the main ways Copenhagen has become greener is by encouraging its citizens to use bicycles instead of cars. To reduce its carbon footprint even further, the city is converting its bus fleet and harbor ferries to electric power. The first electric buses are scheduled to be operational in June 2021. Copenhagen is also a leader in waste management. Less than 2% of the city’s waste goes to landfills; the rest is either recycled or converted into energy at an ultra-modern waste-energy power plant called Copenhill. Over the years, Prato has been expanding its textile recycling facilities. It now processes around 143,000 tons of recycled fabrics each year. Used fabrics are sorted by color, processed into their original fibers, and then manufactured into new items. Many urban areas are using technology to solve day-to-day problems while also saving precious resources. For example, in many cities, finding a parking spot for your vehicle can be a real challenge. To resolve this issue, the city of Adelaide in Australia has developed a smart parking system. The Park Adelaide smart phone app provides users with real-time information about available parking spots. This helps a driver navigate to a space, enables the user to pay for parking, and also sends an alert when the parking session is about to expire. Climate change, bringing with it intense heat, heavy rainfall, and water scarcity, is becoming one of the most serious threats to the sustainability of cities all around the globe. Supreme Master Ching Hai also frequently reminds us that the fastest, most efficient solution to the problem of climate change is to adopt the noble, compassionate organic vegan lifestyle. “The carbon reduction is immense by just being vegan. We don’t even need to cut down on cars and transportation yet; just being vegan having animal-free diet, we will cut a huge amount of carbon dioxide to stop the global warming.”

Sustainable cities carefully consider their environmental impact, diligently working to use resources efficiently, reduce water usage, maximize renewable energy, reduce and recycle waste, improve air quality, and provide ample green spaces, while simultaneously improving the quality of life for the city’s inhabitants. In addition, sustainable cities seek ways to be more resilient in the face of the devastating effects of climate change. One of the fastest, most effective methods for increasing a city’s sustainability is to increase its green spaces by planting trees and plants wherever possible. Let’s see how some cities around the globe have incorporated more trees and plants in their urban areas. Singapore continuously works to increase its green spaces. Over the past few years, Singapore’s National Parks Board (NParks) has been planting 50,000 additional trees each year throughout the city, along roadsides, in parks and in gardens. As a result, Singapore currently contains approximately seven million trees. Singapore has also created many magnificent ecological areas in the city. In Lisbon, government and citizens work hand in hand to create a more beautiful, comfortable, and sustainable city. One of the strongest initiatives has been tree planting, and in January, 2020 thousands of citizens gathered to plant 20,000 new trees in Lisbon’s parks. Our next stop is Mexico City, Mexico. Via Verde has started planting vertical gardens on 1,000 pillars along a major highway. Each pillar is covered with thousands of local tropical plants rooted inside felt pouches, and automatically irrigated with recovered rainwater.The consequences of climate change can be disastrous, threatening the future sustainability of cities. Supreme Master Ching Hai frequently reminds us of the fastest, most effective solutions to this problem. “First of all, we have to refresh a little bit ourselves about this solution to save the planet, that is the vegan diet, and the sustainable energy, and to plant more trees. These are doable, especially the vegan diet. Because the vegan diet, everyone can do it. It employs also the most sustainable way of life. And then we will have time to develop more techniques to halt the climate change.”

