Happy New Year! I don’t have a history of setting resolutions, but any time of the year is a good time to set goals. Here are mine for ’09:
First, I must say, it was surreal to lead a session at a conference particularly this one. I have attended quite a few conferences where I was a participant in the audience diligently taking notes, and straining to read PowerPoint presentations. While I have experience talking to large groups (300 people), this was the first time I would position myself as an “expert” and hopefully a resource for others. It was also the first time I attended this conference as a professional rather than a student after graduating a mere six months ago.
The football star’s drama may be out of the headlines, but stories of the four-legged victims resurface in upcoming specials. Yesterday, Animal Planet gave a sneak-preview of the show Animal Witness in which its season premiere featured the horrifying details of the Michael Vick case. What started as a narcotics related case quickly spiraled into a federal investigation of dog fighting suspicions once more than 60 dogs were discovered on his property in Virginia. Though initially denying involvement, Vick eventually pleads guilty to an array of stomach-churning charges. Not only did this include the gruesome acts of actually fighting dogs, but also the shooting, hanging, and electrocuting of dogs that did not perform in the ring. Vick was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2007, but questions of the fate of his dogs remained. Read the rest of this entry »