Doubt Of A Young Child

Sometime ago, my going to be six year old daughter asked me that why a lot of people did not love our planet enough to save her. I care freely replied that maybe everyone loved our planet. Just that, many did not know the right way to save her from current perilous state. Then my daughter asked another question; why those people found it so difficult to save the planet the right way. She added that just be a vegan and go green.

Upon hearing that, I was speechless for a while. It's really something out of the mouth of babes and sucklings. I understood why she had such doubt. Every now and then, she heard from adults saying that be environmental friendly and reduced plastic bag usage. On the other hand they would carry out opened burning after raking leaves from their gardens. In a few occasions, she stopped neighbours from burning dried leaves and litter openly. However, her action failed to remind them that they were contributing to global warming which they preached so often but she was offered to keep the litter if they were not allowed to burn it instead!

At this point of time, if people are still thinking of reducing plastic bag usage, recycle some household items every now and then and/ or cut down on some fossil fuel consumption are everything about curbing global warming or being environmental friendly, it's regrettable to say that such activities have no chance to bear result given speed of detrimental results brought upon our earth by greatly lethal gasses such as methane, nitrous oxide and ammonia to name just a few.

Thus, we need to stop those lethal gasses at this very instant in order to curb the perilous situation from deteriorating further by stopping activities which generate such gasses; stop animal farming and be vegan. This is no longer an option but the only solution to climate change problems facing us now which take place in increasing magnitude and multitude.

The most magical part of this solution is that actually it does not require us to give up the whole world to save our beautiful earth but just a tiny little switch of life style from bad to good. Vegan or lacto vegetarian is economical in all aspect especially natural resources consumption; healthy mentally, physically and emotionally; sustainable economy; ...... In brief, the list of benefit we enjoy is endless.

Quite recently, I talked to a friend who had recovered from terminally ill disease. About two or three years ago, she noticed some unusual changes took place. She noticed that she lacked the concentration, focus and alertness that she used to have. Also, her magnificent memory was failing drastically. Then, one mid night, she experienced acute pain on her abdomen, and she also observed unusual seizure.

After consulting numerous doctors, not even one managed to explain to her the health problem facing her, not to mention to strategize a treatment plan. As time went by, she become too frail to keep her job at share market. Then, she did a lot of reading to try to understand her health problem. In the end of the day, she found a simple solution which she firmly believed had saved her life; be veg, high in fiber, low salt and less oil.

If vegan diet can save life with terminally ill disease, it's nutritious enough for everyone. Not only that, it's the right diet and the only diet to save our beautiful earth. As Red Indian has a saying, we do not inherit the earth from our ancestor but borrow her from our children. So, please, make sure we return a beautiful earth to our children.

FIGHT OVER-PACKAGING FOR THE ENVIRON

WHO says that a rose by any other name smells as sweet? Not true, if you were to take a check on the food products in a well-stocked supermarket. From bars of chocolates, sticks of chewing gum, tubs of ice-creams, bottles of shampoos to cans of my favourite baked beans, you will be swamped with a variety of choices.

So, what counts when you pay for your purchases? For me, as for many of you, brand name tops the list followed by the presentation or packaging. Commercial companies pay hefty sums of money on their brands and packaging of their products. And who ends up paying for all the frills and fanciful wrappings? We are so sold on the idea that what looks good outside must be the same inside that we fooled oursleves in paying for stuff that are priced way above their actual value because of incidental costs incurred on the packaging!

In many western countires where the rights and voice of the consumer is highly regarded, hypermarkets offer "Home Brands" with the minimal amount of packaging which cuts down the costs and yet still offer products of quality. Being the 'kia-su' that I am I took advantage of this when I shopped in such places. Believe me, you pay so much less for these "Home Brands" compared to the same branded stuff.
Home brand essentials like sugar, flour, bread, margarine, etc can cost as much as a dollar less! Boy, you sure make big savings on your shopping lists. Trouble with me is - I will get carried away and buy up more items than I ever need! So, there goes all the savings I had made earlier!!!

Some hypermarkets like TESCO and ECON-SAVE here are into "Home Brands" products now and you might do well to check them out. Don't hesitate when you have to make a choice as the quality are at par with the branded ones. So, why spend more when we can pay less and yet enjoy the same quality? I am constantly reminding myself this new-found truth.

Anyways, aside from having to foot out more for the fanciful packaging we are also guilty of contributing to the damage of the environ as the materials used are mostly not eco-friendly.

