Guest guest Posted February 28, 2007 Report Share Posted February 28, 2007 Im sorry if the following article is not as revelant, but I thought it's interesting to share Report: M'sia mulls ban on fast food advertising Feb 18, 2007 Reuters KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's health ministry is considering a ban on fast-food advertisements because the meals they promote are considered " silent killers " , the Star newspaper reported on Saturday. The move would also cover endorsements of events linked to fast food, Health Minister Chua Soi Lek was quoted as saying. A fast-food " sin tax " was also being considered, he said, adding that the proposal was motivated by the increasing number of Malaysians suffering from diseases of the " affluent " such as diabetes and hypertension. " We want to send a strong signal to consumers. We do not allow advertising for cigarettes and liquor. Fast food should be treated in the same way as alcohol, " he said. Links between fat-laden fast food and health issues such as obesity were heightened by a 2001 U.S. best-selling book, Fast Food Nation, and a 2004 documentary movie about eating only fast food for a month, " Super Size Me " . Britain announced in November a ban on fast-food advertising during children's television programmes. Fast-food restaurants such as McDonald's and Burger King are popular among Malaysians. http://news.asiaone.com/a1news/20070218_story1_1.html On 2/28/07, Kim Bartlett <anpeople wrote: > > > > > > > http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-freston/a-few-more-inconvenient-_b_40261.htm\ l?view=print > A Few More 'Inconvenient Truths' > > The report released today by the world's leading climate scientists > made no bones about it: global warming is happening in a big way and > it is very likely man-made. So, if we are indeed the bulk of the > problem, we ought to step up and start doing things differently. Now. > > My last post ( " Vegetarian Is the New Prius " ) got a lot of traction, > and I think it's because there is a realization that being " part of > the solution " can be a whole lot simpler -and cheaper - than going > out and buying a new car. > We can make a huge difference in the environment by eating a plant > based diet instead of an animal based one. Factory farming pollutes > our air and water, reduces the rainforests, and goes a long way to > create global warming. And although the vast majority of responses to > the piece were positive, there were some environmentalists for whom > the idea of giving up those chicken nuggets was impossible to swallow. > > My favorite movie of last year was Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth > (Al Gore for the Nobel Peace Prize!), but I have to admit that when I > speak with environmentalists about the obvious waste and pollution > involved in the totally unnecessary activity of meat consumption, I > feel a lot like Mr. Gore trying to convince the U.S. Congress to take > the issue of global warming seriously during his first term in the > Congress. I thought I might discuss a few of the key concerns that > were posted to the blog and that my meat-eating friends offer in > defense of their continued meat consumption. So here we go: > > Some were worried about thriving, physically, on a vegetarian diet. > > Now this just does not make sense. Half of all Americans die of heart > disease or cancer and two-thirds of us are overweight. The American > Dietetic Association says that vegetarians have " lower rates of death > from ischemic heart disease; ... lower blood cholesterol levels, > lower blood pressure, and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 > diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer. " Vegetarians, on average, > are about one-third as likely to be overweight as meat-eaters. > > And I've just learned from the brilliant Dr. Andrew Weil that there > is something called arachidonic acid, or AA, in animal flesh which > causes inflammation. AA is a pro-inflammatory fatty acid. He explains > that " heart disease and Alzheimer's - among many other diseases - > begin as inflammatory processes. The same hormonal imbalance that > increases inflammation increases cell proliferation and the risk of > malignant transformation. " They are finding out that inflammation is > key in so many of the diseases that plague us. So when you eat meat, > you ingest AA, which causes inflammation, which fires up the disease > process. It doesn't matter if the chicken is free range or the beef > is grass-fed because the fatty acid is natural and inherent in the > meat. > > As for having strength and energy on a vegetarian diet, some of the > world's top athletes are vegetarian. A few examples: Carl Lewis > (perhaps the greatest Olympian of all time), Robert Parish (one of > the " 50 Greatest Players in NBA History " ), Desmond Howard (Heisman > Trophy winner and Super Bowl MVP), Bill Pearl (professional > bodybuilder and four-time " Mr. Universe " ), Jack La Lanne (Mr. Fitness > himself) and Chris Evert (tennis champion). Vegetarian athletes have > the advantage of getting all the plant protein, complex carbohydrates > and fiber they need without all the artery-clogging cholesterol and > saturated animal fats found in meat that would slow them down. In > fact, Carl Lewis says that " my best year of track competition was the > first year I ate a vegan diet. " > > One response pointed out that the rain forest is being cut down to > grow soy, not meat. > > Actually, much of the rain forest is being chopped down for grazing, > but also yes, the rain forest is being chopped down