A recent change in Australia’s national anthem honors the indigenous community’s great contributions to this magnificently diverse country. In the original version, the first two lines went as follows: “Australians all let us rejoice, For we are young and free.” Peter Vickery, founder and chair of the Representation in Anthem Project (RAP), worked with many other indigenous leaders and singers to create more inclusive lyrics, and recommended the new wording “For we are one and free.” Although Australia’s Indigenous peoples settled in many areas of the continent, they never claimed to “own” the land, believing it to be a gift to be shared by all. Mr. Karl Wickey, an educator at the Muru Mittigar Aboriginal Cultural and Education Center in New South Wales, Australia, explains further. “We only have connection through love, and the way we can show love is through respect. Love comes from the heart. So, when we do these laws, three simple laws: respect each other, respect the animals, and respect the land, (it) gave us a spiritual connection to everything.” Supreme Master Ching Hai has often praised Indigenous peoples for their deep respect for our Earth and all her inhabitants. In December 2020, our Most Compassionate Supreme Master Ching Hai lovingly accepted a heartfelt invitation by the Honorable Chief Phil Lane Jr., Hereditary Chief of the Ihanktonwan Dakota and Chickasaw Nations, to be a keynote speaker at “Enlightening Our Way Together,” with emphasis on the worldwide adoption of the vegan diet and actualization of Article 15 of the International Treaty to Protect and Restore Mother Earth. Article 15 commits to eliminating factory farming and “protecting Mother Earth from further destruction.” In his letter, Chief Lane, who was inspired by Supreme Master Ching Hai’s messages and Supreme Master Television programs to become vegan, said, “It was clear for me, to fully address Article 15, that I needed to be vegan myself, and ‘Walk my Talk!’”

Even as a young boy, Mr. Louis Ng was concerned about animal welfare and environmental protection. On today’s program, he begins by telling us more about his early life. “With environmental/animal issues, somehow, it just stuck with me since I was young. My parents always asked ‘Why’ and (I) don't know, just somehow it clicked in me when I was young. I knew that there was something that I should do about protecting the environment, about protecting animals, and that's something I'm very fortunate with.” “One turning point was the movie ‘Gorillas in the Mist.’ And it was about this American lady, Dian Fossey, who went to Africa to save gorillas. And I watched the movie with my mom. And, of course, halfway through I turned to her and I said, ‘Mommy, I want to be just like Dian once I grow up.’” Since that time, Mr. Louis Ng has devoted his life to protecting animals and our planet. He believes this is a moral duty for all of us. “It is our moral responsibility to look after these animals, to look after the environment as well, because they depend on us, and much more of course, we depend on them as well, to make sure that we have this planet to live in.” The year 2020 was the year of the COVID-19 global pandemic. This zoonotic disease began in a wet market, where wild animals were being slaughtered and sold. For many months now, Mr. Louis Ng has been working to improve the situation in Singapore. “So that's one thing I've been fighting for in parliament already, to really scrutinize what's going on in our wet markets. And the first thing I've pushed for is to end the sale and slaughter of wildlife.” “My vision really is that we can coexist with the animals and the environment. That's the reality in urban Singapore as well, where the animals are venturing out of the nature reserves into the urban landscape, and it's important for us to have that harmony with them, to coexist, and to respect each other's spaces.”

The Honorable Louis Ng Kok Kwang is a Member of Parliament for Singapore’s People’s Action Party. Since 2015 he has served as an MP, representing the Nee Soon Group Representative Constituency. Mr. Louis Ng is also the founder and Chief Executive of Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), an animal protection organization, whose mission is to create a caring and socially responsible world in which animals are treated as sentient beings. The organization conducts research on the use of animals in various fields, and uses its findings to educate the public about animal welfare. ACRES promotes community involvement in the animal protection movement, and builds partnerships with related organizations. “It began in 2008 actually, when Minister Shanmugam was the Guest of Honor at the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) Gala dinner.” After this discussion with Minister Shanmugam, Mr. Louis Ng began to wonder if, as a Member of Parliament, he might be able to make legislative changes that would greatly accelerate animal protection. “But, if we also embark on a policy-change journey where we can effect legislative change and policy-level changes, then we could actually save a lot more animals. We do both concurrently. And that's one reason why I entered politics, so that I can enter parliament and fight for legislative policy changes, ask the questions.” “It was a two-year journey, but earlier this year, I finally amended the Wild Animals and Birds Act and renamed it the Wildlife Act. And with that piece of legislation, we can save a lot more lives in Singapore.” “Thanks to the Honorable Louis Ng’s tireless efforts, the Singapore government passed the Wildlife Act in March 2020. It was the first substantial amendment to the Wild Animals and Birds Act since 1965, and it greatly improves the protection and wellbeing of wild animals in Singapore.

