response 1 of 82:

Oct 4 23:36 UTC 2003

There's a Simpsons reference here, of course.  8O

response 3 of 82:

Oct 5 01:35 UTC 2003

  re #1:  for those whose Simpsons memory is weak, there's a gag in
  one episode ( http://www.snpp.com/episodes/1F08.html ) where 
  "flamboyant" (the show's description) magicians "Gunter and Ernst"
  (transparent Siegfried and Roy clones) are mauled on stage by their
  own white tiger when the tiger gets fed up with the humiliation
  involved in riding around on stage on a unicycle wearing a funny
  costume..

      > Inside one of the showrooms, Gunter and Ernst demonstrate their
      > talented albino tiger riding a unicycle.  "A round of applause,
      > please, for Anastasia.  She loves show-business.  So much
      > nicer than the savagery of the jungle, ja?"
      >
      > In a flashback, we see Anastasia sleeping peacefully in Africa.
      > [Africa?  -mcnally.] Behind her two men approach in a jeep.
      > "Hey, tiger!" one of them calls out, "Wake up!"  He shoots a
      > tranquilizer dart into her, and she slumps over.  The memory
      > angers her sufficiently to attack her owners and tear them
      > to shreds.

  Life seems to be imitating the Simpsons frequently lately.  I recently
  read an article about the CEO of Red Lobster being driven out because
  of disastrous losses from the chain's misguided "all you can eat crab
  legs" promotion, virtually the same problem that afflicted Captain
  McAllister when Homer discovered the "all you can eat" seafood special at
  The Frying Dutchman... ("'Tis no man. 'Tis a remorseless eating machine.")

response 5 of 82:

Oct 5 06:19 UTC 2003

ignore the next two items, they are duplicates of this one.  I was lagging
when I entered this item and hit enter on backtalk more than once...oops

response 7 of 82:

Oct 5 15:59 UTC 2003

I hope he is ok. But, I cant really feel sorry for him. I mean, he was 
working in a dangerous job but unlike most other people with dangerous 
jobs, he was very well compensated. 

response 9 of 82:

Oct 5 19:44 UTC 2003

according to news reports, prognosis on Roy of Siegfried & Roy is grim.  the
report at www.lasvegasreviewjournal.com indicates he's had massive blood loss,
from the bite to the neck and as a consequence later suffered a stroke.  
Employees of the Siegfried and Roy show at the Mirage have been told they have
to consider other options in their careers.  Very sad.  I guess it raises the
argument, which PETA and other animal rights groups often make, that exotic
animals shouldn't be make to perform in shows.  However, PETA couldn't claim
these tigers were mistreated because as stated, they had a huge facility and
lived like kings.  They live a lot better no doubt than the elephants who work
in the Barnum and Bailey circus no doubt.  

response 11 of 82:

Oct 6 01:13 UTC 2003

slynne, you must also remember that siberian tigers are an endangered species,
and Siegfried&Roy regularly subsidized breeding programs and are among the
world's largest benefactors to programs to protect exotic animals.  Siegfried
has said it is their way of paying their performing tigers-- the tigers
perform and in exchange tens of millions of dollars go to protecting and
breeding their species so their kind will survive.  It is a fair tradeoff.
These tigers do a lot more for their kind by performing than they would
otherwise.  Siegfried&Roy even have a tiger maternity ward in their facility
at the Mirage where they directly subsidize the breeding of these endangered
animals.

Montecore, the seven year old tiger who attacked Roy, according to stories
won't be hurt or killed because of what happened.  Montecore got confused and
put his jaw around Roy's arm.  Roy hit Montecore with his microphone, which
is a trainer's technique to get him to stop.  But Roy's microphone was on
since he'd been talking to the audience.  Thus when he hit the tiger with it,
the sound of the mic hitting the tiger resonated throughout the building on
the speakers.  The amplified sound spooked Montecore and he reacted
instinctively.  As stated, Montecore is a siberian tiger, an endagered
species, and it is illegal to harm him.  He will probably be fired from his
job as a show tiger, lose his cushy digs at the Mirage, and be sent off to
a zoo somewhere.  

response 13 of 82:

Oct 6 02:45 UTC 2003

Perhaps they are getting to old to deal with the tigers.   I mean, he is what
65 now?  He lost his focus for a moment and it cost him.

response 15 of 82:

Oct 6 06:15 UTC 2003

I feel most sorry for people to whom something tragic happens through no
fault of their own. The emotion shifts, however, when the tragedy lies
in the inherent hazards in actions they have chosen. The end member is
is thinking that "at least they died doing what they love to do". However
one can still feel sympathy for their friends and relatives. 

response 17 of 82:

Oct 6 14:59 UTC 2003

I dont know what the income cut off point would be. I dont especially 
want to find out either. I guess that I feel that anyone who chooses to 
take on such risks and then has it come and bite them in the ass (or 
neck) doesnt get my sympathy. I really dont feel sorry for this guy. 

FWIW, I dont feel sorry for hypothetical junkies who OD or take dives 
off bridges. In fact, it is a rare suicide that makes me feel sorry for 
the person anymore. Mostly I just think they are selfish assholes. 

I do sometimes feel sorry for people who have dangerous jobs who take 
those jobs because they dont have other options or because they want to 
help people. I felt sorry for the public servants who died on 9/11. 

Anyhow, I dont have to justify my feelings. feelings dont have to be 
logical. If I knew the guy, I probably would feel sorry for him. If I 
had ever seen this show, I probably would be more prone to feeling 
sorry for him. But,  I simply dont feel sorry for this guy and his 
income has a lot to do with it. His work saving an endangered species, 
while admirable, doesnt make me feel sorry for him either. 

response 19 of 82:

Oct 6 17:33 UTC 2003

The ones I feel sorry for are the kids who were in the audience and saw
that happen.  There are always a lot of kids at their shows and a gory
scene like that could haunt a young child for a long time.  

We watch a lot of high risk sports.  Like auto racing, and skiing, and
boxing.  In those sports, which we find entertaining, accidents happen and
people get hurt.  Roy told people in the ambulance, according to one
story, that he views what happened as an accident, takes all the blame
himself, and wants noone to blame the cat.  

response 21 of 82:

Oct 6 18:08 UTC 2003

Of course I'm sorry he was hurt. He loves those animals and it's sad that he
miscalculated and was injured. I'm hoping that they will take him at his word
and not harm/kill the tiger in question, who was, accordin to the news reports
I saw, a "rescued" tiger and not one which Roy had raised from birth. 

response 23 of 82:

Oct 6 19:01 UTC 2003

I think when one feels sorry for people who work in dangerous jobs, 
besides the income level and the need to actually work these jobs, one 
takes into coonsideration whether the job really helped other people. 
Firefighters risk their lives to save people from fires. Roy risked 
his life to entertain people. Maybe not as necessary as saving lives, 
but still a public service of some sort.

If the tigers weren't mistreated, and it sure sounds like they were 
not, I don't see anything wrong with using them in a show. It's like 
having actors and clowns. Sure they're animals, and not born to 
entertain, but animals weren't born to be pets either. I doubt these 
animals were whipped till they danced or anything like that.

I feel sorry for the man. And if that news-source is true about him 
not wanting to blame the cat for his injury, I have some additional 
respect for him. It sure seems like he really loves these animals. 

(But I would assume that he would work with tigers that he'd raised 
from birth, rather than a "rescued" animal, only because you know 
their past and have a much better knowledge-base to work with when 
determining how they'd react)