SICKENING FINDING IN HONG KONG

THOUSANDS OF SHARK FINS
DRYING ON HONG KONG ROOFTOP

www.grindtv.com - The number of shark fins set out to dry like the morning laundry on a Hong Kong factory building rooftop is staggering. To look at the accompanying images and video, revealing perhaps 10,000 fins, and to grasp that sharks are being slaughtered at a furious pace so their fins can be used to make soup, one cannot help but wonder how many years will pass before at least some shark species are banished to extinction. Shark conservation movements are growing, especially regarding the cruel practice of finning, but the striking imagery supplied by photojournalist Alex Hofford illustrates that conservation efforts, while they have made progress, have a long away to go toward stemming the killing of sharks for their fins. Though it's not illegal to posses and sell fins in China, most traders keep their operations at least somewhat private to avoid bad publicity.

Asked how he was able to obtain his vantage point Hofford responded, via email: "Evading security guards, running up and down dusty stair cases, climbing up rusty ladders, and general low-level paranoia!" The photojournalist blogged: "The front line in the war against the shark fin trade has shifted from the sidewalks to the roof tops. The theory goes that after being exposed at street level, they have now sought to move their activities out of the public eye to avoid further backlash." Shark finning, which involves the removal of fins from captured sharks and the tossing of shark carcasses overboard, is increasingly under fire. The practice is illegal in some areas, including the U.S., and many U.S. states have banned the sale and possession of shark fins. But scientists estimate that up to 70 million sharks are killed each year, solely for their fins. Most of them end up in China, where shark-fin soup is a delicacy enjoyed mostly by the affluent. It's not clear whether the fins in Hofford's images were from sharks killed only for their fins, but it's easy to draw that conclusion.

Environmentalists are outraged after approximately 18,000 shark fins were discovered drying out on a rooftop in Hong Kong, hidden from public view. The images represent a fraction of the expected 75 million sharks killed each year to keep up with the demand for the fins. Hong Kong is one of the world’s biggest markets for shark fins, which are used to make soup that is an expensive staple at Chinese banquets. The delicacy, often used in soup, and consumed mostly by rich people, is very popular in China. But the practice of fisherman removing the animal's fin and throwing it back into the sea to die, and the over-harvesting of sharks, has begun to change public opinion. We should reject anything that cause pain to other creatures or is harmful to our health and general health of the planet.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Life is also present within the nonhuman species, and it is no less qualified than the human position, but in the course of the evolutionary movement of the soul, it is thrown into such a condition as the result of karma. Wherever life is present, the soul is there within. ...  Jesus told them, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." That is also good. But not only is the soul present there; God is also there, and everywhere. The lower species are also feeling pain and pleasure. In animals it is quite clear that when they are killed, they feel pain. So, there is life. The vibration of pain is there, consciousness is there, and the soul is a unit of pure consciousness. But the persons to whom Jesus preached were not so qualified as to extend their knowledge that far. They are not prepared for such a great amount of sacrifice in their practices.

Śrīla Bhakti Raksaka Sridhara Mahārāja :
"The Search For Sri Krsna - Reality The Beautiful"
Chapter 7 : "Do Unto Others" Includes Animals"
1989 - Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math
http://www.scsmath.com/books/Search_Sri_Krishna.pdf

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

WORMS IN KFC FRIED CHICKEN SANDWICH

KFC OUTLET SHUT IN INDIA
AFTER WORM IN CHICKEN COMPLAINT

www.bbc.co.uk - Authorities in the Indian state of Kerala have shut down a restaurant of fast-food giant KFC after a customer complained that he had been served a chicken meal containing live worms. KFC said that it was “investigating the incident” but the “likelihood of it happening was almost close to negligible”. Authorities say they found worms in the chicken when they inspected the eatery. Fast-food restaurants have become immensely popular in India.
The incident was reported at KFC's restaurant in the state capital, Trivandrum, which opened recently and has been doing brisk business. 
Though the restaurant staff sought to prevent the officials from conducting searches, they had their way. They took samples of various dishes served in the hotel for detailed examination and analysis. KFC denied the allegation, saying such a thing was not possible.