Ms. Cartwright is not only passionate about protecting animals, but also about protecting our Earth. On her Facebook page, she states, “Maybe the best way that we can prevent disasters and devastating weather events like forest fires and hurricanes, is to eat less meat and dairy. And it’s better for your health.” She further explains the devastation caused by meat consumption. “Well, it’s well known in the (United Nations) UN sites that factory farming and over-consumption of both, whether it’s farmed meat or wild meat, is contributing significantly to not only our climate change, because of deforestation to build farms for example, but also our recent pandemic, possibly making the leap from consuming wild meat. We are consuming our planet at a rapid, rapid pace.” “I mean, there is an endless number of reasons why looking at the way we eat is critical to our future. And looking at the way we consume, in Canada, 800 million animals a year. And it’s ten times that in the United States, because of the size of their population. So, we need to do some serious reflection on how our diets are killing our planet.” “As well, we need people thinking about their everyday choices. How do they shop humane? How do they act humane? How do they eat humane? And ultimately, it’s going to make our entire world better.” At the conclusion of the interview, Ms. Cartwright shared her thoughts on how to better protect our animal co-inhabitants. “It’s simple. It’s be kind. I was talking to my son about this recently, the idea of ‘Do unto others as you would have done to yourself.’ And we get away from that very quickly, when we distance ourselves. But that’s because we want to watch a whale in a tank or we want to eat a certain type of meat or we want to wear a certain type of fashion. We divorce ourselves from that. I imagine that your viewers are thinking about that all the time and choosing the kindest path, the path of least harm.”

When Canada’s humane societies were founded, they had a broad mandate to protect both animals and all those who were considered vulnerable. Many countries, including France, the Netherlands, Sweden, New Zealand, and Tanzania now recognize animals as sentient beings. In these countries, animals are no longer considered as “property.” Humane Canada hopes that Canada will soon follow suit.“Recognizing sentience of animals in our legislative framework is critical. (The province of) Quebec has done it, which was great. They recognized it in their provincial legislation.” “So right now in Canada, there is no government oversight of farmed animals. And so, why we think that ‘ag gag’ legislation is dangerous and going in the complete opposite direction is because, if a person, a ‘whistle-blower,’ wants to come forward, because they see an act on a farm, this kind of legislation would deter them from doing it.” “There are significant amounts of messages in the COVID-19 crisis. But it isn’t the first. Zoonotic diseases are happening all the time, Ebola for example.” “But the way that we raise and interact with and slaughter animals is causing all of this trouble. It’s also causing a lot of the deforestation we see, the climate change problems we see. And so, COVID-19 should be our opportunity to really step back. We’re hearing a lot of ‘build back better.’ Well, the only way to ‘build back better’ is to build back more humane.” “And when we look to other countries where the crisis may have started, what we have to ask ourselves is, ‘Are we in the same weak position with factory farming?’ Because so much of the disease can spread so quickly in such closed-in spaces. It’s the same for humans.”

Ms. Cartwright is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Humane Canada, a national federation of SPCAs and humane societies, whose mission is to promote respect for and humane treatment of animals. For her exemplary work, Barbara was awarded the highly prestigious Canadian Governor General’s Gold Medal. She has been recognized as one of Canada’s top five “WOW Women” by Best Health Magazine, is a member of the Council of Women Executives, and serves as an advisor to several top global organizations. Barbara holds a master’s degree in environmental education and communication, and is a renowned author and lecturer. “The first time I became vegetarian was when I was 16. And I was eating a steak. And I could just taste that it was a cow, it was a being. And it just took that moment, and that’s it. And I’ve never consumed meat again.” “And they’re gentle and loving. And I really enjoy cows, and I still do.” In 2019, Humane Canada celebrated several major wins, with the Canadian government passing new animal welfare laws, one of which called for a complete ban on importing shark fins. Another huge win for Humane Canada in 2019 was the passage of the “Free Willy” bill, making it illegal to keep whales or dolphins in captivity in Canada. “How we got it passed was, we worked on it for five years. We had extremely good political support.” “And we had very strong support from the Canadian public. We put together a very successful coalition that represented several different animal welfare groups from across the spectrum. We also had scientists from around the world who came forward to help support us, and we had conservation groups. So, it was a really important coalition that made the shift.”