Here's an article from today's STAR which throws some light on how we can MAKE A DIFFERENCE" by not adding to the garbage glut with our living habits.Let's all take note and try our best to help SAVE THE ENVIRON for ourselves and our children....

( THE STAR, as it appears in FOCUS, Section Two dated 6th Oct, 2009)

FIGHT over-packaging – and the garbage glut – with these steps:

> Precycle. Choose the product with the least (or most environmentally friendly) packaging. If it is over-packaged, don’t buy it.

> Avoid food wrapped in individual serving sizes such as cheese slices, biscuits, juices, chocolates, non-dairy creamer and three-in-one drink sachets.

> Tell companies what you think. Write to the Customer Services Department and explain why you’re not buying that product. Feedback from customers can facilitate change.

> Buy in larger sizes. A 1-litre carton of juice will give you the same amount as five 200ml cartons, but less packaging waste.

Shop at the pasar – armed with your reusable tote and containers, of course. Produce sold at the market are not cling-wrapped or packed in polystyrene.

> Buy products with reusable or recycled packaging.

> Recycle your packaging. There will always be packaging. So make sure you drop the stuff into your recycling bin.


Source : http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/10/6/lifefocus/4824313&sec=lifefocus

More info on overpackaging:
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2009/10/6/lifefocus/4824307&sec=lifefocus

ANIMAL CRUELTY AT FACTORY FARMS

Would appreciate if we all take a few precious minutes and read about what PETA (PEOPLE for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) did for the abused animals in factory farms:

ARTICLE:
After blowing the whistle on the abuse that she saw, a wonderful woman working at a Pennsylvania dairy factory farm went undercover for PETA for months. This allowed us to investigate and record the suffering of cows and calves at this Land O'Lakes, Inc., supplier.

Hundreds of cows on this factory farm were subjected to routine cruelty. Our investigator witnessed lame cows struggling to stand and walk as they were herded to the milking machines; cows who could not stand on their own being kicked, jabbed in the spine with a blade, and electro-shocked; and dying cows who were denied even a mercy killing to relieve their pain.

The meat, egg, and dairy industries don't want anyone to know the kind of hellholes factory farms are and how deeply and routinely animals suffer on them. But they can't stop PETA—with your help—from exposing their cruelty. Our investigation of this Pennsylvania dairy farm has enabled millions of people to see with their own eyes the suffering that goes into every glass of milk. And it has already helped us save at least two lives.

When our investigator first saw a sweet little calf named Jerry, the animal was in pitiful condition. His legs were deformed, and he was extremely thin, infested with lice, and nearly blind—most likely as a result of pinkeye, a bacterial infection that's often spread in the filthy conditions on factory farms.

Peter, another calf on the same farm, was found nearly unconscious and close to death. He was just skin and bones and was covered in ringworm fungus. Peter's plaintive moo was a gurgled moan because of a bacterial pneumonia that's common on dairy factory farms, and his skin was raw and scalded from being soaked in urine and feces in the filthy pen that he could not escape from.

Today, Peter and Jerry are thriving at a peaceful sanctuary where, thanks to your support, PETA pays for upkeep and the calves' monthly care. Their coats are growing thick and shiny, their bodies are filling out, and they can eat fresh grass and breathe clean air for the first time in their lives. Both Jerry's and Peter's health is steadily improving, and they are now the very best of friends.

BLOGGER'S NOTE: If you would like to help support PETA's noble work in saving our animal friends from further abuse, they do welcome $$$$ donations toward this cause. You can log on to their website and do the necessary : PETA.org

WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY October 10th

Hi there.... October 10th is a very special day for me personally. It's my birthday!
If you are wondering how many candles will be on my vegan birthday cake.... sorry, I am not telling! Hehehe....someone told me once that a woman never age after 30. Now, that's a very biggie hint!!!

Anyhow, Oct 10th is also the WORLD'S MENTAL HEALTH DAY .... and here's an update on what's it all about.... have a read...

Source: http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2009/9/27/health/4739591&sec=health

Title : MIND YOU

AN estimated 450 million people worldwide experience mental illness (anxiety disorders, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc.) Of these, less than half receive the help they need.

In recognition of this, World Mental Health Day 2009 will focus on Mental Health in Primary Care. That is, on ensuring more people with mental illness can get the treatment and care they need in their neighbourhoods, and not an isolated facility miles away from home.

