Tuesday, June 16, 2015

In the News 13

While I have not touched an actual newspaper in some time, I do skim through the online news headlines each day. There is always something that catches my attention, whether it involves human conflict, a human interest piece, the sports wrap, or just the usual absurdities. In this series, I carve out a space for my opinions, reminiscences, or comments.

Namibia - The government of this small African country sponsored a hunt to kill one of the remaining endangered black rhinos. They setup an auction such that the winning bidder would be able to track and kill one of these creatures that are very nearly extinct. They held firmly to their rationale that this auction was actually part of their conservation efforts. The hunter with the winning bid made his trip and took down the animal with a high-powered rifle. As he stood in front of his kill with a smile a mile-wide, he gushed how magnificent and beautiful the beast was. The animal was killed on May 18, 2015.

Fake Charities - On May 19, 2015 the Federal Trade Commission ruled that four major cancer charities conned donors out of $187 million from 2008 through 2012 and spent almost nothing to help actual cancer patients. The donated funds went into the organizers personal bank accounts. It turns out that the four charities were each operated by different members of one family. They will each be forced to close their operations, but their penalties will be minimal as they each claimed poverty. I hope that there is a special place in hell reserved for these oily demons.