RMB Newsletter Vol 7:3  Nexus Magazine

Dear Reader, Welcome to the 29th edition of the RMB Newsletter. It's always a pleasure to write to you. It's finding the time that's difficult. Do you need more time in your day too? Three guiding principles underpin the RMB approach. Carnivores, be they pets or wild predators: •Need a diet that provides the correct balance of nutrients. •Need food in large, tough, chewy lumps that scrape, scrub and squeegee the teeth and gums clean at every meal. •Need an end to the corrupt system dominated by junk pet-food companies in alliance with the veterinary profession and fake animal welfare groups. http://secureshop.rawmeatybones.com/newsletter/view.epl?id=44 Progress is slow. But I do believe that progress is being made in small and unexpected ways that often depend on the media. That's somewhat paradoxical given that it's the media that shares responsibility for the current mess. Modern newspapers, radio, TV and the internet grew up supporting the junk pet-food industry, vets and fake animal welfare groups. The media gains its income servicing the status quo with ads, advertorials and uncritical articles extolling the alleged benefits of pet ownership for the masses, junk pet food, vet services and the fiction that animal welfare groups put animal health and wellbeing first. Nevertheless, here and there, the media airs information contrary to the interests of the pet-food industry alliance. Nexus magazine in particular concentrates on 'suppressed information'. When in August 2006 Nexus editor Duncan Roads asked for '5000 words, with footnotes and references' I was delighted to accept but slow to act. Finally, in August this year I submitted a draft article and the published version appears in the October- November 2007 edition. www.nexusmagazine.com On the cover in bold type Nexus says: 'Junk pet food: recipe for cruelty and disease.' I would like to take this opportunity to thank Duncan Roads and his team for their courage and leadership. I also take this opportunity to thank a number of Nexus readers who have now subscribed to the RMB Newsletter. Together we become a stronger force. Wishing you good reading and good health, Tom Lonsdale -------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEXUS VOL 14 NO. 6 JUNK PET FOOD AND THE DAMAGE DONE -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Both the unabridged and published versions of the Nexus article are located at: http://www.rawmeatybones.com/presscoverings.php Prominent on the Nexus homepage is a famous quote: --------------------------------------------------- 'One night, probably in 1880, John Swinton, then the preeminent New York journalist, was the guest of honour at a banquet given him by the leaders of his craft. Someone who knew neither the press nor Swinton offered a toast to the independent press. Swinton outraged his colleagues by replying: (quote)"There is no such thing, at this date of the world's history, in America, as an independent press. You know it and I know it. There is not one of you who dares to write your honest opinions, and if you did, you know beforehand that it would never appear in print. I am paid weekly for keeping my honest opinion out of the paper I am connected with. Others of you are paid similar salaries for similar things, and any of you who would be so foolish as to write honest opinions would be out on the streets looking for another job. If I allowed my honest opinions to appear in one issue of my paper, before twenty-four hours my occupation would be gone. The business of the journalists is to destroy the truth, to lie outright, to pervert, to vilify, to fawn at the feet of mammon, and to sell his country and his race for his daily bread. You know it and I know it, and what folly is this toasting an independent press? We are the tools and vassals of rich men behind the scenes. We are the jumping jacks, they pull the strings and we dance. Our talents, our possibilities and our lives are all the property of other men. We are intellectual prostitutes."