Be Nosy
Re: Discomfort Zone by Fawn Germer
I liked the stories on the people out there protecting our right to access public information. It is sickening to think that our crooked politicians are getting away with their effort to close our right to records, a little bit at a time. What bothers me is that so many citizens see the people who nag for access (i.e., the press or the "gadflies") as a nuisance rather than the great crusaders they are. The earlier column that told us how to get information for ourselves is something I have copied and given to a lot of other would-be gadflies who don't know what they can get. Thanks for enlightening us.
Al Rimmons
Tampa
Cruelty to Captives
Re: Lion attack at Busch Gardens
The lion who bit off a zookeeper's arm at Busch Gardens wasn't simply hungry; he was most likely just frustrated and fed up with life in captivity.
Lions and other exotic animals kept in cages often go insane from the lack of exercise, companionship and mental stimulation. They are deprived of their natural instincts to hunt, roam and socialize with other members of their species. Some captive animals pace neurotically or frantically claw at cage bars. Others, having succumbed to relentless boredom, show little interest in anything. Many "retired" animals are sold at auction and bought for use in canned hunts or even by slaughterhouses for "exotic" meats.
Frustrated animals frequently lash out at their "jailers" and attempt to escape when they get a chance. Big cats and other exotic animals have injured or killed several individuals in numerous attacks at circuses, zoos, roadside exhibits and breeding facilities.
Being on constant display is no life for a big cat — and it's dangerous. For more information on animals in captivity, please visit WildlifePimps.com.
Heather Moore
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Clarification
The name of the Ballast Point Fitness & Wellness Center, formerly the Interbay Community Center, has been changed to the Joe Abrahams Fitness & Wellness Center, in honor of the late Abrahams' many contributions to the city of Tampa. All yoga classes currently cost $4 and are purely for exercise purposes. In no way to they suggest or promote any spiritual dimension whatsoever. An article in our May 15 Summer Guide contained a combination of the old names of the center, was not entirely clear on the prices and may have suggested that there might be some spiritual teaching going on. We stand deeply humiliated and humbly chastised by a supercilious (bordering on contumelious) wellness leader at the center, who asked not to be identified and who also did not like one of our preposition choices.