Gyroscopic Investing

How about, if you are going to take another life, have some reverence for it (as Tortoise indicated earlier). And perhaps do your best to insure that it lived a good life while living and that it died a humane death.

BearBones wrote: How about, if you are going to take another life, have some reverence for it (as Tortoise indicated earlier). And perhaps do your best to insure that it lived a good life while living and that it died a humane death.

It's probably worth pointing out that, at least in the case of beef, only one cow needs to be slaughtered to feed one person for a very long time. Even if a person eats something like two pounds of beef every day (far more than most people eat), a single full-grown cow weighting 2,000 lbs. yields about 1,000 lbs. of meat, thus feeding that one person for almost a year and a half (or alternatively, over 100 such people for several days).

I know that for a lot of people opposed to meat-eating, fewer deaths doesn't necessarily make it better--any death is too much for them. But I still think it's important for people to understand that a completely new cow does not need to be slaughtered every time one of us orders a hamburger. Not by a long shot.

BearBones wrote:

RuralEngineer wrote: Where to draw the line on the consumption of animals is incredibly subjective and personal...

I personally draw the line at animals that show evidence of being self aware.  Anything else is game...

Good a line as any, I guess. But it is still choosing that which we most closely identify with being human-like, right? What if others chose to draw the line at blue eyes and blond hair? Should government stay out of that?

If someone finds a way around the current laws preventing murder, assault, victimizing the mentally impaired, or desecrating a corpse, then I say happy munching.  The prion diseases will limit the behavior eventually.

BearBones wrote: How about, if you are going to take another life, have some reverence for it (as Tortoise indicated earlier). And perhaps do your best to insure that it lived a good life while living and that it died a humane death.

An excellent rule. I know the people who work on the farm where I get my grass fed beef. The sister of my vendor is a vegetarian! She figures if people are going to eat meat, she may as well help this outfit and not ... ConAgra. ( http://jenningsfarm.webs.com/ ) I have seen the animals frolicking on the website (ok, not with my own eyes). The vendor is currently in search of a new butcher and doesn't want to make them travel too far, "because it would upset them." This is a caring outfit.

BearBones wrote: How about, if you are going to take another life, have some reverence for it (as Tortoise indicated earlier). And perhaps do your best to insure that it lived a good life while living and that it died a humane death.

Akin to the Native Americans, about a year or so ago I adopted a practice of giving thanks to the nameless animal's spirit before I consumed the fleshy goods.  It was not a snap decision due to embarassment, shame or whatever you want to call the reluctance, but happened quite spontaneously after thinking about it now and then over a long period of time after reading about someone else doing that.

I think being conscietious and aware of karma is all we can hope for when it comes to killing other life.  The cold, uncaring universe has a sick and warped sense of humor.

I have been systematically trying to get my co-workers to butcher their own meat for several years now.  Not only does it reduce expenses, it also brings peace of mind due to your involvement in the preparation and sanitation of the process.  The extra bonus is that it gives you an appreciate for the animal, particularly if you slaughter it yourself.  I consider the pain I feel when I slaughter an animal I've raised as part of the exchange.

Do you buy whole carcasses from a butcher or hunt them or something? Home butchery is pretty rad. My wife has been looking to get into it but we just can't find a good local butcher!

in some places there are mobile butchers you can hire, who come to your property with a well equipped butcher-shop in a truck who will do the job on site, clean quick and no animal transportation before or after. plus you can watch (if you are inclined) to make sure it is humane..

Experts in philosophy, conservation and animal behaviour want support for a Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans.

They believe dolphins and whales are sufficiently intelligent to justify the same ethical considerations as humans.

Recognising their rights would mean an end to whaling and their captivity, or their use in entertainment.

The move was made at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Vancouver, Canada, the world's biggest science conference.

It is based on years of research that has shown dolphins and whales have large, complex brains and a human-like level of self-awareness.

This has led the experts to conclude that although non-human, dolphins and whales are "people" in a philosophical sense, which has far-reaching implications.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-17116882

Author Steven Rinella (Meat Eater: Adventures from the Life of an American Hunter) is going to be on the radio in a few minutes.
Jealous. Maybe if I hunted my own meat, I would butcher it.

I hunt deer and always encourage people to butcher their own venison because it's so easy. My father raises beef cattle and while we no longer raise hogs, we purchase one from a neighbor every fall. I raise goats and am starting a small flock of hair sheep for meat purposes next year. Many farmers will let you butcher on their property if you purchase an animal from them. One of my Muslim coworkers butchered a steer and goat just a week ago in this fashion.

When I was a kid, my father took me and my siblings to a local cattle farm to watch a calf get slaughtered. His intention was to turn us off to meat-eating forever. (He's a pretty staunch vegetarian.) We watched the guy shoot the calf with a rifle between its eyes, then he hung it upside down by its hind legs and slit its throat to drain all the blood out. There was a lot of blood. Then they sliced the calf open and put all the organs on a table, etc.

It was pretty traumatizing for me, but I think two weeks later I was eating hamburgers again. Time heals all wounds.

[quote=http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/ ... CT20150520]Japan's association of zoos and aquariums said on Wednesday it will stop buying dolphins taken in a controversial hunt made famous in an Oscar-winning documentary, possibly raising pressure to halt the annual event Japan says is a tradition.

The hunt, featured in the 2009 film "The Cove," involves driving hundreds of dolphins into a cove in the western port town of Taiji. Some are taken alive for sale to marine parks, some are released and the others are killed for meat, turning the water red with blood.

Japan was told a month ago that it faced losing membership of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums unless it stopped buying dolphins from Taiji.

The loss of membership would mean Japan would lose access to zoo animals such as elephants and giraffes from overseas. Some officials decried what they said was "bullying" over the hunt.

Kazutoshi Arai, head of the Japan Association of Zoos and Aquariums, told a news conference a majority of members voted to stop buying the dolphins from Taiji, but made clear the choice had been made reluctantly.

Japan maintains that dolphins and whales are an important marine resource and should be hunted sustainably.[/quote]