|
|
Post by DE Sinclair on Jun 9, 2016 13:22:55 GMT -5
I want to start off by commending everyone for dealing with a topic that was bound to cause disagreements in a reasonable and adult fashion. One minor quibble with your comment above though, you mention the "legal act of shooting an animal" in regards to hunting in general, which is quite true when done in the proper season and with the proper permits. In reference to the dentist & lion in Africa, however, it wasn't legal as the lion was on wildlife preserve and was supposed to be off-limits. I realize you may not have meant to say that the killing of the lion was legal, but I just wanted to clarify. As to my feelings about hunting in general, I understand the need to use it as a tool to control certain wild game populations, but it's not something that I've ever wanted to do. I'm far too soft hearted where animals are concerned. I accidentally ran over a squirrel many years ago (he ran directly under the car and I had no chance to stop or swerve) and I still feel bad about it. Still nothing justifies death threats to the dentist, but the investigation of possible charges and public protests at his business are clearly fair game, so to speak. DE, I believe that it was actually legal... There are reports that Cecil the lion was lured out of the wildlife sanctuary by the guides organizing the hunt. Charges against the dentist were dropped (if they were ever raised, I haven't checked) because he had all the required permits and so this act, no matter how much we may disapprove of it, won't land the guy in jail. Trophy hunting is an activity I disapprove of mightily. Perhaps a hunter could explain why it's all right, but personally I see a world of difference between hunting for meat (even if one enjoys the hunt itself) and hunting to get a lion's pelt in one's living room. As for western hunters who justify killing a giraffe by saying they ate it or gave the meat to a local village, I can only say this : if you truly hunted for meat, you'd go for deer in your local Virginia. As for the villagers in Zimbabwe, they're fully capable of hunting their own giraffe if they need one. I may have misremembered the final outcome. I know that the country was considering charges against him, but eventually dropped the matter. Obviously I don't know the laws there and luring a lion off of a sanctuary may have been legal, but it certainly violates the intent of the sanctuary. So it may have come down to a conflict between legal and right, which are not always the same thing. Also I agree with you on the difference between trophy hunting and hunting for meat (though few people in the US really need to hunt for food). Here in Wisconsin deer hunting is big every fall, and people get the deer processed for venison (which is ok, but I can easily live without it) so at least it isn't totally just for the fun of blowing Bambi away. But that is part of it, which is really not for me. |
|
|
|
Post by Roquefort Raider on Jun 9, 2016 14:01:06 GMT -5
I may have misremembered the final outcome. I know that the country was considering charges against him, but eventually dropped the matter. Yes, they did demand that he be extradited before eventually withdrawing their request. Cecil was a star in the wildlife sanctuary and his death was a national tragedy. I believe the two guides may still be facing charges, though. Absolutely! Of course they can all claim that they did not lure the lion away from the sanctuary... it's kind of hard to prove. In any case, it's a grossly inappropriate act, I fully agree. So true. And so frustrating. I couldn't hunt mammals either (birds I don't know... I somehow wouldn't feel so bad hunting a duck or a turkey). On the other hand I do eat meat, and I agree that it's better for an animal to live free until it is killed than to be treated like an industrial commodity until it is finally processed; certain images from poultry or hog farms are like visions of hell. Oooh, the dialectic contradiction!!!! |
|
|
|
Post by The Captain on Jun 9, 2016 15:29:56 GMT -5
As Rob Allen did, I'm going to shift gears to something in my day-to-day life that makes me SHM...
I'm an insomniac and frequently find myself up early in the morning, staring at the ceiling and wishing I could just fall back asleep like a normal person. Since I also hate to waste time, I have, on many occasions, just gotten up and gone to the grocery store (the one I usually shop at is a 24-hour establishment) to do my shopping.
During those pre-dawn and just-dawn hours (say 5:00 AM - 7:30 AM), this store in question always has only one register open, that being the manned express lane, and even though they also have four unmanned express lanes and five unmanned "long" lanes available, those are never open. If I'm just grabbing a handful of items, it's not a problem, as I easily fit into the normal flow of the express lane, but on those occasions when I have a full basket with my normal weekly shopping, I feel guilty about having to use the express lane, particularly when the line behind me starts to back up and I see that the folks there are just grabbing a box of doughnuts, an individual-sized bottle of orange juice, or a pre-made deli sandwich, as they are most likely on their way to work and they are now forced to wait.
