Posted on 11/20/2005 6:27:20 PM PST by Kimmers
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch animal lovers are mourning a sparrow shot dead after it fluttered into an exhibition hall and knocked over thousands of dominoes set up in preparation for a world record attempt.
The sparrow will be commemorated in a live Dutch television broadcast of the domino-toppling Friday after a wave of national outrage at the shooting.
"We know we are responsible for a lot of emotion in the country and we realize we couldn't go on without properly marking this," said Jeroen van Waardenberg, a spokesman for reality TV company Endemol, the firm behind "Big Brother."
An exterminator shot the sparrow Monday in the northern city of Leeuwarden after fears the bird could upset more of the 4 million dominoes which staff had spent weeks balancing on their edges for the record attempt.
Dutch animal rights groups are outraged, especially as sparrows are a protected species in the Netherlands.
Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!
No hungry generations tread thee down;
The voice I hear this passing night was heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;
The same that ofttimes hath
Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.
Keats, "Ode to a Nightengale"
Next they will be mourning the millions of innocent flu viruses being slaughtered in China.
This is embarrassing. My mother's maiden name was Zuiderhoek.
It appears that sparrows are a Protected Species in the Netherlands -- but that Van Goghs are not. (The actual people bearing that name, I mean, not the paintings.)
This looks like a satire by Jonathan Swift. Except he died hundreds of years ago... but I could just see it.
As I was just trying to think of something to say to this...... you summed things up perfectly... huh?
Cheers, Lloyd
Let's give them Freeper wisdom.
http://www.dodemus.nl/?action=cond
My thoughts also. Their whole country is turning to crap right before their eyes and they're worried about one lousy bird?
They will, no doubt, in the near future, have no such compassion when they stone some luckless girl who broke sharia law though.
It's nuts. They'll have every bird on earth at the funeral.
But he didn't shoot the deputy.
O...M...G... and yet silence when it comes to abortion.
Remember not to wash the car before going
If this story's on the level it's time for me to start playing the lottery. |
They should give away free hookers and trips to the cafes to all sparrows. For a whole month!
That's like 3 years of hookers for a human.
This seems like fair muneration from a socialist state, don't you think?
The fact that this is even getting attention, and that people are "outraged" proves they are a people ripe for the picking.
The Mohammedans must be salviating.
My wife is LOL.
Johnny, we hardly knew ye.
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