EBOLA VIRUS found in Pigs Meat

Manila reports Ebola virus in pigs

By Roel Landingin in Manila

Published: December 11 2008 20:24 | Last updated: December 11 2008 20:24

Philippine officials tucked into servings of lechon, the popular dish of roasted whole pig, in front of television cameras on Thursday to reassure the public of the safety of the national staple meat after the discovery among hogs near Manila of a strain of the Ebola virus.

Arthur Yap, agriculture secretary, and Francisco Duque, health secretary, said the Ebola Reston virus, which had never been found in pigs before, presented a low health risk for humans and was different from the deadly African variety.

The World Health Organisation was reported to be looking into whether there was any chance humans could have become infected.

The outbreak could deal a blow to Philippine plans to build a pork export industry. The government halted an inaugural shipment of frozen pork to Singapore and quarantined three swine farms.

Pork vendors in public markets in Manila sought to assure buyers that their products had passed government inspection and met safety standards.

“December is the month when we sell the most pork at relatively higher price,” said Evelyn Reyes, who operates a small pork stall in Quezon City. “I really hope the government does a good work of calming people’s fears about the Ebola virus.”

Pork accounts for more than half of the average 61g of meat consumed daily by each Filipino.

The virus was first discovered in 1989 in macaque monkeys imported from the Philippines by a laboratory in Reston, Virginia. Scientists are trying to determine how the virus spread to pigs.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008

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Why I Became A Vegan

It's been almost six month since I changed my lifestyle and became a vegan

I wish I had done this years ago.
I remember when I was in my 20 I read a book by Upton Sinclair "The Jungle" after that I did not eat meat for about a year but eventually fell back in to the habit.





I grew up with meat on the table, and I have to say a nice pork roast, pork chops , fillet Mignon, cordon blue are all still making my mouth water a bit.

But when I think of how meat is processed and how the animals are treated while they are alive, I can't stomach looking at a piece of meat and eat it.

The two factors that returned me away for good are:

A: Contamination of the meat
B: The inhuman treatment of the animals

Those two factors together make if impossible for me to ever partake in the consumption of meat and meat products.

I think the mass production of meat and meat products and the industrializing has lead to a society that rarely thinks of all that goes in to this type of product and business.

Some of the people working in the meat industry are abusers that found a place where they can get away with behavior that would normally be criminal.

Somehow it's OK to poke the eyes of a pig with a sharp object. Somehow it's OK to pick up a chicken or turkey and throw it against the wall, or break it's wings.

Thew list of torture and abuse perpetrated against living beings for food is endless.

Actually form a nutritional stand point we do not need meat. I found myself eating lots of vegetables, starchy vegetables like corn, greens and beans rice and soy products. Lentils are a great source of protein and Quinoa is a total protein whit all the amino acids just as meat has.

I shall make a list of some of the meat substitutes in another post.

I would love to her from you and why you became a vegetarian or vegan.