Cecil the Lion: Why do we care?

From July 2015 . . . Remember this cat? 

By "cat," I mean Dr. Walter Palmer, who paid $54k in July of 2015 to bow hunt for a lion in Zimbabwe. Just to be clear, I am not a hunter, but I am not against hunting either. I couldn't survive in my wife's family if I was!

I am just against hunting animals that are cute and cuddly. (It is open season on boars . . . seriously, who mourns the loss of a warthog?) Lions, tigers and bears may be vicious top-of-the-food chain predators, but they do sure make huggable stuffed animal toys. Hunters who proceed risk the wrath of Jimmy Kimmel, so tread lightly.

Ol' Walt had to close down his dental practice after being demonized in the press, having his family harassed, and receiving death threats . . . for doing something completely legal. Because according to PETA types, (which I learned does NOT stand for People Eating Tasty Animals), first-world country humans matter less than cute animals.

Where did that $54k go? In fact, what does any of the money big game hunters pay in Africa do?

Besides putting people to work supporting these hunts, there is upkeep of the land, habitat maintenance, funding of protected parks, management of facilities, security from poachers, fees to governmental agencies, etc.

And that was just for the hunting package. There are also things like accommodations, travel, shopping, and the other non-hunting related spending that happens while there. Not that money outweighs perceived morality, but simply to state that there is a huge economic impact to the locals.

Conservation hunting

The above rhino, RIP, was an ideal candidate for removal as it not only had reproduced often enough that inbreeding becomes an issue, but it was reaching an age where the bull would no longer reproduce. And also, it killed younger rhino bulls; so this dude was parasite, only taking from the community wood pile. So instead of simply culling, this type of removal gave rise to another type of paid hunt called "conservation hunting."

Namibia designates removal of such animals to enhance the rest of the population, and it so it put the cross hairs on 18 of those (out of 2000) in 2015. Was this a good kill? A poacher didn't shoot it for the horn, and a game warden didn't take it down, but they had a Texan pay $350k to hunt it. Doing the math means its is a win-win, even if that Texan gets lambasted on Facebook.

In the eight main African countries that engage is both conservation hunting and trophy hunting, there are 53k people that are put to work, and in 2015, (the year of the Lion,) there was an overall economic benefit of $426 million.  For many animals that will be put down anyway.

Back to Cecil. I have read that local villagers viewed the demise of that toothy cuddler differently than us on this continent, whose opinions matter for some reason. Over there, villagers personally know people who have been killed by lions, at a rate of over 100 people per year, but those people somehow don't merit the same concern as poor, old, lovable, chocolate-covered Cecil.

Unfortunately, opinions over here carried some weight on what happens over there. Many countries will not allow the import of the trophies post-Cecil, which means fewer paid hunts, less money to Africa, and more "creative" ways to cull those same animals by locals and poachers. Way to go.

Listen up, Hollyweird!

How do you turn $7 million into $38 million?

For family night, we went and saw indie film "I Can Only Imagine" and were blown away. (It's an indie film only because none of the major studios would touch it.) I had never heard of this MercyMe hit, or even the group MercyMe, but I found myself searching out their stuff on Pandora when I got in the car afterwards. I like rock, and I am Christian, but Christian Rock has never been my thing . . . not sure why. But this movie was Rudy meets The Great Santini, and its box office traction shows that. If my dollars are important to Hollow-wood, then I will support films like this. Often. But the evidence suggests otherwise.

Last year's numbers are pretty compelling with where we want to spend our money:

R: 184 movies, $15.5 million average
PG-13: 139 movies, $39.5 million average
PG: 65 movies, $37.4 million average
G: 16 movies, $11 million average

I am not sure why there are so few G-rated movies, but it is worth noting that these include 10 documentaries such as "A Beautiful Planet," two re-released versions of "The Polar Express," and one stage film of "Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn on Broadway."  "Cars 3" was responsible for 86% of the total G-rated take.

Of the top 20 grossing films for 2017, only three are R-rated, and 34 of the top 100.

What gives, Hollywood? You don't like money from the silent majority? When considering that the G through PG-13 movies make three times the money, it makes little sense to produce garbage like "The Shape of Water," and having it win Best Picture at the Oscars further illustrates the idiocy of Hollywood. But then, what do I know? It did rocket to #117 last year. (Heck, among R-rated films, it only ranks #42.)

