It Wouldn't Be Hallowe'en Without...

The Captain is NOT happy!

The Captain is NOT happy!

On Tuesday, Terry Thompson, owner of a wild/exotic animal rescue farm, opened the cages of some 50 of his wards, releasing them on the unsuspecting town of Zanesville, Ohio, then killed himself.

At the end of the day today, only a macaque -that's a monkey- is still unaccounted for, and some suggest it may have been eaten by one of the big cats.

Sing with me: "The circle of life..."

But seriously...

For the safety of the human population, the police ordered "shoot to kill".

Among the dead:
     -18 Bengal Tigers (of which there are only 1,400 remaining in the world)
     -17 lions
     -six black bears
     -one baboon
     -two grizzly bears
     -three mountain lions
     -two wolves

Jack Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, said the carnage looked like "Noah's Ark wrecking right here in Zanesville, Ohio."

Of course we blame the imbalanced Terry Thompson, who released the animals.

But he's dead now. God rest his soul.

So we must find someone else to be angry at.

Consider this: in Ohio, one must hold a license to own a dog or cat, but apparently anyone can own a Bengal Tiger!

Go figure!

Sheesh!

It's a sad day on the Banana Winds.

The Captain is not happy!



"Toro!"

On Friday, matador Juan Jose Padilla was gored during a bullfight in Spain’s northeastern city of Zaragoza. At a key moment, the senior matador slipped in the sand. The 1,120-pound bull, Marques, was quickly on top of Padilla, forcing his massive horn through the matador’s jaw and out the eye socket.

You can see the graphic video on YouTube (here),

Padilla suffered eye, bone, muscle and skin damage, is now blind in one eye and paralyzed down the left side of his face – but vows to fight again.

Crazy? Or courageous?

Hmmm... a 150-lb. man armed with a cape and a sword vs. a 1,200-lb. enraged bull armed with two horns and four hooves.

Goring is fairly common in the sport of bullfighting. See my blog (here) from last year about the goring of matador Julio Arpicio, another dramatic goring from which the matador survived.

The last goring-related death was in 1985. In fact, because of the sport, Spain has a cadre of leading surgeons who specialize in goring.

Some say the sport is cruel and sadistic. Others insist it is a national tradition that should be cherished. The argument has been going on for centuries.

--In November 1567, Pope Pius V issued a Papal Bull (ironic, isn’t it?) condemning the sport.

--Eight years later, Pope Gregory XIII rescinded that edict.

--In 1991 the Canary Islands banned bullfights, and in July of last year Catalonia imposed a ban, to go into effect in January 2012.

Ernest Hemingway, a bullfight aficionado, wrote, "Bullfighting is the only art in which the artist is in danger of death and in which the degree of brilliance in the performance is left to the fighter's honour." (Death in the Afternoon, 1932)

Unlike the “Running of the Bulls” in Pamplona – in which drunk tourists run ahead of the bulls to the bullfight ring – these matadors are professionals. They are not drunk, and they are not coerced. In fact, they have trained since childhood for the privilege of entering the ring.

They know the danger. It’s not just a “possibility” – they look it in the eye.

The slightest mistake can cost you your life...

...or worse!

Opponents (taking the side of the bull) claim it is barbaric and cruel. The protests are growing.

Okay, the public staging of hundreds of beautiful, naked women pretending to be dead bulls is probably not the best way to make your point though.

True, the bull is taunted and tortured for 20 minutes before being put to a swift death. The beef is later shared with the community.

But is that any worse than what happens at your local slaughterhouse?

This future steak has been transported in a cramped tractor trailer over hundreds of miles and is about to be “stunned”. Then it is strung up by its hooves, gutted and skinned. Activists insist that some of these cows are still alive when this is done to them.

Still want that hamburger?

It seems the divide on the bullfight issue today falls mainly along generational lines. Older Spaniards are in favor of keeping the ancient traditions alive; younger Spaniards are opposed.

Count me with the traditionalists.

No, you probably will never find me at a bullfight. Then again, you won’t find me at a boxing bout… or UFC… or NASCAR...

Yes, some go just hoping for a collision! 

But I won’t interfere with those who want to participate in these sports or those who want to watch.

Finally!

Finally! Someone has taken a comprehensive look at Marriage in the Bible and explains it in a way I think we can all understand!



(click here to enlarge)