Most Popular
- New Trial to Begin in Boynton Beach Dogfighting Case
- Cohen's Loss is the World's Gain
- A New Times Staffer Takes a Safari Into Scam Baiting on 419Eater.com
- West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel Took on Community Activists, and Dreams for Northwood Village Died
-
That's Foul Hoops hero Rumeal Robinson blew a fortune on strippers, got indicted, and left his mom homeless.
Recent Blog Posts
Juiced: A Week in One Gulp
Sat Nov 7, 5:02 PM
Boca Raton: Real Life Cougar Town
Sat Nov 7, 2:30 PM
The Mystery of Uncle Bill
Sat Nov 7, 10:07 AM
Sheriff's Officer Escorted Rothstein to Jet Last Week
Fri Nov 6, 2:31 PM
Flyer of the Week: Yacht at Electric Pickle November 14
Fri Nov 6, 4:00 PM
Boca's Not Just for Fogies: Flanigan's Seafood Bar & Grill in Boca Raton
Fri Nov 6, 3:54 PM
Doggy Bag: This Week in Charlie
Fri Nov 6, 10:51 AM
Weekend Blog Wrap
Fri Nov 6, 10:19 AM
National Features >
Village Voice
The Great Walls of Chinatown
With the exception of the electric rice cookers, this Bowery tenement could have come straight from the Nineteenth Century.
By Elizabeth Dwoskin
Houston Press
Getting Off
DUI attorney Tyler Flood wins 80 percent of his trials--even if his clients were 100 percent drunk.
By Mike Giglio
Miami New Times
Park or Die Tryin'
From the homeless parking mafia to the meter fairy, finding a spot in Miami has taken a turn toward the surreal.
By Gus Garcia-Roberts
City Pages
The Baddest Men on the Planet
Straight from the Sam's Club tire shop, Brett Rogers prepares to meet Fedor Emelianenko in mortal combat.
By Bradley Campbell
Letters
Share
Published on October 08, 1998
One Small Step Forward For Carol, One Giant Leap Forward for Broward
As I stared at this week's cover photo of Swap Shop owner Preston Henn ("The Sultan of Swap," October 1, Sean Rowe) holding a bull hook in front of two of their immense circus elephants, I couldn't help but think back to 1990 when Carol the elephant (who is still performing at the flea market), "accidentally" stepped on her handler and crushed him to death. Please Carol, a couple steps forward and do Broward County a favor.
Taking a Swipe at the Sultan of Swap
The photo of Swap Shop owner Preston Henn posing defiantly with a bull hook on the cover of the New Times spoke volumes about his true nature. Although the article provided much insight into this magnate of cheap merchandise, citing as one of his heroes a CEO of a major corporation known for massive and expeditious layoffs, his brandishing (rather than hiding) of an instrument of animal torment illustrates misplaced values.
The three aging and tired-looking elephants and the lame tiger occasionally seen at the mega-flea market's semipermanent circus have felt the jab of the hook and the sting of the whip, I'm sure on many occasions. Wild animals must be "broken" by force in order to perform the demeaning and unnatural tricks circusgoers are treated to.
It's futile to try to change people like Henn, who practice dominance over animals and employees like it was a religion. Shoppers, on the other hand, can make ethical choices by not patronizing establishments that rely on human and/ or animal exploitation in order to turn a profit.
Now Click This
