This would be pretty amazing if real. What we’re apparently seeing is a rather stupid surfer/amateur stunt guy “fishing” for a great white shark off his board, then being “towed” by the hooked shark passed other surfers. Do I believe it? Well, let’s just say I’m dubious. I have to ask myself, if I was a surfer and a great white shark swam right by me towing another surfer, would I just watch as these guys appear to be doing, or would I walk run on water to reach shore as quickly as possible? In addition, it looks like a wake in front of the shark as though it’s (ahem) “chasing” an RTV or jet ski. Hmmmm… And the shark appears to be swimming parallel to the shore in shallow water… and leaving a wake. Hmmmm… Now, I wasn’t there, but…

With the memory of Barbaro’s death after last year’s Preakness still fresh in our minds, Saturday’s Kentucky Derby spectators saw for themselves the sordid truth about what racing really means for the horses involved, as the filly Eight Belles collapsed, her front ankles broken, and had to be euthanised on the track.

Her death may have seemed humane, but the agony she endured running her final race most certainly was not. And while the trainers, jockeys and owners may weep their crocodile tears today over Eight Belles’ euthanasia, they will be back on the track tomorrow, putting other horses at risk.

Although their bones are not yet fully developed, Thoroughbreds begin their racing careers as 2-year-olds. Compounding the risk to their young bones, they are raced on hard dirt surfaces like the one at Churchill Downs. And as Eight Belles’ two broken front legs showed Saturday, the combination is deadly.

Despite the wealth and glamour associated with Thoroughbred racing, there exists a dark underbelly that most of us never see. For the horses, life isn’t much different than it was for the ancient Roman gladiators. Some live, some die, but most end up broken, cast off, or sent to Europe to be killed for the dinner table. It’s a dirty business, not much better than dog fighting.

I hope people finally come to their senses and recognize that Thoroughbred horse racing, as it’s conducted today, is barbaric and in need of immediate and drastic reform. It should be a no-brainer that these magnificent animals should not be trained or raced until age three when their bones are fully formed. Equally obvious should be the need for cushioned tracks like those used in California. And the number of races a horse is allowed to run per season should be limited, another no-brainer. Finally, whipping should be disallowed. If no one is allowed to whip, the playing field remains level.

It’s rare to find me on the same side of an issue as PETA, but that’s exactly where I stand on this one, at least as regards the need for reform. They’re calling for the Kentucky Racing Authority to institute sweeping reforms that would stop much of the suffering. Story

They’ve made it simple. Complete this form email to the Kentucky Horse Racing Authority to insist that they take immediate steps to prevent future tragedies. It’s a simple gesture requiring little effort on our parts yet making our voices heard. It’s the right thing to do.

This ‘toon from Shannan asks a logical question…

Good to know I wasn’t the first to ask it.

Today marks the 134th running of the Kentucky Derby, affectionately known as the Run For the Roses and considered by many to be “the most exciting two minutes in sports.”

The classic American horse race, the Derby is the oldest consecutively run Thoroughbred race in America. It is run annually on the first Saturday in May at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Preceding the Preakness in mid-May and the Belmont in early June, it’s the first jewel of the coveted Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing. Won by only eleven horses since 1919, Triple Crown winners include memorable names like Secretariat, Seattle Slew, Whirlaway and Affirmed.

The first Kentucky Derby was run May 17, 1875, before a crowd of 10,000 from around the city, state and surrounding areas. A field of fifteen three-year-olds ran a one and a half mile course with the race won by H.P. McGrath’s Aristides. The following year, the distance was shortened to the present mile and a quarter…

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When we vacationed last July with Cindy and Ray, Cindy had just bought a mobile GPS to help her navigate our Sacramento>Carmel>Yosemite>Folsom road trip in case our cars became separated. As I recall, she had some problems with it… beginning with getting it to stick to her windshield and later with its disagreeing with the fancy schmancy GPS in our car. So when I saw this Randall Munroe ‘toon, I immediately thought of them… and the wonderful memories came rushing back.

Michael reminds me that today is also May Day. Ancient spring rites that related human fertility to crop fertility gave birth to most modern May Day festivities. May 1 is the traditional day to crown the May queen, dance around the maypole, perform mummers’ plays, and generally celebrate the return of spring. In Great Britain, the custom of “bringing in the May” involves gathering “knots,’ or branches with buds, on the eve or early morning of May 1.

Of course, the day is also linked to organized labor’s fight for workers’ rights and, since 2006, Uno de Mayo, organized demonstrations by illegal immigrants in an effort to gain legal status in the U.S. I prefer the more traditional May Day festivities of my youth: the celebration of spring and dancing ‘round the maypole.

The National Day of Prayer is an annual observance held on the first Thursday in May, inviting people to pray for the nation. The day was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of the United States Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman. The theme for this year is “Prayer! America’s Strength & Shield.”

If there is a service in your community, you might consider attending. Our country could use some extra prayer right now. For more information, visit nationaldayofprayer.org.

Yes, the title has changed but the cast of characters remains the same…

Let’s see, since Part 2 in this series we’ve debated and settled the burning technical question of whether or not our decision to include seafood in our otherwise vegetarian diet entitled us to wear the mantle of “vegetarian.” You’ll recall that some in the vegetarian community were pretty sensitive about who used the title and, upon learning that we were eating fish, promptly informed us that we didn’t qualify. It was much the same response we’d received from the vegan community who told us we didn’t fit the required profile for membership because we hadn’t shunned leather shoes and car seats, and weren’t wearing hemp clothing.

But thanks to a more forgiving arm of vegetarianism, we accepted the distinction of “pescevegetarians” - otherwise vegetarians that, like us, eat fish and other seafood. And before you point out that the word isn’t in the dictionary, remember that our conversion was aimed at adopting a more healthy diet, not making a political, spiritual or ecological statement. A “title”, at least for us, serves merely to facilitate discussion and simplify ordering in restaurants.

So here we are, nearly two months into our epicurean adventure into pescevegetarianism (impressive non-word, isn’t it?) and an update seems in order. Are we still on program? Yes, pretty much so. Do we miss cheese, dairy, meat? Not terribly. Are we still contributing to methane in the atmosphere? Sometimes, and we haven’t quite nailed down which foods, or combinations of foods, cause us to, uh, contribute. But it’s infrequent, so we’re taking that as a sign our bodies are adjusting.

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