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| Wednesday, 3 April 2002 |
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Is man created to eat meat? - a reply Dr. D. P. Atukorale in his article (DN Mar. 13) has come out with some interesting reasons as to why man was not anatomical and physiologically created to eat meat. I disagree with his flawed comparison. Dr. Atukorale started off by claiming that vegetarians have a healthier and longer life compared to non-vegetarians. To support his claim, he goes on to say that there are roughly 9 million vegetarians in the United States. It looks like a very large number but when you consider the population, vegetarians represents less than 0.5% of US, an insignificant percentage. On the contrary, the remaining 99.5% of meat-eaters has made US to be one of the healthier nations in the world. Dr. Atukorale also claims that India has the highest concentration of vegetarians. If that is true, how is that India is one of the most mal-nourished nations in the universe? According to United Nations Population Fund statistics, more than 30% of India's population is under-nourished, compared to less than 10% in US. It stands to reason that poor eating habits along with poverty is the cause. Therefore, vegetarianism does not automatically equate to good health. It can cause mal-nourishment. Carnivorous and Herbivorous are two extremes in a wide spectrum of eating habits in the animal kingdom. Animals eat their food raw (uncooked) and their capacity to make choices are very limited. For e.g. Tigers don't eat raw vegetable and cows don't eat raw meat. The choice to cook and choose what to eat is unique to humans, not to animal species. The power of reason is a human trait. Therefore, to compare human eating habits with animals is ludicrous. All the 15 reasons Dr. Atukorale had listed out to prove that humans are similar to herbivorous animals is an exercise in futility. One comparison I take offense (pardon my pun) is when he claims that flesh eating animal pass putrid excreta unlike vegetarian animals whose excreta is not offensive. I know that mine is not putrid, and I am sure Dr. Atukorale will deny his either. It is offensive from whose perspective you look from. For swine it is food. The good doctor should know that all waste matters are offensive if you stick your nose right into it, literally! Dr. Atukorale illustrates by example why humans are different from carnivorous animals - humans sip water whereas flesh-eaters laps water. Therefore he concludes that all humans are by nature vegetarians. From the planet I come from, herbivorous animals like cows lap water too. Even then, we meat eaters are not willing to be compared to a cow, unless of course when in a moment of temporary insanity we are inclined to call our wives one. Meat and fish are part of a healthy diet and so is vegetable. This is a basic dietary guideline issued by every nation in the world. To compare apples with oranges and because of their dissimilarities conclude that apples are like pineapples is not a credible reasoning. They are 3 different fruits each with their own unique qualities. Human, herbivorous animal, and carnivorous animals each got its own dietary habits. It's futile to compare them. TUAN RIZA RASSOOL , USA In this age when social and human values are diminishing from our society so rapidly into a quagmire, an incident that took place is worthy of mention in your journal, for there is yet a glimmer of hope in this turbulent isle. On February 22 at noon, I called at the Legal Department of the State Mortgage Bank at Kollupitiya to collect a document. I was told by a Legal Assistant to hold on for a few minutes. I mentioned to the young lass that I was diabetic and sweating profusely and that I was feeling giddy. She very kindly requested me to sit by the door and relax. A moment later she offered me a packet of biscuits suitable for diabetics, I took two and was told to help myself to more. A smartly dressed office aid offered me a bottle of soda. These are gestures that are not common in Government Departments but can only be seen at Sea Street offering cold drinks to their customers. I hope that this would catch the attention of other departmental heads. M. WIJERATNE,Pannipitiya.
