Month: January 2003

Jane Goodall's Convincing Argument Against Animal Research

Until now, the animal rights argument against animal testing had little sway over this writer, but primate expert Jane Goodall has such a convincing argument for replacing animal research, that I may have to change my mind.

Here’s an excerpt from a recent interview with Goodall in the Indian Express,

[Indian Express]: What is the way out?

[Jane Goodall]: We are the dominant species. We have the brains to subdue elephants. If it’s possible to reach the moon and find life-saving drugs with these brains, it’s also possible to find ways of progress without hurting animals. Had we stretched our brains a bit, we would have been further ahead. For animals, it’s torture. So let’s get our brains working and get rid of these painful experiments.

Of course, why didn’t anyone else think of this before? If it’s possible to go the moon, it must also be possible to accomplish X (where X is any as-yet unaccomplished goal).

If it’s possible to reach the moon, it’s also possible to travel back in time and stop World War II. If it’s possible to reach the moon, it’s also possible to cure all disease by 2010.

I certainly hope that Goodall is considered for the Nobel Prize for such pithy insight.

Source:

Can’t we research without hurting animals?. Indian Express, January 15, 2003.

Market Research Poll on UK Vegetarian Consumers

Taylor Nelson Sofres Family Food Panel recently published the result of its market research poll of vegetarians which, like other polls of vegetarians, found that many of the people who call themselves vegetarians supplement their veggie diet with meat.

The TNS study found that half the people in their poll who called themselves vegetarian actually ate fish, one third ate chicken, and fully 25 percent ate read meat on occasion. The percentage of “true vegetarians” — those who did not eat meat — was three percent of the population surveyed.

This study was prepared to help companies better market food products to vegetarians and included a number of questions about what vegetarians eat. The study concluded that quorn-based products constituted 46 percent of “total vegetarian foods” (reading between the lines, I assume that means total vegetarian foods purchased as prepared foods at supermarkets). Quorn is a 93 million pound market in Great Britain, but the meat substitute remains banned in the United States thanks to onerous food regulations.

The survey also reported an increase in sales of textured vegetarian protein as a substitute for meat.

TNS’ Sara Donnelly summarized the survey results saying,

The focus of vegetarian food marketing by manufacturers and retailers will need to change in order to appeal to a more diverse market place, including men and older women. Whilst, meals without meat, for example, meat-free pasta dishes, soups, salads, stir fries and sandwiches are becoming more popular, meat still features in a significant majority of people’s diets. However, in a society that places huge demands on time, a growing numbeer of consumers are looking for meals that are convenient to prepare, and meat is often perceived as inconvenient. Because of this, there are now opportunities for food marketers to target consumers who want convenient, healthy, meat-free meals, rather than marketing products specifically as ‘meals for vegetarians.’

Source:

The true vegetarian nature.

Speed of Gravity Measured

New Scientist has a report about two researchers who apparently have become the first to directly measure the speed of gravity. The measurement confirms Einstein’s contention that gravity traveled at the speed of light.

The scientists used an interesting method to measure the speed of gravity,

[Fomalont] Kopeikin found another way. He reworked the equations of general relativity to express the gravitational field of a moving body in terms of its mass, velocity and the speed of gravity. If you could measure the gravitational field of Jupiter, while knowing its mass and velocity, you could work out the speed of gravity.

The opportunity to do this arose in September 2002, when Jupiter passed in front of a quasar that emits bright radio waves. Fomalont and Kopeikin combined observations from a series of radio telescopes across the Earth to measure the apparent change in the quasar’s position as the gravitational field of Jupiter bent the passing radio waves.

As New Scientist notes, one of the main effects of the discovery is that it will undercut theories that postulate additional dimensions in the universe beyond the usual three.

Source:

First speed of gravity measurement revealed. New Scientist, January 7, 2003.

Bush vs. University of Michigan

I just don’t understand the reaction to the Bush administration’s decision to oppose the University of Michigan’s “affirmative action” admissions program.

When Trent Lott makes a statement approving of government-enforced racial discrimination, he was criticized for such backward views by pretty much everybody. But when George W. Bush comes out against government-enforced racial discrimination, Tom Daschle and others complain about the administration’s failure to support such policies. Dick Gephardt even announced plans to file a brief on behalf of state-supported racial discrimination in the University of Michigan case.

Apparently state-supported racial discrimination isn’t such a bad thing after all. Who knew?

Source:

Bush criticizes university ‘quota system’. CNN, January 15, 2003.

What If It Were a Pro-Life Teach In?

Imagine if an entire school system of 46,000 students decided to set aside one day and have a pro-life teach in. You know, invite people in to talk about how having an abortion stops a beating heart, show kids pictures of fetuses that don’t look all that different from newborns babies, and bring in a couple of fire and brimstone conservatives to talk about the evils of our death worshipping culture.

But Oakland, California, sees nothing wrong with this sort of approach for indoctrinating children about a possible war with Iraq.

As an aside, the interesting thing is how these things also tend to backfire. My daughter attended one of those Project D.A.R.E.-style events at her school which was supposed to warn them about the evils of drugs, alcohol and smoking. Instead, she and her friends were apparently very impressed by the image of a smoking doll that one of the presenters used. Thanks a lot, folks.

Another SHAC Activists Receives Jail Time

A press release from the Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network reported that this month that Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty activist Joshua Schwartz, 20, was sentenced to a year in jail for his role at an April 2002 New York protest.

That protest targeted a director of Marsh Insurance. Schwartz was convicted of felony criminal mischief. He has already served two months in jail and could be released as early as 6 months into his sentence if he maintains good behavior.

Source:

Earth Liberation Prisoners Support Network. Press Release, January 11, 2003.