Global Unity: Together in Saving Lives, Part 19 of a Multi-part Series

Tonight, we have the honor to invite singers from [the band] Simple Truth and Ms. Daphne Tse, who will sing us two beautiful songs. The first one is “Mother Teresa,” solo by Daphne, praising the virtue and nobility of a compassionate Saint. “This shepherd takes her piece of faith with her And leaves a rest to find her way to bring peace to her people Put the puzzle back today. In this crazy maze Will we find our way? Will we be OK? Or will we die today? What do you say? Look around your world Open both your eyes to see the strength of love around you. Because what She built on a prayer A better, a better place.”

“(Your talk focused on bird flu, swine flu, and the like, which are the main ones that can affect public health seriously. I’ve heard reports linking bird flu and swine flu to factory farms. Could you share more about that with us?) Diseases like bird flu and the recent swine flu are definitely closely linked to industrialized farming, what we call ‘the mass production’ of pigs and cows, which are crowded together in confined spaces. It gives them a high chance of infecting each other due to the high population density, of course. Another factor is the impact of global warming on the planet. As the world experiences rising temperatures, migratory birds are forced to alter their habitats and migrating routes. These changes in migratory patterns lead to the emergence of different strains of bird flu, which can interact with swine flu strains. I believe that the mass- production industry, meaning the livestock industry, likely influences the spread of airborne respiratory viruses.”

“(Do you agree with the concept of veganism to save the planet?) Absolutely. Nowadays, many natural and man-made disasters around the world seem like ordinary occurrences. However, they’re happening because we’re mistreating the Earth. For instance, raising animals causes a lot of issues. It’s essentially exploiting the Earth for the sake of meat production, raising these animals for human consumption. As a matter of fact, it wastes a lot of natural resources.”