What are you doing right now?

[EndOfTheEarth]

Besides posting on here and replying to this thread. Original credit for this goes back to Fate and Nathan on MX.

[EndOfTheEarth]

I maintain that the solution to the meat problem in general is to grow animal muscle cells in large vats using animal stem-cell multiplication. That way you have meat, but with no brain attached for people to whine and complain about. I'm sure the same can be done with shark fins.

[Omega]

Quite probably the only solution. Although someone would bitch about it - lord knows they bitch about the cell lines gained from various sources for virus/stem cell research.

Generic meat cells probably have no texture though. And if that becomes the norm, then why breed cows? Or any other meat breeds? That way lies extinction of traditional meat species.

[EndOfTheEarth]

Somehow I think that the vegetarians would rather see their animals endangered than harmed...paradoxical, I know, but that seems to be the case at the moment.
Then what if, instead of just cells, you grow the muscle without the rest of the cow? That could work, and give you the texture. 

[Xuut]

I had to double check some facts about salmon (that was on my phone which re

EDIT: FUCK. My entire post disappeared. Not feeling reposting it.

Summary:

Salmon are endangered but it's socially acceptable to eat salmon and kill them. Not cool. People judge easily on sharks because it's not within western culture (the dominant culture atm). 

I really don't think demand goes away for shark fins just because it's banned. It hasn't for hard drugs/weed, nor did it for alcohol. Tight ass regulation and banning of people who import illegal shark fins (you CAN identify what type of shark the fin is, so if it's a threatened/endangered, ban their ass) is a more respectful cultural way and a way to show everyone that my country isn't taking illegal fins. It keeps the legal market good which decreases demand in the blackmarket. 

I dislike one of these girls. She told my friend and I to shut up about social injustice in Edmonton (mostly on homeless and poor people in the city), I honestly don't think she is in it for actual benefits and she ignored my criticism AFTER I mentioned that yes, I ate shark, no I haven't in eight years and no, I don't like shark finning either. I really thought she was doing this for attention and  for someone to say that she was so nice to save sharks and what not. I don't mind her friend and obviously I'm biased as hell, but I really don't like her. 

Shitty conditions (despite attempts) ARE the norm in Canada and seem to have this trend of staying this way. People buy because it's cheap, good quality is what they sacrifice. 

My point was that banning doesn't necessarily lead to it losing demand. Weed, alcohol (during its ban), and hard drugs certainly don't seem to be the case. It only goes underground. People know people want shark fins, so they supply. 

KONY... ugh. >.>

@End: I like that idea actually. But shark fins are taken for texture, not taste. So maybe like a muscle template or something?

And people who are against stem cell research and its "evils" would probably eat traditional cow and chickens and stuff. They wouldn't become endangered I don't think, but their numbers would shrink a lot. My question is how much cell food would cost. 

[Omega]

A couple of species of Salmon are actually endangered - three, says v brief research. I don't know if they're the eated types of salmon. meh. A large proportion of the stuff that's eaten here is all commercially farmed in the hydroelectric canals down South. I won't pretend to know what I'm talking about here. And i'm tired

The people who would like to buy doesn't change. The people who have the opportunity to buy does.... does that make sense?

By all means, go for the tight-ass regulation... just... I dunno, be aware that to work it's gunna offend a shitload of people.

This girl sounds like a teenaged girl. Self-absorbed and doing for the feel goods.

Really? How shitty conditions you talking? You're not exactly short of land.... I cant see it being economic. Evidence pls?

And it's the same as pretty much anything... really expensive until the demand becomes such that the technology becomes mainstream.

[Xuut]

There's four different types recognized by the Canadian government who span over various areas who are either extinct (Lake Ontario poplulation for example) endangered, or of special concern because at the rate they're going is unsustainable. They do include the types who eat (coho, sockeye, sockeye, Atlantic are all quite tasty and culturally acceptable). See here: http://www.sararegistry.gc.ca/search/advSearchResults_e.cfm?stype=s...  and sorry, misread a bit about threatened. but according to the US government http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/ESA-Salmon-Listings/Salmon-Populations/Inde... there's about 28 species of salmon, rockish, and bull trout that are either endangered or  threatened. 

