Letters - Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Flawed arguments for becoming vegan
Vegan steak bakeVegan steak bake
Vegan steak bake

During the evolutionary process whereby we became omnivores we have lost, never to be regained, the ability to make certain amino acids that are essential for our growth and health.

We can now only obtain these amino acids from eating animal products, therefore, if vegans are to survive, they have to cheat and deceive themselves.

I know many take the tablets, this is still cheating.

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Our ability to digest vegetable matter is very poor. We would certainly produce more greenhouse gas than cattle so vegans’ argument against eating meat is fundamentally flawed.

However, the biggest argument against the so-called rise in CO2 production is also fundamentally flawed.

Plants take up CO2 for their growth in a process called photosynthesis.

A by-product of this process is oxygen, which is essential for life. Without CO2, there would not be life as we know it.

Professor J.A. Double

via email

SOCIETY

Response to letter on British military

A response to Royston Jones’ letter (Your Say, January 9).

Mr Jones,

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It is quite clear from your letter that you have never sampled service life for if you had you would know that behind every person that carries a weapon into battle there are between 20 and 30 people supporting them. People like chefs, medical, clerical, suppliers and countless others are serving and defending this country in their own way. Not all service personnel go into battle. Those that do deserve our respect and support.

You did not take into account the social life, sports facilities and family life. As one of my service friends said recently “happy days”.

I joined at 17 and enjoyed my time in the mob. Were I 17 now I would do the same again. What I say to today’s youth is... if you want to join up, be it Army, Navy or Royal Air Force, DO IT.

Had it not been for the brave men and women that have taken part in the fighting that this country has been involved in you would not have the right to say and think just what you want.

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Just as a sideline, the reason for the drop in recruitment is the Tories’ insatiable desire to privatise everything including recruitment.

This has failed spectacularly along with gas, electric, transport not to mention the Post Office.

Peter barker

address supplied

SEARCH

Calling former

coal miners

I am contacting you in the hope you may be able to help me.

I was a miner in the Yorkshire pits for over 30 years and am now retired.

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By way of a hobby, I started collecting colliery checks or tokens.

These are brass or alloy discs embossed with the colliery name and stamped with the individual miner’s number.

They were used as a safety measure to accurately record the number of men underground at any one time.

Some were used as pay checks.

I am appealing to your readers for help in obtaining checks from the Lancashire and Greater Manchester coalfield. I’m sure there must be fellow ex-miners around. Thank you in advance.

W Bennett

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(Please ring 01772 554537 or email [email protected] and we will pass your details on)

SOCIETY

Splashing out

with a difference

Thirty years ago, my wife and I were admiring the furniture for sale in a shop in Phoenix, Arizona.

I enquired about the price of a beautiful hand-made coffee table and, since we had a good exchange rate at the time, it was a bargain.

I turned to the sales assistant and remarked: “If we were in England, I’d splash out on that.”

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The lady asked me to explain what I was talking about, then burst into laughter.

When I asked why, she said: “In our country, to ‘splash out’ means something you do in the toilet.”

On reflection, I had to admit that her definition made more sense than mine.

Mervyn Jackson

via email

BREXIT

Let’s fly the flag to mark special day

Roll on February 1 when we will finally be free from the EU. And let’s get the flags flying to mark this momentous event.

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That is the Union Jack, of course, and meanwhile all EU flags along with their emblems and logos should be removed from all public buildings in Britain.

In my book they are symbols of our enslavement and they must be consigned to the dustbin of history.

Lynda Williams

address supplied