This is the Blog of a guy who retired from a major financial institution in technology.
I chose the title "Cold Fusion Guy" because I love programming in Cold Fusion
Ingrid Newkirk, president of People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals, described Christie's killing of the spider as a thoughtless act.
"He probably did it without thinking. Some people put the spider outside, but spiders are often scary to people, and that can prevent them from pondering their worth," Newkirk said.
Comment: To PETA .. may termites infest your headquarters!
An animal rights group wants organizers of Pennsylvania's Groundhog Day festival to replace Punxsutawney Phil with a robotic stand-in.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals says it's unfair to keep the animal in captivity and subject him to the huge crowds and bright lights that accompany tens of thousands of revelers each Feb. 2 in Punxsutawney, a tiny borough about 65 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. PETA is suggesting the use of an animatronic model instead.
But William Deeley, president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, countered that the animal is "being treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania."
Comment: Funny! Also the Groundhog Club response: "being treated better than the average child". Perhaps the Caddyshack Gopher could be the Groundhog Day standin?
The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants the flyswatter in chief to try taking a more humane attitude the next time he's bedeviled by a fly in the White House.
PETA is sending President Barack Obama a Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher, a device that allows users to trap a house fly and then release it outside.
"We support compassion even for the most curious, smallest and least sympathetic animals," PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich said Wednesday. "We believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals."
During an interview for CNBC at the White House on Tuesday, a fly intruded on Obama's conversation with correspondent John Harwood.
"Get out of here," the president told the pesky insect. When it didn't, he waited for the fly to settle, put his hand up and then smacked it dead.
"Now, where were we?" Obama asked Harwood. Then he added: "That was pretty impressive, wasn't it? I got the sucker."
Friedrich said that PETA was pleased with Obama's voting record in the Senate on behalf of animal rights and noted that he has been outspoken against animal abuses.
Still, "swatting a fly on TV indicates he's not perfect," Friedrich said, "and we're happy to say that we wish he hadn't."
Comment: What about spiders, ants, roaches, etc? (I guess they would not approve of the "Roach Motel"!)