If the technology is available to avoid that situation, so as to allow me to move at my own pace, but more importantly, to not inconvenience folks who only have one or two items, why on earth would they not have at least one of those unmanned "long" lanes open? There's always someone in the office who could assist with any problem, so as not to pull the cashier away from the express lane, and it would eliminate my sleep-deprived shopping from getting in the way of others who may actually be in a hurry.
|
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 9, 2016 19:15:58 GMT -5
As Rob Allen did, I'm going to shift gears to something in my day-to-day life that makes me SHM... I'm an insomniac and frequently find myself up early in the morning, staring at the ceiling and wishing I could just fall back asleep like a normal person. Since I also hate to waste time, I have, on many occasions, just gotten up and gone to the grocery store (the one I usually shop at is a 24-hour establishment) to do my shopping. During those pre-dawn and just-dawn hours (say 5:00 AM - 7:30 AM), this store in question always has only one register open, that being the manned express lane, and even though they also have four unmanned express lanes and five unmanned "long" lanes available, those are never open. If I'm just grabbing a handful of items, it's not a problem, as I easily fit into the normal flow of the express lane, but on those occasions when I have a full basket with my normal weekly shopping, I feel guilty about having to use the express lane, particularly when the line behind me starts to back up and I see that the folks there are just grabbing a box of doughnuts, an individual-sized bottle of orange juice, or a pre-made deli sandwich, as they are most likely on their way to work and they are now forced to wait. If the technology is available to avoid that situation, so as to allow me to move at my own pace, but more importantly, to not inconvenience folks who only have one or two items, why on earth would they not have at least one of those unmanned "long" lanes open? There's always someone in the office who could assist with any problem, so as not to pull the cashier away from the express lane, and it would eliminate my sleep-deprived shopping from getting in the way of others who may actually be in a hurry. This definitely sounds like a management failure. I don't do that sort of thing very often, but I worked a swing shift for a while when I was in college and used to hit a couple of 24 hour grocery stores on off hours. Generally their would only be the one lane open, but on the odd occasion they were actually busy or had someone with a big order they would call someone up to open up one of the other express lanes. |
|
|
|
Post by The Captain on Jun 15, 2016 20:32:59 GMT -5
Took my family to a local amusement park today. It is a family-friendly place, not a thrillseeker destination or big corporate endeavor, just a nice little place with some rides, a waterpark, and a very old-time, laid-back feel. While there, I had two SMH moments that really made me think about how my wife and I raise my daughters, particularly how we model our words and behaviors for them to ensure they known how to act in public and speak to others.
The first occurred when we were waiting in line for the bumper cars. The line wasn't long and had been moving pretty well, so we were maybe standing there for maybe 5 minutes when all of a sudden, the cars stopped moving on the floor. The operator, high school or maybe freshman in college age, went out onto the floor and looked at the situation, got on his walkie-talkie, then stepped up to address those of us waiting in line. He explained that something had happened with the power to the pavilion and that he was going to need to shut down the ride for a little while so that maintenance could fix the problem, but he said that it was a pretty easy fix and that the ride should be back up and running in 10 minutes or so. Right in front of us was a 12 or 13 year-old girl (barely older than my older daughter), and when she heard this, she looked the operator in the eye and said "Screw you." Her mother, standing right behind her, stepped up into her daughter's face immediately...and said "Exactly" before the two of them stopped off in a snit, complaining that they had been waiting a whole 5 minutes and had wasted all that time when they could have been doing something else.
The second happened about 15 minutes later as we were waiting in line for the carousel. This same girl and another similarly-aged girl walked past the line, and in a very loud voice, this little peach said "Of course all the old people want to ride this" before they took their places at the back of the line. Both my wife and I heard this and we looked at each other aghast, as there were a number of grandparents with their grandchildren in line ahead of us, and I cannot believe any of them didn't hear her.