The CWE is making arrangements to import B onions as well as red onions for the Sinhala/Tamil New Year as per tender advertisement appearing in the Newspapers. Red onions cultivated in the Jaffna Peninsula as well as in the Vanni could not be freely transported to the south in the past. As a result the Northern farmers potential for cultivation of subsidiary food crops like onions, chillies, had not been tapped. Now that the road barriers have been opened up to Kilinochchi and likely to be opened to Jaffna shortly it is necessary that coordinated efforts be made to cultivate large extents of onions in the North and arrange the CWE/private sector to market them in the South. The possibility of organizing contract farmers to cultivate onions may be pursued. Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Development of the farming activities in the North must receive the immediate attention of the Minister of Agriculture as well as the top bureaucrats involved in Agriculture, Food Import and the Treasury that is very much hard pressed for money. Let us all get together and reduce the import of food. V. REGUNATHAN,Trincomalee.
Litha or Almanac for the New Year Today we live in a day and age where the calendar depicts a model or photography that is not very educative and the accent is on producing a decorative calendar that is of cheap commercial value that sometimes borders on indency and one which reflects the normal western type calendar. In Sri Lanka traditions run deep and it is very interesting to note that the Ceylon Tobacco Company has produced a calendar combined with a Litha that allows us an opportunity to focus on the traditions we are heir to.The CTC Litha that has been produced for this year has as the focus the Avuruddu Games.Besides, it offers valuable astrological data as well and the ambience that it creates is essentially Sri Lankan.It reminds us the various cultural patterns we are heir to and it is very commendable that the CTC is doing her part to remind us what we are heir to in terms of cultural traditions at a time when traditions are being eroded. The quality adhered to in this calendar is of a high standard.The photos are super and the paper is glossy and thick.Unfortunately the CTC cannot keep up with the demands placed on her and this is one reason why the calendars are in short supply. MAHES SALGADO, Peradeniya.
I am concerned about a mule tied up in a tree at Hyde Park Corner. It has no water and is in a very sorry state. Someone please help. VINCENT PERIES,Katana.
The President of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS), Dr. Janaka Ratnasiri has expressed his concern over the new Energy Supply Act (Daily News 20-3-02). He is unhappy over provisions to make the National Environmental Act (NEA) ineffective for a period of two years to expedite generation of sufficient quantities of electrical energy badly needed for economic development especially in Agriculture and Industry. Dr. Ratnasiri has suggested alternatives of amending existing regulations, it is this type of dilly-dallying which has resulted in the present lamentable situation. The country certainly needs a clean environment, jungle reserves, biodiversity etc. but at what cost? In 1992 Lawrence Summers, then chief economist of the World Bank (later advisor to President Clinton) advocated the view that the developing countries such as ours (some of our bureaucrats feel we are in the incorrect category) should concentrate on development first and using earned resources to cleaning the environment later. In fact successes of countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Korea was due to relocation of industries which were the dirty, difficult, dangerous (kitamai, kiken, kitsui in Japanese) type. Dr. Ratnasiri is alarmed that the new Energy Supply Act is contrary to sustainable development which the country has accepted by being a signatory to the Rio Agreement on the environment. The present fashion is to quote sustainable growth and development whatever it means, here again to quote Summers. "....In every case the question returns to trade-offs between costs and benefits. Chanting the mantra of sustainability is not enough". Summers originating from a rich country may be held to be contemptuous of poor countries, but he really echoed what Indira Gandhi had to say at the Stockholm Summit on Environment held in 1972 "...are not poverty and need the worst polluters in poor countries?" It is not only our industry which suffers by the vagaries of electrical power, modern agriculture, health and services too. Drip irrigation, water supply and purification (desalination, reverse osmosis) computers all need reliable and cheap source of power if we are to compete globally. In the long term nuclear power could well be the answer if all goes well. The need of the hour is to take bold decisions, we may have signed the Rio Agreement, but just as Dr. Ratnasiri suggests ways of amending existing regulations, there should be ways of circumventing the Rio Agreement. We need to learn from the past, this is the time to get inspiration from what D. S. Senanayake had to say as the Minister of Agriculture and Lands in 1933 "...we are the product of the strength and the weakness of our forbears. I do believe it is not too late to attempt to eliminate the weakness and conserve the strength." L. P. MENDIS , Colombo 6
