Monthly Archives: May 2011

Tears for Von Trier?

I think people have attacked Lars von Trier’s comments about Jews and Hitler during the Cannes Film Festival for the wrong reasons. What he first said at the press conference was: “I thought I was a Jew for a long … Continue reading

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The Big Cats by Way of the Little Cats at Home

I am trying to come to terms with “violence” in different species, other than humans. The big cats obviously come to mind. Nobody would deny that we kill them in enormous numbers, and they kill us hardly at all. But … Continue reading

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Do Animals Get Depressed?

I re-read William Styron’s 1991 “tale of horror,” Darkness Visible about his deep depression in the 1980s. I could not help thinking, as I was reading, the big cats don’t get depressed… sharks don’t get depressed… elephants don’t get depressed. … Continue reading

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Shark Attacks: What’s the Truth?

Sharks The great white shark is only one of 375 species of shark, most of them harmless. Only thirty species of sharks have ever been known to attack people, and most of those attacks are by just three specific kinds: … Continue reading

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The Lobster and Me

I wandered into a seafood restaurant to make a call when I looked into an aquarium. There was a large lobster (and since lobsters continue to grow with age, this large one was perhaps 50 years old), waving its tentacles … Continue reading

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