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Symposium on Pre-Primary & Primary School Education & Primary School Students Chess Tournament More information at: http://lists.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet-goanet.org/2008-January/068222.html --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Leave aside Science. Everything need not be sanctioned by Science for us to opt for it. For instance, many people believe that regardless what Science (with a capital 'S') says about religion, they would still prefer to follow some brand of religion, because (they believe) it either makes better human beings, gives them some moral compas to guide them, or at least makes them feel more secure in an otherwise unsecure world. I am not one of those who opts for these reasons to follow a religion currently, but I respect the right of people to believe in whatever religious permutation they want to. Specially if those believes help them to be more humane human beings. Regardless of the absence of faith from the world of Science in this whole business. Likewise, at a parallel plane, I myself do subscribe to (an "impure" form of) vegetarianism not because of its dietary benefits, but simply because I think it's kinder to animals and kinder to the environment. It doesn't matter to me whether it's healthier or not... but I'd like to believe that it is healthier to the planet and to the lives of the many animals we otherwise simply 'consume'. Whether this belief is true or not, I'd like to believe in it, and since it doesn't demonstrably hurt anybody, why shouldn't I? I often joke (about the "pure veg" concept in India and all its connotations) by saying I am "impure" veg. This means, I do eat fish, though it is life too, and I have no justification for doing so, other than the fact that I couldn't think of cutting out Anandasharam, Ritz, Ajanta and the like out of my diet. It also means that I have no problems with what others eat, as long as I minimise my own contribution to the general animal slaughter worldwide. For instance, I'm quite comfortable digging into the xacuty gravy from a chicken dish, and it doesn't offend me if 9/10ths of the rest of my family is non-veg. I'm sure the vet in Dr Kevin would benevolently approve of my stance (the minor hypocrisies notwithstanding). FN On 25/01/2008, Santosh Helekar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > While noting the benefits of a vegetarian diet, one > should recognize that it is not vegetarianism per se, > but a balanced diet that makes one healthy. One might > lose sight of this fact because vegetarianism and > veganism are being promoted as ideologies today. > > No vegan would shun sugar, chocolate, black coffee, > vegetable oil and alcohol on ideological grounds. But > if he consumes them in copious amounts each day, he > would be no healthier than the guy who lives on > sausages and bacon. For more on this, please see the > followings links: > > http://www.quackwatch.org/03HealthPromotion/vegetarian.html > http://www.acsh.org/healthissues/newsID.760/healthissue_detail.asp -- Frederick Noronha http://fn.goa-india.org Ph +91-832-2409490 The Goa books blog: http://goabooks.wordpress.com Goa1556 (alt.publishing.goa): http://goa1556.goa-india.org