Kerala's food safety authorities ordered a “temporary closure” of the restaurant last week after receiving the complaint from a customer, who came to the restaurant with his family. “We came here after we received a complaint from a customer who said he found live worms in his chicken. When we inspected the place, we found worms in the fried chicken,” said Sivakumar of Kerala's Food Safety Authority. 
It is believed to be the one of the first times such an incident has been reported from a foreign fast-food chain in India. In a statement sent to the BBC, KFC said it was “aware of a recent inspection conducted by the local authorities at our restaurant in Trivandrum”. 
The complaint was made by Shaiju, an NRI, who had come to the busy eatery along with his wife, son and two relatives. Shaiju was overcome by nausea and vomited as soon as he saw the dead worm in the chicken served to him.

The ghost of the past came to haunt Kentucky Fried Chicken or KFC when officials from the Food Safety Department in Kerala (India) raided a Thiruvananthapuram outlet last week following complaints of worms in the chicken served. Authorities seized some chicken that was allegedly as much as five months old. They are also investigating nearby branches, out of fear that the worms got into the food at a central plant in the region. Food experts say that the issue of worms in chicken is likely to hit the brand hard as consumers are likely to be cautious now when they walk into a KFC outlet. It is very important that India return to its glorious past that includes Vegetarianism which is known in Sanskrit as Shakahara. Vegetarianism was for thousands of years a principle of health and environmental ethics throughout India.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

All of our actions including our choice of food have karmic consequences. By involving oneself in the cycle of inflicting injury, pain and death, even indirectly by eating other creatures, one must in the future experience in equal measure the suffering caused. Food is the source of the body's chemistry, and what we ingest affects our consciousness, emotions and experiential patterns. If one wants to live in higher consciousness, in peace and happiness and love for all creatures, then he cannot eat meat, fish, shellfish, fowl or eggs. By ingesting the grosser chemistries of animal foods, one introduces into the body and mind anger, jealousy, fear, anxiety, suspicion and a terrible fear of death, all of which are locked into the flesh of butchered creatures. For these reasons, Shakaharis live in higher consciousness and Mansaharis abide in lower consciousness.

Hinduism Today :
“How to Win an Argument with a Meat Eater”
“Five Reasons to Be a Vegetarian”
http://www.eatveg.com/argument.htm
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/

Published by dasavatara das - "Vedic Views on World News"
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/

LAWYER SUES CHIPOTLE OVER BEANS MADE WITH PORK

VEGETARIAN LAWYER SUES CHIPOTLE
RESTAURANT OVER BACON IN PINTO BEANS

New York (Reuters) - A vegetarian lawyer has sued Chipotle Mexican Grill for selling a bean dish that contains pork. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, accuses the national fast food chain of duping the public into believing its pinto beans are vegetarian.  The plaintiff Kevin Shenkman “reasonably assumed Defendant’s ‘Pinto Beans’ were not prepared with and did not contain bacon and/or pork since there were no representations made to the contrary,” the complaint said.  In-store menus made no mention of meat in the beans. And when Shenkman asked, Chipotle servers told him that the beans did not contain bacon or pork, the suit said.  

“Throughout our 18-year history, our pinto beans have always been made with bacon, and we have not described them as being vegetarian,” said Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold.  He said a better option for vegetarian customers was the black beans, which are labeled as vegetarian on the restaurant’s menus and website.

To avoid any confusion, the company plans to roll out new menu boards that highlight the use of bacon in the pinto beans, Arnold said.  Shenkman, who is Jewish and a vegetarian, sued on behalf of a class of California customers who, like him, cannot eat pork because of “ethical, religious, moral, cultural, philosophical or health-related” concerns, according to the complaint.  The lawsuit alleges fraud and false advertising and requests unspecified damages, a corrective advertising campaign and an apology to class members.  This lawsuit is similar to the one against McDonald’s for its “natural flavored” fries - the additive is actually bovine meat.  The fast-food chain was sued by a Hindu and paid $10 million to several Hindu institutions.

