I've read enough about the fishing industry that not a lot in it was new to me, but the documentary was still fascinating because visually a lot of it is gorgeous, and the interviews with the scientists were really interesting - all these profs with data at their fingerprints saying "it doesn't matter what the Chinese government says, the charts show that 90% of the fish are gone, and that's the truth!"
The only real quibble I have with it is a very brief stat they give, saying that 10% of the fish brought up out of the ocean by those deep sea trawlers are bycatch that just get thrown dead back into the water. I've read other books where that number is much much higher... as in 1/3 of the fish (and dolphins and turtles and whales) pulled out of the water get thrown back dead. I'm curious about where they got the 10% number from.
P.S. another great thing to watch regarding the state of the oceans is a TED talk by Sylvia Earle: Protect Our Oceans.
Sarah Palin both exasperates me and amuses me. Her biography Going Rogue: An American Life is now out, and of course she takes a shot at vegetarians:
Besides addressing her views on the McCain campaign and the media, Palin, a passionate Alaskan hunter, takes aim at vegetarians. Palin states, “If any vegans came over for dinner, I could whip them up a salad, then explain my philosophy on being a carnivore: If God had not intended for us to eat animals, how come He made them out of meat?”
The accommodating host went on to explain, “I love meat. I eat pork chops, thick bacon burgers, and the seared fatty edges of a medium-well-done steak. But I especially love moose and caribou. I always remind people from outside our state that there's plenty of room for all Alaska's animals -- right next to the mashed potatoes.”
Is she really such a simpleton?
a) the "right next to the mashed potatoes" line just makes you groan because that's a joke that has been on T-Shirts for at least ten years now.
b) The article I link to above mentions that Palin actually identifies herself in her book as a carnivore. A carnivore, Sarah? Really? A carnivore? Not an omnivore?
c) The most annoying thing is that this groan-inducing poke at vegetarians will appeal to a huge swath of American voters, and might even make them vote for her. Can't you just see Joe-Bob in Texas chuckling over the "right next to the potatoes" joke and going "God I like that Palin, maybe I'll even vote for her in 2012."
If gets the republican nomination, and actually wins the presidency, maybe the world will end in 2012.
5 comments:
God didn't intend for us to eat meat - that's why He kindly provides the subtle hints of heart disease and cancer. He's sneaky that way.
As a cancer sufferer recently switched to a vegetarian diet, I tend to differ with Palin and Gods plan for us.
For course it does make you wonder. If God didn't love fools so much, why did he make so many of them?
I've had that same thought about 2012 ;-)
Have you watched this video? It would be amusing if it weren't so terrifying.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/23/palin-supporters-struggle_n_367800.html
I'll check out the documentary sometime soon. Thanks for the heads-up.
-Jen
Well, I know where I won't be dining! The salad would probably be made of rusty iceberg and doused in Caesar, anyway.
Also, I love this blog! I found you by hitting the next blog button about a dozen times.
She's playing that "down-home girl" thing to death. I don't even see what's appealing about it. The jokes are unoriginal (like you say, the stuff of t-shirts and bumper stickers) and not funny. The worst part of it is that there's a whole demographic out there who will line up to hear what she says, then take it like gospel because she's said it. There's no second-guessing, fact-checking, or critical thinking.
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