Have another vat of meat dear....

[Patrick]

Artificial meat grown in vats may be needed if the 9 billion people expected to be alive in 2050 are to be adequately fed without destroying the earth, some of the world's leading scientists report today.

But a major academic assessment of future global food supplies, led by John Beddington, the UK government chief scientist, suggests that even with new technologies such as genetic modification and nanotechnology, hundreds of millions of people may still go hungry owing to a combination of climate change, water shortages and increasing food consumption.

Whilst general knowledge would acknowledge a certain amount of truth in this - I'm always a bit sceptical - because it's the sort of study the GM companies use to strong arm Governments into giving them more commercial freedom - usually unregulated. The question should be asked - do we give them that freedom or put in place a framework of checks to make sure they don't abuse their position. Sadly, I reckon before long everything will end up Genetically enhanced - probably by pollen transference. Then the bio-tec firms can hold the World by the balls and give them a good squeeze when they want more money. A bit like the oil cartels do today. It wouldn't surprise me if the two don't get together as the oil runs out.

[riotgrrl]

We're becoming accidentally vegetarian somehow. We only seem to have meat with our dinner about twice a week- but this was not deliberate, it just happened.

I heard somewhere that if everyone in the world became vegetarian it would be possible to feed everyone from the world's resources, but meat is so resource-intensive that, so long as we continue to eat meat, we won't be able to feed the world's population.

I don't really see a vegetarian future however - your Germans, your Serbs and the like . . they wouldn't stand for not having their sausages and big lumps of meat on the bone. They're very carnivorous your middle & eastern European types.

[Deleted]

MY main issue with vegetarians is the flatulance. Especially those who eat that 'Quorn' stuff. pure evil it is.. never smelt anythink like it. it cant be right.

[everso]

We eat meat or fish most days, but we're not big meat eaters. If I have a steak it's only usually quite a small one.

The thing is, if the whole world became vegetarian we'd never see cattle, sheep or pigs again would we? Unless, of course, we continue to drink milk and eat butter, cream and cheese. In which case what do we do with the male calves after birth? We wouldn't want to raise them as it would be a waste of resources. We'd have to keep a few, I suppose, in order to breed more cattle but most of them would have to be slaughtered. On the other hand, keeping cattle going in order to continue to drink milk kind of defeats the object of the whole exercise, doesn't it?

So, we become vegans?

[alanseago]

Aug 16, 2010 10:27:22 GMT @costal said:

MY main issue with vegetarians is the flatulance. Especially those who eat that 'Quorn' stuff. pure evil it is.. never smelt anythink like it. it cant be right.

Costal, those millions of enzymes, microbes and other micro-organisms that digest your food for you dont like too much roughage or cereals. It gives them gas indegestion. That is where yours comes from; I think they have a sense of humour.

[Alpha Hooligan]

Efficiency and progress is ours once more,
now that we have the Neutron bomb
It's nice and quick and clean and gets things done.

Away with excess enemy.
But no less value to property.
No sense in war but perfect sense at home--

The sun beams down on a brand new day
No more welfare tax t' pay
Unsightly slums gone up in flashing light.

Jobless millions whisked away.
At last we have more room to play.
All systems go to kill the poor tonight.


Just sayin'...


AH

[riotgrrl]

Aug 16, 2010 17:31:48 GMT Alpha Hooligan said:

Efficiency and progress is ours once more,
now that we have the Neutron bomb
It's nice and quick and clean and gets things done.

Away with excess enemy.
But no less value to property.
No sense in war but perfect sense at home--

The sun beams down on a brand new day
No more welfare tax t' pay
Unsightly slums gone up in flashing light.

Jobless millions whisked away.
At last we have more room to play.
All systems go to kill the poor tonight.


Just sayin'...


AH

"Kill The Poor" Dead Kennedys

They used to be my favourite band. I remember seeing them live round about 1979/80 in Tiffany's (now The Garage). Actually, they weren't that good live.

(Same venue I saw Spandau Ballet, the Damned, Echo & The Bunnymen.)

A few years ago Gothboy and I went to see Jello Biafra doing his spoken word tour. God he was dull, dull, dull . . and sanctimonious as hell. I went right off him.

[Alpha Hooligan]

And there is the other alternative if food is getting short in supply...




AH

[aubrey]

Soylent Green is just soya and lentils in the book (apparently simple overcrowding wasn't scary enough).

Another book is The Space Merchants by Fred Pohl and CM Kornbluth. In that there is a huge vat of ever growing synthetic meat that is constantly harvested, called "Chicken Licken." Dam' fine book, that. I mean, really really good.