(end quote) (Source: Labor's Untold Story, by Richard O. Boyer and Herbert M. Morais, published by United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of America, NY, 1955/1979.)' ---------------------------------------------- Too often the quote is true and hence the domination of the mass media by the junk pet-food industry/vet/fake animal welfare alliance. There are notable exceptions. One such article appeared in the Sunday Age newspaper. http://www.rawmeatybones.com/presscoverings.php William Birnbauer, the author of the piece, is the first journalist to give credence to the Cybernetic Hypothesis: 'He [Lonsdale] buttresses his views on the beneficial qualities of a bone diet with a Gaia-like theory which takes anyone listening on a journey to the very beginnings of time and the role of anaerobic bacteria in regulating a world dominated by mammals. Carnivores live by the tooth and die by the tooth, he maintains.' For 65 milllion years during the Age of Mammals the dry land on planet Earth has been colonized by mammals. And, until relatively recently, we can assume that mammalian carnivores ruled supreme as regulators of other terrestrial animals. Leastways, that was the case until mankind overran the planet. Nowadays carnivores are in retreat, the environment is in serious decline and global warming is on the rise. Surely we ought to give some consideration to how the planet was once regulated by carnivores and, importantly, give some consideration to how the regulators were regulated. This could provide a foundation for our discussions of biological mechanisms, medical issues and climate change For more information on these aspects please see Cybernetic Hypothesis at: http://www.rawmeatybones.com/pdf/periodontal-cyber.pdf with expanded information in Raw Meaty Bones, Chapter 14. And now from the sublime to the sinister, we lurch off in another direction. William Birnbauer's last paragraph in his Sunday Age article states: 'Of course, the last word should go to the grand poobah of all things pet, Dr Hugh Wirth. The RSPCA president says the "compromise attitude" of veterinary associations in Britain and Australia is that raw meaty bones should be fed to pets a minimum of three times a week for dental health.' Not knowing the meaning of ‘grand poobah’ I looked it up on the net: 'Grand Poobah is a term derived from the name of the haughty character Pooh-Bah in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado. In this comic opera, Pooh- Bah holds numerous exalted offices, including Lord Chief Justice, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Master of the Buckhounds, Lord High Auditor, Groom of the Back Stairs, and Lord High Everything Else. The name has come to be used as a mocking title for someone self-important or high- ranking and who exhibits an inflated self-regard.' 'Spot-on' I thought. 'That's the Wirth I know.' Hugh Wirth's suggestion that the '"compromise attitude" of veterinary associations in Britain and Australia is that raw meaty bones should be fed to pets a minimum of three times a week for dental health' is simply not true. And neither is it true for the RSPCA in Australia who collaborate in a cross-promotional scam with Hills' junk pet-food company. Check out the RSPCA Press Release at http://www.rspca.org.au/mediareleases/MRShow.asp?ID=89 where they say: 'For more information on proper pet dental care and foods proven to clean your pet's teeth as they eat, chat to your vet, visit www.HillsPet.com, www.PetDental.com or call the Hill's toll-free Helpline on 1800 679 932.' ------------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER PUBLICATIONS ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Shona Whaite has worked wonders renovating the Raw Meaty Bones website. On a new page we have posted some articles from outside sources. http://www.rawmeatybones.com/papers-others.php The Wellbeing of Australians - Owning a Pet Australian Unity Wellbeing Index Survey 9 Report 9.0 February 2004 Rigorous article that debunks the pet-food industry false claims regarding alleged medical and social benefits of pets. http://www.rawmeatybones.com/articles- others/AustInstitute_Wellbeing_Feb2004.pdf Overconsumption of pet food in Australia R Denniss The Australia Institute, July 2004 Read how pet owners are controlled by the junk pet-food industry. See how an affluent society, instead of dealing with fundamental social issues, is 'directed towards solving new 'problems' such as the need to clean dogs' teeth'! http://www.rawmeatybones.com/articles- others/AustInstitute_overconsumption_Jul2004.pdf Feeding cats for health and longevity - an idiosyncratic perspective Malik, R Australian College of Veterinary Scientists, 2007 Science Week Proceedings Highly esteemed veterinarian Dr Richard Malik is arguably the first veterinary academic to publish forthright criticism of the junk pet-food industry. http://www.rawmeatybones.com/articles- others/Malik_feedingcats_Aug2007.pdf Rats reveal risks of 'junk food' during pregnancy The Veterinary Record, August 18, 2007 We always knew that veterinary schools are infested with rats working with and for the junk pet-food industry. This Veterinary Record article shows a group of veterinary school rats not obscuring but revealing the risks of junk food. http://www.rawmeatybones.com/articles-others/VetRecord_rats_Aug2007.pdf It's all the more ironic given that the Veterinary Record is published by the British Veterinary Association, collaborator with the junk pet-food industry. http://www.rawmeatybones.com/pol-brief.