June ’22 Update

Hey Fam 🖤

I hope this check-in finds you well.

Unfortunately my update is less peppy than usual… The sad truth is the past six months have been the hardest, darkest period of my life. And that’s okay. Despite the pain, they’ve also brought plenty of beauty. And as no one likes a gloomy message, after the following section i’ll focus most of this update on the positives ✨

Long Covid

I wrote my last update—Dec ’21—the second week into my Covid infection. At the time i was frustrated by the prospect of losing 14 days of productivity to the virus… Since then my symptoms have grown worse month by month. While severe brain fog and fatigue have been frustrating, most debilitating have been the constant migraines. The pain is brain-splitting, and has consumed every moment of 2022.

The migraines suffocate my ability to think rationally, and by extension dramatically limit my ability to work through emotions and pain. Physical movement, light, sound, social interactions, even thinking (e.g., the effort required to type this sentence) make them worse. As a result, long covid has cost my jobs, compromised relationships, eviscerated my physical & mental health, replaced four months of plans living abroad, forced another law school deferral, stressed finances, and fomented heartbreak. No aspect of my life has been left untouched.

What Is Long Covid?

For those unfamiliar with Long Covid Syndrome (LC), it essentially entails long-lasting (12+ weeks) symptoms resulting from covid infection. Symptoms, severity, and duration vary greatly. Unfortunately, for 100,000s (like myself), LC is debilitating.

While the medical community is increasingly aware of LC, its cause and treatment remain largely unknown. Significant resources are now being directed to investigate cures. In the meantime, LC patients are largely left to figure things out through individual trial and error.

Since December i’ve seen 30+ health care specialists. By and large, every intervention i’ve tried has either worsened symptoms or failed to help. Yet every failure is still a step in the right direction, and i’m optimistic i’ll put this chapter behind me in the months to come.

If i’ve left you worried about long covid (sorry 😬), my humble recommendations include:

If infected, give body time to heal. My biggest mistake was my impatience at getting better. I refused to slow down even a few days to recover, and the longer i pushed through symptoms the worse they got.
Get vaccinated/boosted. Vaccines don’t ensure protection from infection/long covid, but they do decrease risk significantly.
Use masks. One-way masking has been shown to reduce risk.
Exercise caution if you have history of brain injury. I had three serious concussions in my adolescence, and some doctors think my symptoms are connected to that history.

Professional

In my last update i discussed my work at the Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law and at Richman Law and Policy. January and February i struggled to keep up with work at both. At the time i believed illness would pass any day, and gritted my teeth to get through work until then. This uncompromising attitude caused my symptoms to deteriorate week by week, and in April i was finally forced to admit defeat and request a medical leave of absence from both.

On a brighter note, these months also bore the fruits of past labor. In February i had a chapter published by Lantern Publishing & Media in Vegan Entanglements: Dismantling Racial and Carceral Capitalism. My chapter, “Abolitionary Advocacy: Expanding Empathy Toward Total Liberation,” uses my first experience in jail to critique the darker edges of the animal advocacy movement. You can order the book here, and in the meantime freely read my chapter on Academia or ResearchGate.

Later that month a bill i drafted for Compassionate Bay was introduced to the California State Legislature. AB 2764 would have banned the construction or expansion of factory farms and slaughterhouses in California. The first step to getting out of a hole is to stop digging, and passage of AB 2764 would have done just that. Fittingly, this bill was the legislative action my parents, myself, and six others were arrested for at a protest last fall (you can read about that action via this Sentient Media Op-Ed). Unfortunately the bill did not make it out of committee this year… Even so, it was an important and exciting step in the right direction.

Advocacy

I was invited onto three podcasts early in 2022. Given my migraines and brain fog, they went as well as i could hope. If any of the topics interest you, i hope you’ll find them worth your time.

Episode 14: nico stubler

The Animal Liberation Hour

Topics include:

my path to animal rights⁣⁣.
veganism’s relationship to gender norms & politics.
navigating difficult social situations as an activist⁣⁣.
the Liberation Pledge as an extension of veganism.⁣⁣
self care for activists⁣⁣.
advice for new vegans⁣⁣.
what a vegan world will look like⁣⁣.

Ahimsa in Yoga, Vegan Advocacy & Social Justice

Yoga is Vegan Podcast

Topics include:

my path to veganism (with info i hadn’t shared previously)⁣.
yoga’s relationship to veganism and animal advocacy. ⁣
the story behind my new chapter.
the background and future AB 2764⁣.
my forthcoming book.

Vegan vs Butcher Debate

Zoo Box Podcast

In this debate, there was just as much to learn from our agreements as disagreements.⁣ E.g.,

we agreed that factory farms are unjustifiable.
we agreed there is no moral distinction between farming/eating golden retrievers as pigs.
we disagreed whether animals have a right to live.
we disagreed whether eating animals is justifiable.
we disagreed whether masculinity entails violence.
etc. 😘

Travel

January, February and March i did my utmost to carry out the plans i made before getting Covid. In January i visited friends in Portland, Eugene, and Bend, Oregon. In March i explored Chile on a family trip. Both trips were magical in the deepest sense of the word. Pushing through each did, however, deeply compromise my health.

After Chile i returned to my favorite place: Medellín, Colombia. I had planned to spend four months there working remotely, finishing my book, and living life. Unfortunately my health had deteriorated to such an extent following the Chile trip that i struggled to care for myself. And in what marked my first (of many) admissions of defeat to long covid, i begrudgingly packed my bags and moved in with my parents in Colorado.

Personal/Spiritual

From 2014–2018 i lived an intense, ascetic life. At the time i believed pleasure qua pleasure was immoral, and i eliminated all aspects of life that fell into this category (e.g., i was celibate, drug free, spice free, bed free, etc.). While the motivation for these abstinences was in part ethical (i believed morality required dedicating every aspect of myself to the service of others), it was also spiritual. Sense pleasures connect the gross body to the impermanent physical world; thus, abstaining from sense pleasures is meant to help free oneself from base attachment and empower spiritual liberation.

I developed an intimate understanding of myself these years (what yogis call svādhyāya). However, most “hardships” this period were self-imposed, and could have been dropped at any time. My struggle through long covid the past six months put that caveat into focus. There’s been no escape from the pain, no timetable for getting better, nor even an understanding of what needs to be fixed to recover. For the first time in my life i’ve felt utterly powerless, profoundly vulnerable.

This vulnerability has shaken me to the core. To better cope, i’ve returned to the spiritual practices that consumed my early twenties. I’ve long kept these beliefs/practices close to my chest… As i gingerly explore and embrace newfound vulnerability, i decided to share these beliefs publicly for the first time. Filming these videos required every synapse i had available… The catharsis rendered in creating them—and the positive feedback i’ve received since sharing—made them worth every effort. If interested, i hope you find value in them, too.

part I: the meaning of life

For years, folk have asked me to share about my spiritual journey, practices, and beliefs—to share the path that made who i am today.⁣ For years, i’ve avoided posting on the topic…⁣ As i move through illness, it finally felt like the right time to open up and share.

part II: equality as Truth

Many hold equality as an ideal worth striving for. In this video, i share the experiences that helped me to understand equality as Truth, and already present.⁣ The only way out, is in ✨⁣

Cutting my 10-year-old Dreadlocks

My dreads meant a great deal to me. Truth be told, i thought i’d never cut them… doing so wasn’t easy, but it’s for the best ❤️‍🩹⁣

I’ve never shared about the history of my dreads, nor their meaning.. as i lay them to rest, it felt like the right time to do so ✨⁣

Looking Forward

For now, i’m holed up in my parent’s basement in full-time recovery mode. I’m doing everything i can to get better, and plan on beginning my dual degree in Law and Public Policy at NYU fall of 2023. With some luck i’ll be back to me well-before then, and if so will return to the plans i had for this year—finishing my book in particular.

As always, i sincerely invite updates from your end (of any length).

Don’t be a stranger 🖤

-nico

Dec ’21 Update

Happy New Year Fam,

I hope this message finds you and your loved ones happy and healthy.

What follows is a brief update of my last five months. As you know, i write these updates to stay connected with family—biological and chosen—and love hearing your updates in response. Cheers to a brighter year ahead!

Colorado

I moved back to Colorado just before my last update in July, and have been living here since. I deferred law school again [third time’s a charm] to finish my book, and moved to CO to help make it happen. Limiting distractions (social and political) has made a big difference in my productivity in recent months. It’s also come with the benefit of spending quality time with my parents—moments i’m not taking for granted.

Work on the book is slow, but rewarding. Every aspect takes longer than i expect, but i’m enjoying the journey. My goal is to complete and sell the manuscript before beginning law school in the fall—hopefully my forthcoming updates will reflect that progress.

New Jobs

This fall i began two new positions. While both have absorbed more time from book writing than expected, i’m thoroughly enjoying both.

Richman Law & Policy

Richman Law & Policy is a social justice law firm specializing in consumer-protection impact litigation. In short, we sue corporations for their false and misleading advertising, particularly with regards to claims around sustainable and humane business practices. As a member of the Animal Protection team, it has been rewarding to help with cases making an immediate and tangible impact for the welfare of animals across the US and around the world.

Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law

The Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law is writing a forthcoming Animal Rights Law textbook, and they brought me on board to help research and write it. My work has focused on drafting model animal rights law, i.e., the types of policies animal advocates around the world can fight to implement in the years and decades to come. Once complete, the textbook will be taught in over 100 schools across the European Union, and it’s an honor to work on a project that will empower Europe’s next generation of animal rights lawyers.

