This was half the reason I became a vegetarian. While I think it's great, I think the issue of "we eat too much damn meat in this country" remains relevant. I also have weirdly mixed feelings about this specific kind of genetic tampering. Pigs excrete phosphorous for a reason, yes? I'm sure they've thought about that, which is why they're testing them first but for some reason I still feel weird about it.
Just want to point out before anyone freaks out over the vegetarian thing, I'm totally a-okay with eating meat. People are omnivores. I just don't get why it has to be in every meal. Throughout history and in most cultures, meat is kind of special. Eating so much of it has consequences for our health as a society.
I mean, when I was drowning in the pool, my mom didn't wait to get her shoes off. She dove in. I know wet business cards are a turn off, but time is of the essence when a child's life is in danger. Not to mention it thwarts potential thieves.
I have a strange obsession with peeps. They're so gross, and so adorable. I love these, because I also love sushi, and while these treats would be absolutely vomitous, the concept is just so crazy and well executed that I can't help but find it WONDERFUL.
The first two weeks of October are apparently very popular for birthdays worldwide. I hear this is a result of New Year's Eve being a relatively universal holiday. I could be wrong.
March, though. That's definitely something. Even if you intentionally get pregnant around a certain time, people are not born exactly 9 months after conception. There's a lot of variation.
Also, although our birthdays are not on the same day, my aunt and I share a birthday close enough that for many times my family tried to roll our birthdays into one party. Kids... well, they're kids, and I was no exception.
I think the effect is great. I wouldn't mind going around in that. Although I doubt a horse could pull it without considerable difficulty.
As for the message, I think it's a point worth making. It's important to note that he's commenting on how we buy vehicles we can't afford--not to begin with, and not to maintain--with money we don't have. This is bad for our economy both because people go bankrupt as a result of all the status symbols they feel obligated to buy and because so do the companies that make them when their consumers can no longer afford their product. It's in everyone's best interests to aim closer to what we need.
Of course, publishers reject hundreds of short stories and novels that are truly terrible every day. Some may be great but won't catch on. Terry Brooks' autobiography (kind of) was called "Sometimes the Magic Works" for just this reason. You never know what will work.
Jeez, fz! It's like I said poaching was a totally legit thing to do if you're poor and crap!
I said it should be punished with jail time and fines, not death. People don't poach because it's OMG SO FUN! Poachers die all the time, and the risk, as you say, is known. It is a career of desperation. But that shouldn't matter. People killing animals is not murder. People are not disposable, not to make a point, not for any reason (although neither are animals, but it's not murder to kill an animal, or we would be executing people who hunt deer).
Furthermore, in terms of the sustainability angle, these people would certainly be out of a job if all of these animals went extinct, but does the fact that we are killing ourselves slowly by using the finite resource of crude oil stop us from using it? How about coal burning? Strip mining?
Much of the poverty in Africa is a direct result of Western colonialism. You'll notice that lions and elephants weren't endangered until fairly recently, as well. Poverty is directly linked to practices like illegal poaching. It's hard to sell the idea of saving an endangered species in much of Africa, India, and China where people are literally starving and there are no jobs, little infrastructure, and no education.
No matter how many poachers die, because of the desperate circumstances that lead to poaching in the first place, there are going to be people who try. That's why one dead poacher is no reason to celebrate, unless you value animals over people.
The only thing that will stop poaching are better opportunities.
And before anyone else assumes I don't care about endangered species, check out my comments here.
Just want to point out before anyone freaks out over the vegetarian thing, I'm totally a-okay with eating meat. People are omnivores. I just don't get why it has to be in every meal. Throughout history and in most cultures, meat is kind of special. Eating so much of it has consequences for our health as a society.
I mean, when I was drowning in the pool, my mom didn't wait to get her shoes off. She dove in. I know wet business cards are a turn off, but time is of the essence when a child's life is in danger. Not to mention it thwarts potential thieves.
I have a strange obsession with peeps. They're so gross, and so adorable. I love these, because I also love sushi, and while these treats would be absolutely vomitous, the concept is just so crazy and well executed that I can't help but find it WONDERFUL.
...
Did I miss something?
March, though. That's definitely something. Even if you intentionally get pregnant around a certain time, people are not born exactly 9 months after conception. There's a lot of variation.
Also, although our birthdays are not on the same day, my aunt and I share a birthday close enough that for many times my family tried to roll our birthdays into one party. Kids... well, they're kids, and I was no exception.
As for the message, I think it's a point worth making. It's important to note that he's commenting on how we buy vehicles we can't afford--not to begin with, and not to maintain--with money we don't have. This is bad for our economy both because people go bankrupt as a result of all the status symbols they feel obligated to buy and because so do the companies that make them when their consumers can no longer afford their product. It's in everyone's best interests to aim closer to what we need.
Of course, publishers reject hundreds of short stories and novels that are truly terrible every day. Some may be great but won't catch on. Terry Brooks' autobiography (kind of) was called "Sometimes the Magic Works" for just this reason. You never know what will work.
The publishing industry might as well be alchemy.
I love recreations of ancient things. Probably because I love ancient things.
I said it should be punished with jail time and fines, not death. People don't poach because it's OMG SO FUN! Poachers die all the time, and the risk, as you say, is known. It is a career of desperation. But that shouldn't matter. People killing animals is not murder. People are not disposable, not to make a point, not for any reason (although neither are animals, but it's not murder to kill an animal, or we would be executing people who hunt deer).
Furthermore, in terms of the sustainability angle, these people would certainly be out of a job if all of these animals went extinct, but does the fact that we are killing ourselves slowly by using the finite resource of crude oil stop us from using it? How about coal burning? Strip mining?
Much of the poverty in Africa is a direct result of Western colonialism. You'll notice that lions and elephants weren't endangered until fairly recently, as well. Poverty is directly linked to practices like illegal poaching. It's hard to sell the idea of saving an endangered species in much of Africa, India, and China where people are literally starving and there are no jobs, little infrastructure, and no education.
No matter how many poachers die, because of the desperate circumstances that lead to poaching in the first place, there are going to be people who try. That's why one dead poacher is no reason to celebrate, unless you value animals over people.
The only thing that will stop poaching are better opportunities.
And before anyone else assumes I don't care about endangered species, check out my comments here.