• NEW! LOWEST RATES EVER -- SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY THE VERY BEST PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! Welcome to The Paracast+, eight years young! For a low subscription fee, you can download the ad-free version of The Paracast and the exclusive, member-only, After The Paracast bonus podcast, featuring color commentary, exclusive interviews, the continuation of interviews that began on the main episode of The Paracast. We also offer lifetime memberships! Flash! Take advantage of our lowest rates ever! Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! You can sign up right here!

    Subscribe to The Paracast Newsletter!

Brad Steiger

Forums New posts
Wade Ridsdale said:
Well I'm about to help push this thread off topic again but @gene & @randall you both make good points but I don't think it's really a either/or case. One could argue that being there are still people living in abject poverty in our inner cities and indigenous lands that are perpetually wanting should we bother with animals or disaster victims either foreign or domestic ? Obviously I don't feel that way, but I don't think there is a right or wrong here. Every cause needs a champion, we just live in a world with too much cause and too little champions.
Click to expand...

I agree Wade - we could simply just mention the ridiculous amount of unused money of the rich, or the stupid amounts spent on our Royal Family or the American military. For the cost per household, spending on pets need only be tiny compared to the waste I see all around me. For the price too, you cannot underestimate the actual value of a pet on health and wellbeing. I can think of many examples of when a pet has brought warring siblings together, or provided a distraction in difficult times. There are many advantages to pets that are not always immediately apparent.

Back to the show - I always enjoy Brad but I agree that this episode was just lacking something from him and I can't put my finger on it. But hey, one can't be on top form all the time and no-one can deny that Brad is often excellent and has a huge body of popular work. If the show was a little less than what we can normally expect from Brad, then I think he has more than earned our understanding.
 
I doubt many of us here could make much of a stand based on our personal efforts to try and solve the world's problems - we do our part, of course - but I imagine we all live relatively comfortable lives with relatively little sacrifice beyond our immediate concerns. (I most certainly could be wrong - I just base that off of all the other people I know) - I worked in non-profit for about 8 yrs (homeless shelter and mental health issues) for long hours with very little pay (and yes, there was plenty of self-interest and ego involved in those efforts - and I did and do catch myself being self-righteous about it all, perhaps now for example . . . ) and at a point in my life where the end result now is that the economy looks on my time spent in these fields as being of very little economic value in terms of my being able to earn any decent money - so my wife and I both sacrificed a bit, but we were never uncomfortable in any meaningful sense of the word and we got two wonderful sons directly and two dogs indirectly as a result of that work. If there was a fire or an intruder, I would sacrifice the dogs first - (I like to think the dogs would help out in the latter case) but if all the people in the house were safe - I would make any reasonable (and perhaps more) effort to secure the animals.

Now, all that said, and everyone's points acknowledge - my point is that I really liked Gene's story about getting his dog! :)
 
Chris, my cat can hear me blink when I wake up. It is possible yours can too.
Here she is listening to birds outside. There are two panes of glass between her and the birds.
DSC09573.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
pixelsmith said:
Why can't you do both? The best animal companion I have ever had is the blind-at-birth kitty to the left. She has been an endless source of learning and love for me over the past 7 years. I would choose her needs over those of many humans I have encountered over the years.
Click to expand...

It's not a matter of, "Why can't you do both?" It's a matter of preference. Every cent spent on pets would be better spent on helping someone. But if you've chosen to maintain the life of an animal instead of using those resources to maintain the life of a human, and you figure your blind cat's life is worth more than some people you've met, then you're not alone in that sentiment. I just find it a little warped. I don't believe in capital punishment and I think few people actually deserve to suffer and die, certainly nobody I've ever met. I just don't get how giving Garfield and Odie food, shelter, and medical care instead of curing some poor kid of leprosy is morally justifiable. Thankfully, I don't own any pets so I'm not in a situation where I have to put that out of my mind in order to be comfortable with myself.
 
Gene Steinberg said:
The issue being why can't you do both? And if Randall doesn't care about bringing an animal into his home, fine. That's his thing, and I respect that.
Click to expand...

It's not that I don't like animals. I explained how much I loved my own dog when I was growing up, and I always treat them with respect and affection when I'm around them. I've been asked more than once if I want to adopt a pet. Perhaps I just think beyond what I can do for myself and the animal, like how could those resources be better spent, and every time I get the same answer. I could save the life of little 5 year old girl or boy dying of leprosy, or take cute little Snoopy home and be prepared to feed it, give it medical care, and pick up it's poop every day.
 
ufology said:
It's not a matter of, "Why can't you do both?" It's a matter of preference. Every cent spent on pets would be better spent on helping someone. But if you've chosen to maintain the life of an animal instead of using those resources to maintain the life of a human, and you figure your blind cat's life is worth more than some people you've met, then you're not alone in that sentiment. I just find it a little warped. I don't believe in capital punishment and I think few people actually deserve to suffer and die, certainly nobody I've ever met. I just don't get how giving Garfield and Odie food, shelter, and medical care instead of curing some poor kid of leprosy is morally justifiable. Thankfully, I don't own any pets so I'm not in a situation where I have to put that out of my mind in order to be comfortable with myself.
Click to expand...

the cost of owning a pet can be minimal - you can make decisions to control suffering without expending lots of money on prolonging an animal's life, or you can have an animal put down (or out here you can do it yourself for the cost of a bullet and some personal guts) - you have to look at the overall equation - multiply the increase in life span from owning an animal (I assume there are valid studies showing that owning a pet can increase life span or contribute to health factors that keep a person living and earning money? - but maybe there aren't) times the amount of money you spend on lottery tickets and see what the value is - but unless you sell everything you own and go to work directly for those in need, I don't see the justification for your self-righteous tone here. Sorry, but based on your post - that's how I call it. If you can give me something else, I'll do my best to see it some other way.
 