Activism

The Liberation Pledge

A main focus of my 2021 activism was developing work around the Liberation Pledge. The Liberation Pledge entails a commitment to never eat around those consuming animal-based foods. I’m a strong advocate of the Pledge, and (amongst other avenues) have sought to explain and promote it through:

a Journal Article with the Journal for Critical Animal Studies
a Podcast Interview with Our Hen House
an Op-Ed with Sentient Media
a Webinar at the Vegan World 2026 Convergence

You can learn more about the Pledge—and share these resources with others—here.

California Arrest

In September i invited my parents to the Animal Liberation Conference in Oakland. It was special to introduce them to the activists i spent the previous year living amongst, and to watch their growth through the panels attended and friendships made. My highlight (or perhaps better put, the experience I’ll never forget), was getting arrested alongside my parents in front of Gov. Newsom’s mansion (second photo) and processed together through the Sacramento County Jail. (You can learn more about the action in this Op-Ed). Having parental support for my past arrests was one thing (and something i’ll never take for granted); seeing their support grow to the point of risking the same fate was more beautiful than i can put into words.

Misc.

Despite moving to Colorado to focus on work, i was able to squeeze in a few extracurriculars.

Baja Beach Fest

In August i attended Baja Beach Fest outside of Tijuana, Mexico. The event—essentially a massive beach party—was the largest Reggaeton music festival to date, and it did not disappoint. Since moving to Colombia in 2018 Reggaeton has grown into my favorite genre (and guilty pleasure), and i danced my socks off.

Vail & Denver Trip

October and November i buckled down with work, happily eschewing sociality and keeping a strict work schedule. Knowing i had a fun trip planned in early December made that easy. I spent the better part of two weeks with a partner of mine in Vail and Denver, and we had a great time.

Health

Most of my 2020 and 2021 was plagued with personal injuries. However, i made some breakthroughs with physical therapy in recent months, and am feeling the healthiest I’ve been since 2019. It’s been amazing getting back into my yoga and workout practices, and i’m excited to really dig into them in 2022.

I did, however, catch Covid in mid-December, and have been struggling through it in the two weeks since [fwiw, i received my second vaccine in March, but was not boosted]. I’m finally feeling healthy enough to write this update, and at the moment that feels like a big win. Here’s to hoping you each stay Covid-free in 2022, and that we can begin referencing the pandemic in the past tense this time next year

Sending Love,

-nico

July ’21 Update

Hey Fam 🖤

I hope the past five months have treated you well.
Mine have been a busy—but good—five months. Lots of movement, and i’m grateful for all the opportunities and relationships they brought. What follows is a quick summary. Like my last update, i center this blog around various Instagram posts, as doing so is meant to enable fast scrolling for those pressed for time, and deeper exploration (via their captions, and via scrolling through the photos on posts that have more than one) for those interested.

As always, i sincerely welcome updates from you. I share these blogs to stay connected, but it takes two to tango 👯‍♀️

California

I spent the two months following my last update in California, and as usual, largely split my time between activism in the streets and activism from my desk. I see them as two sides to the same coin, and believe they each inform and empower the other.

Street Activism

I moved to Berkeley last September to organize with Direct Action Everywhere. While i first began organizing with DxE in 2018 in Colombia and later in New York City, i’ve long been impressed with the network of Bay Area activists and was grateful to plug in and work intimately alongside them. During these months i focused the majority of my time on legislative and policy work at the local and state level. However, there’s almost always a weekly AR protest in the Bay, and i didn’t miss many.

The first and second posts are from two of our central campaigns during these months:

The first was from our No More Factory Farms campaign, where we have called on Gov. Newsom to place a moratorium on building new factory farms and slaughterhouses. The first step towards addressing the harms caused by animal agriculture is to stop expanding them… (more information at nomorefactoryfarms.com).
The second was from our No Cash for Cruelty campaign, where we have called on Berkeley’s Mayor to divest city funds from animal ag, i.e., to require food purchased with taxpayer dollars to be plant based.
While the protest pictures are sexy, most of my work on these campaigns was behind a desk researching and drafting the policies we are now asking legislators to implement (work that i found deeply engaging and meaningful).

The following two posts are of speak outs i gave at protests:

The first was given at a protest we had at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco to raise awareness around the harms of industrial fishing. If you are interested in learning more, i recommend Seaspiracy on Netflix for an accessible intro.
The second was given outside a slaughterhouse moments after being released from jail. (While the speak out didn’t happen in the past five months, i didn’t share it until more recently and figured i’d include it in this update 🖤).

Desk Activism

Before leaving California i finished up my work with the Animal Law & Policy program at Harvard Law School. Over the course of a few months i researched the public health threats posed by live animal markets, livestock auctions, and ritual/sacrificial slaughter in the United States. The report is in its final stages, and will soon be shared with policy makers around the country to inform the ways in which we can safeguard human health by addressing these markets. I thoroughly enjoyed deepening my understanding of these topics in a way that will hopefully lead to some level of structural change moving forward.

Beyond my desk work for Harvard Law School and Direct Action Everywhere i had the opportunity to speak on two panels, as referenced in the next two posts:

The first panel was hosted by VegfestUK, and explored what the Dharmic traditions have to say about veganism. You can watch the full panel here:
Ahimsa Dharma: The Consistent Anti-Oppression Imperative in Pan-Dharmic Communities
The second panel was hosted by Sparks & McNeill, and explored the interconnections between the prison-industrial complex, speciesism, and capitalism. You can watch the full panel here:
Towards Total Liberation: Veganism, Labor, and the Carceral State

I also had the opportunity to publish another OpEd with Sentient Media, this time about banning the sale of meat. I wrote the article with Elan Abrell, and given that Elan advised my Master’s thesis on the same topic, it was rewarding to continue exploring this idea with him in a public space. You can view the OpEd here:
Want to Protect Workers, Animals, and the Planet? Ban the Sale of Meat

Colombia

I left California for Colombia in late April after receiving my second vaccine. I first moved to Colombia in 2018 for animal rights activism, and returned this year for the same reason. Specifically, Covid-19 took a heavy toll on the country’s AR activism, and i returned with the central purpose of helping to reinvigorate the organizations i spent so much time helping to build in 2018 and 2019.

Unfortunately, as is too often the case with activism (and Colombia for that matter), things did not go to plan. While the pandemic was relatively under control in Colombia when i purchased my ticket, a new wave erupted as soon as i arrived, leading to daily curfews from 9pm-5am, and total weekend curfews from 9pm Friday to 5am Monday. Needless to say, these public health dynamics made community building more difficult. Moreover, sustained national uprisings exploded my second week in Medellín, which absorbed much of the country’s activism energy. As such, i adapted to focus on organizing around these anti-state/anti-police protests, helping new AR activists learn from within these spaces, and developing coalitions to build on moving forward.

The first post below documents pictures from an afternoon and night of protests. Its caption explains the significance of each photo/video.
The second post is an example of how i adapted my AR activism to support—rather than co-opt—the national protests i was plugging into.

Outside of street activism i worked on a chapter i’m writing with Jeff Sebo, a professor from my MA program. The chapter will explore the ethics and politics of meat taxes and meat bans—a topic that has yet to be seriously explored—and i’ve really enjoyed helping put it together.

Outside of AR work i spent a lot of time in physical therapy. It’s been over two years since i’ve been injury free, and i took advantage of Colombia’s [relatively] affordable healthcare to focus on healing up. While i still have a ways to go, i made some serious progress towards recovery.

For many reasons, there is no place i’m happier than Colombia. The Colombian people have won my heart, and i deeply enjoyed exploring new and old relationships these months. Below are pictures from two trips i took with some of my favorite Colombians.

Alaska

I returned from Colombia just in time for a family trip to Alaska. For nearly a decade my parents have pursued their goal of biking 50 miles in all 50 U.S. states, and Alaska was their final one! They were kind enough to invite me along for the ride (literally), and i was all too happy to join! It had been well over two years since our last family trip, and i cherished every moment of it. The post below features some of my favorite memories 💖

Colorado

For the past three years I’ve written blog updates noting my excitement to begin law school in the fall. For better and worse, this update marks my third time revising that timeline. After a LOT of consideration, i made the difficult decision to push law school off once more in order to finish my book. This time was the hardest, and i did not make the decision lightly. However, i believe my book can make a worthwhile difference to the animal liberation movement, and know that now is the time to finish it. I returned to Colorado a few days ago, and will be living here and working on the book until it’s done.
Below is a 200-word summary of the project.

Animal agriculture and industrial fishing are two of the most damaging and exploitative industries of the modern era. And as global population and per capita consumption of animal products continue to grow, so too do their harms. This project is a response to this urgent reality.
The book begins by introducing the diverse harms caused by animal agriculture and fishing—including those to farmed/fished animals, workers, proximate communities, ecological systems, wild animals, public health, and societal norms. With reference to these harms, the book then canvasses the industry’s current regulations across the United States. Having outlined the scale of these harms and the regulatory gap in addressing them, the book centers around considering the policy options available, and ultimately argues that banning the sale of animal-based foods is a particularly pragmatic solution in the United States. By seriously exploring and normalizing policies historically dismissed as radical—meat bans in particular—the project addresses what i view as an important hole in the literature. In doing so, the book is meant to help shift the Overton window towards more ambitious policies, and thus empower their collective passage by organizations around the world.

With some luck, i’ll have a rough manuscript done by the end of the year. Regardless, i’ll follow up with my next update once it’s complete.
Until then, i always welcome messages from you.

Truly yours,
-nico 🖤

Mar ’21 Update

Hey Fam,

Happy March! I hope this update finds you and your loved ones healthy and hopeful.