“Primary care starts with people. And, integrating mental health services into primary care is the most viable way of ensuring that people have access to the mental health care they need,” say World Health Organisation director general Margaret Chan and World Organization of Family Doctors president Professor Chris van Weel in the 2008 report, Integrating Mental Health into Primary Care: A Global Perspective (who.int/mental_health/policy).

Patients being treated closer to home is a good thing all round. Everyday living is less disrupted, costs are saved all around, and the chances of patients being abused by unfamiliar carers decreases.

However, in order for mental health services integration to flourish, Chan and van Weel note general primary care systems need to be strengthened first.

What you can do:

If you are a primary healthcare provider, benchmark yourself against the principles in the 2009 Mental Health in Primary Care: Enhancing Treatment and Promoting Mental Health Call to Action (wfmh.org/00WorldMentalHealthDay.htm) and develop an action plan to address any gaps in your service provision.

If you are a mental health service user, or care for someone who is, send a copy of the Call to Action to healthcare providers, politicians, charities, and NGOs in your area. Participate in how your healthcare is being designed and delivered. Ask why things are done the way they are and how they could be done better with your input and/or support.

If you live in a community with mentally ill people, find out how you can be a part of community care. Community care can mean care in the community and not in an institution (e.g. in ordinary housing or in indepent living centres) or care by the community (e.g. care from social networks, charities and/or informal carers.)

Community care supports primary care, and requires understanding, empathy, and involvement from community members. A good place to start learning is the Malaysian Mental Health Association, which is holding an open day this month (See Events.)

(Art4Health is a new Fit4Life feature aimed at getting people to think global and act local about their health. If you are organising a health-related event the general public will benefit from, drop us an email at starhealth@thestar.com.my so we can help you reach a wider audience).

SMOKING - the harm and effects

A very informative and touching story posted in SUNDAY STAR today on the harmful effects of Smoking by a parent who is also a medical doctor by profession. Please take a read and stay away from this unsavoury habit....

SOurce: http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2009/9/27/health/4777740&sec=health

Sunday September 27, 2009

TITLE : DON'T TRY LAH ...

If you haven’t started on the filthy habit of smoking, please don’t. It can only harm you.

MY daughter recently started to smoke cigarettes. I found a box under her bed. When I confronted her, she claimed she just wanted to “try it out” and that she was pressured by her classmates to start. I want to convince her cigarette smoking leads to deadly diseases. What are the facts?

According to the CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention), smoking harms and damages almost every organ in the body.

In the US alone, the effects of cigarette smoking causes 438,000 deaths annually, which means that one out of every five deaths is related to it.

Virtually every system in your body is affected – your cardiovascular system, your respiratory system, and so on.

Apparently, in the US, as of 2007, it was found that 43.4 million adult Americans smoked. This is basically one out of five people there.

Most of them are aged between 25 and 40. But teen smoking, like that of your daughter, is on the rise.

The CDC has found that nearly 20% of all high school students in America smoke.

But smoking only causes lung cancer, right?

No, that’s where you are wrong. Smoking causes not only lung cancer, but cancers of the mouth, bladder, throat, voicebox (larynx), oesophagus, kidney, cervix, pancreas, stomach, and even leukaemia.

90% of lung cancer deaths in men are related to the type of cancer caused by smoking. And 80% of lung cancer related deaths in women are also due to this.

If you are a man who smokes, the risk of contracting lung cancer is 23 times that of a man who doesn’t smoke.

If you are a woman who smokes, the risk is 13 times higher than that of a woman who doesn’t smoke.

What is inside a cigarette that causes cancer?

It’s not only cigarettes. It’s also cigars and what you put into pipes. The ingredients are dried tobacco leaves, which contain nicotine.

Analysis shows that there are more than 4,000 different chemicals in these dried leaves and what has been added to enhance their flavour, including ammonia, tar, and carbon monoxide. 60 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer. They are called carcinogens.

Don’t forget, even if you smoke low-tar cigarettes, the rest of the chemicals are still present.

There are plenty of theories as to how cigarette smoke affects the organs in the body.

One of the carcinogens, benzo(a)pyrene, damages DNA and mutates cells. Cigarette smoke also damages the lining of your lungs, including the cilia, which makes it more difficult to clear secretions and harmful substances.

My daughter initially didn’t like her first cigarette, but now she says it’s difficult to stop. Why is this so? Is she addicted?