Keeping it real from a creative standpoint is great, but geez, keep it good and decent too.  Sexy fish man?

This is not to say R-rated movies shouldn't be made. Is it reasonable that Schindler's List, Hacksaw Ridge or 12 Years a Slave could have effectively been made as PG-13 movies?

Below is a list of the 100 top grossing films of all time, and if my eyes are correct, the first R-rated flick is #93.  So, Hollywood, what gives?

1 Avatar
2 Titanic
3 Star Wars: The Force Awakens
4 Jurassic World
5 Marvel's The Avengers
6 Furious 7
7 Avengers: Age of Ultron
8 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
9 Star Wars: The Last Jedi
10 Frozen
11 Beauty and the Beast (2017)
12 Black Panther
13 The Fate of the Furious
14 Iron Man 3
15 Minions
16 Captain America: Civil War
17 Transformers: Dark of the Moon
18 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
19 Skyfall
20 Transformers: Age of Extinction
21 The Dark Knight Rises
22 Toy Story 3
23 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
24 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
25 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
26 Despicable Me 3
27 Jurassic Park
28 Finding Dory
29 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
30 Alice in Wonderland (2010)
31 Zootopia
32 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
33 The Dark Knight
34 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
35 Despicable Me 2
36 The Lion King
37 The Jungle Book (2016)
38 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
39 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
40 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
41 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
42 Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
43 Finding Nemo
44 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
45 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
46 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
47 Shrek 2
48 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
49 Spider-Man 3
50 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
51 Spectre
52 Spider-Man: Homecoming
53 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
54 Ice Age: Continental Drift
55 The Secret Life of Pets
56 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
57 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
58 Wolf Warrior 2
59 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
60 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
61 Inside Out
62 Thor: Ragnarok
63 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
64 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
65 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
66 Inception
67 Wonder Woman
68 Spider-Man
69 Independence Day
70 Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them
71 Shrek the Third
72 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
73 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
74 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
75 Fast & Furious 6
76 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
77 Spider-Man 2
78 Deadpool
79 Star Wars
80 Guardians of the Galaxy
81 2012
82 Coco
83 Maleficent
84 The Da Vinci Code
85 The Amazing Spider-Man
86 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1
87 Shrek Forever After
88 X-Men: Days of Future Past
89 Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
90 Suicide Squad
91 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
92 Monsters University
93 The Matrix Reloaded
94 Up
95 Gravity
96 Captain America: The Winter Soldier
97 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1
98 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
99 The Twilight Saga: New Moon
100 Transformers

Outlawing instruments of death

Social media's purpose these days seems to have people declaring their support or objection to banning certain types of fire arms, in the wake of another tragedy . . . with the message that the solution is obvious.

1 - It is simple to blame it on the types of guns, but Colt started mass producing the AR-15 in 1964, with its high capacity magazines, and it has only recently become an issue.

2 - It is easy to blame it on mental illness, but are there fewer people per capita with mental illness in Switzerland?

How about focusing on underlying causes instead of the tools?

Yep- too much to ask for, so instead, let’s take the fork away from the fat guy, or in other words, remove any tool that "causes" death. Such as . . .

First, adios to tobacco. . . weird that no one is outraged at the 480k deaths per year in the U.S. related to ciggies. Nor are the masses appalled at the $8.9 billion spent in tobacco marketing, (makes the NRA spending look paltry), or that 3200 kids under 18 smoke their first cigarette every day.

Next comes alcohol with 88k deaths per year.  On average, alcohol related deaths shortened the lives of their victims by 30 years.

How about cars? Nearly 34k deaths in traffic accidents, or 10.5 per 100k people.

There were 17k murders last year. Almost 2k more than the previous year, but it hovers around 5 people per 100k. Obviously, any murder is one too many, but in the 1980s the numbers were around 10 murders per 100k. It is far safer today than it was when I was a kid. Like, twice as safe.

The U.S. has 89 guns per 100 people. According to the Washington Post, the murders by guns is 9,960, or 3.2 people per 100k.