A California lawyer is suing Chipotle Mexican Grill over the bacon in the restaurant’s pinto beans.  The plaintiff, Kevin Shenkman, is both Jewish and vegetarian, so the presence of pork in the beans is doubly offensive to him.  The average consumer probably wouldn’t expect to find pork in the beans, and these revelations probably wouldn’t matter to them.  However, they do matter to those with dietary restrictions, such as Jews and vegetarians.  The regulative principle of no meat eating is meant to promote the quality of mercy in a persons life.  Mercy is one of the four pillars of dharma (virtues).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

We should learn how to feel.  To love. We will be loved this way also and we will feel happy.  Be more sensitive, so others will do well to us.  Let's be kind to our younger brothers, and so we will be living in a big family and our hearts will get great benefit from it.  Love others as yourself.  If we are the children of the same Mother Earth, Mother Nature and of the Supreme Lord, then how can we deny our smaller siblings, the little animals, their right to live just as we claim it for ourselves.  We are all maintained by the Creator, thru Mother Earth.  We should feel gratitude for her and manifest compassion for those that need our help.  That will provide us with happiness and peace.  Who doesn’t consume neither meat nor eggs can understand what is compassion toward the other living beings.  While we put meat and blood on our plates we won’t be able to find peace in our lives.

House of Wisdom :  “Peace and vegetarianism - Advices”
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/advices_health_peace1.htm
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/english/index.html
http://www.houseofwisdom.org/

RED MEAT BOOSTS DIABETES RISK: US STUDY

RED MEAT CONSUMPTION MAY
INCREASE RISK OF TYPE 2 DIABETES

AFP - Two slices of bacon, a hot dog or a serving of deli meat daily has been found to significantly boost the risk of getting type 2 diabetes, said a major US study published on Wednesday. The research by experts at the Harvard School of Public Health represents the largest study of its kind to date and appears in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.  Eating 50 grams of processed red meat every day increased a person’s diabetes risk by 51 percent, while eating 100 grams of unprocessed red meat each day, about the size of a deck of cards, boosted the risk by 19 percent. However, those risks went down if the red meat was substituted with nuts, white meat, low-fat dairy or whole grain proteins. “Clearly, the results from this study have huge public health implications given the rising type 2 diabetes epidemic and increasing consumption of red meats worldwide,” said senior author Frank Hu. “The good news is that such troubling risk factors can be offset by swapping red meat for a healthier protein.”
 
The data for the study came from questionnaire responses from more than 204,000 people in US nurses and health professionals’ studies. The subjects were tracked for between 14 and 28 years. Researchers also updated a meta-analysis that included their data with other studies covering more than 442,000 participants. Diabetes affects nearly 350 million adults worldwide, and more than 11 percent of adults over age 20 - or 25.6 million people - in the United States have the disease, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Type 2 diabetes, a chronic disease that involves high levels of blood sugar, is often caused by obesity, lack of exercise and unhealthy eating habits.
 

Recently, a major study of the US conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health has found that routine consumption of meat could trigger Type 2 diabetes.  It is believed that the high iron content of red meat can increase inflammatory chemicals, which can destroy insulin- producing beta cells - could be the main reason of triggering Type 2 diabetes.  Due to their unnatural diet meat-eating human beings are far more susceptible to diseases and disorders as compared to their vegetarian counterparts.  

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

Every day, several times a day, every living being, in whichever part of the world he may be, enjoys a universal ritual - eating.  Most people decide what they eat based mainly on taste, cost, habit, nutrition and convenience.  But for those who are a little more thoughtful, here are some other points worth considering. ... The Bhagavad Gita states that foods such as milk products, grains, fruits, and vegetables increase the duration of life and give strength, health, happiness, and satisfaction. Conversely, foods such as, meat, fish and fowl are putrid, decomposed and unclean. They cause numerous hazards to physical health. ... Apart from bringing severe sinful reactions, meat-eating also dulls the human intellect thus rendering it incapable of understanding the higher dimensions of life. Therefore real spiritual life, nay real human life, can not begin unless a human being stops killing his younger brothers, innocent animals, just for the satisfaction of his tongue.

Śrīpad Caitanya Caran das (BE E&TC) :
“Think Before You Eat”
“The Spiritual Scientist” - Vol. 1 Issue 8.
Bhaktivedanta Academy for Culture and Education (BACE), Pune
http://thespiritualscientist.com/