Yes, she probably is addicted. Addiction means a repeated, compulsive, physical and psychological seeking or use of a substance despite knowing its harmful effects. Your daughter is addicted to cigarettes because of the nicotine in it. In each cigarette, the smoker will inhale around 1mg to 2mg of nicotine. How much you take in depends on how many puffs you take or how deeply you inhale.

It’s not only the nicotine. Smoking is linked to a lot of social activities, like hanging around with friends, and after a meal, or after sex.

There’s a deep emotional resonance to smoking, and many people are afraid of losing their friends and the things they love doing if they quit smoking.

Most smokers, around 70%, say they want to quit. But only 4% to 7% succeed without any help.

By the way, even if you don’t care about your own health, care about others around you. Second-hand smoke – smoke inhaled by being in the vicinity of smokers – is also very harmful. It’s also unfair to those around you because they didn’t ask for it.

There is no “safe” amount of second-hand smoke.

What other health problems can be caused by smoking?

Other than cancer, smoking can cause or lead to heart diseases (heart attacks, angina), aneurysms in blood vessels, and blood vessel disease of the arms and legs (peripheral vascular disease), which results in poor blood flow. It is also a factor for stroke.

In the lungs, in addition to cancer, bronchitis, and emphysema, it makes asthma or pneumonia worse.

It has also been linked to cataracts, macular degeneration of the eye, osteoporosis, hip fractures, gum disease, and peptic ulcers.

Smokers are also more likely to have erectile dysfunction. It’s also very bad for pregnant women, and particularly damaging to the child you carry.

I am told that smoking reduces life expectancy. Is this true? Does it mean you die earlier?

In general, male smokers lose an average of 13.2 years in life and females 14.5 years of life. That’s a lot of years to lose!

Smoking also limits your quality of life.

In addition to the possible diseases you might get, it’s harder for you to breathe, walk, get around in life, or work.

(Dr YLM graduated as a medical doctor, and has been writing for many years on various subjects such as medicine, health advice, computers and entertainment. The information contained in this column is for general educational purposes only. Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information. The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information).

HEALTHY LIFESTLYE PRACTICES WORKS!

Hi all,

The following news article is, literally, hot from the Press! Well, at least from today's SUNDAY STAR. Here's good news for those who are adopting a healthier lifestyle in terms of a 100% change in their eating habits.... Going vegan on a plant-based diet is the way to go these days... for your physical, mental and spiritual health. Not to mention you are also saving planet earth from climatic change due to the negative effects of global warming. LET's take the cue from our Finnish friends....


TITLE : HEARTS IN FINLAND
By Datin Dr LIEW YIN MEI


Any successful heart disease prevention programmes available? Of course. Just look at the North Karelia Project in Finland.

IN Malaysia, the chief cause of death and disability is cardiovascular disease (CVD), that is, heart disease and stroke, accounting for about 25% of deaths. CVD remains the chief cause of admissions to government hospitals. Yet these conditions are largely preventable as the risk factors – diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol levels, smoking, and obesity – can be prevented, or effectively controlled.

The Heart Foundation of Malaysia was recently invited to share the experiences of the North Karelia Project in Finland in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in the community. This programme demonstrates that with the right guidance and effort, CVD rates can go down significantly.

Healthy lifestyle practices work!

The success story of the North Karelia Project demonstrates that healthy lifestyle practice do indeed work. The Project started in 1972 when international mortality statistics showed that middle-aged Finnish men, especially in the North Karelia region, had the world’s highest heart attack rates. Strong public concern led to the North Karelia community-based project to test whether the main risk factors – blood pressure, cholesterol, and smoking – could be reduced in the population and whether this would reduce mortality from CVD.

Subsequently, the rest of Finland was included in the project, followed by some other countries (WHO MONICA Project) and WHO CINDI Programme involving Europe and Canada.

There were three key messages put forth by Director General of the National Public Health Institute, Finland, Dr Puska Pekka:

1. More fruits and vegetables, less saturated fat

2. Tobacco-free

3. Hypertension control

Prevention strategies
This national CVD prevention strategies involved health education programmes aided by media campaigns, together with food and nutrition policies, food labelling and price policies, intersectoral collaboration with food industries, community organisations and health services.

Agricultural reforms were introduced, with a shift from dairy farming to farming of fruits like berries and vegetables. Monitoring of quality of meals served in schools and the army was carried out.

Anti-smoking initiatives, together with legislation and public policies such as the banning of tobacco advertising and smoking in public places plus warning in tobacco packages as well as prohibition of sale of tobacco to individuals under the age of 18 were also implemented.

