Crossword Help Forum
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I am not a troll. If you search this site, you will see I've given lots of answers, quite often stepping in when a thread has been left unanswered for quite a time, because of its difficulty.

I don't participate in JE etc. because I have a full time job*, and there are plenty of crosswords already out there which I complete for pleasure, and very, very occasionally profit.

In your original thread you called people who disagreed with you over a culling issue, idiots and whiners - which seemed out of character for a person who I thought would rather enter into intelligent debate.

I love this site, and would hate it to go the way of answerbank, where many threads end in threats and arguments.

I have strong opinions on religion, politics and animal rights issues - but I would never start a thread here about any of these. I would rather stick to a subject which has amused and delighted me for the last 30 odd years - namely crosswords!

Can we bury the hatchet ( and not in each others heads)?

* Although I am currently recovering from a broken hip and DO have time on my hands!

I must say I thought Syzzie's comment fell in the "by the way" category. I recall that we had a whole thread about Canada geese once, about how these magnificent birds have taken over the world (I was quite surprised to learn that you have them over there). Here in the US they've become quite a health hazard. Our town beach often has to be closed because it's covered with droppings (though I must point out, in the birds' defense, that it's unfair to blame them for all the cigarette butts and condoms).

Greedy Kite: If you think that North American animal protection laws are lax, consider that in Boston several years ago a window washer (who happened to share his house with MANY birds) was arrested by an SPCA officer (I didn't know they could do this) and spent time in jail for swatting (and killing) a seagull that was attacking his head while he was cleaning the windows of a skyscraper.

I would also like to mention that it's possible to have a full-time job and participate in Joint Effort. :)

Aristo: I was referring to France when I mentioned the apathy of locals (including the Mayor, A Very Important Man if you want to call in the SPA)towards animal suffering. Also, even French vets will warn you against taking animals to the SPA, as the conditions there (thanks to poor financial support of course) are pretty poor.
I don't want to stir up the disagreement all over again, but I remember thinking after reading Foer's "Eating Animals" that the book ought to be read by just about everybody.Not that I've ever managed to become consistent & do without meat, but surely the laws that exist regarding minimum requirements are seldom enforced , and I don't see how anyone with a humane attitude can defend that at all. The odd incidents that get into the papers can't be taken as typical. In Germany & England the cases of dogs mauling children to death in recent years have not effectively led to better control, so I tend to think we don't care enough for children OR animals in the end.

NOT an issue on which I can have any very black /white opinions! I didn't approve of the dog-chasing-deer clip, either, though: perhaps I'm losing my once British humour .......................

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/06/president-obama-swats-a-fly-gets-a-free-fly-trap.html

'nuff said.

Nice clip, Syzygy --- although I could have sworn the Prez said s'thing slightly different from "I got the sucker".....................................

Syzygy - surely your 'alternative' clue should have been 'I bat for BOTH teams'...

@Bullfrog The ellipses indicated it was an excerpt from the full clue which started, "Sometimes I bat ..."