I'd say any given person in an American house-hold (me included) wastes enough food, water and energy - going out to eat (or for a beer) for entertainment - unnecesary trips in the car - keeping the thermostat too high, over-eating (gluttony), analgesics instead of learning relaxation techniques or cutting down on stress - renting DVDs or paying for streaming (or internet instead of going to the library) that converted into dollars would support multiple animals or multiple needy children . . . if you have any excess like this in your budget, I'd encourage you to cut down and convert that to the aid you speak of - we all should.
 
pixelsmith said:
Chris, my cat can hear me blink when I wake up. It is possible yours can too.
Click to expand...
Yuk-yuk. My cat is an outside cat. She knows exactly when I awake—even though she's outside—waiting at the bottom of the back door stairs. I inherited the cats. I didn't want pets. When my GF moved to CA she left them—they belonged to her. I like dogs but do too much traveling to have one etc Sorry. I won't give the cats up to a shelter of let them fend for themselves... I guess I'm a softy for people (and animals) in need. Ask Gene, he knows...
 
Gene Steinberg said:
I think we can all agree that people who aren't interested in owning pets, shouldn't own pets, and they do not really need to justify that decision.
We're quite happy that we rescued Teddy Bear.

TeddyBear.jpg
Click to expand...

I'm thinking, maybe in a few hundred thousand years - Teddy Bear's lineage may evolve to be the dominant species and might do a better job than we did . . . who knows what the long term effects are - when you take an animal in? I always thought "Planet of the Dogs" to be more plausible than "Planet of the Apes" - . . .
 
Well, Teddy Bear has the right attitude all right. He loves everybody. Last time Chris was here to record a show with me, Teddy Bear hovered all over him. And, as I eat an evening breakfast bar, he's hovering around me (but we don't feed him table scraps).
 
smcder said:
I'm thinking, maybe in a few hundred thousand years - Teddy Bear's lineage may evolve to be the dominant species and might do a better job than we did . . . who knows what the long term effects are - when you take an animal in? I always thought "Planet of the Dogs" to be more plausible than "Planet of the Apes" - . . .
Click to expand...

The bichon's will create and uphold the laws, the German Shepards will make up the scientists and the mastiffs will be the warriors.
 
Wade Ridsdale said:
The bichon's will create and uphold the laws, the German Shepards will make up the scientists and the mastiffs will be the warriors.
Click to expand...

how many border collies does it take to change a light bulb? just one and after that he'll bring the rest of the electrical up to code . . .
 
ufology said:
It's not that I don't like animals. I explained how much I loved my own dog when I was growing up, and I always treat them with respect and affection when I'm around them. I've been asked more than once if I want to adopt a pet. Perhaps I just think beyond what I can do for myself and the animal, like how could those resources be better spent, and every time I get the same answer. I could save the life of little 5 year old girl or boy dying of leprosy, or take cute little Snoopy home and be prepared to feed it, give it medical care, and pick up it's poop every day.
Click to expand...
Wow, just wow! You're entitled to your opinion. From what I've read in your posts, you almost seem to be saying that little "Fido" or "Mew Mew" are nothing but objects. As a volunteer with a therapy dog organization for almost 20 years, I can tell you from first hand experience that an animal often times does more for a person's health, well being and spirit than you, (or I,) ever could. It's too bad you have not be able to witness the miracles I have seen brought to hospital patients and even those ending their time on earth in a Hospice, by one of these innocent creatures. Someday it will be your turn in the barrel. When the time comes, do yourself a favor and ask for a visit from a therapy animal.
 
SonofaSkunk said:
Wow, just wow! You're entitled to your opinion. From what I've read in your posts, you almost seem to be saying that little "Fido" or "Mew Mew" are nothing but objects. As a volunteer with a therapy dog organization for almost 20 years, I can tell you from first hand experience that an animal often times does more for a person's health, well being and spirit than you, (or I,) ever could. It's too bad you have not be able to witness the miracles I have seen brought to hospital patients and even those ending their time on earth in a Hospice, by one of these innocent creatures. Someday it will be your turn in the barrel. When the time comes, do yourself a favor and ask for a visit from a therapy animal.
Click to expand...

It's not that I don't appreciate your view, but how many children could be cured of leprosy for the price of the resources that are required to maintain that "therapy animal"?
 
smcder said:
how many border collies does it take to change a light bulb? just one and after that he'll bring the rest of the electrical up to code . . .
Click to expand...
That made me laugh, I have two borders...but I'd add....they spend so much time debating the job with each other that nothing gets done!
 
Heidi Lemmer said:
That made me laugh, I have two borders...but I'd add....they spend so much time debating the job with each other that nothing gets done!
Click to expand...

How funny! Are they working animals?

I had a border-collie/coyote rescue and she was preternaturally attuned to me . . . so if I walked into a room and forgot why I came in, I'd look down at whatever she was looking at and remember what I was there for! She knew even before I did . . .
 
Back
Top