Again, I’ve dropped the ball on my so-called “quarterly” updates…
The past 7 months since my last update have treated me well, truly as well as can be these days. I’ve been busy, but busy with good things! And while i’ve felt constantly behind in recent months, i’m finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel!
I’m going to keep this update light on words and heavier on pictures, in part to expedite my drafting process, but also to facilitate easy scrolling for those of you pressed for time. Instead, i will predominately link to instagram posts i’ve made over the past year, as each one will come with optional captions and at times multiple photos (swipe left to seem them) if any of the topics spark further interest [this is a new format for me, so any and all feedback is welcome!]. The onset of Covid led me to invigorate my Instagram account and find community there, and if you have an account, i’d love to stay better connected with you on that platform moving forward.

1. Closing NYC Chapter

Shortly after my last update i returned to NYC to finish up my lease, tie up loose ends, and move out. It was my first time returning since the onset of Covid, and i was SO ready to get back! As always, i spent my time between activism, academics/work, and friendships.

Activism

Having spent the previous month immersed in BLM actions in CO, i was excited to plug into actions in NYC as soon as i arrived. While many were dynamic and impactful, my favorites were the biking protests that would swarm the city every week. Alongside my BLM activism i stayed active with animal advocacy, and in addition to my normal activism around the city i was able to make activism trips to Newark and Philly as well.

The 1st Insta post shows images from biking BLM protests.
The 2nd is from an action advocating for just transition of slaughterhouses to peaceful alternatives.
The 3rd is of me riveting street signs around Brooklyn.
The 4th is from a reparations protest.

Academics

As i closed out my time in NYC, so too did i close out my graduate studies at NYU. I truly could not have been happier with the program, and am SO grateful for the professors and students who made my experience so worthwhile.

2. California

From NYC i moved to Berkeley, CA. While a number of factors compelled me to postpone my initial plans of attending Berkeley Law last fall, i still wanted to move to The Bay, and was lucky to be invited into a vegan/activist house. My central motivation in moving to The Bay was the dynamic animal activism that has evolved here in recent years, and i wasted no time plugging into the community! Alongside this activism i’ve stayed busy with work, but more on that below:

Bay Area Activism

The Bay is home to the most prolific and active animal rights community that i’m aware of, and i’ve loved plugging in and building power within this network. I’ve predominantly been organizing with Direct Action Everywhere and Compassionate Bay. While i’ve enjoyed taking action in the streets, i’ve found my legislative/policy work with Compassionate Bay to be the most stimulating and rewarding. Specifically, i’ve helped the organization to draft model policies at the state and local level outlining ways legislators can take concrete action to address the harms caused by animal agriculture, and am inspired by the grassroots activism taking place around the state to pressure legislators to implement them. Check out nomorefactoryfarms.com for an example of what we have been up to.

Alongside my work with DxE i’ve helped organize other unaffiliated campaigns and mobilize activists in the Bay to implement them. I’m inspired by this community of activists everyday.

LA Slaughterhouse Action

The most dynamic set of actions i’ve been a part of since my last update happened in late September at Farmer Johns, the largest slaughterhouse in the Western United States. The week of actions began with a group of activists—myself included—infiltrating the slaughterhouse in the dead of night to rescue a grown pig from slaughter. This attempted #OpenRescue—meaning a rescue where activists do not hide our faces, but proudly and unapologetically take the liberatory actions we know to be just—was followed by a 48hour vigil, where activists from around the state came together to bear witness to the 700+ pigs brought in each night to be killed. The vigil concluded with further direct action, where a group of activists—myself included—were arrested inside the slaughterhouse, followed by a second group of activists who were later arrested after locking down the slaughterhouse gates. While i’ve been a part of similar actions in the past, this one was made special by my parent’s attendance. Their support of my advocacy truly means the world to me.

The 1st Insta post shows the headline of an Op-Ed i wrote covering the action. If you are interested in learning more about what happened, give it a look! Hollywood Comes to Life in an L.A. Slaughterhouse
The 2nd shows news coverage from the action (i am the activist with the flare on top of the building).
The 3rd depicts me in custody shortly after being arrested inside the slaughterhouse but before processing at the police station.
The 4th took place directly after my release from custody, and includes my commentary about the civil disobedience that took place outside the slaughterhouse following my arrest inside.
The 5th shows the front-page of one of the most influential papers in South Korea, the bottom of which features an interview of me discussing Open Rescue and our attempt at Farmer Johns.
The 6th is of my parents and i outside the slaughterhouse the morning before my arrest. 🖤

3. Academic Work

Alongside my activism i’ve been blessed to stay busy with academic work i’m passionate about, work i believe will truly make a positive difference in the world.

Harvard Animal Law and Policy Program

I was hired by Harvard Law School in November, and started my work in December researching the public health risks posed by animal markets in the United States. Specifically, my research has focussed on the zoonotic disease threat (i.e., the threat of disease spread to humans from nonhumans) caused by so-called live animal markets, livestock auctions, ritual slaughter, and animal sacrifice. The policy brief will soon be published by Harvard Law School and used to inform legislators around the country of the risks these markets pose as well as ways in which legislators can address them. For an accessible (and dare i say enjoyable) overview of this issue, check out John Oliver’s video below, which essentially covers the work and purpose of this project.

Journal Article

I spent much of the fall drafting and finalizing an article for the Journal for Critical Animal Studies—the premier publication in my chosen field—and was elated to have it accepted by the journal following the completion of peer review. The article was published by the journal last week!! I am really, really proud of the article, and want to give it the attention i think it deserves. As such, i will share a blog post next week to discuss this publication a bit more in depth, alongside a more easily accessible version of the article. Stay tuned!

Book Chapter

In the fall I was accepted to publish a chapter within a forthcoming book titled Vegan Entanglements: Dismantling Racial and Carceral Capitalism. The anthology is to be published by Lantern Publishing, and will bring together voices from across the movement to address the intersection between speciesism, racism, capitalism, and incarceration. I’m one revision away from finalizing my chapter, and am excited to be able to share it with you in the months to come! Until then, this monologue from John Oliver gives a good overview of what my chapter will in part be addressing.

Guest and Ghost Writing

I’ve also had the opportunity to contribute articles to a number of other outlets, both publicly and anonymously. The Insta post below shows the headline for one such article—”Beyond Veganism.”

4. Movement

While i find meaning and purpose via activism, my true love lies in movement. Simply put, if the world was how i thought it ought to be, movement is all i would want to explore and share with others. (Alas, that is not the case, at least not in this life).

Unfortunately, as has too often been the case with me, my past year and a half has been plagued with injuries that have limited my ability to train. Two of the most serious injuries persist to this day, but i do my best to make the best of it, and make a point of staying grateful for the movement i still have access to!

For years i was too self-conscious to share my movement practice on social media. I stepped out of my comfort zone in sharing my first movement related post early into the pandemic, and have enjoyed sharing such posts ever since! Below are a few of my favorites from the past year:

5. Looking Forward

After deferring law school admission in 2019 and declining admission in 2020, i re-applied to law schools this cycle and plan to (finally) matriculate in the fall. More than ever i believe a law degree to be the right path for me, and i’m excited to dig in!

My plans between now and then remain unfixed. I had originally hoped to begin a job teaching yoga in Singapore, but Covid scrambled those plans… Wherever i end up in the months to come, i’ll be working to finish the final manuscript of a book project i’m working on, continuing my job with Harvard Law, and activisting as much as i can.

I’ll plan on sending my next update in the weeks leading up to the next chapter of my life: law school!
Until then, i really would love to hear from each of you. Whether your update is a few sentences or a few pages, i really do cherish hearing from you. I send these updates to maintain contact with the important folk in my life, but it takes two to tango!

Yours, truly,
-nico

July ’20 Update

Hey Family.

It’s been a bumpy few months,,, and i hope this update finds you and your loved ones as well as can be.

Again, i’ve been remiss in sending out my ‘quarterly’ updates. In this post i pick up where my last one ended in December and bring things up to the present moment. Given this spread of time, i am going to keep descriptions general and shallow.

Winter Break

Following submission of my final papers from fall semester, i began winter break with a five-day fast. I limited communication to the first and fifth days, and otherwise stayed silent and off electronics for its duration. Instead, i dedicated the majority of each day to meditation, asana, and introspection. It provided a much needed physical/mental cleanse, and left me feeling energized in every way.

The next 6 weeks were largely centered around reading. Over the course of the fall semester i compiled an ambitious reading list of the content i wanted to read in preparation for my thesis, and i dedicated the vast majority of each day towards working through it. Sprinkled throughout reading i made a point to connect with friends around the city whose relationship i had neglected in recent months due to the semester’s increasing academic commitments.

In early January i had the opportunity to visit my parents in Colorado for a week. At the time i thought it would be my only chance to visit them in 2020, and i did my best to make the most of it. While i maintained my reading pace during the day, we began each morning practicing yoga together and spent each night cooking family dinners. A highlight was a ski day with my Dad, my first time on the slopes in 7 years! Growing up skiing was always a central family activity, and it was so nice to share in that experience again.

Spring Semester in NYC

My coursework began again in late January, and consisted of 5 classes: Animal Law; Animals, Culture, and Society; Post-Animal Agriculture; Animal Ethics; and the Capstone. Given the quality of the MA program and my passion for animal liberation, it likely goes without saying that i loved all of them. Overarching my focus in each class was my thesis; while it began to take shape throughout my winter break readings, it became reified in the first few weeks of the semester, from which point it was always at the back of my mind. I was able to use each course to explore a different facet of the thesis, which makes the case for ending animal agriculture via banning the sale of animal derived food products (i.e., making it illegal to sell meat/dairy/eggs–and yes, i fervently believe the policy is both necessary and feasible).