to grow soy--but > not for human consumption. Americans and Europeans can't raise all > the feed domestically that is needed to sustain their meat > addictions, so agribusiness has started cutting down the rain forest. > Ask Greenpeace or any other environmental group and they'll tell you > that the overwhelming majority of soy (or corn or wheat, for that > matter) is used to feed animals in factory farms. In fact, Greenpeace > recently unveiled a massive banner over an Amazon soy field that > read, " KFC-Amazon Criminal, " to accentuate the point that large > chicken and other meat companies like KFC are responsible for the > destruction of the Amazon. It takes many pounds of soy or other plant > foods to produce just 1 pound of animal flesh--so if you're worried > about the rain forests being chopped down for grazing or to grow soy, > your best move is to stop eating chickens, pigs, and other animals. > If more people went vegetarian, we would need far less land to feed > people, and we wouldn't have to destroy the few natural places that > this world has left. > > Some wondered about humane, organic, or kosher meat. > > Sadly, most of the meat, egg, and dairy companies that pretend to be > eco- or animal-friendly, with packages covered in pictures of pretty > red barnyards, are basically the same massive corporately owned > factory-farms but with a newly hired advertising consultant. In fact, > labels like " Swine Welfare " and " UEP Certified " are simply the > industry labels that attempt to hide the horrible abuse involved in > these products' production. And even " organic " farms are > industrializing in ways that shock the journalists who bother to > investigate. Sadly, " kosher " means nothing when it comes to how > animals are treated on farms, and the largest kosher slaughterhouse > in North America was caught horribly abusing animals--ripping the > tracheas out of live cows' throats and worse--and defending the abuse > as kosher. > > All that said, it's undeniable that the rare meat-eater who limits > him- or herself to a bit of grass-fed cattle flesh on occasion is > making a much smaller environmental impact than the vast majority of > Americans. But when you consider that no reputable scientific or > medical body believes that eating animals is good for us, let alone > necessary, one has to wonder about environmentalists who insist on > consuming products that we know to be resource-intensive and > polluting (even if they're less resource intensive and polluting than > some other similar options or eaten in " moderation " ). It'd be like > driving an SUV that gets 15 mpg rather than 10, or driving an SUV > three days per week instead of seven. Sure, it might be better for > the environment, but with so many more fuel-efficient ways to get > from A to B, there's no need to drive any SUV at all. Eating > meat--any meat--is the same thing: With so many healthy vegetarian > options that are kinder and far more eco-friendly than even the > " best " meat products, there's just no good justification for someone > who claims to be an environmentalist--or to oppose cruelty--for doing > it. > > Some worry about 'preachy' or 'judgmental' or 'extreme' vegetarians. > > And some consider the very choice to be a vegetarian to be extreme. > Although I certainly don't like radical-in-your-face messages, the > truth is that sometimes it's the only thing that seems to wrench us > out of our slumber. I know it worked with me when I saw one of the > slaughterhouse videos--definitely not pleasant, but it got my > attention. > > The very nature of progressive movements throughout history is to > tell others to stop doing something harmful or degrading (e.g., using > humans as slaves, sexually harassing women, forcing children to work > in sweatshops, harming the environment, etc). Yes, the abolitionists, > suffragists, feminists, and civil rights activists were called > extreme, and similarly, some vegetarians are called extreme. But > maybe it's just because vegetarianism is not yet a cultural norm. Old > habits - and appetites - die hard, and there is usually a lot of > resistance before things change. I'm a southern gal and I loved my > chicken fried steak like no other. I didn't want to give up the joys > of Sunday BBQ or chicken wings with my friends on a Friday night. I > get it; I understand. But still, if we are to continue evolving - > physically, emotionally, and spiritually -we really do have to look > at how our dinner choices affect not only the environment, but even > more importantly, the well-being (or intense suffering) of other > creatures. So yes, on the one hand, the move to eating a plant based > diet may look extreme because most people don't do it. But on the > other hand, we can still have our BBQ (soy dogs and veggie burgers) > and feel good about it. > > I do feel strongly that vegetarians should not play into the self > righteous stereotypes, that we should not be shrill or judgmental, of > course, but that doesn't require silence; it simply requires patience > and decorum. > > A few people asked about meat in the developing world, or meat for > Eskimos or Inuit. > > If you are an Eskimo or you're living in sub-Saharan Africa and > you're reading this blog, I'm not going to begrudge you your pound of > flesh; it would be silly of me to do so. But if you're reading this > in a developed country where almost all animals are eating animal > feed rather than grazing, are factory-farmed rather than living with > families or hunted, and you have abundant vegetarian options all > around you, talk of people who have limited