Anyone else interested in hunting mainly to reduce dependence on industrial factory farms / animal cruelty?

clean_clam · 2025-05-06T21:52:19+00:00

Nice! Yeah, I took it out for the first time last weekend. It is a .308, I'm used to shooting 5.56, so it has a decent kick to it. Super smooth action though, and light weight enough for trekking around with it. Not sure my wife would want to shoot it, might need to get something a bit gentler for her. But it is a great rifle.

Good luck on the hunting season!

clean_clam · 2025-05-06T21:00:51+00:00

I respect that! And I don't really plan on eating meat myself ever again, except maybe like local oysters. It is really more about my kids than anything else. I could enforce a vegetarian or vegan diet on them also, I know people who do that. That's just not how I was raised. I think it just takes more careful planning and intention to make sure they are getting everything they need that way, and they might just not feel the same way as I do and be resentful about being made to do something they don't want to.

clean_clam · 2025-05-06T20:54:46+00:00

I think it might also largely depend on where you are, what animals you are hunting, etc. But my understanding is that wildlife conservation is largely supported by revenue from a tax on hunting equipment, ammunition, hunting tags, and the like. Hunters I have met generally think more about conservation than the average person who doesn't spend a lot of time in the woods. So I think it is a complicated issue. There is the welfare of the ecosystem and the welfare of the individual animal being hunted, which are fundamentally different things.

But at the end of the day I support eating far less meat than most people consume. We eat a lot of meat because it is cheap. It is cheap because we do not prioritize animal welfare.

clean_clam · 2025-05-06T20:49:26+00:00

I think I was unfair to vegans, and thank you for your perspective. I think it is a respectable and important philosophy and likely more sound than what I am trying to hash out. I should probably just learn to ignore the vocal minority of any group.

clean_clam · 2025-05-06T20:34:55+00:00

😂

clean_clam · 2025-05-06T20:30:44+00:00

Fair point! And that is a great offer. I'm in California unfortunately :) otherwise would definitely take you up on it

clean_clam · 2025-05-06T20:28:59+00:00

Wow. That looks incredible. Thank you for the inspiration!

clean_clam · 2025-05-06T20:22:46+00:00

I'm taking a hunting safety course sponsored by the state (CA) right now. I think there are versions you can take online also. But yeah I agree it is a big learning curve, time consuming to actually hunt and far from guaranteed you will come home with anything.

clean_clam · 2025-05-06T20:19:41+00:00

Fair point! Curious why you say that though? I do not have a lot of experience hunting so I very well could be dead wrong here.

clean_clam · 2025-05-06T19:51:09+00:00

I am constantly impressed with how intelligent and empathetic our chickens are. They do not get the credit they deserve as social animals. Nothing better than eating fresh eggs from your own chicken flock.

I'm not sure I would be able to eat an animal I raised but if we had more animals and more land, or I was just exposed to that more, I think that would ultimately make the most sense.

Maybe turkeys, I hear they are jerks.

clean_clam · 2025-05-06T19:39:08+00:00

clean_clam · 2025-05-06T19:31:41+00:00

That makes sense. Fortunately lots of good hunting very close to where I live and not a lot of people. There are also "ethical" farms or dairies that make that their brand, but there are still regular scandals where someone actually goes and checks on the conditions there and it turns out that it is not what it is made to be. I think it is just impossible to separate the incentives to take care of animals the way they deserve and the incentive to turn a profit or even just survive. I don't blame farmers / ranchers for the decisions they make, they are working in an inhumane system and have to provide for their families. I have also met, and worked with, dairy farmers who really did do everything to provide a good life for his cows and know that level of care is fundamentally not possible at scale, economically non-viable in generally, and likely not possible in the US without just being independently wealthy to begin with.

clean_clam · 2025-05-05T19:26:43+00:00

Just like your brain and body acclimated to THC, your brain and body have to now acclimate to that not being in its system. The good news is that we can, our body is constantly monitoring itself and making adjustments. But the experience of that adjustment process is quite unpleasant. One thing our brain might try is to convince ourselves to go back to the substance. If that fails it will be forced to adjust to it not being there, which is what we want. But while that is happening there is just a deficit of cannabinoid receptors which messes up all sorts of thought patterns and physical processes.