Many experts concur that COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease, a virus originating in animals and then transferred to humans. Mark, a Shining World Leadership Award for Compassion laureate believes that to prevent future pandemics, all forms of animal abuse, including the raising of billions of animals each year for slaughter, must stop. Mr. Pearson sees coronavirus as a “wake-up call” for humans to change the way we treat animals. "So the world would change I think for animals and for this whole movement of waking up and becoming aware of our responsibilities to the Earth and to all with whom we share the Earth. If we make it sick, we no longer have a symbiotic relationship with the Earth, the Earth says, 'Now you are an invader. You make me sick. I'm sending you away.' And this could all be part of it as well. So, I think your movement, the movement that the Master (Supreme Master Ching Hai) is driving is extremely important because it's visionary and it's about compassion, it's about inclusiveness, and it's about a new way of seeing our relationship with the world, and with the Earth." In addition to the current pandemic, another crisis the world is facing is climate change. According to the United Nations and many global experts, the fastest and most efficient way to halt climate change is through widespread adoption of a vegan lifestyle. Mark explains further. "And we have to move away from eating and consuming animals. So, compared to all the transport around the world, including planes and everything, animal agriculture was more of a contributor to global warming…" At the conclusion of our interview, the Honorable Mark Pearson wanted to share these final words with our global audience. "Moving towards a plant-based diet and embracing a plant-based diet will bring the ultimate peace to this World. Adopt a vegetarian diet, be vegan, to save this planet." The Honorable Mark Pearson, many thanks for your courage and tireless efforts to protect our animal co-inhabitants. May you be abundantly blessed by Providence for all the wonderful work you do.

On today’s program, Audrey begins by explaining how creative people can help to protect our planet. “I think there is a lot of room for designers, for artists, for people who are creative to find new and interesting ways to attract people to the idea that you need to take care of the planet and the people, in order to make a profit. So, the people on the planet before the profit, and it only becomes profitable if people find it interesting and attracting.” “But of course, for people to purchase a leather bag, they’re into some textile feelings, some touches of whatever nobility it conveys or whatever, right? So, you need to not only recreate such designer feelings in this new vegan leather, but also to add even more to it, just like people who prefer the Beyond Meat to meat, or the Impossible Burger to burger. One needs to feel like ‘beyond.’” “But people who are not vegan would prefer, for example, the Impossible Burger, not because it is vegan, but because it tastes great, right? And so, we need more creative types; we need more people who are into gastronomy, into design, into art, and so on, to show that this kind of lifestyle is preferable, not only because it’s ethical, but because it's fun.” Ms. Tang believes that a calm, quiet mind is essential for living a creative and productive life. Audrey explains that one of the best methods for calming the mind is meditation. “I practice Taoist meditation.” “So, I think it is very important for people to have a full night’s sleep in order to carefully integrate whatever we have learned in the daytime, so that by the time we wake up, we will be a more holistic person. If we get interrupted all the time during sleep, right before sleep and by alarm clocks, and so on, one would feel fragmented and therefore not that able to empathize or to take all the signs.” At the conclusion of the interview, we asked Audrey if she had some final words for our global audience. “I would then just wish the people watching the television a good time and live long and prosper. Thank you all for your work that you are doing for our environment. Be Veg, Go Green, 2 Save the Planet!”