food options doesn't > apply to you. > > Some people worried that it's hard to be a vegetarian. > > Being vegetarian isn't exactly the supreme sacrifice?surfing around > the food pics on any vegetarian cooking site will show you that. > Vegetarian and vegan food is everywhere (even Burger King has a > veggie burger!). Most, if not all, major grocery stores carry soy > milk, mock meats ( " chicken " nuggets, BBQ " ribs, " burgers, soy > " sausage, " etc.), vegan cheeses, and soy ice cream. If you can't find > what you want at the store, most will order it for you. Many > restaurants have veggie options a-plenty (especially Thai, Indian, > Ethiopian, Mexican, and other ethnic restaurants--which are my > favorite anyway). Sure, some vegetarians may prefer not to eat food > that was cooked on the same grill as meat, but I'm not concerned > about that (it does not cause more animals to suffer or more > environmental harm). You can find great vegetarian recipes at > www.VegCooking.com. > > Although not responses to my " New Prius " post, I'd also like to > address the top five most common things that I hear from meat-eaters > regarding their meat consumption: > > Number five: 'Humans have always eaten animals--it's natural.' > > First, our evolution in human morality is marked almost entirely by > our attempt to move beyond the " might makes right " law of the jungle. > It may indeed be " natural " for the powerful to dominate the weak--but > that doesn't mean we should support it. > > Second, human bodies aren't meant to eat meat. It's always seemed > strange to me that we're the only species on Earth that has to cook > flesh in order to eat it without getting sick. Look at our bodies: > We're just not meant to eat flesh. Like all herbivores, almost all of > our teeth are flat and blunt (the mouths of carnivores and omnivores > are full of sharp incisors). Like all herbivores, our intestines are > looooong (carnivores and omnivores have short intestines so they can > get the rotting flesh they eat out quickly). We don't have sharp > claws to seize and hold down prey. The list goes on. We may have had > a need to eat meat thousands of years ago, in times of scarcity as > hunter-gatherers, but we don't need to now, and we'll be better off > if we don't. Dr William C. Roberts, M.D., editor of the American > Journal of Cardiology, says, " Although we think we are one, and we > act as if we are one, human beings are not natural carnivores. When > we kill animals to eat them, they end up killing us, because their > flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never > intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores. " Check out > this essay by Dr. Milton Mills for more information on the issue of > whether the human physiology is designed for meat consumption. > > Most critically, the people who say this generally use it to justify > buying the same old meat that comes from giant, wholly unnatural > factory farms where animals are crammed into filthy sheds or cages > and not allowed to do anything natural to them--at all, ever (breathe > fresh air, bask in the sun, raise their young, dustbathe, form social > orders, etc.). Chickens in the egg industry have half their beaks cut > off, piglets in the pork industry have their tails cut off, etc. > (please take 10 minutes to watch the video at www.Meat.org). This is > how 99 percent of chickens and turkeys, 95 percent of pigs and eggs, > and most cow flesh and dairy products end up on our plates. > > Lastly, if you care so much about being " natural, " then think for a > moment about the harm that you're doing to your natural environment > by eating meat--any meat. At the end of the day, for me, we don't > need to eat meat, we'll be better off without it, and it causes > animals to suffer. > > Number four: 'Animals are not equal to humans, so we should not be so > concerned about them.' > > I disagree with Princeton Professor Peter Singer on many issues, but > on this one I think he gets it precisely right. Writes Dr. Singer, > " [W]hen non-vegetarians say that 'human problems come first,' I > cannot help wondering what exactly it is that they are doing for > human beings that compels them to continue to support the wasteful, > ruthless exploitation of farm animals. " Which is to say: Fine, don't > spend any time at all on animal issues, but please don't pay other > people to abuse animals, which is what you are doing when you buy > chicken, pork, or other animal products. And remember: A vegetarian > diet is also the best diet for the planet, so eat as though the > planet depended on it, since it just might. > > Number three: 'There have been many brilliant meat-eaters, like > Picasso and Mozart, so they could not have been wrong.' > > I highly doubt that anyone is going to suggest that vegetarians Steve > Jobs, Leonardo da Vinci, Pythagoras, Albert Einstein, Leo Tolstoy, or > Mohandas Gandhi were especially brilliant because they were > vegetarians, and I also don't think one can make the argument that > meat-eaters attained their great heights as a result of their diet. > Interestingly, studies show that vegetarians are smarter than > meat-eaters, but there is probably not causality there--it's probably > just that thoughtful people tend to question things more deeply, > hence the decision to become vegetarian. Here's a 2006 study from the > British Medical Journal about vegetarians being smarter than > meat-eaters. > > Number two: 'Where do you draw the line? Should we protect insects? > What's the difference between killing plants and killing animals? > They're all