MORE SOURCES OF MAD COW

Mad Cow's not just for beef-eaters anymore: An study published in Science confirms that CWD prions are present in muscle meat of white-tailed deer, and the issue of vCJD in the blood supply is beginning to scare a lot more people. Meanwhile, Japan is considering re-opening its borders to US beef, but the Japanese people seem to have already instituted their own de facto ban.

ARE YOU SITTING DOWN?

I hope so, because here comes some absolutely shocking news: "People who eat meat and carry on doing so put on more weight over a five year period than people who switch over to vegetarianism." A study of 22,000 people by Cancer Research UK carried out at Oxford University found that although we all put on weight as we get older, "vegetarians put on less weight than meat eaters, and vegans put on less weight than vegetarians." Meat eaters on average gained four times as much weight as vegetarians and vegans. And just to add that last coffin nail, the lead researcher specified that "contrary to current popular views that a diet low in carbohydrates and high in protein keeps weight down, we found that the lowest weight gain came in people with high intake of carbohydrate and low intake of protein." Researchers failed, however, to examine the link between high protein intake and a susceptibility to falls while slipping on ice.

THREE STRIKES AND WE'RE DONE!

Showcasing the grasp of logic that has made it the global laughingstock of food industry oversight, the USDA announced today that now that it has found three mad cows in the U.S. it's time to... wait for it... stop testing so many cows! In addition to going from hundreds of thousands back to something around 40,000 cattle, the USDA will also rely on "market forces" and livestock producers' good intentions to assure that BSE-infected cattle can be traced back to their point of origin. Hopefully, market forces will also be able to cure the consumers who contract the fatal disease from the vast swath of untested U.S. beef.

I'M BACK - AND SO IS MAD COW

I was telling myself "tomorrow I'm gonna get back to blogging, no matter what." But I still might've blown it off without this impetus: A cow in Alabama has tested positive for mad cow disease, confirming the third U.S. case of the brain-wasting ailment.

Don't worry, though... "The cow did not enter the food supply for people or animals," officials said, waiting until the media glare subsided in order to issue a long-after-the-fact correction that the meat did in fact enter the food supply. Oh, wait, I just added that last part. Guess I was confused by the USDA's repeated history in these matters.

BLOG-A-LAPSE

Sorry about the, um, "light posting" since January 20th. I got swept up in an unplanned new project and will have to wait till next week to get back to full blogging mode. In the meantime, here's a post I did on Metafilter about the USDA Inspector General's report on Mad Cow compliance (read: lack-of-compliance), and here's a cute little Flash Game for you to play.

See ya soon...

MAD COW FRIDAY: JAPAN REINSTATES BAN

Well that sure didn't take long. A little over a month after lifting its 2-year ban on imports of US beef over Mad Cow fears, Japan has reinstated the ban. And why? Oh, you know, just "the discovery of spinal material in a shipment that should have been removed due to the risk of mad cow disease." Hmmmmm. Oh well, I'm sure it was just that one shipment that had the problem, right?

Don't worry, though, folks, the USDA is making sweeping changes right away: "Within the United States, two USDA inspectors instead of one will now be required to review every shipment of beef to be exported to Japan." Did you get that? They're going to make doubly sure that the beef they send to Japan is safe... while you sit here and eat all that single-inspector beef that might or might not have BSE-carrying spinal cord in it.

Let's just be clear that this belies once again the whining that US vegetarians and consumer activists were the ones whipping up Mad Cow fear. It's the US Beef industry that is creating the fear by their shoddy practices (as well as the shoddy concept behind their industry) and it's international trade that's in the driver's seat of everything they do.

THAT'LL KEEP US SAFE FROM BIN LADEN

"Eleven people were indicted in a series of arsons, claimed by the radical groups Earth Liberation Front and Animal Liberation Front, in five Western states, the Justice Department said Friday." With the incredible level of hooplah and grandstanding, you wouldn't know that the body count from these 'ecoterrorists' is exactly zero.

The disproportionate targeting of animal-rights and environmental activists (vs., say, right-wing militias and dangerous hate groups) is already obvious and has been commented on here. Let me stress that I don't approve of arson as a protest strategy - anything that can easily get someone killed as a direct result should be avoided by anyone working for a non-violent culture. BUT it has to be said: Terrorism is not about destroying property, it's about using the threat of personal, physical violence as a substitute for arguing a point. To my knowledge (I have not read the full indictment) none of these actions, nor any others here of ELF and ALF, crossed that line.