Mark believes that, ultimately, there is only one way to truly protect the lives of animals: the widespread adoption of a vegan lifestyle. In addition to improving animal welfare, this shift would have many other benefits for our planet. “If we move towards a plant-based diet, obviously that is going to bring enormous harmony and peace and compassion. It will just allow our society to become less violent. So, I think my view is that we are actually moving that way. I mean in some countries, intensive farming is proliferating, but I think it's doomed. It's going to fall over, because, like the Paris Summit said, the strain on the environment and our resources, putting aside animal welfare, it is illogical in terms of the survival of the planet, to keep going in that direction. So just scientifically, business thinking, we have to move away from it.” For decades, humans have conducted behavioral experiments on animals, hoping to discover more about the way they think and act. Mr. Pearson shares his views on such animal experimentation. “But I think us, the closer you come to the sense of awe and delight in seeing the mystery and beauty of an animal in its majesty, and not wanting to control it, then you become a much better person and the best in you is nourished by that relationship. So, I think that's very important.” Mark believes that if people truly understood the immense suffering that meat consumption causes for animals, they would immediately adopt a plant-based lifestyle. He wishes that all beings on Earth, even the animals, were vegan. “And the sinister thing is that in most countries, people sit down to their meat with their knife and fork, cutting into it with their knife and fork, unaware that far in the distance in a valley somewhere, animals are being slaughtered, and your action here is implicated. You are connected to that. You connect to that sorrow, to that fear. And it's in the food you're eating. So, what's happening to you when you consume the flesh of another who's suffered fear and distress?”

“So, one of the winners for this year's social innovation Hackathon is the Circuit Plus, which in Mandarin is called ‘Feng Cha.’ ‘Feng Cha’ or ‘Tea Serving’ is a very venerated tradition in Taiwan (Formosa) where the shops put a very large pot of tea outside of their door for people who are thirsty to refill their cups. It’s like a self-serving water station.” “So, this is a game, based on not using plastic bottles, but rather using refills as a habit. Because we know that people who refill is a habit. And for people who buy fresh bottles, that is also a habit. And habits are very difficult to change. So, making a funny game where people would not think that, ‘Oh, I'm getting a water refill,’ but rather, ‘I am participating in the revitalization of peace and culture.’ And that is the angle that can get people to really change their behavior and save plastic bottles and save the planet.” “To me, AI (Artificial Intelligence) is ‘Assistive Intelligence’ meaning that, just like a human assistant, we would ask for their values to align with ours.” “So, it’s useful in three different areas. One is simply about saving time. There is a lot of public sector work that is routine, that is paper based. And for a paper-based copy, to make ten copies it’s ten times more time and resources, compared to making one copy. But in digital, making ten copies or making 10,000 copies, it’s the same time, the same resources. And so, in the digital world, making copies is essentially at no marginal cost.” “So aside from digitization, we also make optimization. For example, a lot of people in the Taiwan (Formosa) Water company are listening to water pipes for possible leaks, because in Taiwan (Formosa), water resource is an important thing. In the Keelung region, for example, it takes on average two months for a water leak to happen and to be discovered by the rotating people who listen to the pipe with a stethoscope-like device. So, using Assistive Intelligence, they built a chatbot as part of one of the Presidential Hackathons a couple years ago, so that the repair people can wake up and look at the chatbot, and the chatbot informs them that these are three likely leaking places, by analyzing the water pressure, water flow and things like that, and with 70-percent confidence.” “And finally, it could also lead to new ways to think about the public sector service.”

The Honorable Mark Pearson is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council, representing the Animal Justice Party and a Shining World Leadership Award for Compassion laureate. On today’s show, Mr. Pearson shares the fascinating story of how he first became involved with animal rights. "And that was when I was 22. And then before I was going on holiday, I thought, 'I'll take a couple of books.' So, I was at Angus and Robinson bookshop here and there was one book called 'Save the Animals!' with Ingrid Newkirk, the author. And I thought, 'I'll go and have another look at one about animals.' And the other one I found was “Betrayal of Trust,” which is about animal research experimentation. So, I went away on a holiday in Queensland, read these books, and was haunted. I thought, 'My God, I can't believe this is true. Is it true?'" Mr. Pearson then decided to conduct some personal research to discover first-hand how animals were being treated in the livestock industry. He began his quest immediately. "So, all of the protocols were met. But it was a place of violence. And it was violence being enacted upon animals, and their lives being taken before they could live the life that they obviously would have rather chosen to live. And even though everything was being done according to proper regulation, there was fear in their eyes. You can smell, I could smell the blood." After Mark discovered the immense suffering that farm animals endure, he felt he had to do something to protect them. He then devoted the next 22 years of his life to being the Executive Director of Animal Liberation, and in 2015 became the first member of the Animal Justice Party to be elected to the New South Wales Parliament. "So, animals come into our health and wellbeing. Animals come into our education. If we can nurture within a child compassion for an animal, that person, that child will become a wonderful citizen in our society, bringing peace, justice, harmony. Our principle, our foundation is compassion." The Honorable Mark Pearson, thank you for your diligent efforts to protect our precious animal co-inhabitants. May you be blessed abundantly for your kindness and compassion.