The level of disrespect this tween nightmare showed to others who had done nothing wrong other than to exist was just frightening and left me SHM for the rest of the day.
|
|
|
|
Post by The Captain on Jun 15, 2016 20:35:50 GMT -5
My 8 year-old informed me the other day that her best friend, also 8 years old, wanted Donald Trump to be president because "Hillary Clinton lets babies die in their mommy's bellies."
One need not guess where she heard that from, and unfortunately, those people each get a vote in November. SMH...
|
|
|
|
Post by Roquefort Raider on Jun 16, 2016 7:30:22 GMT -5
My 8 year-old informed me the other day that her best friend, also 8 years old, wanted Donald Trump to be president because "Hillary Clinton lets babies die in their mommy's bellies." |
|
Wild Card
Full Member
I'm out of my mind; But trapped inside my head!
Posts: 390 
|
Post by Wild Card on Jun 19, 2016 12:18:51 GMT -5
As Rob Allen did, I'm going to shift gears to something in my day-to-day life that makes me SHM... I'm an insomniac and frequently find myself up early in the morning, staring at the ceiling and wishing I could just fall back asleep like a normal person. Since I also hate to waste time, I have, on many occasions, just gotten up and gone to the grocery store (the one I usually shop at is a 24-hour establishment) to do my shopping. During those pre-dawn and just-dawn hours (say 5:00 AM - 7:30 AM), this store in question always has only one register open, that being the manned express lane, and even though they also have four unmanned express lanes and five unmanned "long" lanes available, those are never open. If I'm just grabbing a handful of items, it's not a problem, as I easily fit into the normal flow of the express lane, but on those occasions when I have a full basket with my normal weekly shopping, I feel guilty about having to use the express lane, particularly when the line behind me starts to back up and I see that the folks there are just grabbing a box of doughnuts, an individual-sized bottle of orange juice, or a pre-made deli sandwich, as they are most likely on their way to work and they are now forced to wait. If the technology is available to avoid that situation, so as to allow me to move at my own pace, but more importantly, to not inconvenience folks who only have one or two items, why on earth would they not have at least one of those unmanned "long" lanes open? There's always someone in the office who could assist with any problem, so as not to pull the cashier away from the express lane, and it would eliminate my sleep-deprived shopping from getting in the way of others who may actually be in a hurry. I'm so sorry you have to experience this. At my store, we have three lanes open all night. One is a 20 items or less. The second is the mandatory tobacco lane with 10 items or less. The last is the self check area with half the machines on and it's also 20 items or less. People approach me often while I'm manning one of the three and they look so guilty and upset and concerned because they've got a whole cart load. And I assure them that it is no problem. And it isn't. As a cashier, I want to assure you that between the hours of 10pm and 7am I only have a few concerns. That you, the guest at my store, have had a pleasant shopping experience, found everything you needed without much hassle that we can provide, and to get you through the transaction without delay so that you can be on your way. To me, this is regardless of whether approach me with a single item in your hand or three cart loads following behind you. And most of the cashiers I know feel the same way. I know it's hard to not feel guilty about "holding people up" because, believe me, me too. I've been there. I go there often. I now do my grocery shopping at night because I know the people working. And I feel bad being in that 10-20 items or less with this poor guy behind me holding a loaf of bread who happened to get in line right after the cashier rang up my first item. But also, seriously, that store does need another lane open at least. Lots of people shop at night, like full on shop for monthly groceries. It would helpful to have a lane for them and stuff. Again, I'm real sorry this happens to you  |
|
|
|
Post by The Captain on Jun 29, 2016 19:10:19 GMT -5
So, I'm driving through the next town over today and what do I see hanging from a pole out of a second-floor window above the sidewalk along their main street?
Now, before you guess, be advised that the town in question is in a state that fought on the side of the Union in the Civil War, and also know this town also has a fairly sizable black population.
Yup. A Confederate flag, being publicly displayed from an apartment window in the state of Pennsylvania in the year 2016.