However, SHAC and its ilk routinely does cross that line, which is why it's easy for the mainstream to lump us all into the dangerous and hateful bin: "We know where you sleep at night" is what protesters down the street were shouting last week outside a drug company, helping both the employees and passersby grasp the concept that vegans only care about the lives of animals, not people. Previously SHAC has pioneered the concept of "home demos," breaking individual Huntingdon employees' windows and traumatizing their neighbors - and mnost egregiously, stocked its web site with the names, ages, and school addresses of Huntingdon employees’ children. Brilliant PR, guys. It wouldn't surprise me if Rick Berman himself turned out to be behind these actions - no one could do a better job of turning the public off to our message, and helping the government fool them into thinking that animal rights = terrorism.

HEISENBERG EFFECT ON ANIMAL INTELLIGENCE

This study doesn't seem all that remarkable, other than the fact that a mental capacity previously thought to belong only to primates has been found in owls. But the lead is a cliche worth highlighting again:

"Owls just got a little wiser: Scientists say they've detected a link between sight and sound in the bird's brain, a phenomenon previously reported only in primates. This finding, published in the Jan. 19 issue of the journal Nature, also advances knowledge about how the brain is able to sort out incoming sensory information."

The opening sentence is (hopefully) meant to be tongue-in-cheek, but it's the standard opening for just about every story like this, the "joke" being that animals we're observing "get wiser" upon our discovery of their innate intelligence. I wonder how many of the writers who use this trope are aware of how this "joke" actually resonates with humans' standard conception of animals - that they're some alternate type of being from us, halfway between subject and object. Since our say-so is what determines reality, in one sense owls don't have this capacity until a supreme, all-knowing human says so. What would Heisenberg say?

FARMER GOES VEGANIC, PROFITS

This is sort of a small-town story, but it's rare to see (relatively) mainstream press coverage of "veganic" farming: "There are 10,000 square feet of lettuce varieties, kale, chard, spinach, rosemary, radishes and watercress. All 72 varieties grown on Santa Cruz Farm are certified organic, and vegan in that they're fertilized with organic cottonseed meal and compost, and Mora-grown organic alfalfa. No animal products ever come in contact with Bustos' fruits and vegetables..." And though the original switchover initially led to more pests, Bustos says that "Through the process, we've become better growers ... and our net product per acre has gone way up." And to bring it back to that small town: "It's more than how much you pay," he said, "but how much you put into the sustainable model. Organic is important, but local should be your mantra."

WASHINGTON BANNING FOIE GRAS?

It would be nice if the Washington in that headline were our nation's capital, meaning a nationwide ban, but this is instead the state. Still, even proposed legislation shows that this issue continues to get traction in different locations as the indefensible practice is repeatedly brought to light.

"Rep. Brendan Williams, D-Olympia, has proposed a measure that would ban the process of harvesting bloated livers — known as foie gras, or “fatty liver” — and would ultimately remove the delicacy from state restaurants."

From the legislator: "Torturing an animal to make it tastier is not a proposition I support. There has to be some limitations on decadence when it comes to what we eat or what we do to animals." And the hoity-toity restaurateur, displaying that impeccable logic that distinguishes the defense of meat-eating: "It's probably not pleasant for the ducks, but it's probably not pleasant for a chicken to be slaughtered. I kind of feel like if we listen to these people, we’ll probably all be vegetarians." Exactly. So instead you keep your fingers in your ears, going "La la la la." Keep it up as long as you can, because you're gonna have to start listening sooner or later.

MLK AND VEGANISM: PERFECT TOGETHER

I know it's not the first time I've mentioned this, but it's timely, of course: Though Martin Luther King never went vegan himself, his wife and son have, and "believe that promoting animal rights is just the next 'logical extension' of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s philosophy of non-violence." Make it a day off (meat) or a day on (ahimsa), but don't just sit there and wishing you had marched with the man way back when. Change starts with you.

ABUSED CAB HORSE GOES WILD

Everybody heard about the NYC cab horse who ran into a car in the middle of the city, causing mild tch-tching about this unnecessary and cruel industry. Most missed this brief follow-up in the Post:

CRASH-HANSOM OWNER STARVED HORSE The owner of the hansom cab involved in a life-threatening crash after its horse bolted has a history of abusing his animals, authorities said.
Lorenzo Riccobono, 52, is well known to animal-rights groups in Pennsylvania, where he rented horses to Amish farmers until selling his barn a few months ago.

RINGLING DITCHING TIGER ACTS?

Of course they're coming out swinging on the elephants issue, shamelessly putting propaganda in the elephants' mouths, but in the background, Ringling Bros. and
Barnum & Bailey circus seems to be phasing out the use of tigers, which would be big news.

"The three-ring format, gone. So, too, the tiger act. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus opened its national, two-year tour in Tampa on Wednesday night with its biggest format revision since the circus moved from playing under tents and into arenas half a century ago. The tiger act, a staple of the circus for years, was removed. Feld denied that protests from animal rights groups prompted the decision. Such organizations have turned almost every circus stop into an opportunity to protest, including the show's five-day run in Tampa. The groups say circus trainers mistreat animals when they teach them to perform in acts, a charge that Ringling Bros. denies. Tigers still have a role in the circus's
second touring unit, which played Tampa in 2005 and is now in the second half
of its two-year tour."