Like the previous semester, the majority of my non-academic time was focused on activism. In particular, i was part of the team planning New York City’s first Animal Liberation Conference. We had big plans for the 5-day event, with mornings centered around presentations from renowned figures from around the world and afternoons/nights centered on big and disruptive mass actions around the city. Alas, the conference was scheduled for April, and in March Covid forced us to postpone it indefinitely; given the time dedicated to its planning alongside knowing the impact the conference would have had on animal activism in the region, the decision to do so was heart-wrenching 💔 (however, as the impacts of Covid surged in the weeks following our decision, we quickly came to see that we made the only responsible choice available).

As always, throughout this time i continued to plug into other forms of activism throughout the city, generally centered around police abolition, immigrant rights, and climate justice. Some of the largest were monthly actions organized under the banner FTP (Fuck The Police) that centered on the intersection of police brutality, white supremacy, and poverty. While at the beginning of 2020 the messaging of these actions remained outside the overton window/realm of common social acceptability, national (and global) activism in recent months has rendered that no longer the case, a trend that gives me sincere hope moving forward.

Envision

On an extended weekend in February i went to a music festival in Costa Rica called Envision. The festival had been on my bucket list since 2015, and this year conditions finally enabled me to attend. I was accompanied by my best buddy from undergrad, Osa, and the festival provided a beautiful opportunity to deepen our relationship while dually exploring ourselves. The festival ended up being one of the most profound and beautiful experiences of our lives, so much so that we decided to write a book about it. The book will be a personal narrative told through each of our perspectives, and will use our experiences at the festival as a backdrop to explore fundamental questions pertaining to Joy, Love, death, universal magic, legacy, and heaven/liberation. We are already working on it, and plan to have it finished by this time next year.

San Diego

During spring break in mid-March i visited Nikki, a young woman i had been in an open relationship with since meeting her last June. It had been over 5 months since we had last seen one another in person, and it was a really nice week catching up with her. Throughout the week we explored the city, ate good food, did activism, etc.

Covid Complications

Unfortunately, during my time in San Diego the Covid situation in NYC rapidly spiraled out of control; as such, i unexpectedly decided to cancel my return ticket home and rebook a flight to Colorado (for $19!). Instead, i returned to live at my parents house for an indeterminate time (what turned into 4 months) with only the possessions i had tossed into my spring break carry-on. (Huge shout out to my parents for being so welcoming and flexible ❤️).

Unfortunately my academic program was forced to finish out the semester of classes via Zoom. While it turned out as good as it could have been, it really can’t be compared to classes on campus. Regardless, we made the best of it. I submitted the final, final paper of my MA in late May; while it was exciting to have finished the degree’s coursework, so too was it bittersweet, as i so enjoyed every step of the process.

George Floyd was lynched a few days later; already deeply moved by the recent murders of Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, i shifted plans and headed to Denver to plug into antiracism/police abolition activism there. While obviously less dynamic/robust/mature than the movement in NYC, i was really impressed with Denver’s turnout. As mentioned above, these mass global actions give me tremendous hope for the future. They have already fundamentally changed society, and i hope will continue to do so in the months/years to come.

In recent weeks i have shifted my attention towards revising and tightening up a journal article i will be submitting for publication in the days to come. During this time, my buddy Osa (whom i attended Envision with) came to visit my parents and i for the week. We spent the days grinding on our respective work, and nights philosophizing about the state of the world and our plans to change it.

These four unexpected months of family time were really special. While it is difficult to acknowledge that in knowing the global price it has come at, i’m so grateful for every day i got to spend with my parents and did not take them for granted.

Looking Forward

Undoubtedly the hardest decision i made in recent months was whether or not i would be matriculating at Berkeley Law in the fall as originally planned. A number of factors coalesced to push me towards deciding to push law school off another year. Given that Berkeley Law had been my number one choice when i first applied, the decision was not easy (though i do think it was the right one). Instead, i plan to use this year to expand my thesis into a book. Like the thesis, the book makes the case for ending all forms of animal agriculture, and doing so through banning the sale of animal derived food products. It is a topic whose time i fervently believe has come, and following the completion of my intensive MA i feel that this is the time for me to write it.

While i’m set on dedicating this year towards the completion of both books, my geographic location post-November remains up in the air. For now, i write this update while on a plane back to NYC, where i will spend the final month of my lease living in Brooklyn. September i move to Berkeley where i will be living for at least three months, at which point my plans are unclear (and given Covid, are difficult to discern). I’m currently pursuing a job opportunity in Singapore with the hope of moving there in January (Covid willing); if you have any connections there (or in Hong Kong), i would be eager to learn about them!

Signing Off

I’ll plan on sending my next update in December; in many ways, i expect the world to be a dramatically different place then, and look forward to checking in with y’all at that point. In the meantime, i really would LOVE to hear from you. I send these updates primarily in the interest of maintaining contact with YOU, and sincerely appreciate hearing your updates (no matter how short/long). If you will be in NYC in August, or the Bay Area in Sept/Oct/Nov, please let me know. Regardless, i hope our paths cross again in person soon (and that the public health response will allow us to do so mask free).

With Love,

-nico

2019 Update

hey family,

I’ve been deeply remiss in writing these updates, and am six-months overdue–yikes! This update hasn’t left my ToDo list since October, though i’ve constantly allowed it to be displaced by other seemingly more timely tasks. I’m now at my parents house in Colorado on a self-imposed quarantine, and made the point of making this update a top priority as i settle in.

The past 8 months have been packed and at times hectic (thus my delay in sending this out). However, i’ve been blessed to fill them with deeply meaningful and fulfilling content, and i’m so grateful for how they have shaped up. Knowing how busy y’all are, i’ve decided to keep verbiage succinct. This update will cover the second half of 2019; i’ll plan on sending out another post next month to bring my blog up to date with the intention of moving back to my routine of quarterly updates from there.

In the interim, i’m planning on putting more content onto Instagram moving forward (my handle is @nico_lovesyou), and would love to interact with you more personally there if we are not already connected.

Bali

Shortly after my June 3 arrest and directly following the publishing of my Arrest Update, i set off for the Indonesian island of Bali. There i participated in a 4-week yoga intensive with Mark Robberds, an Australian yoga teacher who has had a formative impact on my view of the practice. It was my first time having an in-person teacher since early 2016, and after spending the previous year teaching yoga in Colombia i was hungry to swap roles and be a student again. It was a wonderful intensive; i so loved digging into my personal practice in such a dedicated and directed way, exploring dimensions of physical embodiment on the mat in the mornings while studying philosophy and thinking deeply about mental embodiment in the afternoons.

Nikki, a young woman i met at the Animal Liberation Conference the month before (and whom i was arrested with), had the opportunity to visit me in Bali. I stayed for a bit after the intensive and the two of us explored the island and our growing relationship.

Colorado Transition

From Bali i headed to Colorado for a few weeks to get my life in order before moving to NYC. I spent time with family, connected with high school and college buddies, and got organized for the move. Nikki also visited for a week, and i showed her around my hometown before attending a music festival with her.

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CO to Brooklyn

I headed to New York in late August a bit before my lease began to attend a variety of animal liberation actions; the week held some of the biggest annual actions in the city, and it was a perfect opportunity to meet fellow NYC activists and get immediately plugged into the community.

On September 1st i moved into my apartment in Brooklyn and met my roommates for the first time. The three of us were all looking for anti-speciesist/vegan roommates, and we found one another on Facebook. It has worked out to be a wonderful fit–the three of us get along great, and i’m so grateful to share space with them this year.

Unfortunately i broke my wrist the final week of August; i was one-wheeling around central park late at night (sober, fwiw) with a friend (my cousin’s finance, both of whom are pictured below), and crashed pretty hard on the final turn. The break turned out to be pretty bad due to its location, and prevented me from practicing asana or other physical activity for the rest of 2019. (It continues to bother me today, though does still seem to be improving).

NYU Animal Studies M.A.

I deferred law school for a year to complete a masters degree at NYU in Animal Studies. Despite it nascency, the program is quickly becoming the academic hub for Animal Studies, an interdisciplinary field that draws on social sciences, natural sciences, and the humanities to examine the relationship between human and nonhuman animals and evaluate the moral, social, political-economic, ecological, and aesthetic significance of these relations. Given my plans to dedicate my career towards advocating on behalf of non-human animals via the legal system, I decided to first complete the M.A. with the intention of using this knowledge to inform and inspire my work in animal law in the decades to come.

I really couldn’t be happier with the program. The professors are amazing; beyond literally having written the books on many of the topics i’m most interested in, they are super down to earth, accessible, and share my passion for changing the world for animals. The coursework has been stimulating and fascinating; most of it consists of material i would otherwise wish to explore in my free time, and all of it has been worthwhile. Finally, the cohort has been great, filled with students who share my interests and convictions and who are motivated to act on them. (A picture of part of the cohort is below).

However, it has admittedly been a lot. Given my time constraint of matriculating into law school the following fall, i elected to complete the M.A. program in 2 semesters, a curriculum that is usually spread across 3 semesters and a summer for full-time students. The time intensity of the program has kept me (overly) busy, though i made a point of scheduling two extracurricular activities a week, one centered in activism and one around social relationships.

California Activism

At the end of September i visited Berkeley for the Animal Liberation California Convergence, a similar event to the one i attended in the Bay earlier in the year. The convergence brought in activists from around the world. Each day was filled with trainings, actions, and opportunities to connect and bond with fellow activists.