alive.' > > The theologian and Narnia inventor C.S. Lewis staunchly opposed > testing on animals on Christian grounds, and he pointed out to those > who asked this question that the question is baseless--they already > know and understand the differences between plants and animals. To > whit, every reader will recoil in horror if asked to imagine lighting > a cat on fire or beating a dog's head in with a baseball bat--because > we know that these things cause the animals pain. But none of us > feels similarly at the prospect of pulling weeds or mowing our > lawn--because we know that weeds and lawns have no capacity to feel > pain. Chickens, pigs, fish, and cattle all feel pain in the same way > and to the same degree as any dog or cat. Just watch their faces and > their body language in these undercover videos; listen to their > animal versions of screaming. I assure you, grass does not suffer > like these poor creatures do. > > I'm not so sure about insects, though I try to give them the benefit > of the doubt whenever possible. Yes, when I walk down the street, I'm > sure I step on bugs. But does the fact that I can't stop all cruelty > mean that I shouldn't bother to stop a lot of it? Of course not. > That'd be like saying that if you drive a car, you shouldn't even > bother to recycle. > > And the number one justification for eating meat is: 'Meat won't kill > me, and I like it.' > > No question?this is the crux of it all, the only purely honest answer > if you ask me. Sure enough, unless you get really bad food poisoning > from your next piece of undercooked chicken or choke to death on a > piece of steak, meat won't kill you right away. But chances are > pretty good that eating meat could reduce your life span (and > quality) in the long run. I imagine the fact that we're not designed > to eat meat (as I discussed above) may explain the fact that the > American Dietetic Association (the overarching group of nutrition > researchers, doctors, etc.) says that vegetarians have lower rates of > heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity than do meat-eaters. > Some argue that for every study, there's another that says the > opposite, but that's simply not so in this case--there isn't a single > reputable scientific or medical body that disagrees with the simple > fact that vegetarians are a fraction as likely to be overweight and > much less likely to suffer from heart disease and cancer. Really, > even if I didn't give a hoot about animal suffering or environmental > degradation, I would still be vegetarian because the diet is the best > diet for my health. And as noted, eating meat does support cruelty to > animals and environmental degradation, all for the sake of a palate > preference (which, by the way, can be largely satisfied by the > luscious faux meat options out there). > > Concluding thoughts: > > One thing about being a vegetarian that is often missed is how > empowering it is. Personally, I think that integrity of action > requires that among other things, we attempt to lead lives that are > as compassionate and conscious as possible. What this means to me, > personally, is that if there is something that I would not want to do > myself, I don't feel good paying someone else to do it on my behalf. > So I don't inflict suffering or kill animals myself; and I don't > support the market of killing by buying these poor animals chopped up > and shrink-wrapped in the grocery store either. > > We are a nation of animal lovers, and we all cringe in horror when we > hear about cases like a dog being burned alive or tossed into freeway > traffic. But chickens and pigs and other animals also deserve our > compassion. They are all smart animals who feel pain and fear, yet > they are treated just horribly, and sadly, there are no laws to > protect them. Don't take my word for it, watch Alec Baldwin's " Meet > Your Meat " and see for yourself what goes on. > > We oppose sweatshops and child labor, and we cringe at the thought of > children laboring in developing countries. But American > slaughterhouses are sweatshops. They employ people working illegally > who can't defend themselves out of fear of being deported. Conditions > in these places are so bad that the average annual turnover rate for > slaughter-line workers is out of sight. Check out the Web site of > this labor organization to learn about its fight against Smithfield > Foods (the world's largest pork and turkey producer--it owns > Butterball). > > We are environmentalists, and we cringe when see a bright yellow > Hummer in the grocery store parking lot. But as bad as the amount of > fuel that a Hummer uses or the amount of greenhouse gasses that it > emits is, if we're eating meat, we're making a conscious decision > that is even more wasteful and polluting. In addition to my " New > Prius " piece, check out this E magazine article by the magazine's > editor, " The Case Against Meat, " or this Grist.com article, " How > Poultry Producers Are Ravaging the Rural South, " as just a few > examples. > > Americans and Europeans eat meat because we want to, not because we > have to. And we do it at the expense of animals, people, and the > environment. > > This may be inconvenient, but I am convinced that it's the truth. > -- > Kim Bartlett, Publisher of ANIMAL PEOPLE Newspaper > Postal mailing address: P.O. Box 960, Clinton WA 98236 U.S.A. > CORRECT EMAIL ADDRESS IS: <ANPEOPLE > Website: http://www.animalpeoplenews.org/ with French and Spanish > language subsections. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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