The meatismurder admin team have been avoiding writing a post about swine flu. The story is so massive it doesn’t need reporting here - even the man on the moom must now be aware of events. However perhaps it does. The mainstream media have been focusing on the human tragedy whilst straying away from the obvious…the inevitable hand of humans in causing the problem.
Oddly however the job has been done for us. No less than the Times have an online article that talks about mass-production farms, poor animal husbandry, and low genetic variation as the contributing factors of the outbreak.

There is a tendency to see a flu outbreak, like the plagues of old, as an unstoppable natural event, a scourge visited on Man from above. But there is nothing natural about this form of disease: indeed, it stems from an abuse of nature.

Vast modern pig farms, like the huge poultry plants across the globe, are ideal incubators of disease, and many scientists believe that viral mutation can be directly linked to intensive modern agricultural techniques. With enfeebled animals packed into confined spaces, pathogens spread easily, creating new and virulent strains that may be passed on to humans. When dense populations of factory-farmed animals exist alongside crowded human habitations, the potential for disaster is vastly greater.

The stress of such vile living conditions makes mass-produced animals more vulnerable to contagion, while the concentration on a few, high-yield breeds has led to genetic erosion and weakened immunity. We have created an environment in which a mild virus can evolve rapidly into a much more pathogenic and contagious form.

Please read the article.

A big event like the Superbowl usually attracts a lot of attention, that goes without saying - but this year there has been some attention diverted to the meat industry courtesy of Peta and The Cancer Project. The focus hasn’t been on the ethical arguments for vegetarianism but rather on the health benefits of not eating body.

Welcome to the ad which was banned by American TV Network NBC due to concerns over “rubbing pelvic region with pumpkin,” a woman “screwing herself with broccoli” and more. Sounds impossible to resist, don’t you think? But alas, the saucy video was deemed too hot for the bigwigs at the Super Bowl (that’s huge ‘n’ hunky men playing American football to you and me), so we’re bringing it you ourselves! Hold onto your seats, gents…

Other viewing options

If you want to last all night long, you should know that high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, prostate cancers or inflammations, and hormonal imbalances cause the vast majority of all cases of impotence. So yep, ditching the meat and dairy and going vegetarian can give you better sex. And who wouldn’t want that? I can just hear the stampede to the veggie section of Asda now…

Also in the ‘Superbowl Food Wars’ have been The Cancer Project (..who have interesting articles about for example, dairy and the links to cancer) with their article about the 5 worst Superbowl party foods - all of which are meat or meat & dairy.

Cancer Project dietitians found that most popular items offered for takeout or delivery on Super Bowl Sunday are high in fat, saturated fat, calories, sodium, and cholesterol. Many items also include processed meats or grilled meats, which are linked to increased cancer risk. The five most unhealthful takeout or delivery items are ranked from worst to least bad.

Rank	The Five Worst Super Bowl Party Foods	Fast-Food Restaurant
1	Deep Dish MeatZZa Feast	Domino’s Pizza
2	The Meats Pan Crust Pizza	Papa John’s
3	Creamy Chicken Alfredo Baked Tuscani Pasta	Pizza Hut
4	Tuna Melt	Quiznos
5	Honey BBQ Wings	KFC

In the UK there are many positive things to be got out of state institutions, such as to a lesser or greater degree, care for all on the NHS. Also, UK prisons are forced to respect a vegan diet (not so the NHS). However in the US, prisoners are not afforded the same treatment, as can be seen by one current inmate who is on hunger strike.

Ira Black, the guitarist for glam metal outfit Lizzy Borden, has been on a hunger strike in LA County Jail for the past 10 days because the prison refuses to serve him vegan food. Black, a vegan of 15 years, was arrested on January 3rd on a misdemeanor charge and is now being held on $65k bail.

KNAC reports Black’s fiancée has spoken out, saying the prison “will give inmates with medical problems or religious beliefs a different meal, but there is no concern for the vegetarians/vegans…The situation has been escalating hour by hour.”

Guards also forced Black to take off a sign he was wearing that said, “Hunger Strike.”

Story from TwentyFourBit

However, there does seem some hope for the US. If Ira had been sent to a Federal prison, here they seem to recognise a ‘no-flesh’ diet. Check out a very well researched article at Vegetarians in Paradise.

Federal prisons have been more attuned to veganism after Keith Maydak, a prisoner at the Lewisburg, Pennsylvania facility, sued the Bureau of Prisons in 1997 to demand vegan meals. On May 8, 2000, U.S. District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan said Maydak was likely to win his case, and granted a temporary injunction requiring the prison to serve him soy milk.

Beginning in October 2000, federal prisons began offering a no-flesh diet to inmates. A spokesperson for the Bureau of Prisons denied that the court case influenced the decision. “The intent of the meatless alternatives is to meet the changing dietary habits and the religious dietary needs of the diverse inmate population.”

VIP’s advice to protesters and activists: STAY OUT OF JAIL. Although there is some movement to accommodate vegans, most state and local facilities are not going to offer vegans a wholesome meal. Federal prisons obviously offer diverse vegan options.

If you are a UK reader and wanting more information about being a vegan prisoner please see the Vegan Prisoners Support Group (VPSG).

Morrissey and Oliver not k-i-s-s-i-n-g.
Nothing important being reported here…just famous vegan Stephen Morrissey having a go at a celebrity chef (the one that slit a lamb’s throat on tv).

WHO IN YOUR LIFE WOULD YOU MOST LIKED TO “KICK IN THE EYE”?
That meat-fed horror Jamie “Orrible” Oliver. If he’s a master chef, then I’m Miss Brazil 1970.

Extract From Maxim magazine

A camapaigner determined to educate school children about the vegan diet has been given a suspended sentance for breaking her restraining order. Remember Animal Aid run a school talk campaign so children can sometimes be shown an alternative point of view to the status quo.

A RAW vegan campaigner has been given a four-month suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of breaching a restraining order.

Monica Lilley, 58, of Poyle Road in Guildford, appeared before the town’s magistrates’ court on Monday accused of harassment and breaching a restraining order against Fiona Boulton, the head teacher at Guildford High School for Girls.

Lilley originally received the order in January 2004 after writing letters to Mrs Boulton asking to speak to pupils about her raw vegan beliefs.

When the head teacher declined, she began protesting outside the London Road school and displaying graphic images of animal killings.

remainder of article at getsurrey.co.uk

NFU links up for meat industry ‘roadmap’

The NFU recently met with meat industry stakeholders to agree on the creation of an Environmental Roadmap for the red meat sector.

As an industry we are increasingly under pressure from organisations which make claims about the adverse environmental impacts of red meat production. The aim of the roadmap it to help us counter these claims.

The British meat industry is determined to play its part in meeting the UK’s carbon targets, as well as address the growing consumer awareness that activities commonly perceived as perfectly natural, such as grazing animals have environmental costs and benefits.

remainder of article at nfuonline