OK, a few things to link today.

   On a sad, depressing note: Richard Wright, keyboardist for Pink Floyd died yesterday from cancer.  Son of your mother!!!!! He was only 65?!?!?!?! GAAAH! I honestly sat here for 5 minutes, at work, and did nothing as I tried to digest that he was gone. In my heart I hoped that the Floyd would tour one more time. Now it won’t happen.

   Second thing is a link that Ben sent to me about the effect of eating rotting, decaying flesh on the environment and global warming. Here it is.

   I will echo Ben’s sentiment when I say “DO IT BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO!!!!!!”

   Now I will propose something to reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses being expelled that is so shocking in its simplicity that it will confound, stymie and otherwise make your cognitive functions grind to a smoking, shuddering, wheezing halt: we make people pay full price for the carcasses they consume. So, no government subsidies to animal torturers, no water benefits, no tax breaks, no anti-defamation laws (which by the way are illegal. What happened to the first amendment? Free speech and all that...). People pay the full price for their putrefying skin and muscle. If they want it, they can pay for it.

   If they had to do that, there would be no more meat industry, because the cost would rise so high that it would be unattainable to anyone, even Bill Gates. Know why? Because if you factor in the cost of land that has been destroyed by grazing, and the water pollution caused by the feces (ßI changed that word from what I had there previously. You should be proud of me for my restraint.) of cattle being hosed in to our waterways, and the air pollution from the fossil fuels burned, and the methane from cow farts, there is no unreasonable price that could be set. I don’t know about you, but I like having clean air to breathe, and clean water to drink. Can you put a price on that last lungful of air you just inhaled? How about when you are thirsty, but all you could get is a glassful of tap water that has fecal particulates and bovine antibiotics in it? Sounds great, doesn’t it?

   If they want it, they can pay for it. Oh, the cost is priceless? I guess you won’t get your burger then, will you?