On September 30th i was arrested alongside dozens of other activists outside a San Francisco Whole Foods. The action targeted Jeff Bezos, the owner of Whole Foods and the richest man on Earth, protesting the grotesque profits he generates from animal exploitation and asking him to support the Right to Rescue. Whole Foods’ business model is particularly pernicious when it comes to animal exploitation; it is the foremost seller of the humane myth, a lie it curates and promotes to consumers. Whole Foods uses the humane myth to appeal to the compassion and thoughtfulness of their consumers, asking them to pay a premium for flesh, secretions, and other animal products that purportedly come from happily exploited animals. However, Direct Action Everywhere has investigated Whole Foods’ farms for years, and time and time again has uncovered criminal animal abuse. (However, even in the best and rarest of conditions, humane meat is a lie: there is no way to humanely kill someone who wants to live.)

And yet, Whole Foods’ propaganda enables well-intentioned individuals to justify purchasing the violence animal products are rooted in. Today most USians identify as animal lovers, and seek to align their consumptive habits with their values of compassion. As such, domestic animal agriculture depends upon the humane lie’s justification to remain viable, for if the general population knew what really went into the production of animal products the industry would be shut down.

As a response to Whole Foods’ systematic lies, we chained ourselves into a blockade of the store and refused to leave until Jeff Bezos agreed to respond to our years of attempted communication. We asked Bezos to come out in support of the Right to Rescue (the idea that every sentient creature has the innate right to be rescued from situations of depravity) and condemn the serious felony charges being levied against whistle blowers who have exposed criminal misconduct while investigating his farms.

A short video of the action can be seen here: Rose’s Law Lockdown at Whole Foods

NYC Activism

Most of my time in NYC outside of school has been spent activisting, attending actions and organizing others myself. Early on i helped to re-start the then dormant chapter of Direct Action Everywhere NYC, and have been helping to plan NYC’s inaugural Animal Liberation Conference. The conference was scheduled for April and has unfortunately had to be postponed due to COVID-19.

I was also invited to do my first podcast interview. The episode considers the role of non-violent civil disobedience in targeting animal agriculture and shifting food systems, and i think turned out pretty good! If you are interested, it can be viewed here:
Bodies on the Line Podcast Episode.

NYC Social Life

In addition to setting aside time for one social night a week, activism around the city has given me an opportunity to explore areas i otherwise wouldn’t have. Even so, i’ve explored NYC much less than i’d like; there is SO much to see and do, and i’ve barely scratched the surface. Regardless, after moving through some initial culture shock amplified by having lived outside the US for the previous 3 years, i have come to love the city and its grit and am grateful to be living here.

Be Well

I hope this update finds you all physically and mentally healthy in these trying times. COVID-19 is showing how deeply connected we are to each other. May its spread bring us closer together and revitalize our sense of global unity and community.

I’m always a message away. If you take the time to read these updates, your friendship means a lot to me, and i would enjoy hearing from you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out!

love,

-nico

Arrest Update

Hey Fam,

I know many of you have heard about my recent arrest, as some have reached out to me or my parents with concerned questions; as such, i decided to draft this impromptu update to assuage potential concerns through explaining the arrest in a bit more detail, clarifying my rationale behind it, and confirming that all is well with me.

On June 3rd i was arrested on charges of felony conspiracy and misdemeanor trespass, charges that could potentially carry years of jail time. After spending two nights in the Sonoma County Jail, myself and the other 78 activists arrested on the same or similar charges were released without charge. At this point, the prosecutor has reserved the right to file charges against us, and is currently in the process of investigating the action and the activists (including through combing through social media accounts like this blog). From what we understand, the prosecutor can wait up to one year to file charges regarding the misdemeanor and three years to file charges regarding the felony. However, that said, i expect to have more information in the coming weeks.

For those of you who know me well, you know that social justice work has been integral to my being for years. While i began heading this direction sophomore year of college, my passion and commitment to social justice became pointedly accentuated during my time in India. While perhaps trite to say, India, and Varanasi in particular, changed me; while there i came to know myself at a radically deeper level than anything i had explored before, finding immense personal meaning and understanding through Hindu philosophy and cosmology. It is from this tradition that i find meaning for this life. The framework that resonates most powerfully within me is an idea called Karma Yoga, or selfless service to others, and is a path and understanding that informs and fuels every aspect of my being, from my career path down to the inspiration and purpose of starting my dreadlocks. But i digress…

While in India, studying with professors from Benares Hindu University, i studied the philosophy and ideology of Gandhi and Gandhian ethics. It was there that i first became acquainted and comfortable with the integral importance of non-violent direct action in challenging oppressive systems to create just alternatives. The inextricable connection between core Hindu philosophical tenants and Gandhi’s ideology further led me to understand and identify with both at a deep personal level.

Shortly after returning from India i began community organizing with Greenpeace and the Fossil Fuel Divestment Student Network. The strategy and theory of change of both organizations is deeply steeped in the legacies and traditions of Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (who cited Gandhi as his central inspiration). While working with these organizations i participated in a number of non-violent direct action trainings, where we covered the theory of change behind peaceful disruptions. It was during my time organizing within these spaces in early 2016 that i had my first two encounters with civil disobedience, and sincerely explored the possibility of getting arrested.

Fast forward a few years: While my commitment to public service has remained resolute, my area of focus has evolved. Early on in my Peace Corps service, through deep introspection aided by stark ideological isolation, i came to understand that i can most effectively serve the public good through a career dedicated to animal rights, animal liberation. This bottom line is in part what led me to move to Medellín last year, as i wanted to plug into a center of the animal rights movement in Latin America; it is why i’ve decided to complete an M.A. in Animal Studies beginning this fall, and is the cause i seek to dedicate my law degree to.

Fully articulating why i believe animal liberation to be the most poignant issue to dedicate my energy and passion to is out of the scope of this update, but i will try to briefly summarize. First, i believe any explanation or justification for working on animal rights not centered on non-human animals is speciesist and problematic. The 150 BILLION individuals we humans kill every year is reason enough. Simply put, there is no greater source of suffering in the world than animal agriculture, an industry that supplies the demand for our carnist diet.

However, even if one was to discount the moral relevance of saving the lives of billions of individuals each year, i still believe the most effective way for me to serve humans is through creating a vegan world. I understand speciesism, the assumption of human superiority based solely on our species identification, to be foundational to how other systems of oppression function – all systems of oppression rely on creating the “other”, a group that is beyond our moral landscape, and is tied up with animality, wherein these “othered” groups are constructed as less than human and their subhuman status justifies their oppression. Through addressing speciesism, and extending our moral framework outward to include non-human animals, i believe all humans will benefit in the process. As Leo Tolstoy so articulately said, “As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields.”

Furthermore, animal agriculture is the greatest source of climate change and of most other environmental crises; that said, a sustainable future wherein these crises are addressed can only be manifested, in part, through a transition to a vegan world. In terms of public health, the consumption of animal products is directly linked to many of our society’s main killers, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes; as such, helping society transition to a vegan diet would have transformative effects on the quality of life for people across the world.

The week before i was arrested i attended the Animal Liberation Conference in Berkeley. At the conference i met 1,000+ passionate activists and leaders of the animal rights movement from around the world. Each day a variety of trainings were offered; i generally elected to take trainings focused on the strategy of the animal rights movement as well as the theory of change behind social movements and the role of non-violent civil disobedience within them. Prominent speakers such as civil rights legend Bernard Lafayette and transformative journalists Glenn Greenwald from The Intercept and Amy Goodman from Democracy Now! led sessions, supporting both the importance of our work as well as lending their advice from decades of organizing work.

Following my past trainings and work in this area, these trainings provided a nice review of the importance and role of using civil disobedience to challenge and change unjust laws. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.”

Many folk, when viewing civil disobedience in real time, see these types of actions as illogical, radical, and even counterproductive. Indeed, the vast majority of USAians were staunchly opposed to the Montgomery bus boycott, Freedom Riders, Greensboro sit-in/the greater sit-in movement, and the March on Washington, actions that today are revered and respected. I’m confident a similar evolution of public thought will take place in the coming years in regards to actions like the one we did on June 3rd.

Following these trainings, after being steeped in the movement’s theory of change and understanding the integral role of civil disobedience in creating systemic change, myself and dozens of other activists arrived at Reichardt Duck Farm (who we estimate murders ~1,000,000 ducks each year) ready to risk arrest in advocating for the inalienable rights and freedoms of these ducks.

Teams of activists split up, using our bodies to shut down the slaughterhouse, barricade the entrance, and lock down the slaughter line. We rescued 32 baby ducklings in the process, 32 individuals who want to live, and who will now have the opportunity to live out their lives with love and in freedom.

I do not believe we broke the law. In my view, we have the moral right and responsibility to rescue sentient life from slaughter, and will continue doing so until every cage is empty, every being is free.

If you are interested, i highly recommend checking out the content in the three links shared below – they help to provide context to the action, and will hopefully help to give you a better picture of what happened.

A powerful video from the action can be viewed here. (note, you have to click “Uncover Video” below the video to watch) (warning: some of the footage is disturbing)
You can also check out Democracy Now!’s coverage of the action here.
And finally, here is a video of the 32 ducklings we rescued from slaughter.

If you have any lingering questions or concerns, i would be more than happy to chat in greater detail with you – please feel free to shoot me a message.

With Love,

❤️🌱🙏

-nico

May ’19 Update

My past four months in Latin America have been wonderful. I have come to feel so at home in Medellín and within progressive latinx culture more generally, and will miss it dearly. As i transition to moving back to the US, to NYC in August, i hope to carry with me the same perspective and energy i’ve learned in Latin America these past two and a half years, and continue to stay plugged into latinx culture while in the Big Apple.

