I am going to suggest 2 scenarios.
Think very carefully about them.
SCENARIO 1:
It is dusk on the wild plains of Africa. A member of a safari group walks beside a watering hole.
The next morning his body is found half submerged in the water.
Autopsy concludes: hippo attack.
He is mourned by friends and family.
The hippo and all his hippo friends continue to watch the waterhole bank, their beady eyes just above the waters' surface.
SCENARIO 2:
A holiday maker snorkels off a trendy beach resort, watching with amazement the wildlife hidden beneath the surface.
One of the larger members of that wildlife decides:
(i) Enough is Enough- you're in my house buddy and I want you gone
(ii) Makes a mistake
And kills him.
He is mourned by friends and family.
His murderer and all his friends in the area are killed, indescrimately, as fast as possible.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE????
The difference is simple. In Scenario 1, the animal responsible is just defending his territory, and the man should have known better than to go walking near a watering hole at dusk. It was HIS mistake. In Scenario 2, the animal responsible is a shark. A supreme killing machine without a soul, who kills without mercy anything it decides to. This killing demands revenge. The animal was at fault.
The recent shark attacks in the Red Sea have lead to Egyptian "conservationists" to go out and catch as many sharks as they can- to make the sea 'safe' for humans once again.
Yeah, that'll definately work. *end sarcasm*
We have no claim to the watery habitats on our planet. If we did, we'd still have the gills we used in the womb. If we cannot bring ourselves to stay out of these habitats (water is just one to which we are not suited), then perhaps we must accept that when we play with fire we will, eventually get burnt.
We are the dominant species on the planet and because of this we believe we have authority over all species. And it all comes down to economics. These innocent creatures are being murdered to ensure that people still go to the resort and spend their money. We're funny creatures- we won't go if there is a high chance of death (except maybe The Annual Suicide Fanatics trip of a lifetime).
If we keep on like this eventually we will have to put every animal on the CITES Endangered Species List, and eventually that will include ourselves.
We must decide before it is too late.
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
Thursday, 28 October 2010
There is nothing 'common' about a cold...
As I lie here, seemingly from my deathbed with one of my dad's old hankies taped underneath my permenately dribbling nose, I ponder the relevance of the term "The common cold."
If it was 'common' then we would know what to expect, but instead we get variations from a 'little sniffle and sore throat' to 'OH MY GOD I CAN'T BREATHE AND I WANT TO DIE!' The 'common cold' can even, in its more extreme forms, bring the non-religious to their knees praying for forgiveness and release from this most unholy of plagues.
You stay off work/school/college to prevent spreading your disgusting germs around. In actuality you stay home because you feel rougher than a sandpaper tampon and you couldn't give an arse about anyone else, and quite frankly, if you have to endure Bargin Hunt and Jeremy Kyle for days as your punishment, so should they be punished for being stupidly healthy.
The cold is a virus which means NOTHING WORKS against it (except maybe chocolate...and ice cream). You can take cold remedies until you become a partner in a pharmaceutical firm, none of it makes the blindest bit of difference. Each cold you get is different from the last. The virus works on mutation and natural selection but does so with huge speed compared to the human race. And when the final battle draws near, the human race will be doomed.
If it was 'common' then we would know what to expect, but instead we get variations from a 'little sniffle and sore throat' to 'OH MY GOD I CAN'T BREATHE AND I WANT TO DIE!' The 'common cold' can even, in its more extreme forms, bring the non-religious to their knees praying for forgiveness and release from this most unholy of plagues.
You stay off work/school/college to prevent spreading your disgusting germs around. In actuality you stay home because you feel rougher than a sandpaper tampon and you couldn't give an arse about anyone else, and quite frankly, if you have to endure Bargin Hunt and Jeremy Kyle for days as your punishment, so should they be punished for being stupidly healthy.
The cold is a virus which means NOTHING WORKS against it (except maybe chocolate...and ice cream). You can take cold remedies until you become a partner in a pharmaceutical firm, none of it makes the blindest bit of difference. Each cold you get is different from the last. The virus works on mutation and natural selection but does so with huge speed compared to the human race. And when the final battle draws near, the human race will be doomed.
Sunday, 7 March 2010
The Daily Mail- Toilet paper of the rough and itchy kind
The Daily "Fucking" Mail is stirring up trouble and scaremongering the British public yet again. This time it's the veterinary industry they have decided to moan about- something I know a little about.