On today’s program we’ll meet Minister Audrey Tang. Appointed as a Digital Minister without portfolio in President Tsai Ing-wen’s cabinet at the age of 35, Audrey is the youngest person to ever serve in the President’s administration. At the age of 16, Audrey started her first IT company and has since established several others. In 2019 she made Foreign Policy magazine’s list of “Top Global Thinkers.” Minister Tang begins by explaining her job description and thoughts on the role of technology in today’s society. “instead of technology as something like progress that we have to chase, instead technology is just our assistant. Technology should adapt to society's needs and norms, instead of society adapting to technology.” Earlier this year, Minister Tang helped Taiwan to quickly and effectively contain the spread of the coronavirus by providing citizens with information on where to purchase protective masks. “My role is Digital Minister in charge of social innovation. By social innovation, we mean people that are not public servants, like ordinary citizens who think of a better way to further a social good. And they can propose those ideas; I am the one who amplifies their ideas. For example, there was a young person named Howard Wu in Tainan City, who at the end of January invented a way for people to report which stores still have masks and which stores have run out of masks.” “I took the idea to the Premier, saying that we need to support this young person and provide the availability in all pharmacies in real time, that is to say every 30 seconds.” “So instead of asking people to trust the government's numbers, the government trusts the citizens with open data.” “I thought back to the time that I spent in the Wulan Mountain with the Atayal people and the indigenous spirit that talks about sustainability, not in the term ‘sustainability,’ which is a recent term, but by the act of acting sustainably with the nature. That is to say, when they make a decision as a community, as a culture, they do not chase something just for this generation. They think about the environment, how it is going to be seven generations down the line.”

This remarkable change occurred thanks to the wise Taiwanese (Formosan) government. To improve water quality, the government passed legislation, forbidding farmers to raise livestock animals in water conservation areas. First, we’ll speak with Mr Lee Huan-Sheng, a former tobacco farmer, who now makes his living growing delicious white-water snowflake. “Later I quit growing tobacco because the government ceased awarding tobacco planting contracts. When the contract was cancelled, we became jobless. So, we switched to planting white water snowflake.” Ms. Peng Yu-Wen was formerly a pig farmer in Meinong District. “In 1998, the government promoted a policy called the ‘Livestock Animals-Free Farming Policy,’ which was a nationwide policy. After leveling the land, we dug a pool and began to try planting white water snowflakes.” Although the transition was not easy, Ms. Peng is now grateful for the change. She notices many advantages. “In the past, when you just came close to Meinong Town, you could smell the pigpens from miles away because the density of pig farms was very high in Meinong at that time. But now there is none. Now when you’re in Meinong, the air quality is very fresh and comfortable.” Let’s now visit with Mr. Li Sheng-Hsiung, who formerly earned his income by leasing his farmland for tobacco cultivation but has now transitioned into growing many delicious food crops. “My income is no less than that from leasing out my lands to tobacco farmers. After switching to growing fruits and other sub-staples, it has improved our living quality and benefitted our family.” Ms. Peng also feels happier with her new way of farming. She shares some advice with other livestock animals-raising farmers who want to change from raising livestock animals to growing food crops. “Yes, being a plant-growing farmer is much happier than being a pig-raising farmer since there are many kinds of contagious diseases with pigs. Especially the disposal of dead pigs died of illness; it’s really heartbreaking and sad. I hope everyone will join our farming, grow diversified crops, and thus make the world a better place.”

