A story out of Chicago about the sale of illegal tiger and lion hides.

This crap just makes me sick. Slaughtering 8 tigers caged in a trailer with a hail of bullets. To think these guys are getting off with very light sentences. We are supposed to be stewards of the earth. Not only are we now polluting and destroying it, we are also killing endangered animals so some schmuck can pretend like they have big balls by having a stuffed tiger in their "safari room." One of the defendants is comparing killing the tigers and lions to killing livestock since they were not purebred. Just lovely.

A photo gallery of of the animals and people in the story. Notice the mullet on one of the losers.

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I see frat boys following these two girls around waiting for them to get totally drunk.

Like sailors off a ship for the first time in 6 months, Jenna and Barbara will probably be out hitting the bars with no holds barred. They had problems staying out of trouble when they legally couldn't drink, now they should be bouncing off the walls.

More at The New York Daily News and The Herald Tribune.

Updates at TheFirstTwins.com.

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Questionable Ebay tactics.

I have been bidding on Ebay for a new trainer to use for indoor cycling. After losing a few close auctions I finally got a very good price of $58 on a CycleOps Wind Trainer. I was real happy. I can use this one while I warranty/upgrade my current fluid trainer, and then give it to my girlfriend to use. Seems to be a good deal all around.

After winning the auction, I emailed the seller to get the total with shipping, including my zip code. On 95% of the trainer auctions I have looked at, the shipping to anywhere in the lower 48 was $15. The most I have seen listed for shipping was $20 on one auction. I have seen a few with shipping of $10. The auction said "Buyer pays actual shipping." Using his zip code and a very generous weight and size, UPS gave a cost of $20.60 for ground service insured. USPS Parcel Post, using a very generous weight and size, gave a shipping rate of $20.23. This guy wants $38 for shipping! So what I thought would be about a $78 price has jumped to $96.

At first I was just going to pay the shipping and forget about it. The more I think about it, the more I get pissed off. It has gotten to the "principle of the thing" stage now. I have sent an email to the seller asking for the rational behind the high shipping cost. I have listing as auctions myself as "buyer pays actual shipping," but then I charged only actual shipping. I may end up backing out of the sale, and then the seller and I can trade negative feedback. The whole deal has ruined any good feeling I previously had.

Any comments?

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