The Cellar - Conundrum

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- - Conundrum (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=16016)

well turn around and you'll only be 1/4 of the way around the world. ;)

I found this news article and wanted to share it. It didn't seem to merit its own thread, and this is the best fit I could find, since it combines animal rights and bureaucracy gone completely bloody stupid.
Don't get me wrong - I have quite a bit of time for animal rights, but this is just silly.

Quote:

Toilet home 'may have traumatised' compost worms

A New Zealand inventor has been forced to defend the use of worms in a composting toilet he has developed after officials became concerned that the creatures might become traumatised by the procedure.

Coll Bell was told to get an expert's report on the mental impact on the tiger worms being used after an official became concerned during a site visit.

He says the official felt that the worms were being unfairly treated, being expected to deal with human faeces, and that it could affect them in a psychological way.

Mr Bell was told he had to get someone with the necessary qualifications to say the worms were happy.

A vermiculture consultant was called in and she has found the worms are in excellent health and breeding happily.

- AFP

How the hell are you supposed to tell if worms are happy or not? Traumatised? Content? Mildly bored? Ecstatic? I can barely tell the head from the arse, and that's only when they move.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZenGum (Post 417065)

How the hell are you supposed to tell if worms are happy or not? Traumatised? Content? Mildly bored? Ecstatic? I can barely tell the head from the arse, and that's only when they move.

I don't think worms have the capacity to be any of the above. I believe the fact that the worms have a life at all is probably the highest fulfillment of wormhood possible.

lol "wormhood" lol - eat sleep shit - isn't that all they do?

Geez, pretty soon we'll be asking the plants if we can take the fruit from their limbs, pick their flowers or collect seeds from the ground.

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicman (Post 417163)

lol "wormhood" lol - eat sleep shit - isn't that all they do?

Do they sleep?

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicman (Post 417163)

lol "wormhood" lol - eat sleep shit - isn't that all they do?

sounds like a baby to me...

Worms don't scream loudly at random times for no apparent reason, though.
At least, not that I've ever seen. Anyone?

Quote:

Originally Posted by classicman (Post 417163)

lol "wormhood" lol - eat sleep shit - isn't that all they do?

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce (Post 418452)

Do they sleep?

Geez - I have no idea now that you mention it - somebody call research and get them on it. We need to know.

Apparently, they do.

Quote:

David Raizen, MD, PhD, of the Department of Neurology is a CSRN clinician scientist who is extending the findings in fruit flies to an even simpler animal known as Caenorhabditis elegans, a soildwelling round worm. He has identified a quiescent behavioral state that like sleep in humans and mice is controlled by the activity of circadian genes and that cannot be bypassed, just as sleep cannot be bypassed in humans.

Hmmmm...don't worms live best in compost? Isn't that like heaven to worms? So much food, so little time...ooops...time to shit...oh well, better start eating again...ooops...time to shit....ZZZzzzzzz...better start eating again...ooops...time to shit...etc etc etc...

They don't even have to worry about being eaten by birds!

Bumptiy bumpity bump.

So, what ever happened with those danged carp, then? Ali?

I'm waiting with baited (spelling deliberate) breath!

I'd forgotten about this thread.

I can't remember the exact details now, but the relevant authorities basically agreed that the fish should be destroyed at the end of her experiment. Something along those lines.

Common sense prevailed I guess.

So they ended the work with a fish fry and beer.