It all began last year when there were a couple of poorly balanced 'documentaries' (and I use the term very loosely...) about vet who don't care about animals at all, just their pay packets. The DM has now published an article on how yearly boosters for dogs and cats are making our animals seriously ill and the vets are scaring animal owners so they can cash in. Most vets will tell the owner that a lump may form at the site of the injection and that the animal may be a bit lethargic for a day or so. No vaccine is 100% guaranteed or safe. One dog owner even claims that her dog has developed Autism from having his yearly vaccination. Autism is defined as "A pervasive developmental disorder characterized by severe deficits in social interaction and communication, by an extremely limited range of activities and interests, and often by the presence of repetitive, stereotyped behaviors." While I cannot guarantee that animals can not suffer from autism, how the hell do you tell? The owner claims that her dog is now aggressive and refuses to make eye contact. Maybe a behavioural issue? We do not fully understand autism in humans let alone understanding how an animal perceives the world. Perhaps there is something wrong with the dogs' brain with what he 'thinks', maybe he actually needs a vet? But of course vets are evil bastards who terrorise our animals and swipe as much money as possible from our bank accounts! Many people will have thought this for years and never had one of their animals vaccinated and 'they've always been really healthy'. Lucky you- you've obviously never had a puppy with parvo die in your arms as the vet struggle to put a drip in the bone because the puppys' veins have collapsed.
There are bad vets, just like there are bad doctors, bad nurses, bad social workers. Not everyone will sing to the same hymn sheet. However, I have worked with over 30 vets at 8 practices during my time as a nurse, and ALL of them work long hard hours flat out to give the animals the best care and treatment. If vets are evil why do they operate to save your cat/dog/rabbit at 2am, saving its life and giving it a blood transfusion despite having worked from 8am-7:30pm the day before and then having to work the full day again the next day? Evil and sadistic OR passionate and caring?
Then of course is the big argument on vets fees? Does anyone actually stop to think about how much it costs to run a veterinary practice? The NHS has spoiled us (and look at how much we moan about that!). My parents both have had cancer at some point in their lives. They are lucky enough to have private health insurance- the cost for both of the them was over £11,000 each. A very basic piece of equipment in my practice died this week- a centrifuge to spin down bloods samples before they are sent to external labs for testing- the cheapest new one we can find is over £800- for one very small, very basic but very essential piece of equipment. There is an eye cream called Optimmune which is very very good but the vets rarely dispense it although they would like to- because it costs the practice £40-45 for a 3g tube. You put a small mark up on it to make a profit (veterinary practice IS a business) and it costs the client nearly £50.
Medical treatment costs and if you aren't prepared to pay it or you know you can't pay it then maybe you should think twice about that cute kitten/puppy/bunny you've seen.
It all began last year when there were a couple of poorly balanced 'documentaries' (and I use the term very loosely...) about vet who don't care about animals at all, just their pay packets. The DM has now published an article on how yearly boosters for dogs and cats are making our animals seriously ill and the vets are scaring animal owners so they can cash in. Most vets will tell the owner that a lump may form at the site of the injection and that the animal may be a bit lethargic for a day or so. No vaccine is 100% guaranteed or safe. One dog owner even claims that her dog has developed Autism from having his yearly vaccination. Autism is defined as "A pervasive developmental disorder characterized by severe deficits in social interaction and communication, by an extremely limited range of activities and interests, and often by the presence of repetitive, stereotyped behaviors." While I cannot guarantee that animals can not suffer from autism, how the hell do you tell? The owner claims that her dog is now aggressive and refuses to make eye contact. Maybe a behavioural issue? We do not fully understand autism in humans let alone understanding how an animal perceives the world. Perhaps there is something wrong with the dogs' brain with what he 'thinks', maybe he actually needs a vet? But of course vets are evil bastards who terrorise our animals and swipe as much money as possible from our bank accounts! Many people will have thought this for years and never had one of their animals vaccinated and 'they've always been really healthy'. Lucky you- you've obviously never had a puppy with parvo die in your arms as the vet struggle to put a drip in the bone because the puppys' veins have collapsed.
There are bad vets, just like there are bad doctors, bad nurses, bad social workers. Not everyone will sing to the same hymn sheet. However, I have worked with over 30 vets at 8 practices during my time as a nurse, and ALL of them work long hard hours flat out to give the animals the best care and treatment. If vets are evil why do they operate to save your cat/dog/rabbit at 2am, saving its life and giving it a blood transfusion despite having worked from 8am-7:30pm the day before and then having to work the full day again the next day? Evil and sadistic OR passionate and caring?
Then of course is the big argument on vets fees? Does anyone actually stop to think about how much it costs to run a veterinary practice? The NHS has spoiled us (and look at how much we moan about that!). My parents both have had cancer at some point in their lives. They are lucky enough to have private health insurance- the cost for both of the them was over £11,000 each. A very basic piece of equipment in my practice died this week- a centrifuge to spin down bloods samples before they are sent to external labs for testing- the cheapest new one we can find is over £800- for one very small, very basic but very essential piece of equipment. There is an eye cream called Optimmune which is very very good but the vets rarely dispense it although they would like to- because it costs the practice £40-45 for a 3g tube. You put a small mark up on it to make a profit (veterinary practice IS a business) and it costs the client nearly £50.
Medical treatment costs and if you aren't prepared to pay it or you know you can't pay it then maybe you should think twice about that cute kitten/puppy/bunny you've seen.
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