College Plans

A consistent thread throughout February, March, and April was researching, exploring, and determining the law school at which i will matriculate. Late March and Early April i had the opportunity to make two trips to the States to participate in the Admitted Student Programs at Berkeley, Columbia, NYU, and the University of Chicago (pretty sweet, in that these schools covered the majority of my travel expenses). These programs invited all folk who were admitted to the law schools to come and visit for a few days, and each did their best to sell us prospective students on why they were the ideal fit, the best option. The days of each program consisted of tours, meet and greets with current students and faculty, opportunities to attend classes, and other informational sessions, before wining and dining us each night, providing further opportunities to connect with current and other admitted students in less formal settings (i.e. in bars around town).

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at each program, in particular the opportunity to connect with such a diverse and interesting group of folk. While i know i would be happy at any of the four schools i visited, from the moment i arrived to UC Berkeley it became apparent that it was going to be the best fit; and when Berkeley agreed to match my highest scholarship offers from the others schools, it became a done deal.

However, there was a slight change of plans along the way… I originally applied to a dual degree program at NYU, pairing law with an M.A. in Animal Studies. However, while Berkeley Law feels like a better fit for a variety of reasons, i feel the NYU M.A. program is an immensely valuable accompaniment in terms of the direction i would like to direct a JD degree. As such, i decided to defer law school for a year, and will be completing an M.A. at NYU this fall. That said, any friends/family in the New York area, i would LOVE to connect with you in person this next year.

View from the roof of Berkeley’s Stadium, taken midway through falling for the program.

NYU left, University of Chicago top, and Columbia University bottom.

Medellín

Apart from my short trips to the States to visit law schools, i spent February, March, and April living and working at the same yoga studio in Medellín that i worked at last year. There is no city i would have rather spent these seven months in, and i am so grateful to have had the opportunity. Medellín and its people will always have a special place in my heart.

My days generally centered around yoga, including the classes i taught, the conversations i had with yoga students/trainees practicing/living in the studio, as well as my personal daily practice. As i’ve said in past updates, living immersed within a yoga community has been such a wonderful fit.

Outside of the studio, i spent the majority of my time community organizing around animal rights/liberation. Most of my best friends in Medellín worked within this circle as well, and i found immense satisfaction working alongside these other like-minded and passionate folk. Generally every week we would have Cube of Truths on Fridays and more disruptive actions with DxE at restaurants and public spaces on the weekends (photos from one of our actions can be viewed here). Once a month we would hold a vigil outside of slaughterhouses for the animals that were entering, honoring their individuality and desire for life (you can view a FB live video i shot here, and a more professional edit here). From time to time, we would also plan other creative actions like Humano Asado, a skit we held in a public square where we inverted the roles, with farmed animals eating faux human flesh, to help challenge perceptions about the inherent violence embodied within eating another being’s body (a live video of the action can be viewed here, and another short edit here).

The final week of goodbyes was tough; i’ve made so many wonderful friends in Medellín throughout my seven months there, and hope i will be able to return soon.

Nica

Early May i left Colombia for Nicaragua. I’ve yearned to return to Nicaragua since the day i was emergency evacuated a year ago. Being forced to leave so abruptly without the opportunity to say goodbye to anyone was devastating, and it has been even more painful seeing the challenges and suffering Nicaraguans have endured this past year from afar, powerless.

After a year of waiting i finally had the opportunity to return. Walking into the home of my host family, seeing the decorations and food they prepared for me, i was overcome with gratitude, with happiness. It was so special being able to spend time with loved ones, as well as spending hours walking up and down the town’s two streets, greeting and chatting with all the folk i used to pass by on a daily basis. It meant the world to me, being able to go back and give the goodbye i was never able to give, and that sentiment was clearly reciprocated within the community.

As much as it filled my heart being back in San Juan del Rio Coco, it was also painful and heart-wrenching to see how much this community, how much all Nicaraguans, have suffered this past year (and continue to suffer). While i was able to flee the physical and economic violence, these folk have been mired within it. Nicaragua today is a very different place than the Nicaragua i moved to February 2017. The political turmoil has had devastating economic consequences, and for Nicaragua, what was already the world’s poorest (economically speaking) Spanish speaking country, the economic fallout has been truly devastating. Unfortunately it is hard to see a solution materializing in the near future. The Nicaraguan people, no people, deserve to live in such hardship. Although never forgotten, being back helped to stir up the sentiments of injustice within which i so often stewed throughout my service in Nicaragua; an important reminder of the tremendous personal privilege i was born into as a US citizen, and this understanding’s central role in reifying my deep personal convictions and aspirations for what i seek to dedicate this life to.

México

From Nicaragua i flew to Tabasco, one of México’s southernmost states, to visit a high school friend completing his Fulbright. I spent a view days visiting my buddy in Oxolotán, Tabasco’s southernmost town near the border of Chiapas, where he lives, and exploring the area around there before heading to Villahermosa, the state’s capital.

It was a nice opportunity to catch up with him. We share interests in the intersection of moral philosophy, religion, and values more generally, and it was lovely being able to dig deep into these conversations together in person. Moreover, i thoroughly enjoyed exploring the cultural dimensions of the area, particularly the deep indigenous undercurrents, and noting its (dis)similarities with Guatemala.

Before heading back to the US i made a short stopover in México City, which was lovely; just a taste that definitely left me wanting for more.

Looking Forward

I arrived back in Colorado earlier this week, and will be here on and off the next few months before moving to New York City in August. It is nice to be with my parents at their home for a bit as i transition into this next stage. I’m eager to begin studies again, and can’t wait to get started this fall.

As i close every update, i sincerely would love to hear back from each of you. If you like, please do shoot me an email at nstubler@me.com, a WhatsApp at +505.8338.5597, or a Facebook message.

Be Love,

Be Happy,

-nico

Feb ’19 Update

Peace Fam✌️

The three months since my last update have been great – blessed with a lot of special family time. Traveling and exploring with my parents was wonderful, and i am so grateful for the opportunity to have done so. I fear family trips like the ones described below will become fewer and fewer with time, and was sure to make the most out of every moment.

Colombia 💃

November 12th i greeted my parents at Medellín’s international airport – woohoo! They have heard me rave about Colombia since my first trip through in 2016 and nonstop since moving here August last year, and it was so special being able to share my love of Colombian culture and its people with my them.

It was a quick trip, 12 days, but we packed a lot in! We spent the first few days exploring Medellín; there is no city in the world i would rather live in at this stage in my life, and i wanted to show my parents why! We hiked in a national park, danced salsa, biked throughout the city, took a few city tours, went to a playoff fútbol game, paraglided, visited nearby attractions, and hit all of my fave food/drink spots. Fast and furious, but great!

From Medellín we headed south to the area around Salento, spending a night at a hot springs tucked high away in the mountains; it is the favorite hot springs i have ever been to, and a nice way to unwind after being so go-go-go in Medellín. We spent the next night in Salento, a quaint mountain town historically dominated by coffee production and more recently focused on tourism. It was a fun town to explore. The next day we woke up early to hike the Cocora Valley, home to the world’s tallest palm trees (as tall as 200ft!). The hike was straight out of a Dr. Seuss book, with countless hummingbirds flitting around at eye level beneath the towering wax palms.

From Salento we headed north to the Caribbean coast. We spent the first night and the following morning in Cartagena before heading up the coast to the area around Santa Marta, where we spent the next four days immersed in nature: one day in the ocean SCUBAing/snorkeling, another in a cloud-forest hiking between waterfalls, and another hiking from beach to beach along the jungle-lined coast.

Attached below are a few of my fave photos from the trip; for 18 more, check out the following album! Colombia Fam Trip Photo Album

Colorado 🏔

November 23rd we headed to Colorado; my parents went home to Grand Junction, while i stopped in Denver to spend a few days connecting with college buddies. Then, November 27th, my parents met up with me in Denver and drove me over to Colorado Springs for surgery the next day. Clavicle surgery was the main reason for my trip home; knowing the yoga studio where i work would be closing December and most of January, this ended up being the perfect time to remove the hardware still in my clavicle from a 2013 surgery; the hardware has bothered me ever since, and this was the first good opportunity to get rid of it!

Surgery went good! Though it was more invasive than expected… My clavicle had grown over the edge of the plate and completely swallowed screws, forcing the surgeon to chisel the bone away to reveal and remove the hardware. That being said, it went as smooth as it could have gone!

I spent the next nine days at my parent’s home in Grand Junction, recovering, before heading to Texas with my Father for our second Vipassanā retreat. We attended our first Vipassanā spring of 2016, and were both amazed and impressed by the personal growth it fomented. Knowing i would be unable to do physical activity following my surgery it seemed to me the perfect time to sit still for ten days, and my Dad (admittedly a surprise) accepted my invitation to join me for a second round!

Vipassanā is a ten-day silent mediation retreat, including abstention from body language (including eye contact) with all other meditators throughout the course. Days began at 4am and were more or less filled with meditation until returning to bed after 9pm. As return students we were asked to fast after noon, keeping the belly empty for 19 hours each day to aid in the deep meditative work. The routine is mentally and physically exhausting, and really helps to lay bare ones mental weaknesses and unhealthy proclivities.

While the schedule (besides the extended daily fast) were identical between the two Vipassanās, the lessons i learned from each were markedly different. The first was undoubtedly the hardest thing i’ve ever chosen to do; the second was much easier,,, though still brutal. The first i learned a tremendous amount about who i am at an intellectual level, about how my brain works and the patterns it has a habit of running through; the second i learned much more about myself at a spiritual, energetic level. In other words, the first Vipassanā helped me to meet and understand my mind for the first time; the second helped me to meet and understand myself at the deepest energetic level, much deeper than the body or intellect, for the first time without the aid of plant medicine/substance. The first provided me the foundations for a meditation practice; the second took my meditation practice to an entirely new level, helping me to experientially understand truths of being i had up until this point only grasped intellectually.

