Rescue Caged Moon Bears
Posted by nzvs 23-07-2007
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Images courtesy of Revive Cafe
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Please read this and HELP RESCUE CAGED MOON BEARSThousands of Moon Bears across China and Vietnam are imprisoned in cages no bigger than their own bodies enduring the agony of different bile extraction methods. Their suffering may continue for 20 years.Foie gras could be tasty way to get Alzheimer'sPosted by nzvs 09-07-2007 Jonathan Leake, Science EditorJune 17 2007 FOIE GRAS, enjoyed as a luxury since ancient Egyptian times, may be linked to the onset of diseases including Alzheimer's, type 2 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, researchers have suggested. The scientists who carried out the study say those with a family history of such illnesses should consider avoiding foie gras. The possible risk comes from "amyloid" proteins found in the delicacy, which is made from the swollen livers of force-fed geese and ducks. The proteins have been linked to the onset of all these conditions. This article continues at The Times Online NATURAL HEALTH PRODUCTSPosted by nzvs 05-07-2007 The NZ Health Trust website has a form and protest letter for supporters to submit about the Trans Tasman Therapeutic Goods Agency proposal.The site has information about various issues - this page focuses on the submissions and an alternative proposal for regulations. Read more at the NZ Health Trust Vegetarians Do Not Eat ShellfishPosted by nzvs 22-06-2007 'Shellfish are invertebrates which are the most common creatures on the planet and yet, when it comes to welfare and compassion, they are at the bottom of the pile.'Read more of this article at the Shellfish Network and check out their fact sheets (some content may disturb). Environmentalist - a Contradiction in Terms?Posted by nzvs 10-06-2007 World Environment Day - 5 June 2007Press Release - European Vegetarian Union The Meat Eating Environmentalist - a Contradiction in Terms?It takes no more than a moment's thought to realise that in terms of land, water and energy it is far more efficient to live on plant foods than on the dead bodies of animals who themselves had to eat huge quantities of plants to fuel their own growth and activity.Studies of the health of vegans (no animal products), other vegetarians (milk and eggs only) and meat eaters have also shown beyond doubt that human beings, including children, can be perfectly healthy without animal products. What is new is the growing recognition that we are pressing the environmental limits of our planet, and the widespread acceptance by authoritative international bodies that a key reason for this is our continuing - on a world scale, still growing - reliance on animals for food. Global warming is increasingly accepted as the critical challenge for the 21st century and the recent report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), "Livestock's Long Shadow", removes any doubt as to the importance of our food choices to addressing this issue: "The livestock sector emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems at every scale from local to global." "The livestock sector ... is responsible for 18 percent of greenhouse gas emissions measured in CO2 equivalent. This is a higher share than transport." Demand for meat and for livestock feed is driving the destruction of forests with accompanying massive release of carbon dioxide. The methane from ruminant animals is the other major livestock impact on greenhouse gases. Despite the dramatic evidence of the need for change, most organisations remain convinced that livestock will always be with us. While recognising the damaging impact of livestock on the environment, the FAO expects world consumption of milk and meat to double by 2050. They have seen the problem, and the solution is staring them in the face, yet it seems that the world's leaders just cannot imagine a future without continued dependence on animal products. However, if we can't both imagine such a future AND take urgent steps to make it a reality we shan't have a future at all. If we make the leap quickly enough we may yet have the luxury of looking back on the blindness of past generations from the standpoint of the only viable future - where a meat-eating environmentalist will seem as absurd a concept as an egalitarian slave owner. Renato Pichler President European Vegetarian Union www.euroveg.eu president@euroveg.eu Sneaky meat in vegetarian's clovesPosted by nzvs 10-06-2007 By JOHN BAILEY - The Age | Thursday, 7 June 2007 Masterfoods in Britain recently announced that Mars Bars would now contain animal product - specifically rennet, an extract pulled from the stomachs of calves. Sweet-toothed vegetarians the world over howled in protest and the company quickly restored the original recipe and issued a blatant apology for its error. But how many other foods contain sneaky meats and furtive fish? 1. Nestle Strawberry NesQuik 2. Sacla Italia Pesto 3. Kraft Cheese Slices 4. Fruche Vanilla Creme 5. Guinness 6. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce 7. Maggi 2 Minute Noodles AND NOW THE GOOD NEWS It goes both ways - for every stealth meat, it seems there's a vegified product sneaky enough to get past any dyed-in-the-wool carnivore. 1. Masterfoods Bacon Chips 2. Massel Beef Stock 4. Vegeta Chicken Salt 5. Arnott's BBQ Chips Interestingly, Smith's put out a Roast Beef & Mustard chip variety many years ago that contained no actual animal products. Ahead of its time, clearly. The Veggie Answer To Global WarmingPosted by nzvs 13-05-2007 Statement by the European Vegetarian UnionFollowing a debate about the problem of global hunger, it is declared that vegetarianism offers the possibility of considerably alleviating the growing threat. Feeding large percentages of available human food crops to farm animals is unethical and represents a blatant lack of solidarity with the hungry. The existing water shortage is aggravated by ever-larger quantities of water being used for animal husbandry, leaving less for crops. The present high production of meat is uneconomical and can only be maintained with huge financial subsidies, leading to harsh social injustice. The FAO report "Livestock's long shadow" states that livestock farming already generates almost a fifth of greenhouse gases, which are expected to raise the average temperature. Global warming leads to droughts, failing harvests and even more hardship for the poor. The artificial extension of the food chain due to the transformation of grain into meat causes a huge waste if resources. The European Vegetarian Union demands that: --national and international decision makers stop subsidizing the production of meat and invest instead in sustainable aid programmes; --meat packages carry warnings informing about the hazard which animal husbandry represents to the environment and food security; --international organizations and agencies incorporate the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle into future strategies for the fight against global hunger. A healthy life without meat is possible, beneficial for the environment and allows a fairer distribution of natural riches. Any policy pretending that the consumption of meat has to be the social norm is rejected. Vienna, 1 May 2007 Renato Pichler President European Vegetarian Union (EVU) Walnuts combat unhealthy fatsPosted by nzvs 07-05-2007 Read more at news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/6036409.stm Going green with VegetarianismPosted by nzvs 07-05-2007 Now that we know a greener diet is even more effective than a greener car, we can make a difference at every single meal, simply by leaving the animals off of our plates. Who would have thought: what's good for our health is also good for the health of the planet!
Going veg provides more bang for your buck than driving a Prius. Plus, that bang comes a lot faster. The Prius cuts emissions of carbon dioxide, which spreads its warming effect slowly over a century. A big chunk of the problem with farmed animals, on the other hand, is methane, a gas which cycles out of the atmosphere in just a decade. That means less meat consumption quickly translates into a cooler planet. www.commondreams.org/views07/0120-20.htm For info about Prius cars in NZ visit www.hybridcars.co.nz IQ and VegetarianismPosted by nzvs 07-05-2007 Intelligent children are more likely to become vegetarians later in life, a study says. A Southampton University team found those who were vegetarian by 30 had recorded five IQ points more on average at the age of 10.Researchers said it could explain why people with higher IQ were healthier as a vegetarian diet was linked to lower heart disease and obesity rates. The study of 8,179 was reported in the British Medical Journal.... www.evana.org/index.php?id=17869&lang=en |