Astounding results
The programme resulted in:

·The total cholesterol decreased by 20% in North Karelia (from 7mmol/l to 5.6mmol/l)

·Systolic BP decreased by 9mmHg in males and 18mmHg in females

·Smoking prevalence decreased from 52% to 31%

This led to a decline in CVD mortality of 75% in North Karelia and 65% in the whole of Finland.

The tremendous success of this CVD prevention model is very encouraging and similar programmes have been introduced to healthcare personnel worldwide.

During the visit to Finland, we learnt how healthy lifestyle measures were effectively implemented through a series of talks and lectures, field visits, and discussions, and we hope to integrate similar activities to our community in the near future.

The Finnish experience was most educational and rewarding. The weather was cold but the people were warm. We learnt much, and much needs to be done now in Malaysia to reduce the incidence of CVD.

Note: Datin Dr Liew Yin Mei is a consultant physician and medical director of the Heart Foundation of Malaysia (YJM). The Heart Foundation of Malaysia is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that was established in 1982. The aim of the Heart Foundation of Malaysia is to help reduce the rising incidence of heart disease in Malaysia through various channels such as public education and implementation of heart health programmes that are designed to encourage healthy lifestyle habits. You can visit the Heart Foundation of Malaysia’s website at www.yjm.org.my or write to us at Yayasan Jantung Malaysia, No 6, Jalan Lai Tet Loke 2, Off Lorong Gurney, 54100 Kuala Lumpur.

This article is courtesy of the Healthy Heart programme by the Heart
Foundation of Malaysia (YJM).

Source : http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2009/9/27/health/4785890&sec=health

MONDAY'S CLIMATE CHANGE WAKE-UP CALL...

On Monday - 21st September, 2009 a global WAKE UP CALL in 134 countries participating in 2632 events world-wide in a concerted effort to reach world leaders with the SOS Planet Earth message.

Avaaz is a non-profitable global campaigning organization and is the "Voice" for many global issues especially on the climate change crisis that we are facing now.

Here's a report from AVAAZ on the Monday Wake-up Call... check them out.

Wow. Monday's Wake Up call was unbelievable - 2632 events in 134 countries, tens of thousands of phone calls crashing government lines, unbelievable creativity and diversity of events, directly reaching heads of state and cabinet ministers from Australia to Europe. Words can't describe it.

The Wake Up call was covered by hundreds of major news outlets and made the evening news everywhere from Germany to New Zealand. Europe's environment chief praised "the mobilisation of so many people by Avaaz.org", the UK Prime Minister became the first major world leader to agree to our demand to go to Copenhagen and said that with "the pressure that can brought by organizations like yours...what people think is impossible can become possible". The Spanish environment minister called the action "extraordinary".

World leaders have heard us. But as Tuesday's UN summit showed, one day of action won't be enough to get real progress on climate. We need to come back again and again, louder and louder, until we get a fair, ambitious and binding climate treaty.

We'll keep the pressure high through the TCKTCKTCK campaign until Copenhagen, with another global day of action on October 24th, and start planning right now for the LARGEST CLIMATE MOBILIZATION IN HISTORY ON DECEMBER 12th, in the final days of the Copenhagen negotiations.

Avaaz is now 3.6 million members strong in 14 languages, in every country of the world. On Monday, our movement took a huge step forward -- we showed that we can not only send millions of messages to leaders or donate millions to worthy causes, but that in just a few days we can flood the streets and crash phone lines from Mexico City to Mumbai.

If we stick together, anything is possible.

With hope and excitement for the future.

PS - the video above was made from over 10,000 wake up call pictures and 600 videos uploaded to Avaaz in just 24 hours! There were many tears among people making the video as we saw the amazing dedication of everyone, from the Avaaz community to our TCKTCKTCK campaign partners to people joining the first climate action of their lives. Click here to see the video of this amazing movement in action: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/sept21_hub

ABOUT AVAAZ
Avaaz.org is an independent, not-for-profit global campaigning organization that works to ensure that the views and values of the world's people inform global decision-making. (Avaaz means "voice" in many languages.) Avaaz receives no money from governments or corporations, and is staffed by a global team based in Ottawa, London, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Buenos Aires, and Geneva. Click here to learn more about our largest campaigns. Don't forget to check out our Facebook and Myspace and Bebo pages! You can also follow Avaaz on Twitter!