Chickens

Okay...Now I think I've heard it all. This morning the DJ of my favorite radio station announced that today is International Respect For Chickens Day.

Come again?

I am as much of an animal lover as the next person but a respect the chickens day? I don't get that. I did a little research and sure enough today was the day. It was started by some poultry company someplace and is meant to bring an awareness to how much chickens bring to our lives. I was a little glad to read that because I was worried it was another one of those PETA holidays. I loathe PETA. Not because I am against treating animals with kindness but because the PETA folks are fanatical about it. They once announced that they were going to stand outside KFC restaurants all over the country and give buckets of bloody chicken parts to children who were going inside with their parents. This spurred me to action and I emailed PETA stating that I would personally call the police on anyone I saw doing such a thing. I meant it too. I am a peaceful person but that infuriated me.

I am not a vegetarian. I don't want to be a vegetarian. I see no real health benefits from that lifestyle and while I have no problems with anyone who is, I just don't want to do without my meat and I don't like having that kind of rhetoric shoved down my throat. I know several people who are Seventh Day Adventists and they choose to be vegetarian because they believe there are healthy consequences from it. I applaud anyone who believes enough in something to live their lives by it. I do the same thing with several issues in my own life. Just not vegetarianism. I enjoy eating meat. Beef, poultry, fish, a little pork all along, lamb. I enjoy it all. I also see nothing wrong with the consumption of any of it. I don't gorge myself on meat. I enjoy vegetables as well and I am known for eating a lot of salad. Breads...oh my goodness! Yes, that too. I guess it goes without saying that I like to eat but I am disciplined about it.

I just think that some people go overboard with many things and declaring an internation day to respect chickens is something I view as going to extremes. I appreciate chickens. I think they're delicious. I don't like to be around them when they're alive because a chicken coop isn't a very pleasant thing to visit. They squawk and the roosters can be mean. Chickens serve a purpose in the world but I can't see giving them a day of their own. Nobody gives clams or oysters or lobsters a day. If we're going to do something nice for the chickens, then lets be fair and give all animals a day.

So what did I do for International Respect For Chickens Day? I had a chicken sandwich for lunch which I ate very reverently. I don't even think I burped afterward. That was my part of the celebration. What was yours?

And this is my sole focus for today.

Monday's Flashback

Okay, I admit it. I'm a succar for the divas. I just can't help it. One of my favorites is Cher and I remember watching her on TV from the time I was a small child. She has been around for so long and she still looks so wonderful. Plus she has had the most amazing career of any entertainer I can think of. Grammy winner, Oscar winner, Golden Globe winner. Actress, singer, variety show host. This woman just has it all and she continually evolves with the times to remain contemporary with each new generation that comes along.

Back in 1989, when she released her platinum album Heart of Stone, I bought it and listened to it so many times that I could practically sing along to every song on the whole LP. Even though "If I Could Turn Back Time" was her mega hit from this project (and who could ever forget that video?!), and "Just Like Jesse James" rose into the top ten right on its heels, it was the album's title track that really got my attention. This became a top twenty hit and it remains, in my humble opinion, one of the best songs that Cher ever recorded and is one of the most exciting vocal performances of her entire career. The video was just sensational too. So sit back, kick your shoes off, and let yourself drift back two decades to this masterpiece...

Nice one, eh?

C