Unsportsmanlike Conduct.
In a world where children's hands are cut off with machetes, bombs explode in marketplaces and
young women are burned alive as punishment for affairs of the heart,
we can see that civilization clearly remains a work in progress.
One notable success: the rise of regulated athletic competition to take
the place of blood sport as mass entertainment. In Rome at the height
of its imperial glory, gladiators by the thousands fought to the death in
front of cheering crowds. They hacked one another with swords; they
were torn to pieces by wild animals. Most of them perished in near
anonymity, but some became idols.
Michael Vick, an NFL quarterback, was about to win $100 million or more. He risked sprains and
bruises instead of severed arteries and a crushed skull. His career might be measured in decades
rather than hours.
But Vick's dogs were not so lucky. On Aug. 20, 2007 he agreed to plead guilty to federal charges
stemming from his involvement in the blood sport of dogfighting. There are additional allegations that
he shot, hanged and electrocuted dogs that lost. He faces prison, the loss
of millions and maybe even the end of his career.
A number of people have argued that the punishment is far too harsh,
given that pit bulls have been bred over several centuries to fight and that,
after all, these are just dogs in a world where worse cruelties are suffered
by humans. And why should a killer of dogs go to prison while butchers of
pigs go to the fair?
All good points. The Vick case isn't about children or farming; it is about suffering and death as
entertainment. A modern gladiator, of all people, ought to know what's wrong with that.
1. What replaced the gladiators of the Roman era.
2. What did Vick do to dogs that were defeated?
3. Give two arguments that suggest that Vick’s sentence was too rough?
4. What is Vick’s case really about?
Dog Fights
People in favor of animals rights consider dog fighting to be one of the most
serious forms of animal abuse, not only for the violence that the dogs
endure during and after the fights, but because of the suffering they often
endure in training. For dog fighters, the more the dog suffers, the tougher he
will become, and the better fighter he will therefore be.
In addition to the controversial treatment a dog receives when he has
potential as a fighter, a losing dog or one whose potential is considered
unacceptable faces "being put to death by drowning, strangulation, hanging,
gun shot, electrocution or some other method".
Bait animals
"Bait" animals are used to test a dog's fighting instinct, and these animals are often hurt or killed in
the process. Trainers obtain bait animals from several sources: wild
animals, animals obtained from a shelter, or in some cases, stolen
pets. Sometimes the animals are also obtained through "free to a
good home" ads. According to the National Humane Society, the
mouths of bait dogs are wrapped with duct tape to prevent them
from injuring pit bulls being trained for fighting. Other animals,
such as cats and rabbits are also reported to be used as bait
animals. Experts say that small dogs, kittens, and rabbits are more
at risk of being stolen for bait than larger animals.
The real idea of baiting is to place an object or an animal that will
keep the dogs focus on it and place it in front of them while they
are on a treadmill being conditioned for their match. The benefit
of this is that it keeps the dog running longer than it would
normally without the bait.
1. Why is dog fighting considered the most serious form of animal abuse (2 reasons)
2. Why is it important that a dog suffer while training?
3. What are five of the things that can happen to dogs that lose?
4. What are “baits” and give me two reasons why they are used.
Hitchcock’s Masterpiece, The Birds
Vocabulary checklist
Find the meaning of the following words by using the context
Milestone
Hitchcock's film was a milestone: no one had ever tried to work with so many animals at once; and no one has ever used live animals so
effectively in a suspense film.
____________________________________
Although
Although thousands of untrained birds –sparrows, finches, buntings, seagulls, and ravens –were ultimately used, only 100-150 ravens,
blackbirds, and seagulls were trained for the film.
_____________________________________
Tame
Apparently, once the wild birds were tame, they lost their fear of humans and actually became "the birds," attacking members of the
cast and crew.
_____________________________________
Released
But for the first week after the birds were released, there were strange reports of seagulls landing on people's heads at the beach
_____________________________________
Plummeted
Hitchcock made a lot of enemies in pet shops with The Birds. After the film was released, sales of pet birds plummeted.
____________________________________________
Movie Genius – Alfred Hitchock and his
movieThe Birds
Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film The
Birds is one of the most famous
horror films ever made. The
special effects and soundtrack
the film are extraordinary for its time.
of
The story describes various kinds of birds that attack
the inhabitants of Bodega Bay, California (Sonoma
County), a seaside village.