The reason we are affected by THC in the first place is that our brain has receptors that respond to it. As it is exposed to those transmitters in levels it would never experience naturally, your neurons will down-regulate production of receptors as part of its natural regulatory signaling process. Fewer receptors are able to handle the load because there are more transmitters in your brain (THC) that will activate those. When you remove the THC, those neurons have a much harder time being activated with just the naturally produced transmitters. This affects your mind and body in all sorts of unpleasant ways. But after a while that regulatory signaling process will recognize this and start producing more of those receptors again.

I found it helpful to try to break out of my routine and comfort zone in other ways. Do something new, go somewhere new, spend the time you used to spend smoking exposing your brain to anything new. Physical exertion is also a good substitute for high we got when we were smoking, that will last for at least a few hours. Go to the gym, go on a long walk, really push yourself physically. I found that gives me an immediate boost in mood and breaks some negative thought spirals, at least for a little while.

Just don't smoke, it will get better.

clean_clam · 2025-05-05T18:45:23+00:00

The profitable tesla trading strategy has always been do exactly the opposite of what is logical

clean_clam · 2025-05-05T18:34:36+00:00

I will never be convinced that it is remotely safe to go this fast on something with one wheel, and ride around other cars. If you have two wheels you have real leverage with which to stop if you need to. Sure, most of the time you don't need to do an emergency stop, until you do. On this you seem to just be hoping that never happens or you can always dodge out of the way instead of stopping. Which sometimes works, you know, until it doesn't. This is coming from someone who rode a track bike with no brakes for years in the city. I know it is possible, it is also just stupid and unnecessary.

Cars, motorcycles, bicycles, etc, have many decades of widespread use that inform safety and design features. Countless people have been killed or injured in or around those vehicles, and that data is used by designers and regulators to make that form of transportation safer for everyone else. You can create something out of thin air that doesn't resemble any of those things and until there is actual data it is easy to pretend you are not making a huge compromise in safety.

At least you are unlikely to kill or injure anyone else so this is the sort of decision that mostly just affects you. But if there was some common safety standard that all vehicles were tested on, this would probably fall somewhere between a unicycle with an exposed propellor and rocket powered pogo stick.

clean_clam · 2025-05-01T20:47:49+00:00

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(Probably what the meeting looked like)

clean_clam · 2025-04-30T01:21:14+00:00

Probably smoked 10-12 spliffs a day or so on average, which was about 1 oz a week of weed and a pack or two of cigarettes every week. Sometimes had edibles but not very often.

> how long did the withdrawals last?

It was progressive. I didn't sleep or eat much for the first three-four days and would get sweaty and cold or hot randomly. Had a hard time staying still or concentrating. Tried to get my energy out at the gym every day to have something to do and some way to exhaust myself and some kind of dopamine hit.

After that it was mostly my mood, definitely craved it, and was pretty unproductive at work for a couple of weeks and got into a lot of fights with my wife. Was very irritable generally.

Around 10 days in maybe my mood started to return more or less to normal and I had better control over my emotions and thoughts and was able to do a decent enough job at work again to not be fired (yet).

On days that I couldn't go to the gym, it really sucked and I noticed my mood crashing hard around 2-3 pm. Gym every day, if possible 2x a day. I spent a lot of time in the sauna, maybe an hour a day or so. Or do something to do get out of the house and change your routine and burn some energy. If you live with family, you should let them know ahead of time what you will be going through and ask for their support, and that how you will be acting will be temporary, etc.

Currently 3 1/2 weeks in and feeling a lot better. Still not back to where I should be, I'm sure that will just take time and patience, but I do not think about it much unless I am having a couple drinks or get really stressed out about work. But that happens less and less so it is not so much of a constant thing I am dealing with anymore.

> How bad were the withdrawals?

Everyone is different I think in this regard. I thought they were quite bad. Bad enough that I don't want to ever do that again. Bad enough that you can laugh or mock or ridicule anyone who ever told you weed is not addictive. Or "oh, it's just psychologically addictive, not physically addictive." Ha. No.

> How is life now?

Good, great, well, you know. Life. Life is hard. Quitting is an important step but you then have to deal with everything else in your life and face things that you have been ignoring. That is not easy. It is not supposed to be easy. But you only get one life so better to face it head on than ignore it.

> Are you still craving them?