Eleven days later, my Dad and i headed back to Colorado together. After 10 days of not talking, it was nice having a travel day to verbally process our experiences together.

I spent the next week connecting with friends from high school in Grand Junction and Denver, some of whom I hadn’t seen in over five years. It was nice to reconnect with these folk, learning how they have grown and developed while also sharing with them my own growth and changes.

Australia 🐨

Australia has long been at the very top of my Mom’s travel dreams, and January presented the first opportunity to make it a reality; luckily for me, i was able to tag along!

The three of us boarded a plane December 30th, and 36ish hours later we arrived to Cairns, a city on Australia’s northeast coast often referred to as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. We spent our first full day down under SCUBAing on the reef; amazing! As silly as it sounds, the experience really brought the cast of Finding Nemo to life with a biosphere totally different than other spots i’ve had the opportunity to dive, including sharks, turtles, clownfish, rays, giant clams, the works. And yet, it was also devastating to see coral bleaching in action, and know that my child’s generation will be unable to experience this natural wonder, not to mention the hundreds of millions of beings living in the Great Barrier who will die as a result. The next day we rented a car and explored the numerous impressive waterfalls in the surrounding region.

Next up, we headed down the coast to Sydney, where we met up with a friend of mine who lives in Newcastle. After showing us around her city, we headed back down to Sydney and spent a few days exploring Oceania’s largest metropolis. In addition to connecting with my friend, highlights included ocean pool swims, a free walking tour, yoga overlooking the ocean, amazing food, and a night at the opera house (while i enjoyed the experience, i can’t say i left an opera fanatic…).

From Sydney, my parents and i continued on alone to Uluru, Australia’s spiritual center for Indigenous Australians. While Uluru was geographically stunning, our motivation for coming was to complicate our understanding of Australian history and coloniality; the cultural lessons and insights shared by the indigenous guides we spoke with were invaluable, and provided an exigent narrative and perspective to our understanding of Australia.

Next up, Melbourne. While i liked Sydney, i LOVED Melbourne. A super hip and dynamic city, and one that i would be happy and grateful to call home. Highlights included our drive along the Great Ocean Road (which offers breathtaking coastal views), happening across Koala’s in the wild, hip street markets, a cricket game, a free city walking tour, phenomenal food, and the best vegan (and non-vegan, for that matter) ice cream i’ve ever had.

We finished off our Australia trip in Tasmania, where we met back up with my Aussie friend for a four-day tour of the island. We hiked a lot, and slept a little (the sun would rise at 6am and not set until 9pm, and most days we were on the road for every our of sunlight…). Our time in Tasmania was like sprinting a marathon, but i wouldn’t have had it any other way; grateful for all the sites we were able to explore.

Below are a few of my fave photos from our Aussie trip; you can see my other 25 faves here! Aussie Fam Trip Photo Album

New Zealand 🥝

After seventeen days in Australia, we headed to New Zealand to finish out the final eleven days of our trip. Geographically, i’ve never seen anything like NZ; its natural beauty is incomparable. I could have spent months exploring the two islands, but we made the best of our short trip!

We arrived in Queenstown, at the south of the south island, and worked our way up the length of the island to Christchurch. We made frequent stops along our road trip for short hikes and wild water swims; the powder blue waters were spectacularly beautiful, and spectacularly cold! Some of the highlights from our south island road trip include visits to receding glaciers, relaxing hot springs, placid mountain lakes, enchanting glow worms, sublime waterfalls cascading into glacial rivers, majestic mountain passes, and serene coastline.

While our time on the south island was focused on exploring natural beauty, our trip up the north island was more geared towards exploring New Zealand’s cultural dimensions. We began in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, where we explored NZ colonial history with a walking tour and a tour of Parliament, as well as indigenous Maori culture at a Pacific Islander festival.

From Wellington, we spent the next four days driving up the island to Aukland, making stops along the way to explore geothermal sites, bike around New Zealand’s largest lake, swim in freezing glacial rivers as well as steaming hot streams, hike in the mountains, relax on the beach, and visit Hobbiton (the set where all the Hobbit scenes from the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit were filmed).

We finished our NZ tour in Aukland, the country’s largest city. It was fun exploring the city and the culture for our final days, including a yoga class, a ferry trip to a nearby suburb, a free walking tour, and a play. The perfect end to our trip.

Again, below are a few of my fave photos from our time in NZ; you can view my other 8 faves here! NZ Fam Trip Photo Album

Next Three Months 🇨🇴

After two days back in the States unpacking, washing, and repacking, i headed back to Medellín on January 28th, where i will be working the same job i had last year until May. It is so nice to be back in Medellín, a place that feels so right for this time of my life.

In the meantime, i continue to research law schools and my plans for the years to come. Thus far, i have been accepted to Berkeley, Chicago, Columbia, and Georgetown; Berkeley and Columbia are definitely my two top choices at this point, though i am still waiting to hear back from a few schools. If you have any advice regarding my decision of where to study and have read my update this far, i would LOVE to hear from you!! By the time you receive my next update i will have made my decision, and would value including your advice/insights in my decision making process.

As i end every update, i would sincerely appreciate receiving updates from you, even if they are just a few sentences. Feel free to shoot me a WhatsApp (+505.8338.5597), an email, or a comment below.

Be Well,

Be Happy,

-nico❤️

Oct ’18 Update

Peace Fam ✌️❤️

Following the tumultuous events covered in my last update, the past few months have been especially grounding, affirming, and healing. This update begins where the last left off, with my evacuation from Nicaragua leading to the unexpected opportunity to travel throughout Southeast Asia, and finishes recapping my last two and a half months here in Medellín.

Southeast Asia

As i briefly explained in the last update: After a month back in the U.S. we received notice that our evacuation was going to be continued for another month, likely another two. Shocked, both by the fact that i wouldn’t be returning at the end of the month and by the reality that i suddenly had two months free up on the calendar, i scraped some savings together and hurriedly planned a trip to Southeast Asia believing it would be my final opportunity until after graduating law school in 2022 to travel abroad. I planned the trip fully believing i would be headed right back to Nicaragua afterward…

Southeast Asia has long been on my radar, on my bucket list, and i was grateful and excited for the opportunity to learn and explore for the month. I met so many good people along the way, friends i have continued to stay in frequent contact with ever since. Politically/ideologically speaking, the trip strengthened my convictions on some things (the brutality of US imperialism, for example), and challenged them in other ways (regarding cultural relativity and the existence of a capital T Truth, as examples). I do my best to keep dialogue on the trip’s specifics to a minimum, but as always, it turned into a long update; if you prefer photos, you can check out my SE Asia Photo Journal, an album where i posted a favorite photo from each day of the trip.

Singapore

The trip began on June 11th, and after two long days of travel i arrived in Singapore where i scheduled a stop-over (basically an extended layover); doing so helped to both drop the cost of the flight as well as provide the opportunity to explore the small but remarkable country.

As a tourist, Singapore is one of the favorite cities i have spent time in. The diversity of the city is astounding, truly an international hub. It was also the cleanest metropolis i have ever been to and one of the most technologically advanced, making it very accessible, comfortable, and welcoming. However, more than just the cleanliness i was particularly enamored with the amount of vegetation and greenery interwoven throughout the city, and the ethic of environmental awareness woven throughout. Finally, the food was AMAZING! While there were hundreds of vegan/vegetarian restaurants interspersed throughout the city, i particularly enjoyed eating at small local vegan joints in China Town and Little India.

I qualify my praise for Singapore from a tourist lens, as the lack of what USians understand as first amendment rights, particularly the rights to freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom to assemble, is stifling. Moreover, the pungent culture and promulgation of materialism was nauseating, though unfortunately the characteristic is in no way unique to Singapore.

Vietnam

After two days in Singapore i arrived to Hanoi, and spent the next two weeks slowly (or rapidly, depending on your perspective) making my way down the length of Vietnam to end in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon). Vietnam was the central draw of the trip, the motivating factor that inspired the rest of the travel. I understand the Vietnam War (known in Vietnam as the American War) as one of the most pivotal and important events of the 20th century, both globally but particularly as it relates to US empire and through to the politics within the US today. As such, i was eager to deepen and complicate my understanding of the war first hand through discussions with Vietnamese people and exposure to the way the war is framed in the country.

Moreover, much of my politics, of my political thought, is influenced by activism born within the Vietnam era; for example, this MLK quote from his 1967 Beyond Vietnam speech continues to be foundational to my thought patterns and purpose: “True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.” So too do i find education and inspiration for anti-imperialism and decolonialism from Vietnamese revolutionaries, Ho Chi Minh in particular.

Personally, perhaps selfishly, Vietnam was one of the favorite countries i have had the opportunity to spend time in. The people were so kind-hearted, humble, and sincere; the food delicious, the history fascinating, and the landscapes absolutely breathtaking! Moreover, Vietnam has become VERY popular amongst backpackers, providing the opportunity to socialize with folk from all over the world in each city i passed through, learning from their experiences and humbly sharing my own.

