In the news

Skepticism General Skepticism
#1

Decided to start a new thread in which to post news articles that may be of interest, and may justify brief discussion but not necessarily entire threads. Here are two:

https://www.news24.com/World/News/china-tightens-rules-on-genetic-research-after-designer-baby-scandal-20190612

I well remember when the first “test tube baby” was also something of a controversy. Today’s scandal may well be tomorrow’s standard practice.

https://www.news24.com/Africa/News/zimbabwe-demands-right-to-sell-300m-of-ivory-to-fund-game-reserves-20190611

Good for Zimbabwe! Of course, in practice they’ll probably use the money to finance a new luxury car fleet for government ministers, but in principle the idea is sound. Is it perhaps time for southern African countries to simply walk out of CITES? There is no point if the organization has been taken over by animal rights nuts. In the meantime, all those elephants are causing absolute devastation to ecosystems and local communities alike…

#2

Hier gaat ons al weer - diereregtegroepe wat hulself suksesvol as bewaringsorganisasies voordoen:

En dit nogal in Vrye Weekblad, kwansuis 'n nuusblad wat ondersoekende joernalistiek voorop stel. Ook maar bly ek het nie ingeskryf nie…

#3

Daar is nou net 'n groep mense wat dink hulle kan goed “verbied”, in omtrent elke sfeer van die lewe. Maar jy kan niks waarlik “verbied” nie. Straf, kan jy. Maar net soos baie mense elke jaar vermoor word is daar geen verbod op enigiets wat al ooit 100% gewerk het nie. Iets wat sulke dwase NIE KAN VERSTAAN NIE: Hulle wil, spreekwoordelik, is nie wet nie. En net soos enige ander verbod kom hierdie ene ook met allerhande lekker by-probleme soos dat dit die prys van ivoor die hoogtes in jaag, jy moet olifante oppas met mini-weermagte, waar jy wel slaag kan die populasie nie beheer word nie… ens… Maak my mal. Nie net in hierdie geval nie, in omtrent elke ander geval… Van ons polisie wat dink hulle kan dronk bestuur bestry deur laër limiete in te stel… so asof die gevaar persone ooit gehou het by die bestaande limiet…

En die probleem is die waarheid, daar is nou net mense wat sukkel om dit waar te neem. Of, sal ek sê, dalk mense wat 'n probleem het met “messy reality”. Ek dink hulle kannie “cope” met 'n wereld wat nie perfek is nie. Enige oplossing wat nie 100% is nie, is vir hulle bog. “Facts be damned”.

#4

Ja, kyk nou bv. die boodskap wat ek van die plaaslike DA af kry, wat verslag doen oor polisie-optrede teen misdaad. Ek haal aan:

“Among the 552 people that were arrested during the operation, 369 people were arrested for possession of drugs and 174 were illegal immigrants.”

Mooi so. Uit 552 arrestasies, net 9 wat nie slagofferlose “misdaad” was nie. Geen wonder ons kry die regte misdadigers nie onder beheer nie. En in plaas van om die donnerse politikus in die straat uit te sleep en te skiet, word sy oorval deur gelukwensinge.

#5

Read and weep: animal rightists, in cahoots with CITES, are loving the tiger to death:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/07/wildlife-watch-news-captive-tiger-farms-trafficking-investigation-vietnam-laos/

#6

“Take a stand” for lions. You can guess what the stand is: put an end to “canned lions.” Even when the articles own frickin’ stats clearly and overwhelmingly indicates that the canned lion industry is in fact saving the species from extinction:

https://www.traveller24.com/Explore/Green/malawi-has-just-5-wild-lions-left-while-sa-has-more-lions-in-captivity-than-wild-ones-take-a-stand-for-africas-lions-20190810

#7

Dewayne Johnson Triumphant in Historic Monsanto Cancer Trial

The mere fact that a jury ruled in favor of the plaintiff can, alas, not tell us a thing about whether the stuff is actually carcinogenic…

#8

I’ve been aware that there’s been some controversy about “Roundup” (Glyphosate) recently and being acutely aware that the americans use it for EVERYTHING…

I did a cursory glance a while ago and there is some smoke there.

Now, whether Monsanto/Bayer KNEW this is another question…

#9

Decolonizing education some more:

https://brightthemag.com/heres-why-students-need-many-maps-to-understand-the-world-d3ba6507b9a9

#10

Wow, that’s relatively tame, I thought they’d go with teaching the spherical vs planar controversy…

But you can’t help but feel sorry for the poor schmucks who have in their heads that their lot in life is somehow tied to how they see a continent projected on a map. Like THAT is the real problem in their lives. I guess, being powerless to change anything of value, it helps to change trivialities as long as it keeps you feeling like you’re changing something. Anything.

#11

Bit like the ANC government solving the problem of poverty by changing street and place names, and improving education by turning “pupil” into “learner.”

#12

Saw this shite being spread around on Facebook:

https://help.four-paws.org/en-ZA/stop-lion-hunt

I gave them a piece of my mind, but I suppose it won’t do any good. Most likely they’ll just delete my comment, so they can keep on attempting to destroy more of the country’s remaining bits of economy.

#13

I am with you on this, but when I looked at the site, all I wanted was to sign up to save the lion. The reality, of course, is that there is not nearly enough wild space left of nature to do its thing. It is very bad for the individual lion to grow up on a farm and to be shot in a canned hunting episode. But this is excellent for the survival of the species. Without the money incentive, farmers would not farm with lions, simple as that. They would see the lion as a pest.

#14

Indeed. People get sentimental about lions, for who knows what reason. Because they’re cats? Because they’re perceived as “noble” animals? Don’t know, but I don’t see how slaughtering lions is in principle any different from slaughtering cattle.

I am old enough to remember a time when many species of crocodile were endangered because they were hunted for their skins. Then people started to farm crocs. Result: they’re no longer in danger from over-hunting. No one seems to have a problem with a croc-skin handbag either, presumably because crocs are not cute and cuddly like lions. But let’s not tell the animal rights nuts, because next thing they’ll try to get crocodile farming banned as well, in order to, er, “protect” the species.

Heaven protect the environment from the “environmentalists”…

#15

Being in the semi-formal sector myself, I’d be interested to hear comments on this:

Shattering the myth of high unemployment

#16

https://www.news24.com/Africa/News/southern-african-nations-threaten-to-quit-wildlife-trade-monitor-20190901

CITES has likely been taken over by animal rights nuts. We should probably get out while we still have rhinos and elephants left…

#17

Sigh. Want to conserve anything? Make it profitable.

I’m of the opinion that pragmatism hasn’t been seen in this sphere since at least when I was a child… even then I wondered why these bans were so stubbornly adhered to when, in effect, they DROVE demand for the very thing they were trying to protect.

Then again, I’m constantly surprised on a daily basis how few people actually understand even the basics of economics.

To whit: These guys are unwittingly following the “De Beers plan” to driving demand.