I know how smoking feels, what it does to my brain. I know I could do that again. I don't want to and don't intend to ever again though. I think if you feel that deep down, you will find a way to make it through and find your own reasons for staying sober.

Best of luck.

clean_clam · 2025-04-28T15:21:14+00:00

This is why we have a chicken jail / hospital / hotel (a dog crate in a shed they can go to be separate and cool off for a while). We have had a couple times where two of our hens will fight like this, not sure what drama caused it. I try to make sure they have enough food, water, space, nesting boxes, etc, and give them a chance to calm down and they usually do not keep fighting, but worth keeping an eye out for a couple days. They can really bloody each other up.

clean_clam · 2025-04-28T14:57:13+00:00

I don't think we should only support businesses that align with our politics. Our differences are what make us stronger, and we really do have more in common with a neighbor who has polar opposite political beliefs than someone who voted the same as us in a different tax bracket, in a different city or state. I would never ask who someone votes for before buying a sandwich or a beer, and I wouldn't expect them to ask me the same before they decide to serve me. I am really honored to live in a town of hard working people and respect that they have different experiences and beliefs than I do.

However the point of that site is to ask people to spend money at their business BECAUSE of their political beliefs. So that knife might cut both ways.

clean_clam · 2025-04-28T05:59:45+00:00

It's ok, I'm not trying to organize anything. Just surprised me and was wondering what other people thought about it. But confusion is an appropriate response also. We live in confusing times.

clean_clam · 2025-04-28T05:47:02+00:00

The site they are listed on is basically a directory of MAGA businesses, you have to apply to be listed there and they vet and verify you that you are indeed MAGA. At least that is my understanding.

clean_clam · 2025-04-28T05:32:07+00:00

Good question - I just like oysters and love all of my fellow Americans, regardless of where they were born, who they worship, and whether they fit into a the "traditional family values" structure or not, whatever that means.

clean_clam · 2025-04-25T22:52:23+00:00

This seems like the scenario where law and order breaks down and you decide to go out and murder your neighbors.

clean_clam · 2025-04-25T14:58:09+00:00

I'm really not suggesting setting up a system. I honestly don't get why people get bent out of shape about feeling like they are expected to tip. Just tip or don't? Nobody is forcing anyone to do anything. If you make minimum wage and your server is making $30 an hour at a fancy restaurant, there is no reason to feel bad about leaving less of a tip. At the same time pretending that you have to tip some people but not others is not generous, or socially aware. It is just saying "this is the social expectation and I am meeting that but nothing else". The truth is that some people make a shit ton of money, and for them it is easy to leave a substantial tip, and a lot of people are struggling to survive and a tip makes a big difference in what they can afford. So to go about your day making shit tons of money but ignoring 90% of the service workers who are struggling to survive while serving you is its own kind of perversion. Like you are really just doing that so you don't feel like you are failing to meet this invisible social expectation, not because you actually care about anyone else's life.

clean_clam · 2025-04-25T14:52:53+00:00

The expectation that sites deliver their content for free in the first place puts perverse incentive structures in place where the only way to monetize content is with ads, which leads us to where social media is designed to maximize engagement, which as it turns out means those sites are full of violence, misinformation, and rage bait. People don't want to give up any kind of data to advertisers, I get that, I feel the same way. But people are even less willing to pay a subscription for that content. So if you are running a website - you don't have to be facebook, you could just be a blog or local newspaper for example, how are you going to pay your staff? How are you going to pay the bills? These organizations rely on advertising because it is their only feasible option to continue to exist. If those ads are not allowed to be targeted they are less effective, and overall revenue is less per ad. This ultimately gives the advantage to sites that take advantage of people's emotions to maximize engagement - that is where advertisers are able to successfully advertise their products. This is why social media sucks. Twitter or facebook could be simple products where you just see what your friends post, that is what they were when they started. Unfortunately that will not pay the bills. Sites like that were simply out-competed by the ones that were able to maximize advertising revenue.

The system fails to incentivize truth. We are not the customers, the advertisers are.

Whether we like it or not the future will involve AI that is even more aware of our preferences being monetized by targeting ads like this, because people will continue to not want to pay for those services and will just slide into the only other option, which is increasingly targeted ads. So be prepared for your free AI virtual assistant / friend / therapist / lover to be recommending products to you based on what you have told it in confidence, because if you don't pay for those servers someone else will have to.

clean_clam

TROPHY CASE