While my travels through Vietnam did fill me with joy, so too did it fill me with sadness, remorse, disgust, guilt. It was hard to see the immense suffering engendered by US policy, to see the impacts and effects i read about with my own eyes. While I am always deeply critical and at times guilty of being a USian, that shame came into even clearer focus here. When asked by Vietnamese where i am from, ashamedly, i would often skirt the question (though never lie) and explain that i currently lived in Nicaragua, rather than say i’m from the US. The pain that would flash through the eyes of many when i claimed US heritage was just too hard to see. However, more important than my personal discomfort, while in the past i have wanted to identify as USian to provide a different face for the US, i found myself no longer wanting to give the US a facelift. Rather, i think it is important for the world to see and understand US empire as it is, as it always has been, and there is no better face for it than Trump’s. (To clarify, no better face for the US Government abroad, not of its people; i fervently believe that people are people, no matter the country; that we all share the same hopes/desires, and that each person does their best [that does not, however, i believe excuse or justify oppressive or hateful actions]).

Cambodia

On June 28th i caught a sleeper bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Unfortunately my itinerary only allowed for one week in Cambodia, which i split predominantly between sobering education around the effects of the “Vietnam War” in Cambodia and the genocide that followed, and afterwards exploring the ancient wonders of Angkor.

Unfortunately not commonly known (as it was hidden and concealed by the US government throughout the war), the US dropped a documented 2,756,941 tons worth of bombs over Cambodia; to put this number in perspective, the Allies dropped just over 2,000,000 tons during ALL of WWII, including the bombs that devastated Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As such, Cambodia may be the most heavily bombed country in history. The impacts of this carpet bombing opened up space for the Khmer Rouge to come into power, and ultimately created the groundwork for the Cambodian genocide that followed. The genocide killed an estimated 2.4 million, a third of Cambodia’s population of 7 million. Moreover, the US Government supported Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge regime throughout the genocide and continued to recognize them as the legitimate government of Cambodia for a decade following the genocide, further enabling one of the 20th century’s greatest crimes to unfold. Visits to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek gave faces and stories to these atrocities, and imparted much the same feeling as attending concentration camps.

The second half of my time in Cambodia was spent in Siem Reap, a modern day town built nearby Angkor, the ancient capital of the Angkor Empire. During its peak from the 11th to the 13th centuries Angkor was the the largest pre-industrial urban center in the world. As such, they built some of the world’s most impressive and complex religious structures including Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world. I spent a number of days here exploring the temple complexes in the day and afterwards enjoying nightlife with friendly locals and fellow travelers. The decaying monuments provided a humble reminder to both civilizational power and its ephemerality, of the reality that everything i have ever known will dissolve into nothing, will return to the void. There was a powerful energy throughout the monuments, and it was a nice way to balance the heaviness that came with so sincerely digging into Cambodia’s more recent history.

Thailand

A week later i caught a flight to Bangkok, and passed the final nine days of my trip scratching the surface of what Thailand has to offer. After exploring the busy and thriving metropolis of Bangkok i headed north to Chiang Mai and the mountains that surround it. Undoubtedly the highlight of my days in Northern Thailand, and a highlight of my trip overall, was the day i spent in an Elephant Sanctuary. I passed the day with Mae Ploy and Mae Taew, two elephants in their late forties who had been rescued from oppressive work and who are now living out the rest of their lives in sanctuary. The day began with prepping their food (chopping up pumpkin and separating bananas) and feeding them, going for a long leisurely hike through the forest, and ended with us bathing ourselves side by side in the river. These ladies filled my heart, giving me a profound sense joy and clarity. And left me thinking: Would another eat their flesh? Why not? Would another eat a cow’s flesh? Why? And in thinking of this dissonance, i resonate strongly with a quote from Clifton Flynn upon which i reflect often: “Our failure to study our relationships with other animals has occurred for many reasons… Much of it can be boiled down to two rather unattractive human qualities: arrogance and ignorance.”

I finished off my trip in Thailand, in Southeast Asia, on Koh Tao, a gorgeous island nestled in the warm waters off Thailand’s western shore. The island is famous for offering some of the world’s most affordable Scuba certifications, and i spent three days getting mine. While i have had the opportunity to snorkel often, it was my first time scuba diving, and the experience blew my mind, surpassing my highest expectations. Being underwater without needing to think about oxygen dramatically changed the experience, and allowed me to feel much more connected with the life under the water, providing time to wait, watch, and patiently learn from the subtleties and complexities of the aquatic life around me.

Medellín

Ten days after arriving back to the US i had an interview via Skype and was offered a job beginning four days later in Medellín, Colombia. Wow! The reality that i would be unable to return to Nicaragua had still not settled in, as i was unable to fully process it while traveling. And yet, i arrived in Medellín, the “city of eternal spring,” on August 1st, and have been happily and gratefully living here ever since.

I have fallen in love with Medellín. The city has given me everything my soul craved throughout my service in Nicaragua. The two central dimensions of my identity have become veganism and yoga philosophy/practice, identities i was forced to hide and conceal throughout my time in Nicaragua. Medellín has given me the opportunity to openly share these identities again, and more importantly, has provided me with a latinx community who share these same passions and identity. That sense of community has been incredibly nourishing, affirming, and i am feeling happier than i can remember feeling, confirming that i am in the perfect place for the time being.

Flying Tree Yoga

I was hired as an assistant manager for Flying Tree Yoga. Flying Tree is a rad bilingual studio nestled in Laureles, a hip, modern, and admittedly higher end neighborhood of Medellín. In addition to teaching yoga classes i have been helping with a Yoga Internship program, where certified teachers from around the world come in to develop and diversify their teaching abilities and learn how to teach in Spanish; in this role i provide interns with asana workshops, help in designing and developing their classes, and offer feedback for how to grow their teaching moving forward. It has been fun immersing myself within yoga again, within a yogic community, and rewarding sharing my love for this philosophy and practice within a latinx context.

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Law School Apps

I remain committed to pursing a career of public interest law, and more specifically plan on focusing my degree on animal law, on leveraging a law degree in service towards shifting the Overton window in regards to the rights and status of non-human animals. I spent much of September getting my applications in order, and plan on submitting the last of them in the coming days. Hopefully in my next update i will have news to share regarding schools to which i have been accepted!

Animal Liberation

Since arriving to Medellín i have been so grateful and excited to connect with a group of passionate animal rights advocates, people who share my convictions and philosophy in regards to non-human animals, namely abolitionists (in a sentence, people who are concerned less with advocating for bigger cages, but rather for the eradication of cages altogether). Within this space i have been organizing predominantly with the local chapter of two international animal rights groups, Anonymous for the Voiceless and Direct Action Everywhere.

Every Friday evening i meet up with dozens of other members from Anonymous for the Voiceless for street activism; the events are called Cubes, Los Cubos, and consist of masked individuals standing silently for hours in a square formation in public spaces, holding screens depicting the reality of what is happening to non-human animals around the world every day; needless to say, the footage is quite graphic. The acts are meant to end the silence around animal exploitation, to keep the issue present in the minds of the community, and foment thought and hopefully change. I have found the technique super effective, and am grateful to be a part of this movement.

We also spent much of September organizing a 269 Life action, a branding or una marcación. The action, held in a public space in the botanical gardens, was much more confrontational then the Cubes, and was meant to challenge the way people think about our relationship with and (ab)use of non-human animals. In the action i was one of two people branded with a hot steel iron, receiving the mark of property, marked as an “it” rather than a “he.” The same afternoon, 22 other activists around Colombia received the same brand, alongside hundreds of others from around the world. If you are interested, you can watch the video here: 269 Life Medellín 2018; despite being in Spanish, i feel like many of the images speak for themselves. And if you take the time to watch my branding, take a moment to note the feelings that come up. Are they different than the thoughts/feelings you would have watching a cow, a horse, any non-human animal be branded? Why? Some i have spoken with though it extreme, to voluntarily brand oneself in solidarity with non-human animals (ab)used by humans. However, to me it feels moderate. In reality my branding is hardly comparable to the branding received by non-human animals; i volunteered to receive the brand, understood what was happening as it happened, and after returned to sit comfortably in my room comforted with some ointment. Under no circumstances do humans have the right to (ab)use non-human animals – period. I am more than the number 269; every sentient being is more than a number – they are someone, not something.

Ciao

As i close every update, i really do appreciate and cherish receiving updates from your end; i write these updates with the purpose of staying in touch with loved ones, you, but it takes two to tango 😘. If you made it this far, i’d love to hear from you, even if it is just a sentence or two.

Be happy,

-nico

Quarterly updates written to stay in touch with family, biological and chosen.

Long Covid

What Is Long Covid?

Professional

Advocacy

Episode 14: nico stubler

Ahimsa in Yoga, Vegan Advocacy & Social Justice

Vegan vs Butcher Debate

Travel

Personal/Spiritual

part I: the meaning of life

part II: equality as Truth

Cutting my 10-year-old Dreadlocks

Looking Forward

Colorado

New Jobs

Richman Law & Policy

Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law

Activism

The Liberation Pledge

California Arrest

Misc.

Baja Beach Fest

Vail & Denver Trip

Health

Sending Love,

California

Street Activism

Desk Activism

Colombia

Alaska

Colorado

1. Closing NYC Chapter

Activism

Academics

2. California

Bay Area Activism

LA Slaughterhouse Action

3. Academic Work

Harvard Animal Law and Policy Program

Journal Article

Book Chapter

Guest and Ghost Writing

4. Movement

5. Looking Forward

Winter Break

Spring Semester in NYC

Envision

San Diego

Covid Complications

Looking Forward

Signing Off

Bali

Colorado Transition

CO to Brooklyn

NYU Animal Studies M.A.

California Activism

NYC Activism

NYC Social Life

Be Well

College Plans

Medellín

Nica

México

Looking Forward

Peace Fam✌️

Colombia 💃

Colorado 🏔

Australia 🐨

New Zealand 🥝

Next Three Months 🇨🇴

Southeast Asia

Singapore

Vietnam

Cambodia

Thailand

Medellín

Flying Tree Yoga

Law School Apps

Animal Liberation