Xylocaine 2% Astra made by Astra Pharmaceuticals Pty. Ltd. NSW, Australia has been used in Sri Lanka for over 6 years. The drug came in a well-sealed, plastic airtight single dose container, volume 5 cc. This drug is used as an infiltration anaesthetic for all minor surgical procedure as well as for use in cataract surgery. The drug was being retailed at approximately Rs. 21 per 5 cc vial by Hemas Pharmaceuticals. As of January 2002, the new agents have withdrawn this particular drug in this packaging. In place they have brought in the same drug, Xylocaine 2% Astra in a 10 cc container which is being retailed at Rs. 87. It is accepted market procedure to reduce the price proportionately when the volume of a pack is increased. Hence I believe a greater than 100% profit is being made. 10 cc of the anaesthetic is hardly ever used and as such the remnant has to be discarded. The patient obviously has to pay for the full 10 cc. I was told that the Sri Lankan anaesthetists had demanded this particular volume in the particular packing. This does not appear to be so. Further the 5 cc pack which is very much cheaper and which is still being used by Australian Surgeons and Anaesthetists is no longer being brought in. I cannot understand the logic behind this whole exercise except a profit motive. I am sure the importers would no doubt publish a rational explanation for what has transpired. DR. C. R. SEIMON , Kandy.
I refer to RCS Lenora's letter (DN Mar. 16). It should be noted he has no experience in train travel. I have been a zealous Intercity traveller until the Rambukkana tragedy. That morning a close friend who normally travels by car entered the killer train to get to Colombo. To our dismay he returned home in a hearse even before we heard of the disaster. His injured sister had been taken to a hospital by kindly onlookers. Imagine the shock suffered by the family. That is only one instance. Damage was 15 dead, over 150 injured. Coolly Intercity resumed its runs after a quick repair to damaged track. No apology. No reassurance. To CGR we commuters are mere human cargo. No Intercity for me until I hear it is now made safe. Intercity is a super idea of the CGR. Its non-stop, uncrowded run is in itself a luxury. But high speed travel is not its forte. Breakneck speeds after Rambukkana are often nerve-wrecking. This has been felt over a long time. Even tourists have complained in this column about its galloping ride. As for the cause of that accident we will not come to conclusions. Let it be the task of the Commission. There is humour at times in their findings. Eg. an investigator abroad summed up the cause of an air accident as follows: "Suddenly pilot ran short of experience". Enough has been written on this vexed subject. As Miran Perera observed in this column safety is more important than speed. so until we could ensure safety fast, let us opt for safety first. KIRTHI ABEYWICKREMA,Kandy
Electricity bills do not show the actual amounts that have to be paid. Payments made before the receipt of the subsequent months bill have to be sent to the Accountant Revenue of the particular area. By the time these payments are credited to an account two or three monthly bills follow. This is how an electricity bill does not indicate the actual amount payable. Meanwhile a consumer faces the risk of a red notice if the amount is excessive. Then the consumer has to proceed to the Electrical Engineer who may be several miles away to prove payment by production of receipts. I have received a bill for Rs. 2,660/51 for February 2002 which does not include payments amounting to Rs. 2,200 made during the period December 2001 to March 2002. When I called at the Electrical Engineer's office I was informed that the bills cannot be checked as the "printer" was out of order. On another visit there was no electricity to run the "printer." Even a check does not show the actual amount to be paid if remittances have not been credited to an account. This situation is most annoying. It does not do any credit to the Board. One is not relied even after fulfilling one's obligations. The remedy for this situation is decentralisation. At present the Board is chewing more than it can swallow! A consumer will certainly welcome a situation when he receives a receipt instantly upon payment. As things are the Board is seeing to its convenience when the convenience of the consumer is of paramount importance. I hope the Board will address its mind to this matter and relieve the consumer of inconvenience and annoyance. J. A. ABAYARATNA,Kurunegala. |
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