There is a right way...

and a wrong way and what they're doing in Hong Kong is most definitely the wrong way.  What they're doing is killing thousands and thousands of sharks to get the shark's fin.  Shark fin soup is a delicacy with a price that usually means only the well-to-do get to enjoy it. 

Those in the business of filling this need catch sharks, remove the fin and toss the carcass overboard.  Estimates are that 70 million sharks are killed each year to supply the demand for their fins.  This is most definitely the wrong way.

The right way is how the stone crabs off the coast of Florida are harvested for their claws.  The crabs are caught in traps, and only if their claws are large enough to meet the legal standard are they removed before the live crab is returned to the waters.  The crab's claw will grow back.  72% of the crabs whose claws are removed will survive.  It isn't perfect but it's designed to sustain the species while allowing us to eat the delicacy.  The right way.

Six hours of effort yesterday and I am exhausted today.  Completely and thoroughly exhausted.  I was considering going to a movie today but there's a fair to middling chance that I might fall asleep in it.  Tomorrow would be a better day.

Things I'm pondering this morning besides the right way and the wrong way include:

How will the reboot of the TV series "Dallas" survive now that Larry Hagman has died?  Dallas without J.R. is a bad daytime soap opera, not a primetime drama.

Do we as a nation want to allow the continued practice of birth tourism?  Where women from other nations (usually China) come to the U.S. on tourist visas while pregnant, solely to gain U.S. citizenship for their newborn.  It's a widespread practice and these women and their families spend a lot of money to make this work for them.

Why did it take so long for the NHL and the NHLPA to reach the deal that's been reached?  How many of the little people like stadium ushers, concession workers and the like were seriously harmed by the loss of work?

So five inmates in Idaho are suing beer manufacturers for a billion dollars claiming that there should have been warning labels on the cans/bottles saying "warning, beer is habit-forming".  They're blaming the alcohol for their criminal acts.  How long will it take for some sane judge to toss this one?

Should we be worried that print news seems to be dying out?

The economics of gas stations that will give you ten cents a gallon off their regular price if you buy a $10 car wash.  Great deal if you have a 120 gallon tank in your car.

Do morons tell smart people jokes?

Will there be a hockey season?

Why do they call it cocktail sauce, when there's no alcohol in it?

Why is counting cards at blackjack considered cheating while counting cards while playing bridge considered a skill?

Why is it people want to ignore statistics that call their worldview into question?  You can skew statistics to some degree but some statistics prove a truth that can't really be called into question.  The fact that red comes up 19 straight times at roulette doesn't change the odds for the 20th spin.  But if 30 years of statistics shows that an illness has had a 25% mortality rate within one year, even with the improvements in treatment that new technology bring, it's highly likely that 25% of those diagnosed with the condition will die within one year of diagnosis, unless some newer, more effective treatment is found.  If there are 200 million guns in the U.S. and there were 35,000 gun deaths in the most recent year for which accurate numbers are available, you can't argue with the fact that at least 199,965,000 of the guns in the U.S. didn't kill anyone in that year.  Some numbers can be skewed.  Some can't.

Why do people who are told there was an error in a prior year tax return that resulted in them owing more money want to ignore it and hope it will go away?  There's no statute of limitations on when the IRS can choose to go after that money.  Penalties and interest just keep piling up.  So if you owe $500 from a year ago, why not pay it, so that you don't end up paying $3,000 three years from now?

Does dressing nicely really improve your chances of getting an on-board upgrade on a plane flight?  Why is that?

This Date in History:

On this date in 1205, Philip of Swabia becomes King of the Romans.
On this date in 1322, Stephen Uros III is crowned King of Serbia.
On this date in 1492, Phillip and Isabella enter Granada, completing the Reconquista.
On this date in 1540, Henry VIII marries Anne Cleves.
On this date in 1839, a storm ravages Ireland, destroying 20% of the homes in Dublin.
On this date in 1853, President-elect Franklin Pierce and his family are involved in a train-wreck.
On this date in 1907, Maria Montessori opened her first school and day care center.
On this date in 1912, New Mexico was admitted as the 47th state.
On this date in 1929, Mother Teresa arrived in Calcutta to begin her work with the sick and poor.
On this date in 1931, Thomas Edison submits his last patent application.
On this date in 1947, Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to schedule a round-the-world flight.
On this date in 1960, National Airlines Flight 2511 is destroyed in mid-air, killing all 34 aboard.  Evidence strongly suggests that a lawyer under investigation for fraud and embezzlement smuggled a bomb aboard to commit murder/suicide.
On this date in 1994, Jeff Gilooly became a household name due to the attack on the knee of figure-skater Nancy Kerrigan.
And on this date in 1920, the Reverend Sun Myung Moon was born, ensuring that thousands of men and women would end up married to people they didn't know at his mass weddings.