Letters by Boz

Sino-Sadism

The current issue of The Economist features a short piece on the inhumanity towards animals that is rampant in China, as well as the very small movement arising to change the situation. First, how badly are animals treated in China?

Animals are treated dreadfully in Chinese farms, laboratories, zoos and elsewhere. There are grim factories where thousands of live bears in tiny cages are tapped for medicinal bile. At safari parks, live sheep and poultry are fed to lions as spectators cheer. At farms and in slaughterhouses, animals are killed with little concern for their suffering.

    Reformers face an uphill battle. Primitive folk medicines often require substances found in rare animals, leading to the wanton slaughter of endangered species such as tigers. Pathetically, a common reason Chinese men seek out these remedies is because they hope to enlarge their penises. Sorry, but to borrow a phrase from an old malt liquor ad, dead tigers ain't goin' make yo jimmy thicker. Still, brave souls are trying to change things.

According to Zhou Ping, of China's legislature, the National People's Congress, few Chinese accept that animals have any rights at all. She thinks it is time they did, and in 2006 put forward China's first national animal-welfare law. Her proposal got nowhere, and there is no sign of progress since. “There is so far”, she says, “only a small voice calling for change.”

Campaigners are not discouraged. Jill Robinson, a Briton, spends most of her time in Sichuan province, caring for bears rescued from bile farmers, who are compensated in return for shutting down their operations. She says support from local young people is rising fast, and attitudes are starting to change. If China can stop binding women's feet, she asks, why should it not abandon cruelty to animals?

    It is very sad that China, a nation which gave the world the beautiful, nature-friendly philosophy of Taoism, now is known for environmental degradation and barbarism towards animals. And of course, a fair amount of barbarism directed at their own people as well. But they get to host the sham spectacle of the Olympics, so I guess they're an OK country after all, right? Maybe the Olympic Committee will honor their host nation by featuring  the disgusting Chinese sport of horse-fighting! From the  Daily Telegraph:

To start the horses fighting, a mare in heat is usually presented to the animals and quickly removed.... Horses that do not immediately engage in battle are whipped, or gunshots are fired to provoke them. The stallion left standing is declared the winner.

    Shockingly, these fights are "even included on some tourist itineraries in parts of the country."

Maybe as China gets richer, things will change for the better. Sadly, I'm not holding my breath (though I would if I were in smog-ridden Shanghai!), Incidentally, as a longtime Hawaii resident, I am proud to report that local actress Maggie Q. is very active in trying to change attitudes about animals in China. Good for her! And more importantly, good for China's animals! (By the way, Maggie was great in the last Die Hard movie.)

Fireworks=Dead Pets

A news story from Honolulu's KHON provides yet another reason for Hawaii (and any sensible state in the union) to ban the private use of fireworks.

A late night fire in a Waikele garage severely damaged a home, and killed two cats. The home owner says the fire started after used fireworks ignited a wooden work bench in his garage.... [Homeowner] Randy Dixon said, "We brought three cats out here we thought they were dead. And they gave them oxygen. They cut off bottle tops to make little masks and stuff for them. And brought three out of five of them back to life.".... All thanks to neighbors.... Sherry Dixon owns a pet boarding business. Seven of the nine cats lived, but two boarded pet cats died.”

So the irresponsible, immature actions of someone's neighbors led to a two unfortunate dead cats. Gee, was it worth it, pyros? Is hearing things go BANG! and watching the shiny colors worth the lives of innocent animals?

Ex-Con on Football Team? Shocking!

I just learned that the quarterback for the University of Hawaii football team is a convicted felon. The player, who sports the rather gay pornstar-sounding name of Colt Brennan, previously attended the University of Colorado, but “was kicked off the football team after a woman made accusations against him. Brennan was convicted of burglary and trespass for not leaving her dorm promptly and was sentenced to seven days in the Boulder County jail. Sexual assault charges were dismissed.”
  Is anyone really surprised to hear about some college football jock involved with crimes against women? Consider this information gleaned from Infofacts Resources: College Athletes and Alcohol and Other Drug Use:

    “In a study of victims of sexual aggression at a large midwestern university, male athletes were greatly overrepresented among the assailants described by the women surveyed. Though men on sports teams were less than 2 percent of the total male population on campus, they made up 23 percent of the attackers in sexual assaults and 14 percent in attempted sexual assaults.”
    “At another university, an anonymous survey found that men on varsity, revenue-producing teams, such as football and basketball, self-reported higher rates of sexually abusive behavior.”
    “Gang rapes on campus are most often perpetrated by men who participate in intensive male peer groups that foster rape-supportive behaviors and attitudes. One review of 24 alleged gang rapes found that in 22 of the 24 documented cases, the perpetrators were members of intercollegiate athletic teams or fraternities.”

Yet for some reason people consider these thugs to be heroes and role models?

New Year's Eve in Hawaii

What is New Year’s Eve like in Honolulu? Rather hellish, actually. While it is easy to imagine the clock striking midnight on a lovely evening in the tropics, with cool tradewinds blowing fresh air and the only sound that of palm trees rustling, the reality is quite different. New Year’s Eve on most parts of the island of Oahu means unbearable noise, dangerous air pollution, and occasional fires.
    Why? The state of Hawaii foolishly does not ban the private use of fireworks. Hawaii does not ban fireworks even though many homes here are wooden and can easily go up in flames. Hawaii does not ban fireworks even though housing lots are very small and people often live in very close proximity the one another, increasing the risks of accidents and property damage. Hawaii does not ban fireworks even though face masks have to be given out to asthmatics and those with respiratory problems because the air gets so thick with smoke it can cause serious health issues. Hawaii does not ban fireworks even though many people have to work New Year’s Day and lose a good night’s sleep because of the noise. Hawaii does not ban fireworks even though the debris pollutes our fragile ecosystem. Hawaii does not ban fireworks even though they terrify people’s pets and can lead to deaths in the wild bird population. Hawaii does not ban fireworks even though there is no sane reason not to.
    “How about tradition?,” assorted pyromaniacs will surely ask. Well, what about it? A tradition which serves a purpose and is a net good to society is worth maintaining. This criteria does not apply to the act of playing around with small explosives just so you can watch the pretty colors and feel impressed at your noisemaking ability. If you want to enjoy the primitive, simplistic thrill of a fireworks display, go watch one put on by professionals. It will be better than anything you could do in your driveway anyway.