Hitchcock's film was a milestone: no one had ever
tried to work with so many animals at once; and no
one has ever used live animals so effectively in a
suspense film.
How they did it:
Although thousands of untrained birds –sparrows, finches, buntings, seagulls, and ravens –were
ultimately used, only 100-150 ravens, blackbirds, and seagulls were trained for the film.
Of the trained birds, only 25 or 30 were well-trained; that's all they needed (Birds have a tendency to
follow a leader: so the well-trained birds lead the others wherever Hitchcock wanted them to go).
The small birds weren't trained-and they didn't have to be. In one convincing scene, for example, they
were just "dumped down a chimney."
Apparently, once the wild birds were tame, they lost their fear of humans and actually became "the
birds," attacking members of the cast and crew.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Years after the film was released, the secret of making seagulls look as
though were attacking humans was
released: The seagulls were taught to
land on people's heads whenever people
were standing still. And each time they
performed that stunt successfully, they
were fed.
In the film, the audience saw what looked like people
running down a street being chased by seagulls; in reality, the
seagulls were flying along with the people, waiting for the people to
stop moving so the birds could perform their trick.
As soon as Hitchcock yelled "Cut!" the actors stopped running and the birds landed on their heads -and
received their food rewards.
After the film was completed, the seagulls that had been used in the film were taken to the Pacific
shore and set free. Trained seagulls usually forget what they've been taught in about a week if no one's
working with them. But for the first week after the birds were released, there were strange reports of
seagulls landing on people's heads at the beach. No one believed the reports, of course-except the
people who'd worked on The Birds. And they weren't about to explain it to anyone.
AFTERMATH
Hitchcock made a lot of enemies in pet shops with
The Birds. After the film was released, sales of pet
birds plummeted.
Questions:
1. What is the film about?
____________________________________________________
2. Why was this film different from the others?
_______________________________________________________
3. Why was 25 trained birds enough to film the movie?
_______________________________________________________
3. How did they make seagulls “attack” people?
____________________________________________________________
4. What funny incident involving the seagulls happened after they finished filming the movie?
________________________________________________________________
Queen of Mean Leona Helmsley dies
Leona Helmsley, the billionaire New York City hotel operator and real
estate tycoon, died at 87. She had a flamboyant personality and had
a reputation for tyrannical behavior that earned her the nickname
"Queen of Mean."
The image of Helmsley was sealed when she snarled: "We don't pay
taxes. Only the little people pay taxes." She was convicted of federal
income tax evasion and other crimes in 1989 and served 19 months
in prison (and two more months in house arrest), after receiving an
initial sentence of 16 years. Helmsley died of heart failure at her
summer home in Greenwich, Conn., said her publicist, Howard
Rubenstein.
The thing is, however, she left an unusual will.
Mrs. Helmsley left Trouble, her 8-year-old Maltese, a fortune of $12 million (The dog itself was left to her
brother.)
Mrs. Helmsley left trusts of $10 million to benefit
her brother and trusts $5 million each to benefit
her grandsons David and Walter Panzirer, and
$100,000 to her chauffeur, Nicholas Celea.
To receive money from the trusts, the grandsons
are required under the will to visit the grave each year of their father, Jay Panzirer, Mrs. Helmsley’s only child,
who died on March 31, 1982. “If DAVID or WALTER fails to visit the grave during any calendar year, her or his
interest in the separate trust established for her or his benefit shall be terminated.” the will states.
Mrs. Helmsley specifically excluded two grandchildren, however. The will states, “I have not made any
provisions in this Will for my grandson CRAIG PANZIRER or my granddaughter MEGAN PANZIRER for reasons
which are known to them.”
Mrs. Helmsley, who was buried in her family’s mausoleum at Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, specified that the
mausoleum be “acid washed or steam cleaned at least once a year.”
1. Why was she called “The Queen of Mean”?
2. What did she say to make her earn a bad reputation?
3. Who inherited the majority of the money?
4. Who will take care of the dog?
5. What do the grandsons have to do to keep getting the money?
6. Why do two of her grandchildren will not have any money?