This page, in time (and with luck), should evolve into a Blog (of sorts).

For the time being, however, I will keep it somewhat unstructured with highlighted topic headings that should give you an inkling as to what I am going to be musing about.  So here we go.

► Since it was up for a year, I finally took down my little Knights Templar piece.
     If you are interested in it, e-mail me and I can send you a copy.

► Cruelty to lobsters at supermarkets and restaurants.

Did you know that they don't feed those live lobsters that you see, piled on top of each other, in those greenish tanks in supermarkets and some high-end seafood restaurants?

Don't take my word on this.  Go to a supermarket (or restaurant) and ask.

I curious as ever, just happened to ask at our local supermarket because I was wondering whether there was a feeding frenzy with snapping of claws and much aggitation.  I was appalled by what I heard.  The seafood guy, an old timer who I had dealt with for years, saw I was shocked and tried to mitigate it by saying "well they don't stay there for that long, plus I don't think they feel anything".

Ah!

Yes, I like lobster and my wife is a lobsterman's daughter.  But I have never been able to boil live lobsters (or crabs) or for that matter any other living creature.  I know lobsters and crabs struggle in the boiling water.  I remember my father, a very religious man, boiling crabs in Ceylon when I was young.  Always thought that it was incongruous that my father could do that without compunction.

So I can't buy the story that lobsters have no feelings.  They must feel hunger.

Now interestingly enough, this forced fasting of lobsters by supermarkets does create a consumer problem that some of you may be aware of.  If you buy a lobster that has been in the tank for awhile, it won't have as much flesh as you would expect!  I have had this confirmed by a few people once I started telling them about my concern.  In one case, an ex-IBMer, had bought a 20 pound lobster at a WalMart (and having an IBM pension helps if you want to buy such big lobsters).  When they went to eat it, they discovered, to their chagrin that there wasn't much meat.  They called up WalMart and was given a full refund with no additional questions asked.  So I have to assume WalMart had had this experience before.

Anyway, that has been on my mind.  Let me know what YOU think.  Thank you.