thanks Polly for throwing a great Veal protest + another success story

[Guest guest]

I'm glad it was a success. I was happy 2 of my shy friends joined a bit of the

protest.

 

I have some MORE good news, a bunch of SF folks did a mass email against a FREE

shark fin giveaway Just today, Master Card announced they will NOT be giving

away Shark Fins to customers.

 

Please read the email below. Jacob W. from SF Wildaid.org and his friends did a

great " protest " it shows, even though we are in the SF Bay Area, we can still

help save animals around the world..

 

(the protest took less than a week *smile*)

 

-------

 

 

Dear All,

 

There is a Hong Kong Master Card promotion on " Buy one get one Free Bowl of

Shark Fin " by MasterCard this month, May 2003.

 

We are urging everyone to help to voice their opinion on this.

 

I would suggest to write to these following people:

Georgette Tan, Vice President, Asia Pacific: georgette_tan

Joyce Lau, Staff, Hong Kong: joyce_lau

Sharon Gamsin, Vice President, Global Communications & Corporate Public

Relations: sgamsin

Chris Monteiro, Vice President, Global Marketing Communications:

chris_monteiro

 

I kindly ask you to write to these corporate people a few words telling them

about the global depletion of our sharks. The zero nutrition value of Shark

Fin, the Waste & Cruelty, and by using the MasterCard Promotional schemes, the

imbalance of the ocean cycle might further be destroyed beyond recovery. I

believe there must be other ways to promote MasterCard even in the low economic

downturn, without this kind of Shark Fin consumption promotion.

 

Please kindly help. Just a few lines. Thank you. If you have time, spread

the words. Furthermore thanks.

 

Sincerely, yours

Stephen, aka Sai Wong

 

Stephen Wong

 

 

-

 

MasterCard/Shark Fin Promotion

 

Shark Conservationists,

Amongst some of the bad news coming out from Asia Pacific including the spread

of SARS, there is I am afraid another 'atypical' promotion from Hong Kong for

shark fin.

This promotion comes from MASTERCARD, as part of the MasterCard Premium

Selection within Hong Kong.

 

The advert recently seen in the SCMP (Post Magazine) reads-

Proudly presenting our May Programme of fine dining experiences:

Shark's Fin Buy One Get one Free (through one of their merchants) as well as

discounted dining at 2 other local hotels on offer.

 

Earlier this week I emailed MasterCard (HK) and then tried contacting the

respective advertising manager, leaving messages to call me back. To this date

he/she has not acknowledged my email nor returned my calls? This polite form of

response is not unexpected in Hong Kong.

As yet there is also no reply from the Corporations Headquarters where I cc'd

the email to various staff whom I expected might have had something to add or

say. Perhaps they have not had the time.

 

In the meantime before countless fins are given away I personally would like to

see this advert immediately withdrawn before it runs its course through the

month of May and for MasterCard (HK) to issue a statement that such advertising

campaigns might be better researched in the future, and that using shark fin may

not be such a rewarding example of enticing customers to spend their money.

Having shark fins on offer, in a 'buy one get one free' promotion, is what

supermarkets use to entice customers to buy things like toilet roll; the fins of

the ocean's (a) apex predator and (b) a species that is already globally

threatened by the very shark fin trade does not need this kind of non-sensical

advertising nor to be given away as a perceived infinite resource.

 

As I sit here looking at my MasterCard, (now seriously thinking what to do with

it) I urge you all over the weekend to write emails to those concerned. There

are plenty of us shark conservationists out there to make a difference (remember

Citibank, Hong Kong Tourist Board and many other internet campaigns), so forward

this email to colleagues & friends etc as well. Ask those concerned at

MasterCard to review their regional advertising promotions and to be more

accountable for the products they use to attract big/small time spenders.

 

And you might want to think closely about how and on what you spend your hard

earned $$ before handing over your MasterCard for payment.

 

Some of the staff listed below are on the MasterCard website:

http://www.mastercardintl.com/newsroom/media_contacts.html

 

Georgette Tan, Vice President, Asia Pacific: georgette_tan

Joyce Lau, Staff, Hong Kong: joyce_lau

Sharon Gamsin, Vice President, Global Communications & Corporate Public

Relations: sgamsin

Chris Monteiro, Vice President, Global Marketing Communications:

chris_monteiro

 

Regards,

 

Charles Frew

 

 

 

 

signature: FAQ on vegetarian resources

 

http://www.bayareaveg,org

http://www.vegdining.com

http://www.sfvs.org

Living Foods: SFLivingFoods/

due to my high amount of emails, I am unable to answer everyone's emails on

vegetarian questions.

 

 

 

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