SMH...
|
|
|
|
Post by Gene on Jun 29, 2016 19:26:39 GMT -5
So, I'm driving through the next town over today and what do I see hanging from a pole out of a second-floor window above the sidewalk along their main street? Now, before you guess, be advised that the town in question is in a state that fought on the side of the Union in the Civil War, and also know this town also has a fairly sizable black population. Yup. A Confederate flag, being publicly displayed from an apartment window in the state of Pennsylvania in the year 2016. SMH... It reminds me of a former coworker that would go on and on about not letting anyone stop him from showing his Southern pride. I never had the heart to tell him that being from the south side of the city isn't the same as being from the actual South. |
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Jun 29, 2016 19:47:35 GMT -5
So, I'm driving through the next town over today and what do I see hanging from a pole out of a second-floor window above the sidewalk along their main street? Now, before you guess, be advised that the town in question is in a state that fought on the side of the Union in the Civil War, and also know this town also has a fairly sizable black population. Yup. A Confederate flag, being publicly displayed from an apartment window in the state of Pennsylvania in the year 2016. SMH... I saw one hanging from a house in a fairly affluent part of Twin Falls, Idaho not so long ago. This is pretty much as far from the Old South as you can get. All I could do is shake my damn head. |
|
|
|
Post by dupersuper on Jun 29, 2016 20:35:57 GMT -5
So, I'm driving through the next town over today and what do I see hanging from a pole out of a second-floor window above the sidewalk along their main street? Now, before you guess, be advised that the town in question is in a state that fought on the side of the Union in the Civil War, and also know this town also has a fairly sizable black population. Yup. A Confederate flag, being publicly displayed from an apartment window in the state of Pennsylvania in the year 2016. SMH... I saw one hanging from a house in a fairly affluent part of Twin Falls, Idaho not so long ago. This is pretty much as far from the Old South as you can get. All I could do is shake my damn head. Maybe they're just huge Dukes of Hazzard fans...? |
|
|
|
Post by Roquefort Raider on Jun 30, 2016 5:35:50 GMT -5
I have had it with the paranoia of certain Quebec separatists. Not the run-of-the-mill ones whose basic tribal attitude is par for course, but the highly educated ones who seem to take offense at historical events more than a century old. Yesterday there was one in a (very interesting) talk show who claimed that Quebec had suffered a grievous slight when its territory was extended to the north to include Ungava bay, but not far enough to include the islands a bit higher on the map. He saw in that move a deliberate attempt to cut the province from access to the sea, to keep it enclaved.
I really wanted to tell him to chill out. That happened in 1912. The only people living out there are Inuits who don't care at all whether the Whites who draw lines on maps are from Ottawa or Quebec. The province still has plenty of access to the Atlantic ocean, and in any case any provincial border dictated by the federal government would have been seen as unsatisfactory by the sovereignists.
But try telling that to someone whose politics are almost a religion...
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2016 8:45:51 GMT -5
Confederate flags are not surprisingly fairly common down here (Montgomery was, of course, the first capital of the Confederacy; Jefferson Davis was sworn in as president a couple of miles from my house), but I like to think most people with functioning brains roll their eyes (mentally if not physically) at them. For me, that happened most recently about a week ago, when I noticed a flag decal (along with some other, shall we say, questionable stickers) on the back of a pickup truck in a downtown restaurant. If I got out more I suspect that sort of thing would happen much more than once a week.
I've noted before that the flag per se, like the very idea of the Confederacy per se, doesn't really bother me (& like a lot of white people around, I know I had at least one great-grandfather in a Confederate regiment) ... but the sensitivity of others, especially those descended from slaves, is more than enough for me to believe it needs to be left in the history books where it belongs. Even setting ideology aside, there's such a thing as politeness & the consideration of people's feelings -- supposedly a hallmark of Southern culture, or at least its good parts. And that's not even mentioning how outright white supremacists have seized on the symbol.
|
|
|
|
Post by Roquefort Raider on Jun 30, 2016 9:11:43 GMT -5
And that's not even mentioning how outright white supremacists have seized on the symbol. That, to me, is the most relevant point. That flag is now pretty close to Nazi Germany's in terms of what it symbolizes in today's society, and to most onlookers anyone waving it is not saying "I am proud of my southern heritage" but "I hate n****s". |
|