Going on a visit to Jamaica? They have just 8 guns per 100 people, but have 39 killings per 100k. So, the U.S. has 10 times the guns per capita, but Jamaica has 10 times the killing rate.

Switzerland has about half the rate of gun ownership as the U.S., yet they are at 0.77 killings per 100k people per year, which is four times less than the U.S.

Is it really about gun ownership? I don't believe anyone on either side of the argument, for me, the jury is still out.

Take the guns, leave the guns, whatever. I would just like some consistency and address what causes people to use whatever tools they employ to cause premature deaths.

Trump's Small Hands and Other Hypocrisies

-little hands, and little eyes, and they walk around telling great big lies...

Randy Newman should be commissioned to write a song about Donald Trump's hands. It would be a hit!

Think I am kidding? That it would be inappropriate for enlightened people to make fun of someone like that?

Just Google "trump" and "hands" and you will find a ton of articles, about him having to use two hands to hold a water bottle, to insults about their size. And these just aren't from TMZ or Huffington Post, but Newsweek, Vanity Fair, Washington Post, and other non-fake news outlets.

And yes, it is clear what people mean when they mention the small hands . . . not cool, people. Amy Schumer, Meghan Trainor, Rhianna, Kirstie Alley, Val Kilmer, and other celebs have been body shamed. Heck, remember Joan Rivers going off on Elizabeth Taylor's weight? And this is not to mention the day to day stuff we talk about over lunch. How this doesn't equate to body shaming is beyond me. Not what I would call good manners, and certainly does not respect the office.

The older I get, the more I take note of such glaring hypocrisies. Some of it is benign, like how we make allowances for dumb things our friends do but condemn others for the same actions. As a parent, I am always on the lookout for the "do what I say, not what I do" stuff, but admittedly fall short. Hypocrisy is something too easy to be guilty of, but it magnifies in organizations.

It is seen in government way too much, "You can trust us with the decryption keys, Apple, we are the government." The government which corralled Americans of Japanese heritage during WW2, which put the Indians on reservations, which blackballed many during the McCarthy era, which ran the 40-year Tuskegee Syphilis Study, which is guilty of abuses of power under the All-American-named Patriot Act, which gives benefits to Congress that are not extended to other Americans or Federal employees . . . the list goes on.

One place where it sticks in my craw is at church, and unless you regularly attend a church, this won't make much sense. Those who are Christian try to live by the teachings of Christ, but it doesn't take much to think about non-Christian behavior by professed followers, right? We can open up the history books to learn about the Crusades, Inquisition, and Salem Witch Trials.

Let's take my church, for example (LDS). Well, not so much the church, but like any group, does have cultural things that are unique to every organization. I preface this by saying that I am devout in my religion, and love attending and serving, it is just some things in our members that need refining. Also, I might have been a bit guilty of one or two of these:

• Callings- we've heard it preached that one isn't above another, and might even believe it on some level, but do we value a counselor in the stake presidency differently than an assistant nursery leader? 
• What about a 25-yr old high priest versus a 45-yr old elder? 
• A divorced man versus one with marriage intact? 
• Return missionary versus one who never served? 
• Democrat versus Republican? 
• Those with or without a Rameumptom?

A Catholic buddy tells me he sees the same thing in his church, where some members will feel a level of prominence due to their position or board service or committee membership. I imagine every church will struggle with this. (Anyone who has ever seen preacher John Lithgow in "Footloose" can attest to that!) In the early days of the reformation, wealthy members would buy pews up towards the front of the chapel for their families, which came with a nice little gate on them; everyone else stood in the back. Good, Christian, folks.

I know which pew I would buy!

There is actually positive thing with hypocrisy. It assumes that there are standards that the hypocrites are breaking. And standards are good.

The older I get, (a phrase I am using more and more), the more I am not only clarifying standards, but prioritizing them: 1) be nice, and 2) be good.

My daughter Courtney had the same math teacher as me at Camarillo High School, Lee Talley. I ran into him while Court was taking his class, and he remarked what a great kid she was. I responded with something about wishing she was more attentive as a student, and Lee said, "She is a good kid, and that is much better than being a good student." (Full disclosure- Court is a straight-A student with one year of college left.)

So, be nice, and be good, and all other things will take care of themselves. (And no more comments on Trump's hands, hypocrites!)