A renowned Hakka cultural area, Meinong is located in northeast of Kaohsiung City and north of the Pingtung Plain. With 4,000 hectares of fertile land, it plays an important agricultural role in Taiwan (Formosa). In the early 1990’s, thousands of hogs were being raised annually in this densely populated area. Consequently, the water supply in the District became severely polluted, and the foul smell of the pigs’ excrement lingered heavily in the air. Today, however, the pig farms have all disappeared, and farmers are growing food crops instead. Recognizing that pig farming was the primary cause of the water pollution, the government developed a policy to stop all hog raising in the area. After the Meinong District hog farmers agreed to stop raising pigs, the government helped them find alternative sources of income. Since then, the farmers have met with great success with many of their food crops. “So, the local government simply guided these farmers to grow the famous Meinong cherry tomatoes as well as white jade radish, red beans, papaya, and recently, the guava. There has been a substantial growth in Meinong agriculture. In particular, the quality of our Meinong rice has won great esteem, always sold out.” One of the most successful recently introduced crops is the white-water snowflake, a delicious and nutritious plant that is native to this area. Now frequently grown in abandoned shrimp ponds, the white-water snowflake has become widely cultivated in the district. “Later, we found that white-water snowflake has considerable economic value, especially since the growing of it would not be affected by the climate. Even when a typhoon hits, it can be harvested as usual, which is helpful to the farmers.” Not only have the farmers enjoyed good profits since transitioning from raising pigs to growing food crops, but all the citizens of Meinong District are also benefitting. “What can be witnessed straightaway is the improvement of the water quality in both the gutters and irrigation canals, which in turn contributes to the recovery and clean-up of the originally lucid streams and rivers. There is no more foul odor. Furthermore, a normal ecology is starting to revive with fish and shrimps beginning to reappear in places that used to be stinky gutters.” “When Meinong was raising pigs, there were very few tourists. With the transformation to green agriculture, the pollution of water, air and environment has been stopped. The number of tourists has thus increased.”

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges of our time. It concerns every one of us. Already now we use far more resources and produce far more greenhouse gases than it can handle. The increased production of greenhouse gases that has changed the Earth’s climate and the atmosphere is of great concern to scientists, politicians, and citizens around the world. To ensure that the rights and needs of current and future generations around the world are met, we have to deal with climate change now. Today we’ll show you how other countries are legally committing themselves to curbing the disastrous consequences of greenhouse gas emissions and rising global temperatures, and what they are doing to put their climate laws into action. With Norway’s Climate Change Act 2018, the country aims to become a low-emission society before 2050, by reducing 80-95% of its greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels. The United Kingdom Climate Change Act 2008 requires a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 100% or more based on 1990 levels no later than 2050 and preparation for climate change risks with the aid of a framework to achieve this goal. Moreover, Scotland’s Climate Change Act 2019 seeks to reduce national emissions of greenhouse gases to net-zero before 2045, a goal considered to be second to none in the world. New Zealand is among the most dedicated climate-law nations in committing to become a net-zero carbon emitter by 2050. Mexico is another nation working to create a cooler planet. Its General Law on Climate Change passed in 2012 commits to a 50% reduction in the country’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 compared to year 2000 levels. By now we all recognize the importance of enacting climate laws and of pursuing related actions to protect not only human beings but also the environment and our animal friends. Our beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai has the answer. “I guess you know already what to do, I do hope. I do see some very little, tiny baby steps toward the benevolent world of veganism. And ANIMAL LAWS IS THE BEST. ANIMAL PROTECTION LAW, ANIMAL PROTECTION LAW, meaning VEGAN LAW, no more causing any harm, any pain, any fear to animals. Because kindness will beget kindness, and compassion will beget compassion. And this VEGAN LAW IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO SAVE OUR WORLD. So, stopping these brutal, murderous businesses is the fastest way to cool our Earth. By now, scientists have warned us XXXXX times, many times, repeatedly, by evidence – that vegan is the best, most effective way to reduce global warming, reducing or stopping climate change, stabilizing it, is good for all of us, human and animal tenants.” We thank You immensely, Supreme Master Ching Hai, for once again presenting the quickest and easiest way to save our world. It is clear now that veganism is the best solution to our climate crisis.