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Not that my opinion is worth anything more than anyone is paying for it, but I think this Michael Vick dog-fighting thing is way overblown, and frankly smacks of racism, or at least cultural chauvinism.

Omnivores have ceded the moral highground already. While you might be able to mitigate the impact with "cruelty free" products, ultimately you've declared that the health and well-being of animals is not your number one priority, and that it takes a back seat to your culinary and possibly fashion desires.

As far as I can tell, these animals are bred so that they are born to love to fight. And while I'm not happy to hear about them being killed for failure in the ring or other reasons, they are hardly the only dogs out there whose lives are nasty, brutal, and short thanks to how humans have treated them.

I don't like dog fighting, I don't like the mistreatment of animals for entertainment, but in a world of boxing and factory livestock, I can't see that it should cost Vick his job or years in jail.

(Evil B. pointed out an odd resemblance between the Vick situation and the structure of that beloved kids' favorite Pokémon, which is a bit like dogfighting, albeit with fictional, imaginative creatures who just get knocked out if they lose.)

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Convos of the Moment
Man, I don't IM as much as I used to, and so there's a bit less funny in my life.

Recently though I got the chance to talk to Sarah, who also happens to be a newish mom...

sarah: his lordship is definitely having high maintenance time right now... keeps kicking arm... hard to type this way...as he is lolling on other arm... naptime looms tho... so will be back
kirk:It's too bad that they can't encase babies in, say, a comfortable block of swaddling lucite.
kirk:with appropriate drainage holes
kirk: and the head free at top
sarah: that would be most helpful

OK, not hilarious, but I like the idea of "swaddling lucite".

Also, I have a modified screenshot I once set to my coworker Rob... for some reason in the IM client his messages were showing up with a rainbow and fluffy cloud backdrop. (I think some kind of system default, not his choice.) I'd post it, but I think the screenshot with a crudely drawn arrow and "HA HA U R GAY ! !" moused in via paintbrush might not actually put me in the best light, despite my ironic intent.