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------- OTHER LINKS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- They Eat What We Are New York Times September 2, 2007 By Frederick Kaufman Long article looking behind the scenes of the junk pet-food industry and their goulish labs. Sanitised and made palatable by typical NYT treatment. Where's the rage? Where's the revulsion? http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/magazine/02pet-t.html? _r=3&th=&oref=slogin&emc=th&pagewanted=print (You may need to subscribe to the NYT in order to view the article.) Brushing your cat's teeth Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine Video evidence of end-stage intellectual prostitution. Guaranteed to enrage. http://www.felinevideos.vet.cornell.edu/brushing_teeth/index.shtml 'Raw Feeding' See the Wikipedia entry that seeks to rewrite history. Or as an article in Nexus (Vol 14 No. 6) says: 'Welcome to WikiWorld, a realm where inconvenient truths can easily be removed, while erroneous information -- convenient lies and disinformation -- can be entered in the encyclopaedia.' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raw_feeding By comparison, check out factual information on the origins of the raw meaty bones diet and the subsequent 'barf' and 'prey model' distortions: http://secureshop.rawmeatybones.com/newsletter/view.epl?id=46 Dog Food Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Mars Petcare's Pennsylvania Factory Useful information on the perils of industrial food. http://caninepals.com/2007/08/29/dog-food-salmonella-outbreak-linked-to- mars-petcare%e2%80%99s-pennsylvania-factory/ Burns Pet Nutrition Fined Ł13,000 UKPets Thursday 24 November 2005 Vet John Burns and his junk pet-food company Burns Pet Nutrition were prosecuted for making illegal health claims. http://www.ukpets.co.uk/?section=Home&sub=News&method=fetch&item=991 Mars TV ad banned by the UK Advertising Standards The Mars TV ad breached five clauses of the TV Advertising Standards Code. Ironically it was Burns Pet Nutrition that filed a complaint. As ever, it's not so much about protecting the public and their pets from false advertising; it's more about false advertisers scrapping over market share. http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/adjudications/Public/TF_ADJ_43337.htm -------------------------------------------------------------------------- POSITIVE NOTE -------------------------------------------------------------------------- After sifting the junk pet-food garbage we need a breath of fresh air. Let's conclude this newsletter in celebration of Kim Bloomer & Jeannie Thomason at Animal Talk Naturally and their recent guest, veterinary dentist Dr Johan Joubert. Hear Dr Joubert tell it the way it is and be uplifted that there are vets like him committed to righting the wrongs. http://www.animaltalknaturally.com/2007/10/09/those-raw-meaty-pearly- whites-show-114 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- STOP PRESS -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hearty congratulations to the Association of Veterinary Students of Great Britain and Ireland who, on 24 October 2007, debated the question that: 'This house believes vets should advocate feeding manufactured pet foods.' Hear the debate at: http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~ac411/ Let's hasten the day when vet students the world over follow the lead of their UK and Irish peers and take up the challenge to investigate and debate the issues. Until next time, wishing you and yours the best of good health, Tom Lonsdale _________________________________________________________________________ We welcome copies of correspondence/emails/faxes for possible inclusion in future RMB Newsletters. Please circulate, distribute or reproduce this newsletter as you wish. _________________________________________________________________________ The Raw Meaty Bones Newsletter is published by: Tom Lonsdale Rivetco P/L PO Box 6096 Windsor Delivery Centre NSW 2756 Australia Phone: +61 2 4574 0537 Fax: +61 2 4578 1384 Email: rivetco@rawmeatybones.com Web: http://www.rawmeatybones.com To subscribe or unsubscribe go to: http://secureshop.rawmeatybones.com/newsletter