A Dog's Life -- Five Legs

This is a great story with a reasonably happy ending. I have never been a big fan of freak shows or side show alley at the local fair or circus. There was always something that bothered me about paying money to view someone or something who was a little different from me; a special attribute that I did not possess.

About six weeks ago this cute as a puppy, puppy was born. It was born with a real interesting distinguishing feature, a fifth leg. The owner of the dog was contacted by John Strong, a Coney Island, New York, Side Show owner. Strong's claim to fame is a side show that features disfigured animals. The owner of the dog is supposed to have agreed to sell the puppy for USD 3000 to Strong, and Strong claims that he paid a USD 1000 deposit to secure the dog. Fortunately, that deposit has been repaid and the puppy has been sold to someone else for USD 4000.

The plan is to get the extra leg, on the chihuahua-terrier cross puppy, removed. The surgery is listed for the coming week and is expected to cost a further USD 2000. However, once the extra leg is removed vets are expecting that the little one, now named Lilly, will make a full recovery and lead a normal dog's life. Lilly is expected to live out her days somewhere in North Carolina.

I went to university in North Carolina, UNC-Chapel Hill. So, this is a story from my third home.

All's well that ends well.

Teaching Christianity

It seems that an Ohio public school teacher has taken his faith to the extreme in teaching his beliefs to his students. John Freshwater, a teacher at Mount Vernon Middle School, taught a literal interpretation of creationism in his science classes and liberally displayed religious material throughout his classroom in spite of protests from other teachers and an order to remove them.

However, the most serious of the charges relate to the burning of the image of the cross onto the arms of some of his students. The images lasted three to four weeks but ultimately faded away. Despite all of the charges it seems that Freshwater has many supporters who argue that he is teaching the values of the community. His students have also come out in support and say that he is a "great guy". Freshwater has been employed by the school district for some 21 years.

This is not a question of faith but whether the behaviour is appropriate in the classroom setting? The burning of the cross onto the skin of students is somewhat extreme but the teaching of creationism does not appear to be a serious offence even if it is taught in a science class. This assumes though that it is not taught exclusively or at the expense of other legitimate topics.

The decision on Freshwater's behaviour is pending.