We'll watch to see how this plays out, but so far it's a good sign.

MCDONALD'S: MAD COW 'FIREWALL' NOT THERE

Here's something you don't see every day: America's biggest and most entrenched meat-based restaurant chain admitting - nay, complaining - that the government is screwing us over on beef safety. "Researchers and McDonald's Corp. (MCD) say the government isn't fully protecting animals or people from bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as BSE, or mad-cow disease. Stronger steps are needed to keep infection from entering the food chain for cattle, the critics wrote in comments to the Food and Drug Administration.

ATKINS "FINALLY" PUT TO REST?

Study in the current JAMA: "Postmenopausal women who ate a diet low in fat and high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains didn't gain weight over an average of nearly eight years, reported researchers from the NIH's Women's Health Initiative. In a clinical trial to see whether a low-fat, fiber rich diet could prevent cardiovascular disease or breast or colorectal cancer in more than
48,000 post-menopausal women, those on the diet lost about 2.2 kg (4.8 lbs) in
the first year, and managed to keep the weight off better than women who
ate what they wanted."

That's all fine and good. But here's the laugh line: "The findings may finally put to rest the notion - propagated by popular diets such as the Atkins, Sugarbusters, and Zone plans - that carbohydrates are the root of all dietary evil." Yeah, I'll be over here holding my breath on that one...

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR

Over the next couple days I will be too busy to blog, and then for a little over a week I will be nowhere near a computer. I'll check back in with more meat-bashing goodness in 2006. Be safe and be great! See ya...

THOSE DANGEROUS GREENS

So it turns out spying on PETA is not just for Ringling anymore, as the ACLU establishes that the FBI has been tracking not just the loudmouth AR organization but other vegans and environmentalists. Of course this is not news to those of us who have been following the story, but now other people are noticing, and with the recent news that the president can spy on anyone anywhere for any reason without asking permission of anybody, it takes on a special resonance. Now, there are of course individuals in AR and environmentalism who stoop to terroristic tactics, and again, those should be loudly and clearly condemned at every opportunity by those of us who can think straight. But it's also clear that this level of surveillance is far beyond a natural response to those elements and represents the concern of the establishment that ideas of peace, justice and holism may catch on if nothing's done to stop it.

So I'm probably tarring myself as an undesirable for baldly wishing for something so anti-American, but I gotta say it:

Peace on Earth.

SHARON 'SLIPS ON THE ICE'

Ariel Sharon was released from the hospital yesterday after suffering a stroke over the weekend. While Meat Facts wishes him a speedy recovery, that may be undercut by the Israeli prime minister's massive appetite - and his stubbornness. This AP story depicts him as unfazed by doctors' insistence that he alter his eating habits. And what are these dangerous, high-risk habits? You guessed it: 'his favorite meal is "meat in every way,"' according to this story. The day before he had the stroke, his menu for one meal was:

HAMBURGERS

STEAK in chimichurri sauce

LAMB CHOPS

SHISH KABOB

SALADS

CHOCOLATE CAKE (2 servings)

Gee, other than the chocolate cake, sounds like a perfect Atkins meal. I guess it must be dangerous to mix different "food plans," huh?

VEGCAST HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA

A heapin' helpin' of holiday cheer on this Vegcast includes two music tracks, one from Kyle Vincent and the Summerfest kids and another from Bah and the Humbugs, plus a science fact and a remote report from San Jose. There's news about Erik's Diner and about the Vegcast promo on Adam Curry's podcast. Our featured interview is with Vegetarian Hall of Famer Richard Schwartz, who discusses why not only Judaism, but all religions, point the faithful to vegetarianism. Check it out, and have a happy holiday of your choice!

HOSPITAL CORNED BEEF KILLS PATIENT

Royal Adelaide Hospital patient Richard Formosa was receiving treatment for diabetes and was fed corned beef, which the Health Department's communicable disease control branch director, Rod Givney, has admitted was "a mistake" as he was in a "high-risk group." The corned beef was contaminated with listeria and it killed him. An inspection of the plant confirmed that the listeria came from the meat company itself, even as joint managing director Pat Conroy tried to evade responsibility by suggesting it was the hospital kitchen's fault.

The point is: BOZOS, why does anyone in a freakin' hospital need corned beef, or beef of any kind? What they need above all is nutritious, healhy food that will help them get the hell out of the hospital, not something they might hanker for that will kill them, later if not sooner. Hopefully this incident will wake up a few hospital administrators around the world to the irrational practice of regularly feeding meat to hospital patients.