Uh kind of. It kills the opportunity, basically. But in Canada so few people actually want shark fin (we don't buy a lot, you can infer as to why...) due to either a.) culturally, it's not cool or b.) it's too expensive or the sometimes odd c.) they don't like it. But it isn't bringing demand down very much/at all. I mean people in Ontario and still eating it and still want it and if they have the monetary means, they will get it. 

Everything offends everyone here. There are actually some people who think universal healthcare is the worst thing ever (yeah, because our southern friends down in the USA haven't proved that theory wrong -- and this isn't one or two, there's an entire political party here, the official opposition -- provincially ) and then we also have our crazy Quebec separatists who don't like anything that doesn't end in Quebec. No matter what Canadian government does, someone is going to be pissed off. 

My stance on her is incredibly biased (obviously), but I keep remembering when she did that, and I wanted to hit her. I think she is that type of person to do it to be a feel good internet crusader. 

These guys aren't exactly my favourite go to website but: http://veg.ca/content/view/62/101/ 

http://liberationbc.org/issues/humane#organic
http://www.chooseveg.ca/animal-cruelty-canada.asp

(They also want everyone to stop eating meat/animal by products in general so that gives you an idea how their information is displayed... Not the most reliable of sources, I'll admit)

And here is a lovely diagram showing the differences between free range, run, and organic and the standards the Canadian government sets for it (although as far as I know, only in 2 provinces) It's from a globe and mail article. 

Also, more organic = more land needed = less land for animals/wildlife. http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/04/26/organic-farms-need-for-more...

In the name of cheapness, it's easier to shove a bunch of chickens in a box, mass feed them, and wait till they get plump rather than free range. Same with cows. Bigger = more meat = more to sell = more money. 

Just because we have land doesn't mean that this doesn't happen. Like I said, people are selfish. They want money. Also, not every single meat product sold in Canada is actually Canadian produce. A lot comes from the US too. 

Here's to hoping for shark fin muscle templates then. 

[o0_flying high_0o]

This is late and no longer relevant but shark meat = flake= the most common type of fish for fish and chips which is very common in western culture (it's the lack of bones thing)

Western culture accepts the killing and eating of sharks. The issue is just when you chop off a fin and leave it to die slowly. 

[Nighthawk]

I think I might be bipolar. Mildly.
I've always had mood swings, but they haven't been serious since around Freshman year - which is when I started taking Adderall. I still get some mild manic episodes, or what seems like them, when I have a day to a week or more of being stuck on some brilliant idea I just came up with, then I lose interest. I don't get the depressed swings though, and I wonder if that might be due to the Adderall. I also get into a terrible mood where I'm angry at everyone for no reason after I skip one day on my meds, but this may just be an effect of the meds themselves. Bipolar disorder does run in my family, though; Mom has a cousin who takes Lithium.

This isn't exactly an issue as long as I continuously take my Adderall, though, if I do have it. Mild manic episodes are fun, especially when you come out of them with a brilliant piece of artwork or story idea or poem, especially when you don't go down afterward. Sometimes people tend to think I'm either high or insane, though. >.>

[Omega]

The Axis of Awesome are playing on breakfast TV. O.o

[EndOfTheEarth]

Thought so.

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/27/study-analytic-thinking-ca...

[Contradiction]

I'd like to hear the response to this by religious people who are not pundits or the comment trolls on the article.

[o0_flying high_0o]

Personally found the opposite. It's easier to tell yourself you don't believe, when things are really shitty. Analysing what I actually thought about all of that helped me to understand that yes I believe, while simultaneously acknowledging the lack of evidence, and meant I was more certain in my belief because, well, I'd challenged it and my belief won out.