Taiji and Puckapunyal: Cruelty right under our noses

Social media seems to be buzzing with pictures and stories of the horrific dolphin massacre in Taiji, Japan. It seems like the whole world is watching on helplessly, as these beautiful, intelligent creatures are terrorised, tortured and butchered or kidnapped.

We find it hard to understand how the Japanese people could let this go on. Well, something I heard on a podcast a couple of days ago gave me an insight into how these kinds of atrocities can be kept hidden when the perpetrators know that what they’re doing can’t be justified.

Surviving the Spring Racing Carnival

Verema didn’t survive

Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival has been depressing – especially when Verema was euthanased on the track after breaking a leg (or something like that). I tried not to read any of the articles on any of it, because it just made me feel sick – especially this article by Michael Lynch in the Age, which totally misses the point. RIP Verema.

And they’re racing!

Melbourne loves the Spring Racing Carnival. I was 9 years old when I picked my first Melbourne Cup winner – Think Big – and I picked him in both 1974 and 1975 (but never picked a winner again).

Lots of people are once-a-year punters, and some even get so engrossed in the excitement and glamour that they buy a share in a racehorse, hoping to make a killing with the next Makybe Diva or Black Caviar – and I’m pretty sure they have no idea just how much killing is involved (good pun, eh?).