It was an icy evening, but it felt good to raise awareness about the animal cruelty inherent in the fur industry.
The symphony is traditionally a place where people wear fur, especially on New Year’s Eve. So a bunch of us gathered at Benaroya Hall for a silent vigil before going out to party.
NARN and AFA invited all vegans and animal rights activists out for a night of food, frivolity and an assortment of refreshing beverages.
Despite the incredible amount of snow coming down that night, lots of 
people made it out. It was a cool place, with endless dark rooms to explore in the basement. A couple folks went sledding on some folding chairs. Others were hilarious as usual. There was a cool sound system playing kickin’ jams, with various stage lights around the ex-dance studio.
All the food, music, laughter and vegan cupcakes made it worth the trip back home through the snowdrifts.
Brave souls withstood the wind and cold to stand up for tortured animals in front of UW’s Regional Primate Research Center at 3010 Western Ave, across from the Olympic Sculpture Park downtown. 
UW’s Primate Research Center plays a major part in the torture and killing of primates every year. UW researchers have been confirmed in committing widespread violations of animal protection regulations. 
These violations involve studies in which experimenters cut off the tops of monkeys’ skulls, insert electrodes into their brains, and implant wire coils in their eyes. The monkeys are then restrained in experimentation chairs, with their heads bolted in place so that they can’t move while 
experimenters track their eye movements.
They are kept hungry or thirsty much of the time so that they’ll comply during tests to get a sip of water or a bite of food.
After attending Seeing Through the Fence” we all agreed it was a wonderful thought-
provoking film, geared toward vegans and meat-eaters alike. It’s a documentary about food, veganism & activism put together by NARN’s very own Eleni Vlachos (also the drummer for Beloved Binge), and is a culmination of years of work, interviews with hundreds of people and lots of thoughtful editing. NARN’s own Rachel starred!